Entries from April 2011 ↓

Last year I was asked by the Guardian On Line to take part in their Q&A forum about how to become a freelance copywriter.

Well, that discussion was such a success I was asked to take part in another Q&A session on How to break into Copywriting.

You can follow the discussion here and learn from myself and other copywriting experts how to get into copywriting and other copywriting issues.

A lot of great stuff came out in the forum so if you’ve ever considered looking at copywriting as a career it’s well worth a look.

There is one formula that is ingrained in the minds of many internet marketers and internet businesses out there:

The regular addition of fresh content will undoubtedly help your search engine optimisation strategy, generate more traffic and therefore potential business.

But just adding content for the sake of it could do more harm than good.

If you write or commission a copywriter to create a vast number of SEO rich articles for your website are you really adding value?

“But I’m driving traffic!” I hear you cry.

You many well be but what’s in it for those people when they find your article?

• What value will it add?
• What’s your call to action?
• Is it really all that relevant?

If your content doesn’t offer the reader anything or ask anything of them, what’s the point?

Adding fresh content to your website is a good thing.

Making sure it’s search engine optimised is great.

But you also have to ensure it’s relevant, adds value and asks something of your reader. If you don’t they’ll skim read and head off to another website because you haven’t used that content to draw them into your website, get interested about your product or buy.

So the moral of this post is – add content, make it relevant and make sure there’s a call to action/lead into your main website.

I have been a copywriter for a while now and many of the projects I am commission to carry out involve search engine optimisation.

That’s hardly surprising considering the importance of online marketing to today’s businesses.

People’s attitudes to online search are changing. Companies are now recognising that if they want to open up their businesses to new markets they have got to get to grips with SEO and keyword identification.

Keyword research

Most people ‘get’ keyword research these days.

They understand that the words they have to target are the ones their customers are searching for. That list might include the particular product that they sell or their geographical location etc.

Usually the list of keywords I am given are pretty relevant – they cover the products/services and will drive targeted traffic to their website.

But the problems start when it comes to allotting keywords to the copy – how many should each web page target?

Common misconceptions

When investing in SEO most people want to maximise their ROI and use SEO to get found for every keyword or phrase they can think of.

For a start, initially, that’s not practical. Over time as they build links and relevant content, they will see rankings for most of their keywords (the level of their ranking will depend on the competitiveness of the term they are targeting). But from the outset, SEO takes time and the early results will be found with the least competitive words.

The second problem is that many people view their website as their Home Page. By that I mean they want to load their Home Page with all their keywords.

So, for example, if they sell silver jewellery, their keyword list may look something like:

• Silver jewellery
• Silver jewellery suppliers Suffolk
• Silver jewellery gifts
• Gifts in silver
• Silver necklace
• Silver bracelet

You get the idea.

Now, to try and include all of those words on one page is complete madness because the resultant text won’t encourage anyone to buy.

Using keywords the right way

For starters you must remember there is more than one page to your website. Plus, Google and the other search engines also recognise this as each page is indexed individually. Therefore you should be targeting different keywords on different pages. The keywords should also be reflected in your navigation and page titles.

With regards to the number of keywords per page, you should only look to target 2 (3 max) primary keywords. You can of course incorporate long tail keywords (i.e. your primary keywords plus modifiers) but trying to target more than 2 can create unwieldy text.

The main point of your website copy is that it should be relevant, interesting and compelling. The traffic your keywords attract must be drawn in by your text and encouraged to buy – otherwise what’s the point?

By researching your keywords, using them to structure your website and then target each page for different keywords will maximise your chances of SEO success.

Can Twitter really help with your SEO?

That’s the question answered by Wasim Ismail on searchenginejournal.com.

The web is becoming more and more social. Social media is becoming a major part of business marketing strategies and is not just the latest ‘thing’ for teenagers. The search engines recognise their importance and are constantly finding ways to integrate social and search results.

Why?

Because social media is the voice of internet users and can no longer be ignored.

Of all the social media platforms out there, Twitter is probably the most popular micro blogging platform (that is until the next big thing comes along).

Due to its vast size, Twitter really does have the potential to help your SEO activities as your tweets can help build your online brand and reputation.

In his post, 10 Tips to Improve Your SEO Using Twitter, Wasim shows how you can utilise your Twitter account and tweets to enhance your SEO activities on line. This is a must for any Twitters out there looking to make the most of their social media activities.

So grab a coffee and have a read – it could be the most productive 10 minutes of your day.

A good product review can contain information on any product or service, giving potential customers the confidence to purchase those products and obtain those services. Customers read reviews and testimonials to get the facts they need before working with a company. So how can you guarantee that your future customers are getting the information they need about your company?

Build Trust

Customers want to know they are purchasing a quality product and that they will be receiving the best customer service available. They read product reviews in search of proof of factual and proven information that can help them with their purchasing decision. Knowing exactly what other clients have experienced with a company gives them the necessary background information on what to expect from that company’s products and services. For example, if you are writing a review for online creative writing schools, be sure to include information on course materials as well as additional resources such as financial aid services.

Your product review page should do more than provide general information on your products and services. Make sure that you give future customers personal experiences, preferably by including high quality and well-written product testimonials received from your other customers and partners. Readers will be more likely to trust your product review when it provides extensive information on all facets of the company.

Be Unbiased

Although the goal of your product review is to provide potential customers with positive information about your products and services, refrain from only including the advantages. A one-sided review can decrease the credibility of the product and cause suspicion about the company in general. When you include any possible disadvantages of the product in your review, your readers will consider you to be a trustworthy information source. Be unbiased, but make sure to highlight the advantages of the product and include disadvantages that do not have huge consequences. Customers will use your advice to purchase the product you reviewed if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Use Spell-Check

Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling adds credibility to your product review and helps ensure that the review converts readers into new customers. A product review that is void of typos proves to the reader that it was written by an educated and reliable individual, giving the reader the confidence to become a customer.

Be sure to recognize common mistakes such as the difference between “its” and “it’s” and when to use “your” or “you’re.” Proper punctuation placement is also important to maintaining credibility in your product reviews. Know when it is appropriate to use a comma and when a period should be used to avoid run-on sentences. Write your product review in a Word document or other template if you have difficulty with spelling – never submit a review without proofreading it first.

Keep Writing Product Reviews

One positive review can lead to an increase in sales. However, the more positive reviews that are posted online, the more likely your sales are going to increase. Having multiple positive reviews about your products gives potential customers even more background information about the quality of your products and services. Consistent positive reviews prove that you have a reliable company that manufactures high-quality products, which will help build your client list and increase your sales.

David Murton has been helping companies build and maintain their online relationships with customers since 2006. He is also a professional writer and blogger, with a particular interest in the open source Drupal platform. On a more personal note, David is an avid piano and accordion player, drawn especially to music of the classical and romantic periods.

The author’s views are entirely his own and may not reflect the views of FreelanceCopywritersBlog.com. If you are interested in producing a Guest Post for this blog, please get in touch with your ideas.