Creating resources pages for websites is a must for every respectful brand. A good resource page for your blog can make the difference for your website.
In this article, we will show you everything needed to understand and build help resources pages. Lets get started
What is a Resource Page?
A resource page is a dedicated page on your website that curates a helpful list of tools, products, services, downloads, and other assets that would benefit your audience. It serves as a value-added hub where you compile relevant resources your readers can use to help them succeed.
It is a great way to centralise all the best resources you gathered through your journey.
For example, a blogger may create a resource page featuring their favorite blogging tools and plugins. An entrepreneur might make a page with the best business apps and books they recommend. The key is to focus on resources tied to your niche that will provide real value for your audience.
Resource pages demonstrate your expertise by showcasing the best solutions in your field. They also build trust and goodwill with readers by becoming their go-to destination to find recommendations all in one place. Resource pages should be a standard part of any impactful content marketing strategy.
Why Have a Resource Page?
There are several key reasons you should invest time in creating a high-quality resource page for your website:
- Positions you as an expert. Curating a comprehensive list of the top tools and assets shows you know your niche inside and out. Readers see you as an authoritative insider.
- Adds tremendous value for your audience. A resource page creates a helpful “one-stop shop” where visitors can access all your recommended resources in one spot. This saves them time and effort.
- Drives recurring traffic. A well-optimized resource page gives users a reason to return again and again as they click through to your linked recommendations.
- Opens up promotion opportunities. You can potentially form affiliate partnerships by recommending tools and services. Many brands offer affiliate programs.
- Boosts SEO. A resource page optimized with relevant keywords can improve your overall search visibility and rankings for those terms.
For example, Copyblogger saw a huge increase in organic traffic after creating an extensive content creation toolkit resource page on their site. Their comprehensive curation of helpful tools demonstrated their expertise while providing enormous value.
In short, a thoughtfully organized resource page benefits both you and your audience. It should be a standard part of any effective content marketing strategy.
What to Include on a Resource Page to make it awesome
There are many types of content you may want to include on your resource page, such as:
Recommended Tools, Software, and Apps
- Provide an annotated list of the tools you recommend, software, mobile apps, browser extensions, plugins, or other applications. For example, a marketing blog may recommend SEO tools, email marketing apps, graphic design tools, website builders, etc.
- For each, include a description explaining what the tool does and why you recommend it. Be sure to link to the homepage or download page.
- Don’t hesitate to add reviews of the tools on your website
Products and Services
- Recommend specific products, services, agencies, or companies your audience would appreciate knowing about. These may be things you use yourself or believe would benefit your readers.
- Disclose any affiliate relationships and be sure to link to your affiliate URLs to earn commission on referrals.
Educational Assets and Info Products
- Curate a list of online courses, ebooks, tutorials, templates, worksheets, checklists, or other educational resources. Focus on high-quality assets that provide value.
- For digital info products, use affiliate links whenever possible. For online courses, see if the creator offers a partner or affiliate program to earn a commission on referrals.
Relevant Blog Posts and Articles
- Link to your own most useful, evergreen blog posts that readers will find helpful. Organize them by category or theme for easy skimming.
- Also link out to high-quality articles published on other sites that would benefit your audience. Aim for sites with good domain authority and relevance to your niche.
Case Studies and Real-World Examples
- Link to detailed case studies, customer stories, or other real-world examples and use cases that bring your recommendations to life. These can come from your own content or other sites.
Books
- Recommend books you have read and believe your audience would enjoy. Use affiliate links to Amazon or other booksellers.
Industry Reports, Statistics, and Research
- Link to studies, whitepapers, statistics, and industry reports your audience would find insightful. These should come from authoritative sources like universities, research firms, or reputable publications.
Videos
- Embed videos or links to YouTube, Vimeo, or other platforms with informative videos aligned to your topic focus.
Podcasts
- Suggest podcasts, episodes, or creators your audience may be interested in, based on their niche.
Websites
- Recommend other websites you read with helpful information related to your topic focus. Look for reputable, often-updated sites that align with your audience interests.
The key is to provide a robust mix of highly relevant resources across different formats, from diverse sources, that your readers will actually find useful. Focus on quality over quantity.
If you want to montezie your resource page, you can put affiliate links to any of the resources you are listing. Make sure to add them in a way that doesn’t affect user experience. Make sure to add a disclaimer.
How to Create a Killer Resource Page
Here is a step-by-step process for creating a stellar resource page your audience will love:
- Choose a specific topic focus. Determine the goal for your page. Will you focus on marketing tools, business apps, cooking resources, or something else? Pick a niche that aligns closely with your brand and audience interests.
- Audit potential recommendations. Review tools and resources you use and recommend. Ask colleagues, influencers, and your audience for suggestions to crowdsource ideas.
- Organize your recommendations. Group similar resources into categories or themes for easy skimming. For example, you may have sections like “Content Creation Tools”, “Social Media Tools”, “Books Worth Reading”.
- Write annotations. For each resource, include a short 1-3 sentence description explaining what it is and why you recommend it.
- Optimize with keywords. Research terms your audience would search for related to your topic. Incorporate relevant keywords naturally in your content.
- Make it visually compelling. Include logos, screenshots, photos, icons and other visual elements to make your resource page more engaging.
- Format for usability. Use bullet points, numbers, headings, bold/italic text, spacing, and organize information in digestible sections for easy skimming.
- Include affiliate links. Sign up for affiliate programs when possible and insert your affiliate links to earn commission on referrals. Disclose affiliate relationships.
- Promote your resource page. Link to your new resource page from relevant posts. Promote it on email, social media, and elsewhere to drive traffic.
- Keep it updated. Revisit your page regularly to remove broken links, add new recommendations, and freshen it up. Maintenance keeps it useful.
Following this process will help you create an invaluable resource your audience keeps coming back to again and again. Your resource page demonstrates your expertise while providing real value. You need to create a great resource page. This is what says that you are a real expert in your niche.
Optimizing Your Resource Page for SEO
Here are tips to optimize your resource page for search:
- Research target keyword phrases people search when looking for recommendations in your niche. Include your primary keywords in the page title, headers, content, URL, etc.
- Write a focused meta description optimized with your target phrases to summarize the page’s intent for search engines.
- Use related long-tail keywords throughout your content in a natural, non-spammy way.
- Include descriptive headings (H2, H3 tags) to structure your content into logical sections.
- Add schema markup for different content types like software, books, video, etc. This helps search engines understand your page.
- Link out to authoritative sites and quality resources to build your domain authority “neighborhood”.
- Build backlinks from other pages on your site and external sites if possible.
- Ensure your page loads quickly and is fully optimized for mobile usage.
With the right on-page SEO foundations, your resource page has a much better chance of ranking well and pulling in targeted organic traffic from search engines.
Maintaining Your Resource Page
- Audit your page regularly to remove broken links, outdated info, or low-value recommendations. Replace these with new and improved resources.
- Add fresh recommended resources periodically based on new tools/content you discover in your niche. Variety gives visitors a reason to return.
- Reach out to brands you recommend to inquire about becoming an affiliate partner. Offer to give their product more exposure through your page in exchange for commission on referrals.
- Crowdsource new recommendations from your email list and social media followers. User-generated suggestions can provide great new ideas.
- Update the design, layout, and visuals periodically to give the page a fresh new look. This will make the content feel shiny and new again.
- Repromote your updated resource page on social media, email newsletters, and elsewhere. Remind visitors it exists and highlight specific recommendations.
A little ongoing maintenance keeps your resource page full of value. It strengthens your reputation as a trusted expert consumers can rely on to point them to the best solutions.
Common Mistakes in Creating a Resource Page
Lack of Clear Navigation
One of the most common mistakes is neglecting navigation. Imagine you’re building a house. Would you create a maze-like structure where it’s hard to find the kitchen or the bathroom? Of course not! The same principle applies to your resource page.
Your resource page should be as easy as possible to navigate in. The headings and a logical structure should be clear. Your visitors should be able to find the type of content they’re looking for without any hassle. If your resource page is a chaotic list of links, your visitors might get frustrated and leave. So, make sure you’re designing your resource page with user experience in mind.
Lack of Valuable Content
Another common mistake is not providing content that offers real value. A great resources page is more than just a list of recommended tools. The tools and resources you recommend must be valuable. It’s a resource center, a place where your visitors can find blog posts, case studies, online courses, and other types of content that can help them.
For example, if you’re an expert in content marketing, your resource page might include links to your favorite content creation tools, articles published on other websites that you find useful, and even your own blog posts on the topic. Remember, the goal is to have an awesome resource page that provides real value to your audience.
Overuse of Affiliate Links
It’s a good idea to include affiliate links on your resource page. Please don’t overdo though. If every link is an affiliate link, your visitors might start to question your motivations. Are you recommending these tools because they’re genuinely helpful? Do you want to earn a commission from them?
To avoid this, make sure to balance affiliate links with non-affiliate links. And when you do use affiliate links, be transparent about it. Let your readers know that you may earn a commission if they purchase through your link. Make sure to state that you recommend a product or service you use and love.
Neglecting SEO Best Practices
SEO is another important aspect that is often overlooked when creating resource pages. Your resource page is a great opportunity to drive traffic to your website, but only if people can find it!
So, make sure to follow SEO best practices. Use keywords in your headers and content, create a meta description that accurately describes what your page is about, and make sure your page loads quickly. Remember, a well-optimized resource page can also help improve your site’s overall SEO.
Not Updating the Page Regularly
Finally, a common mistake is to create a resource page and then forget about it. It should be a living, breathing part of your website. As you discover new resources, add them to your page. If a tool you previously recommended is no longer the best option, update your recommendation. The tools your recommend will obviously change.
Remember, your resource page is a reflection of your expertise and credibility. Keeping it up-to-date shows your visitors that you’re committed to providing them with the best resources available.