The World Wide Web is teeming with great and cookie-cutter content, and websites are usually the perpetrators of starting a craze dependent on content. Viral videos, memes, controversial articles pinning down international celebrities to hide in shame, and other share-worthy content are a host of examples that W3 visitors love to read and proliferate within their online circles.

For businesses with online consumer segments, they see content as an affordable and viable solution in attracting quality traffic, upscale conversion rates, and increase web presence. Some business owners still worship search engine optimization (SEO) in helping them grow organic visibility around search engines, but the incorporation of social signals into search has raptured conventional marketing, splitting it in half.

Consumers gradually learned how SEO works, so ranking for a particular keyword or key phrase may not be enough in attracting possible customers back to your site’s home page or pages that contain attributes of conversion and ROI. Consumers or site visitors will need a little more convincing, and competitive organic rankings may not be enough to cover your web site’s traction and authority.

Quality content! Lots and lots of sociable content can inspire your market to read, bookmark, and subscribe to your site.  We’re not talking about low-quality articles submitted to a bunch of suspicious content directories that have no elements for social share – readers want content that matter, content that has never been conceived before, and content that will spark widespread viral discussion across networking platforms.

1. An odd blog usually wins readership

I’m a huge fan of TheOatmeal, but the thing that got me visiting the it once a day (after working hours, of course) is the mascot located at the footer of the site. Scrolling downwards, visitors will be greeted by a grizzly bear with a few generic properties that belong to a pterodactyl. That’s weird, and oddity is something that readers are inclined to share whenever they spot something planetary absurd.

If you have a site dedicated to mobile phones, then create content explaining the weird events relevant to mobile phones. News may range from the invention of a mobile phone that self-destructs when you say Hello or mobile phones that short-circuit when you say Speaking. There are a lot of undiscovered oddities around there, and it’s your job to unearth them to and convert them into head-scratching pieces that attract social love.

2.Turn an ordinary image or quote into a meme

Memes are powerful sources of web traffic. Images that induce worldwide fits of laughter or personal insults generate shares beyond comprehension, and understanding how a meme works will definitely benefit your site. What’s more fascinating is that you don’t have to expend hours writing a blog post or conduct mind-numbing research on a particular topic. Analyze image structure and quote something funny about it. Who knows? Your image might become the next One Does Not Simply [Insert Verb and Noun here] sensation.

3. Invite someone to write something for you

The popularity of guest blogging has increased since Google updated its search algorithms targeting link and content spammers. Not every site administrator has the talent to come up with content that will go around social networks shared and commented on. Invite guest bloggers and let them write the content for you, while rewarding them with a backlink on their author biography. This common strategy works fine when you’re out of resources or manpower to handle all content that will be distributed on different social media platforms. Also, guest blogging provides your site with a diversified, enriched editorial approach that your readers may find refreshing.

4. Explode Top 10 lists into a full-blown 100

Lists are very entertaining reading materials. Whenever you come up with a list, readers band together and question your choice of why Entry #2 should be downgraded to #10 or Entry #99 should be crowned the top spot on this list. Blog posts that quantify a subject is guaranteed to fill your site’s comment box with either positive or negative criticism from their supporters. To make things interesting, create a full list that spans to a 100 to keep conversations flowing within an unpredictable timeline.

5. Never forget to write something passive or self-serving

Finally, readers aren’t always engaged with content that lacks personal flavor. They want to hear opinions that further stretch the rubber bands of social discussion. Criticize someone. Mention how enlightening or disparaging they are to the public light. Social media denizens are always looking for controversial content backed with superior to estranged opinions on someone or something.

Written By Derek Vicente. Edited By Aritra Roy.

Derek Ian Vicente is a Search Executive who has developed a love affair with social media and analytics. He’s currently engaged in promoting and marketing The Big Picture – Microsoft’s powerful solution in simplifying business intelligence and massive data manipulation. You can follow Derek Vicente at Twitter (he’s not popular on Twitter, though).