Informational Content Is Your Website’s Secret MVP

Most websites are out here acting like digital billboards. Buy this! Book that! Look at our shiny services! And hey, that makes sense. We all want conversions. 🤷

But here’s the thing: people don’t just stumble onto your site and whip out their credit cards. They research. They compare. And guess what they’re looking for during all that scrolling?

Informational content! ℹ️

Yep, that’s right. And if your site doesn’t have it, you’re basically ghosting the people who are most likely to become your customers.

Informational vs Promotional Content: What’s the Real Difference?

Informational content and promotional content are not twins. They’re more like cousins who show up at the same party but serve completely different vibes.

Informational Content = The Helpful Nerd 

Informational content is all about being useful. Its job isn’t to sell; it’s to serve. It answers real questions, solves actual problems, and educates your audience without waving a giant BUY NOW banner in their face. 👓

This is the type of content that builds trust and positions you as a go-to expert.

It looks like:

• Blog posts that explain concepts or share tips

• How-to guides and tutorials

• In-depth explainers with no sales pitch

• FAQs that don’t feel like a chatbot wrote them

Promotional Content = The Charismatic Salesperson

Promotional content is where you showcase your best offers, highlight your shiny new products, and give people the final nudge to make a move.

This can include:

• Product pages

• Discount banners

• Ads and email campaigns

Both types of content are essential; they just show up at different stages of the customer journey. Informational content gets attention and earns trust; promotional content brings it home with the sale.

Where Informational Content Fits in the Bigger Picture

So, why is informational content such a big deal in digital marketing?

Because before people buy from you, they need to believe you. They want to know that you get them. That you get their problem. And that you’re here to help.

The RACE Model Helps You Use Informational Content Smarter

Let’s bring in a trusty framework: the RACE Marketing Model. No, it’s not about sprinting, but about making your content strategy more efficient, targeted, and data-savvy.

RACE stands for:

• Reach – Build awareness and reach new audiences.

• Act – Encourage engagement on your site (clicks, shares, comments).

• Convert – Turn interest into action (sales, sign-ups, downloads).

• Engage – Keep the relationship going after the conversion (retention, loyalty).

Now here’s where informational content shines at every stage:

• Reach: Use blogs, videos, or how-tos to show up in search results and attract visitors who don’t know you yet, but are looking for answers.

• Act: Engage those visitors with genuinely helpful content that encourages them to explore more pages, sign up for your newsletter, or follow you on social.

• Convert: Blend education with a soft nudge. Write guides that suggest your product as a solution, naturally, not pushily.

• Engage: Keep the good stuff coming post-purchase. Share tips, updates, and advice to turn one-time buyers into loyal fans.

Informational Content Is a Total Power Move for SEO ⚡

SEO isn’t just about cramming keywords into web pages or tweaking meta descriptions like a digital gremlin. It’s about value. Real, usable, helpful value. And that’s precisely what informational content brings to the table.

Evergreen Content

Want traffic that doesn’t vanish the second a campaign ends? Create informational content with staying power. We’re talking evergreen blog posts, the kind that answer timeless questions, solve recurring problems, and keep showing up in search results long after you’ve hit publish.

When properly optimized and updated as needed, evergreen content becomes a reliable source of organic traffic. 

Internal Linking

Here’s a little trick that too many marketers sleep on: internal linking. Every time you publish a new piece of informational content, you’re also building pathways across your site.

Smart internal linking:

• Helps users discover more content they care about 💥

• Signals topical depth to search engines 💥

• Spreads link equity from high-authority pages to newer ones 💥

Expertise and Authority 

When you consistently publish informational content that’s genuinely helpful, you naturally start building something priceless: trust.

Search engines notice when your content covers a topic thoroughly and answers user questions better than the competition. Over time, you become what Google considers a go-to resource, which means higher rankings and greater visibility.

Long-Tail Keywords 

If you’re not targeting long-tail keywords yet, you’re missing out on a goldmine. These are the longer, super-specific search phrases people use when they’re closer to taking action.

Thanks to updates like Google’s BERT algorithm and the rise of voice search, search engines are now really good at understanding complex queries. That means content targeting long-tail keywords often matches search intent more precisely.

Link Building Starts With Being Link-Worthy

You can’t beg for backlinks forever. The better approach is to create informational content that’s so helpful, other people want to link to it.

Think:

• Original insights

• Practical guides

• In-depth explainers

• Answer-driven blog posts

When other creators, brands, or media outlets see your content as valuable to their audience, they’re more likely to reference it. That’s free authority points from Google, just for doing your job well.

How to Write Informational Content That People Enjoy Reading

Writing informational content is about helping real people understand something clearly, without boring them to tears. 

Below are practical tips to help you create informational content that’s engaging, easy to follow, and genuinely useful.

Start With Topics You Actually Understand

Before you write a single word, make sure the topic is something you genuinely know well. Informational content relies heavily on credibility, and readers can spot uncertainty from a mile away.

When you understand a subject deeply, you can explain it naturally. You can add nuance. You can anticipate questions before they’re even asked. That confidence shows up in your writing and makes the content far more engaging.

Passion helps too! If you care about the topic, your writing won’t feel forced or flat. It’ll feel alive, and readers will notice.

Research Until You’re Uncomfortable (Then Do a Bit More)

Even if you know the topic well, research is non-negotiable. Strong informational content is built on accurate, well-rounded knowledge, not assumptions.

Dig into multiple sources. Look at industry data, expert opinions, updated studies, and real-world examples. Research helps you catch blind spots, validate your points, and avoid outdated information that could damage trust.

The more informed you are, the easier it becomes to explain things clearly and confidently. Research doesn’t make your content heavier; it makes it stronger.

Structure Is What Keeps Readers From Getting Lost

Good structure is invisible when it’s done well, but painfully obvious when it’s missing. Informational content should flow logically from one idea to the next, without jumping all over the place.

Start by clearly setting expectations in the introduction. Then, guide readers through the topic step by step in a natural order. Each section should feel like it belongs exactly where it is.

Clear headings, short paragraphs, and logical transitions help readers follow along effortlessly. When the structure makes sense, the information sticks.

Use Real Examples to Make Ideas Click

Abstract explanations only go so far. Real-life examples are what turn informational content from interesting into memorable.

Stories, scenarios, and practical use cases help readers see how a concept works in practice. They add context, emotion, and clarity, especially when you’re explaining something complex.

Editing Is Where Good Content Becomes Great

The first draft is never the final draft. Editing is where informational content truly comes together.

Read your work critically. Remove unnecessary repetition. Tighten sentences. Fix anything that feels unclear or clunky. Even minor tweaks can dramatically improve readability and flow.

Inform First, Win Later

Here’s the bottom line: informational content is where trust begins. Before anyone buys from you, they want answers. Show up with clear, helpful content, and you’ve already made a great first impression with your audience and search engines.

It’s not about stuffing pages with keywords or pretending to be an online textbook. It’s about being useful, being real, and making sure your content actually solves problems. That’s what keeps people reading, clicking, and coming back. 🤝