At this point in time, you can no longer ignore content marketing. The vast majority (86 percent) of business-to-consumer (B2C) brands are using content marketing to connect with, attract, and retain audiences. The “content” part of content marketing can take many forms. But a popular pick for many brands is to put together a content marketing website. Content marketing websites go beyond just a blog attached to a main website. Often, the website is a separate hub to provide answers to questions people commonly have. Take a look at what makes these great content marketing websites.
What Makes These Content Marketing Websites Great?
A great website isn’t a matter of opinion. Stand-out content marketing websites have a few features in common that make them easy to discover and navigate.
SEO
Great content marketing websites use search engine optimization tactics. That way a search for relevant keywords and phrases will bring the site up on the first page of results.
Easy navigation
Content marketing website visitors should be able to find their way from point A to B without frustration. For example, once a person is finished reading the first article, the site can recommend additional, relevant things to read.
Uncluttered design
Less is usually more when it comes to website design.
Useful content
The content on the website matters. It should be unique and actionable, and should seek to answer questions or solve problems people have.
Quality everything
Every aspect of the website should scream quality! That means the photos or images used are clear. The text of the written content doesn’t have lots of typos or inaccuracies. And any videos on the site should have clear sound and aren’t grainy or out of focus.
5 Stand-Out Content Marketing Website Examples
AirBnB
AirBnB is no stranger to content marketing. The company has a long history of finding creative ways to use content to connect with its audience. One way it has used content marketing in the past has been to produce a glossy, print magazine.
Additionally, the entire AirBnB website is an example of content marketing in action. The “new” section of the site answers questions people are likely to have. Topics address how the service works and what it is doing to protect consumers and improve the overall AirBnB experience.
One new feature, Collections, introduces visitors to a group of homes that meant to specifically address their needs as a traveler. For example, people looking for homes that are family-friendly can search the family collection, while business travelers can browse the work collection to find houses that include features commonly needed by on-the-go workers.
Into the Gloss/Glossier
Into the Gloss is an ideal example of a brand putting content marketing first — in part because the blog Into the Gloss came before the brand Glossier. The founder of both Glossier and Into the Gloss, Emily Weiss, created the blog and eventually the skincare and makeup brand because she felt that the beauty industry wasn’t catering to the needs of young women, and that the marketing methods used by the industry were outdated (as she told Forbes).
As a result of Into the Gloss, Glossier has gone on to become a beauty and makeup line with a devoted following. Although the blog and website now have an actual product line behind it, the goal of the site is still to help answer skincare and makeup questions women have, not purely to promote Glossier.
Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials
The Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials is one of the most visited health care websites, according to the Content Marketing Institute. The website saw its monthly visitors increase from 200,000 to more than 3.2 million over the course of 18 months.
The website focuses on high-quality content featuring a stamp of approval from a medical professional (so people know that they can trust it). The site also puts a focus on publishing content that people will find helpful and relevant when they’re looking for answers to health care concerns.
Another way that Health Essentials is a great example of a content marketing website is that the team behind the site relies on data to make decisions about what to publish and when to promote it. As Ragan notes, the content marketing team at Cleveland Clinic analyzes when particular readers are most likely to be using social media, and promotes specific posts to that audience, rather than promoting a post on social the second it gets published on the website.
Zillow Porchlight
Zillow Porchlight is the real estate brand’s blog, but it has evolved into much more than a blog. It’s staffed by a team of former journalists, and seeks to provide useful information to people at many different stages of the home-buying process, including those who just want to look at fancy houses owned by celebrities.
The site is super easy to navigate, with a menu button directing visitors to the different categories. On the home page, the posts are listed chronologically. There’s also a sidebar directing visitors to the most popular or most shared content on the site.
Better Money Habits/ Bank of America
Better Money Habits is a personal finance education website by Bank of America in partnership with Khan Academy to provide free educational resources.
Although the site has Bank of America branding on it, it is purely focused on providing information to consumers, not on promoting specific products. The content marketing website covers financial topics ranging from budgeting to retirement planning.
Divided into sections, each is easy to navigate to based on subject matter or life stage. The content on the site is a mix of visuals such as infographics, videos, and how-to articles.
Content Marketing Website Examples Takeaway
What’s the one thing you should take away from the above content marketing website examples? Seeking to help your audience and providing content that’s informative and useful should be your number one goal when putting together a website.
The rest — such as design and SEO — are important, but not as important as quality, useful content.
