Entries Tagged 'SEO copywriter' ↓

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

Are you one of the many businesses out there with your head firmly lodged in the sand?

Are you still refusing to acknowledge that organic SEO is the way to go for businesses marketing online?

Despite my best efforts to tell you why you should be investing in search engine optimisation and even confiding in your the 7 Must-knows About SEO Content it is frustrating when people say ‘oh, but it wouldn’t work for my business’.

Why wouldn’t it?

As a copywriter it’s worked wonders for me and many other businesses I know.

A lot of you turn to PPC (pay per click) campaigns through Google Adwords. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong in that, but it isn’t very cost effective and certainly not something you’d want to do for the long term.

If you’re unsure the PPC or sponsored (paid) listings are shown below in the red box.

The other entries on the page are organic results – they’ve got there through utilising a good SEO strategy.

Most people opt for PPC because is offers fast results. Search Engine Optimisation (keywords, SEO copywriting, back links etc.) will take time to show results. How much time will depend on the competitiveness of your chosen keywords.

But organic results are best not only because of cost, but also because their click through rate. Many people think that if their website was features in the sponsored area at the top of a page of search results, they would get the most hits.

Wrong.

In fact, according to the latest data from SEO MOZ, it equates to just 10%, with 90% going to the organic results. In fact, they have shared their latest PowerPoint presentation  on Search Engine Optimisation on their blog post A Comprehensive Intro to SEO PowerPoint Slide Deck. This a great resource for anyone wanting to understand the murky world of SEO. It’s full of great information not least how your position within the rankings will affect the number of hits you get – take a look at this:

It really does pay to keep on at your SEO to gain the highest possible position.

So basically, organic SEO really is the most effective way to market your business online.

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?

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.

I’m sure you’ve read enough blog posts to know that search engine optimisation is the thing to be doing these days if you have a website.

Good organic search results are the holy grail for many business and, in the long run, are much cheaper that using PPC (pay per click) advertising.

But understanding how to create great copy that will contribute to great rankings and be interesting to your reader is not easy. Therefore many company’s take the sensible option to invest in the services of a SEO Copywriter who knows what they are doing.

Your on page SEO cheatsheet

If you do your own web copy in house, I stumbled across this great post on Conversation Marketing which will prove invaluable to you. If you are responsible for uploading images, writing articles or tweaking your company’s website copy, this On Page SEO Cheatsheet will show you how to get the most from your onpage SEO elements:

To get your copy click here and download the PDF.