Entries Tagged 'copywriter' ↓

The art of Search engine optimisation is enabling businesses all over the world reach a greater audience online.

Done well and it can achieve amazing results, often slashing marketing budgets as expensive off line marketing campaigns and PPC are no longer needed.

But many people are still tempted to cut corners, impatient for results.

Don’t let temptation get the better of you. SEO will take time, but if you try to take short cuts, Google could slap you with a penalty.

Natural Link Building

Links to your website are very important. They act as an indicator to Google showing how relevant your site it for a particular topic. Each link is seen as a vote, so the more you have the more relevant you are perceived.

Buying links is a very bad idea and can be very damaging to your website. If you build your links naturally and ensure they come from related sites (i.e. the same industry/topic) you won’t fall foul of Google.

You can attract good links in a number of ways. For example:

•    Create a good Google local profile and fill it with relevant information about your business
•    Contact your Chamber of Commerce and enquire about having a link from  their website
•    Ask your suppliers/clients if they would be prepared to link to you
•    Issue press releases
•    Add your details to influential online directories in relevant categories
•    Write blogs and articles on your industry and link back to your website

Don’t be lazy about back links

Generating back links is often one part of SEO that is forgotten about.

Yes it takes time and is a constant process, but one that is vital if your SEO strategy is going to work. If you find it too much for one person to deal with on their own, get a link building team organised and share the workload.

Don’t indulge in the dark arts

Whatever you do, don’t succumb to using black hat techniques. These are activities that Google frowns upon. They are used by unscrupulous SEO companies to try and get quick results. But they could land you in hot water.

Black hat techniques cover things such as cloaking, using link farms, invisible text and keyword stuffing (more about that in a moment).

No keyword stuffing

The art of SEO Copywriting is quite complex and it pays to get a professional to create your copy for you.

Many people believe that by cramming as many instances of their keywords into their copy as possible, they’ll achieve magnificent rankings.

Well, if you do that, all you’ll achieve is unreadable text. What’s the point in good rankings if:

•    People can’t read your copy
•    People are completely turned off by your copy
•    Your copy doesn’t convert

A professional SEO copywriter will not only create compelling, benefits driven copy that will convert, they will also know where and how to use your keywords in a natural way.

Don’t repeat yourself

In a rush to own as much of the internet as possible, some companies are tempted to cut and paste text from their website into as many directories and online profiles as possible.

Don’t! Google frowns upon duplicate copy. If you fall into this trap you’ll earn yourself a hefty penalty so make sure you only add original content to your website, blogs and directories.

Don’t forget to keep the momentum going

Even when companies manage to avoid all the SEO hurdles I’ve mentioned, without constant maintenance their strategy will fail.

SEO isn’t a static entity, it’s very fluid. You must constantly monitor and tweak it to get the best out of it. Back links must be generated constantly to maintain and improve your rankings.

Your hard work will be rewarded by higher rankings, more targeted traffic and a reduction in your marketing spend.

The semantics of understanding

Before I get into the nitty gritty of this post I want to clarify something. It saddens me to say the term ‘keyword density’ hasn’t yet been confined to the rubbish bin.

It is a term that’s still freely banded about by ‘SEO experts’ who claim to understand the inner workings of Google. Well if they did, they would know that ‘keyword density’ is nonsense.

Its origins come from this kind of mindset:

“The more I mention a phrase the higher the keyword density; the higher the keyword density the more relevant my page will be to Google. Therefore the more keywords I can cram into my copy the better.”

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

By thinking this way you completely disregard the competition from other pages – so what do you do? Take a look at them, work our their keyword density (total number of words divided by the number of times your phrase is repeated – expressed as a percentage) chuck in a few more instances of your keyword so your density is higher and, bingo! You’ve created the spammiest website known to man.

As a result all legibility, usability and clarity diminish.

If you are a die-hard KD fan and think I’m talking a load of c***p, let me ask you this – if KD was how the search engines calculate the relevancy of your web page, surely all you’d have to do is fill your page with your keywords. But if you did that, no one would use the internet because it would be full of gibberish. Hello? Are you getting it now?

The search engines aren’t stupid. Keyword density is useless – it totally ignores the contextual relevance of your page to your subject matter let alone internal links, back links, navigation, usability etc.

So how do you create SEO copywriting that the search engines love?

Its semantics Jim but not as we know it

Your keywords (and the quality of your keyword research) are important. But you don’t need to stuff your copy with them. When writing naturally you automatically build meaning by using keywords, synonyms, verbs and nouns.

Of course, placing your keywords in optimum places is very important – META tags, title tags, headings (H1 etc), navigation and links. But that alone won’t indicate to the search engines what your page is about.

For example, if you’re writing about ink, you have to give Google some help so it can determine how you are using that term.

The answer is semantics.

How to research related words

There are 2 ways you can go about researching related words. You can either guess, or you can use the Google Tilde Search.

I find the latter works best.

So how do you use it? Well simply type your keyword into Google immediately preceded by the tilde sign (~). You will then see several pages of results with the related terms in bold.

Going back to our word – when you search “~ink” Google shows us the following terms:

Inkjet
Cartridge
Inks
Toner
Paint
Pen

And that’s just from the first two pages of the search results.

Then all you have to do is drill down by picking the relevant terms and doing a Tilde Search on those too. Eventually you will have a list of related words that, when used within your text, will enhance the SEO on your website.

Why you need to know this

I should think that’s pretty obvious!

By using semantics within your website copywriting, you will be boosting the relevance of your pages in Google’s eyes. And the more relevancies you show, the higher your rankings.

But remember, this will only work in conjunction with a well planned SEO strategy.

Is there really any point in you having a website if…

The internet is the place to be!

You are no one these days if you don’t have a website, but don’t rush out and grab any old thing.

Your website should exist for one reason, and one reason only – to sell. If it doesn’t do that, it’s a very expensive electronic brochure.

As a copywriter, I’ve used this blog as a platform to inform and (hopefully) educate people in how to get the most out of their website. But there are still people who don’t seem to get it.

Your website is your online shop window. If you did happen to have a shop window you’d want it to be in full view of everyone, eye-catching, informative and enticing enough to make people walk into your shop.

So why is it that sometimes it all goes to pot when you try to replicate that in a digital format?

Below are 5 instances when your website isn’t worth the space it’s taking up on the internet.

1.    No one can find you

You might think that just by getting a website you’ve made it. There will be a small army of internet surfers landing on your home page. Well, think again. If you haven’t invested in any search engine optimisation, you are not going to be found.

If you’ve spent a small fortune on a very groovy looking flash site, you are going to find it difficult to get noticed because ranking may be tough as Google can’t read flash in the same ways it does HTML.

If you haven’t bothered to optimise your titles or URL and if you haven’t bothered investing in good SEO Copywriting, you’re not going to be found.

Yes, you could pay a small fortune and go down the PPC route, but did you know that 85% of internet users will click on the organic rankings and not the sponsored links?

SEO pays.

2.    It’s all about you

Guess what? I’ve said it numerous times (but there’s no harm in repeating myself – I’m getting to the age when it’s acceptable), your reader couldn’t give a toss about you; they want to know what you are going to do for them.

If your navigation reads like – ‘About Us’, ‘What we do’, ‘Our products’, ‘News’ – they aren’t going to stick around. Your website copywriting has to be about your reader; how your product will help them – think benefits.

3.    Tell them where to go

Don’t hide your navigation in cunning and artistic graphics. You want people to read your website. You want people to contact you. You want people to buy. So make it easy for them.

Clear, simple navigation will make your website easy to use and welcoming. If you make it hard work, your reader isn’t going to stick around.

4.    Stop following me!

I really, really hate those websites that have pop up boxes that chase you around the screen. You’ve probably seen them, they either try to force you to sign up for something or ask ‘Are you sure you want to leave’ – YES, I’M SURE.

They are incredibly irritating. In fact even more so than number 5…

5.    Music and video

I have absolutely nothing against using music or video on your website – it can be very effective. But don’t have it on autoplay.

The last thing I want is either a very s-l-o-w loading website, one that suddenly bursts into song, or one that thinks I want to watch a very loud video.

Why you need to know this

Despite what you may be thinking right now, I am not the only person who thinks this way.

When having your website designed, put your own ego and wishes to one side for a moment and think about what your customers want. After all, it will be selling to them.

So in summary:

•    Get a website that is easily navigable
•    Optimise your titles and URL
•    Make sure your on page SEO (e.g. SEO copywriting) is done by a professional to boost your ranking possibilities
•    Put an SEO strategy in place
•    Make sure your website addresses your reader and sells them the benefits of your product
•    Resist the urge for annoying gadgets no matter how ‘cool’ you might think they are

In any sales relationship, trust is probably the most important factor. Without trust, you are unlikely to make a sale.

Therefore when producing copywriting for any marketing collateral you have to be able to convey trust.

If you blog, you’re laying your soul bare for all to read. Your posts are very personal so your reader feels as though they know you through your words. And it is that connection you have to try to replicate in your sales writing.

Too often you see dire sales letters – they’re full of hype and practically shout at the reader BUY MY PRODUCT NOW!

So it’s not surprising when they don’t yield great results.

People have a natural resistance to buying. You are asking them to part with their money so you have to show them you’re not a charlatan and you’re not going to rip them off. You have to convince them to trust you – not something that’s easy to do through text.

To help you get your sales message across in a non-shouty and threatening way, why not try one of these three techniques?

Tell them a story

If you want to tell someone about a product you are selling, don’t rely on bold or colourful lettering, just tell them about it.

Using the tried and tested story telling style will help you build credibility in the eyes of your reader. Tell them why you created the product weaving in your credentials (number of years experience, clients you’ve helped etc.) to your benefits driven copy.

This approach will help you get your benefits in first to instantly start to break down their buying resistance. Plus, mention of your experience, clients and motivations will help convince them you’re genuine.

It was all a mistake

If you happened upon the idea for your product or you were involved in doing something that others wanted to be part of, telling your reader that your service/product evolved by chance will show them the thought process behind your product, how it has helped others and – well, if they thought it was great, it must be.

Of course your story has to be true and credible if it’s going to work. This approach is an excellent way to make a human connection with your reader.

Case study

This is one of the most powerful sales tools there is. Writing about a client’s experience of your product/service will show the reader exactly what can be achieved. As with the other techniques this has to be based on fact and written with your client’s permission.

Name names, show quantifiable results and use direct quotes from your customer to add weight to it.

This type of real life illustration will really resonate with your reader.

As you can see, selling is about showing the benefits, breaking down resistance and convincing them to buy.

Once you’ve put your ‘sales pitch’ across don’t forget to add in your call to action.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could produce a piece of marketing collateral that will promote your business forever?

Do you think that’s impossible?

Think again, not only is it possible, it’s something that many people are already doing. They just don’t realise it.

The legacy of online marketing

In the past, most of your marketing materials would have been off line – things like brochures, leaflets, magazine adverts and direct sales letters. The main problems with these are:

• They only reach a limited audience

• They are soon forgotten

As soon as your brochure is binned, the magazine has been read or your sales letter shredded, their contents are lost forever.

But if you market online, the beauty of the internet means your collateral is there forever. If you create it so it’s SEO friendly, it will continue to attract an audience for eternity – or at least for as long as it remains on the internet.

Imagine the power of that.

Using SEO techniques your blog posts, articles and web pages will draw new readers like a magnet. So are you making the most of it?

Boost your online presence

Take a look through your computer files. What information do you have that you’d forgotten about? I’m willing to bet you’ve an untapped gold mine of suitable marketing material just waiting to be uploaded onto the web.

It could be turned into articles, blog posts and even web pages. You’re bound to be harbouring a small flotilla of PDF files that could be utilised.  But rather than simply adding them in their present form to your website, restructure the information into HTML web pages. The reason for this is a PDF has limited SEO abilities whereas changing into an HTML format will give you countless more opportunities to exploit SEO.

Why you need to know this

Online marketing is all about owning as much of the web as possible. Writing articles and blog posts not only provide you with valuable back links it also exposes your company to a vast, eternal audience.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter