Entries Tagged 'seo website copywriter' ↓

Want More Traffic & Customers?

website conversion

When you market your business on the internet, success is all about traffic.

With traffic come customers.

With customers comes money.

So, if you want to be a success on line you need traffic and customers.

But how do you go about achieving that? What can you do to boost your traffic and persuade your traffic to buy from you?

Here are 4 ideas to help you.

1. Keywords

You know your market; you know what they’re searching for. So by using those keywords, you’ll attract more of your target market.

By incorporating the keywords within your SEO website content, articles and blogs you are increasing the chances of your content appearing within your market’s search results.

But make sure you use specific terms that are relevant to your products and services. A shed load of traffic is no use if it’s not looking for what you offer.

2. Video

Video marketing is very popular. People love to research and watch them online so make the most of it by incorporating them on your website.

Produce short videos displaying your products – they can be ‘how tos’ or video case studies about how people have benefited from your product.

3. Pictures

Selling online has one major disadvantage to selling in a shop—your customers can’t come in to your store and see what they are buying.

People don’t like ‘buying blind’ so remove that obstacle by adding pictures of your products to your website.

4. Email marketing

Email marketing gives you a way of maintaining regular contact with your customers and prospective customers.

You can use them to give tips, advice, news and special offers all of which will lead the reader back to your website and encourage them to buy.

These four simple ideas can make a huge difference to your traffic. If your website isn’t attracting visitors it won’t sell anything.

It could be the most beautiful website ever seen but unless it pulls in visitors and converts them into buying customers it’s not worth the money you paid for it.

Don’t Talk To Me About Keyword Density

seo copywriter

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.

SEO Copywriting – The Great Debate

SEO Copywriter

One of the hottest debates in the SEO copywriting world is word count.

As a freelance copywriter, I have worked on many SEO copywriting projects. Many are direct with my clients others are for SEO web designers and companies. Most clients realise that I know quite a lot about SEO copywriting and in particular how it works. I have written copy for many sites that rank on the front page of Google for their chosen keywords – not least my own website which is on the front page of Google for ‘copywriter’ (out of about 6 million results). So as SEO copywriters go, I’m pretty good – even if I do say so myself.

Of course, that’s not to say my clients’ success is totally down to my writing. Obviously it plays a big part in it, but other off page factors such as link building are also a major contributing factor.

But anyway, back to SEO copywriting.

Most of my clients leave me to it when it comes to writing copy for them. They know I’ll come up with something that will not only help them rank well, but will also convert visitors into sales.

However, many SEO companies that I work for are fixated on word count. When talking about SEO copywriting, phrases such as density and word count probably impress clients, but I have a real problem with them, especially word count. There is a saying in the copywriting world that basically goes:

Copy is as long as it needs to be

As soon as you start placing limits on its length problems start.

Word Count Won’t Affect Your Rankings

I’m about to make a bold statement – there is no evidence whatsoever to support the thinking that more words will result in greater ranking success.

Despite this, I am often asked by designers to produce a specific number of words per web page (usually in the realms of 500 to 600 words). The copy may well call for that number of words but, if it doesn’t, imposing a limit on words plays havoc with my creativity.

The truth is the copy has to be led by the product or service it is to sell. There are web pages with as few as 70 words that rank just as well as pages with 600+ words. There is no rhyme or reason to it. But what matters is that I am not forced to work within strict boundaries.

If I have to write 700 words, but the product or page subject matter only calls for 300, the remaining 400 words are just going to be padding. And that’s bad.

Every word on the web page has to be there for a reason, and that reason is to sell. As I mentioned earlier, your rankings are not going to be just down to words, there are many other factors that will determine how well your site performs (site navigation, META tags, ALT tags, link building…).

Plus you have to think about the reader. How many people are really willing to sit and read a web page that is 600+ words long? Not many. For most people, if you haven’t convinced them within 200 words you’ve lost them.

So what I’m saying is don’t commission me to write a certain number of words for you; commission me to write fantastic SEO website copy that is interesting to the reader, sells the product and converts web traffic into sales – because….

It’s the quality that counts

As with many things in life, it’s the quality that counts, not how much of it you’ve got.

It’s very rare to find a web page that contains mountains of text that is actually interesting all the way to the very end.

Time is a rare commodity these days so people don’t want to be reading the equivalent of ‘War and Peace’ just to find out whether your product/service is for them. They need to find answers quickly – something short copy is very good at.

The effectiveness of the copy must be measured by its conversion rate. A niche market will mean low levels of traffic, but if that traffic has a 100% conversion rate you’re laughing. Your web copy is there to target a specific audience. If it does it’s job, the traffic it brings will convert. After all, what’s the point of having 1000s of visitors a day to your website if your copy doesn’t convert them?

Why you need to know this

Imposing word limits is counter productive. It will either force your copywriter to pad with unnecessary words or they’ll have to ruthlessly cut their text which could seriously damage its impact. Either way it will lead to ‘unnatural’ copy that, however good your SEO copywriter is, will read strangely having a detrimental effect on your conversion rate.

A good SEO copywriter will understand:

  • Conversion
  • Keyword usage
  • The importance of tags
  • The optimum places for keywords

Trust their judgement and leave them free to produce the copy for your website. They naturally arrive at a word count that suits your product or service.

Usain Bolt’s coach wouldn’t impose a time limit the runner isn’t allowed to break, so why clip your copywriter’s wings with word count?

7 Must-Knows About SEO Content

seo copywriter Yes, I’ve returned to my favourite topic – good old search engine optimisation.

What makes me so qualified to talk about it?

Am I an SEO expert? – No.

But, I am a great SEO Copywriter – what makes me so sure? Well, that could have something to do with my website appearing on the front page of Google for the term copywriter which is incredibly competitive (getting on for 7 million search results) as well as several of my other keywords.

OK, that’s my credentials out the way, so let’s get back to the subject in hand.

Writing content that is search engine friendly involves far more than stringing a bunch of words together which include your keywords. Below are 7 things you have to know about SEO content if yours is going to work:

1. The importance of content

Writing great content shouldn’t just be about rankings. If that is what you hone in on, you’ll end up writing drivel. Your content has to be interesting and relevant because not only do you want it to rank well in the search results, you also want other people to link to your site and share its information.  And we’re not just talking about web copy here, it’s also things like articles and blog posts too. These back links are very important to your SEO strategy so attracting them is vital.

Obviously when writing your content you will have to include your keywords, but do it in a natural way. Don’t cram your copy with  them or have them so concentrated it makes it impossible to read. Read your copy out loud, if you find you’re falling over yourself because you have so many keywords, cut them back or re-write it so they are more naturally spaced. Readability is everything.

2. Attention grabbing

Headlines are a great way to grab your readers attention. You obviously want them to be relevant to your copy, but don’t just write decriptive headlines. Think of yourself as a journalist. How would they create a sensational headline to make your reader want to learn more? Try to come up with something that will really capture their imagination and, of course, make sure your primary keyword is in there too.

3. Bionic bio

When you write articles, blog posts or directory submissions, you will be asked for a biography. Again make this as interesting as you can and make sure your keyword is in there.

4. META

META descriptions are often overlooked. They never seem to be thought of as important. But they are. If you are unsure what a META description is, it’s basically 150 characters that are used to describe your content. Include your keywords so your reader can instantly see whether your content is going to be relevant to them or not. Although this may not necessarily directly contribute to your SEO, it will help direct readers to your website.

5. Layout

Just as you would take time to make sure your business letters are laid out correctly, spend the same amount of time ensuring your web copy, articles and blogs are laid out effectively. Lots of white space make them more appealing to the eye and easier to read. Headings and sub headings should be used to attract attention and direct readers through your text. When you use headings, make sure you use the correct tags and in a hierarchical order. H1 tags are your main headings; your sub headings should be H2 etc. And of course, always use your keywords where possible within the headings.

6. Be original

Coming up with continuous and original copy isn’t easy and the temptation to recycle is great. But don’t – unless you want to fall foul of Google’s duplicate content trap, make sure all your content is original. That’s not just your web copy, articles and blog posts, but also directory submissions, biographies and profiles. It is a lot of work but well worth it.

7. Pretty pictures

Finally I want to look at pictures. Images are always a great way to enhance your copy. But make sure the images are relevant to your content and that you have the right to use them. Many people over look the SEO potential of images. The ALT tag is very important as it gives you another opportunity to include your keyword within your site. But make sure the description you use is relevant to the image.

Why do you need to know this?

Many people believe SEO is all down to keywords and content. In part it is, but your SEO strategy should encompass so much more. You have to think about readability, links, images as well as the navigability of your website (for humans and search engine spiders).

Too many companies are still spending thousands on websites without giving a thought to its content. Yes a well designed site is important, but it is the words within it that will do the hard work for your rankings, attract traffic and convert those visitors into paying customers.

If you think SEO copywriting is an expense you can do without, you may as well think customers are an unnecessary annoyance. Investing in well written SEO copywriting is vital for the success of your online marketing.

It won’t be cheap but it will make a huge difference to your bottom line.

Sally Ormond is an international SEO Copywriter. She has worked with numerous companies (SMEs to Blue Chip Companies) from a broad range of industries to create eye-catching SEO website copy that attracts a targeted audience and converts them to buying customers. Find out how you can benefit from her experience by getting in touch today.

How To Improve Your Website’s SEO

SEO copywriter

SEO copywriter

Search engine optimisation is everywhere you look these days. There are companies all over the world promising to keep you on the front page of Google.

But if you don’t have the budget for that type of service there are a few things you can do to improve your website’s SEO.

First off, I want to remind you that SEO isn’t a one off activity. If you want your website to work hard for you, you must constantly work on your SEO strategy.

Yes, strategy. You do have one don’t you? If not, you’d better devise one if you don’t want to get left behind.

5 ways to improve your website’s SEO

If you are serious about optimising your chances of online marketing success, here are 5 simple techniques you can employ. Remember, if you’re going to do this, it has to be a long term strategy. If you play at SEO you won’t succeed. SEO is a long game that requires dedication.

So, here goes. Here are 5 ways you can improve your website’s SEO.

1. Schedule new content

Creating a weekly schedule is the best way to ensure you keep on top of your SEO strategy. Decide how many blog posts you’ll write each week and set aside time to produce them. If you have a news section on your website, diarise to regularly up date it to keep the content fresh and current. If you are using social media, keep those regularly updated.

By scheduling each of these tasks, you will keep on top of your SEO strategy.

2. Link build

One of the most effective ways to gain great search engine rankings is by link building. Especially one way anchor text links. Diarise every few days to create a new blog post and articles (which will contain hypertext links back to your main site), write guest blogs, submit your website to directories and create content for your website that will attract links from other sites (especially information that is topical and current).

3. Keywords

Although you would have spent a lot of time doing your initial keyword research, review it regularly. Watch what your competitors are doing. Look at which keywords are driving the most traffic and concentrate on them.

4. Analytics

Make sure you utilise the data from Google Analytics. It’s easy to set up and provides valuable information such as where your traffic comes from, and how visitors view your website. This is especially useful in determining the user friendliness of your website and will help you enhance its usability.

5. Optimise your content

Every 3 to 6 months check your content. Is it still relevant? Can it be updated to bring more value to your readers? Check for broken links and new opportunities to add fresh content. Also look at your anchor text links within your copy – are they varied? Do they utilise all your keywords?

As you can see, SEO is a process of evolution. It is driven by your company’s direction and your customers. To keep ahead of the game, you must constantly tweak your strategy.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter