Throughout 2012 there has been a mantra from Internet “gurus” telling us that we need to add “more content”. Content, content, content, they tell us. That’s all very well, but what kind of content should we add?

Articles, video, audio – yes, they are all “content” we can add to our websites, but will they get engagement? A new study suggests that knowing where your website visitors are located can help you determine the kind of content you should prepare.

The research from the Pew Internet team shows that the location of your website visitors is related to their preferences for their reading material. When it comes to reading books, people in towns and cities prefer ebooks, but people in rural areas want printed books. Similarly, people in the countryside prefer to read real newspapers, but those in urban areas want their daily news on mobile devices.

This is yet another study demonstrating that there are differences between your website visitors and their requirements for the content you provide. Once again it is evidence that the prescriptions from those “gurus” which imply “one-size-fits-all” is leading us in the wrong direction.

The Pew Internet research shows that the more detail you have about your website visitors, the more you can tailor your content for them and deliver more precisely what they want. If someone visits your site from a rural area, offer to post them your printed report, but if they are from a city then give them a download link, for example.

There are plenty of “digital divides” which exist – this new research indicates there is one between those of us who live in the countryside and others who live in towns and cities. Knowing where your website visitors are located can help you prepare the right kind of content and web experience for them.