You’ve probably heard that content is king, but that statement needs some qualification: good content that actually gets read is king. It’s not enough just to assemble a bunch of words and throw it on your business blog. The Internet is beyond vast, and your content is just a drop in the ocean unless you make it readerworthy. If you’re writing but nobody seems to be reading, here are some possible reasons why your content isn’t king.

Your Content Has No Presence outside Your Blog

If you really want people to lend an ear to what you’re trying to say, it’s not enough to just make a new post. You need to announce that post on your company’s Facebook and Twitter and really reach out for readers. Send out an e-mail to your mailing list, and include a bit of your post there—just enough to whet their appetite and get them to read the full post on your company blog.

Your Content Is Just a Sales Pitch

It may be tempting to use your blog to describe your products constantly, but people don’t want to read a sales pitch. Instead, focus your content on educating your potential customers and helping them solve their problems. By creating content that will be a real resource for your readers, you’ll encourage them to come back, and more people will naturally find your site.

Your Content Is for Search Engines, Not People

If you’re just producing piles of keywords that don’t really say anything or that seem very unnatural to readers, people aren’t going to care much for your posts, and search engines may even penalize you for spammy content. Instead, focus on writing something a person would actually like to read. If you focus on user experience, the search engine optimization aspect of your content will largely take care of itself. It’s great to target specific keyword phrases, but don’t forget who your audience is.

Your Content Is Just Bad

Just because you can speak English doesn’t mean you can write a compelling article or clearly articulate your ideas in writing. Get some honest evaluations of your writing from others. If it’s just not good, find an experienced writer to create content for you. If people struggle to understand what you’re trying to say, no amount of promotion will get people to frequent your blog.

You Don’t Really Have Any Content

Regular tweets and Facebook posts are no substitute for real, primary content. Your social media efforts should be a support and supplement for your primary content, not a replacement for hearty writing that goes beyond the surface level of the subject.

If you do things right, content really can be king. Interesting and helpful writing can catch and maintain the interest of readers (i.e., potential customers) and become a driving force for the success of your business.