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Content: Write for the Web in 7 Easy Steps

March 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Writing content (seo) for the web is different than writing for print publications such as magazines and newspapers. Remember, readers use different types of devices such as laptops, iPads (and others), cell phones, etc. to read information online. Even the internet browser makes a difference. Information may appear differently when viewed in Google Chrome vs. Internet Explorer. The biggest obstacle is that readers could become impatient if they have they have to take a lot of time to read a blog post or article. They prefer information that’s quick to read.

Follow the 7 easy steps below to improve your web content writing. Your customers and readers will appreciate it.

Writing Web Content That Works in 7 Easy Steps
Content-Content Interaction (Formal)

Content-Content Interaction (Formal) (Photo credit: jrhode)

Know your target market. Before you write content for the web, know your target market. If you don’t know ‘who’ the target market is, the content will be irrelevant.

Write catchy headlines and taglines. There’s a reason why tabloids, entertainment magazines, women’s magazines, men’s magazines, etc. sell. The catchy headlines and taglines ‘hook’ readers over and over again.

Writing headlines and taglines can take anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour. Yes, it can take that long to write an award-winning headline for an award-winning article.

Get to the point. When writing for the web, it’s important that content gets to the point. Don’t use industry jargon, unless of course, your target market is professionals who’ll understand what the content. Use simple language that can be read quickly.

Link to helpful internal and external links. Make sure to link to internal pages and posts within your website in addition to external links that will be helpful to readers. Look for web content that is clear, concise, and precise. Make sure it’s targeted to your market.

Use the ‘right’ keywords and phrases. Web content writing includes incorporating the ‘right’ keywords and phrases for your company. Don’t stuff content with keywords because Google and other search engines will penalize you.

When using keywords and phrases within web content, make sure it flows and doesn’t sound forced. Sometimes, it takes experience when it comes to web content writing. Your company can always hire a freelance writer to handle all of your web content writing.

Write short paragraphs and use bullet points. Web content (seo) needs to be easy to read; otherwise, you may lose readers along the way. Use bold headlines and bullet points to get your point across.

Recap

  • Know your target market.
  • Create catchy headlines and taglines that will hook readers.
  • Use the right keywords/phrase (seo) for your web content.
  • Web content writing (seo) may take more time if you’re not experienced writing for the web.
  • Write short paragraphs. Use bullet points.
  • Link to helpful internal and external links.
  • Get to the point.

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SEO Company Isn’t Performing – It May Be Time to Fire Them

March 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Do you need to fire your SEO company? If you’re not getting the SEO results or customer service support you deserve, it may be time to fire your SEO company. Here’s how to know when it’s time to say goodbye:

  • You never receive timely responses to your emails.
  • It’s always another person’s job within the company to handle whatever it is you inquire about, i.e., keyword analysis, web design, SEO, etc.
  • They always have an excuse as to ‘why’ something wasn’t done. For example, “The web design wasn’t completed because so and so is still out of the office.” Most SEO companies have more than one web designer.
  • They outsource SEO services to contractors in other countries which creates a communication barrier.
  • They thought you were doing the SEO work they were supposed to have done.
  • Contracted employees aren’t familiar with your website.
  • You’re not seeing the results promised to you when you signed the contract for SEO services.

If you’ve identified with more than two of the above criteria, it may be time to find another SEO company.

How to Fire Your SEO Company in 3 Easy Steps

English: seo block

Image via Wikipedia

Be professional. There’s no need for petty name calling or pointing the fingers. All you have to say is, “It’s time for us to find another SEO company that fits our needs better. Thank you for your service.” Don’t go into details if your SEO firm doesn’t ask for them. End the relationship and find another company.

Stick to the facts. As Sergeant Joe Friday from Dragnet would say, “All we want are the facts, ma’am?”

Contrary to Point #1, your SEO firm may ask, “Why are you unhappy with our SEO services? Stick to the facts. If keyword analysis was supposed to be completed each month but isn’t, mention it. If the web design wasn’t completed on time, mention it. If you’re tired of playing ‘email tag’ with their contracted employees, mention it.

Customer service

Do you have to babysit your SEO company? If you constantly need to ‘check up’ on your SEO company, it may be time to part ways. While you should know what your SEO firm’s doing for your company, you shouldn’t have to babysit them. You shouldn’t have to send them email after email asking the same question over and over again such as, “Is the keyword analysis completed? Is the web design completed? If they can’t give you an estimated completion time, it’s time to find a new SEO company.

You decide it’s best to hire a local SEO firm. Perhaps, your SEO company is located in another state. Sometimes, it’s better to hire a local SEO firm because they’ll be able to visit your offices should you need training or want to have a meeting to discuss your SEO. There’s nothing wrong with hiring a local company. It’s a good way to grow your area’s economy.

Fact: If you’re a part of a trade association/group or barter group, understand that your company may not be a ‘top’ priority.

Firing your SEO firm may not be easy, but it could be in your company’s best interest to do so. Before you hire another SEO company, ask questions such as:

  • How long does web design (redesign) take?
  • What programs do you use for keyword analysis?
  • How will you help us determine the ‘right’ keywords for our company?
  • Do you outsource SEO services to contractors located in other states and or country? If yes, where are your contractors located?
  • How long does SEO take to implement?
  • What are the benefits of your SEO services vs. your competitors?
  • What am I responsible for?

Make sure you understand exactly what the company’s SEO services are before signing a contract. Your company’s SEO is important to the growth of your business and online presence. Find a SEO company that will work for you and with you to increase your organic web traffic. With the proper SEO strategy, your company’s web traffic and profitability will increase.

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Email Marketing: Is Free a Powerful or Spam Marketing Term?

February 24, 2012 by 1 Comment

There’s a debate as to whether or not ‘free’ is a powerful email marketing tool or spam in disguise.

According to a post on the 60 Second Marketer, the word ’free’ is a powerful and effective marketing tool because it taps into an emotional trigger which activates impulses. But how true is this for email marketing? Does the word ‘free’ receive the same reaction from newsletter subscribers? What about people looking at ads on the internet? Are they more likely to click on an online marketing campaign if the word ‘free’ is in it?

Here are six email marketing and online marketing campaign mistakes to avoid.

6 Email Marketing and Online Marketing Campaign Mistakes to Avoid

no spam!

Image via Wikipedia

Subject lines. Boring subject lines won’t get your email marketing campaigns opened. Boring subject lines used in online marketing campaigns won’t entice potential customers to click your ad.

Attention grabbing headlines such as “A 7-Point Plan That Guarantees Personal Financial Success” or “Only 10 Spots Left for Next Month’s Bootcamp” are great examples of calls-to-actions. You’re telling your customers and subscribers, “The clocks ticking. If you don’t take advantage now, you may not receive another chance to do so.” Know your target audience and stay on top of industry trends.

I attended a couple of webinars from Constant Contact and Pinpointe; both are email marketing solutions providers. During the presentations, it was emphasized that ‘free’ is considered a ‘spam’ marketing word. In fact, Constant Contact has a feature that reviews your newsletter’s spam rating.  Using the word ‘free’ over and over in your newsletter could trigger a spam alert.

Spam words. Using words such as urgent, free, bonus, cash, get paid, home, win, won, and other trigger words may deter subscribers from reading your emails. Do not use these in subject lines! However, these may work for an online marketing Google AdWords campaign.

Broken links. Another email marketing mistake and online marketing mistake to avoid is broken links. This is a particular pet peeve of mine. Whenever I receive a newsletter, I click on the links. If they’re broken, I’ll take the time to email the sender. Test all links before you send out a newsletter or email marketing campaign and you’ll avoid a high unsubscriber rate.

Schedule. Stick to an email marketing and online marketing campaign schedule. For email marketing, analyze data such as how many times your emails are opened, the best time to send out emails, etc. Tweak your emailing schedule because it could result in a higher open rate. For online marketing, review the data in Google AdWords (everyone uses it) and make adjustments where necessary. It’s a good idea to conduct an A/B Test to see which keywords/phrases and content receive a higher click-thru rate.

Be consistent. Post consistently on your website because it builds trust with customers and readers. What will subscribers think when they visit your website and see that the content hasn’t been updated for six months? If you’re running an online marketing campaign to drive traffic to your website, you want to have updated content.

Ineffective website. Spend money on a web designer or learn how to create a website. An ineffective website won’t help your email marketing or online marketing campaign. Make sure your website is clean and not overpowered with affiliate ads. Give visitors a reason to stay on your website.

Whether you’re running a marketing campaign online or through email, pay attention to five email marketing and online marketing mistakes. The work you do today will pay off in the long run.

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Is Your Company Afraid of Blog and Social Media Commitment?

February 22, 2012 by 1 Comment

When I’m approached by business owners who want to start a blog or rewrite their blog content along with increasing their social media presence, I usually think to myself, “Hmmm. How committed are they to developing and maintaining a blog? Are they ready for the commitment that social media requires?” When it comes to blogs, most business owners, especially small business owners, subscribe to the “If you build it, they will come” thinking. Unfortunately, it takes more ‘thinking’ your way to millions of blog readers, likes, and followers. It takes time, dedication, perseverance, and trust.

Before I begin writing a blog, rewriting blog posts, or handling social media management, I ask a lot of questions. This is a good way for me to assess if the ‘potential’ client understands the amount of work that goes into building and maintaining a blog and social media pages. Here are my questions:

  • Do you have a blog? If yes, how many blog posts do you have? If no, how many blog posts would you like?
  • What blogging platform do you use or prefer?
  • What is your goal for the blog?
  • Do you have keywords/phrases? If yes, what are they? If no, is this something you’d like me to research?
  • Do you have an SEO system in place? If so, who’s the company and what have they done for you? What analysis has been done thus far? If no, are you looking to hire an SEO company? What do you want them to handle?
  • Do you have social media accounts? If yes, what are they? If no, which ones would you like to use?
  • What is the goal of social media? More likes? More followers? More leads? More conversions? Both? All of the above?
  • How patient are you when it comes to growing the blog and social media sites?

Sometimes clients, especially small business owners, become overwhelmed because they don’t realize the commitment involved with having a blog and social media websites.

Fact: Did you know that most social media managers spend 30 or more hours per week on social media? It’s important to stay connected with current fans and followers in addition to gaining new ones.

How to Use a Blog and Social Media to Drive Traffic and Build a Web Presence

Blog
English: Blogs on JoopeA

Image via Wikipedia

Take advantage of WordPress plugins like Yoast. I’ve been testing out the plugin for a few weeks, and I’m enjoying it. The plugin forces you to write better headlines, preferably SEO, along with body content. The plugin analyzes the content to ensure the following:

  • The focus keyword/phrase was used.
  • A picture with an alt tag was used.
  • The keyword density is on target.
  • The page content is at least 300 words.
  • The URL contains the keyword.
  • The meta description includes the primary keyword/phrase.
  • The primary keyword/phrase is in the beginning of the page title.

These and other metrics have helped me hone my SEO writing skills. When it comes to SEO, there’s always more to learn.

Use email lists. If you’re not sending out a monthly newsletter, you may want to consider it. If you have a newsletter, include an ‘excerpt’ from a blog post and link back to your company’s website. This is a good start to driving and building web traffic.

Link building. Many companies pay for link building; however, if you’re not linking to your current customers’ blogs, you’re missing out on traffic and strengthening your relationship with them.

Tip: Link to relevant blogs within your industry and become active on them. Leave comments on blog posts and forums. Show that you’re an authority in the industry that shouldn’t be ignored.

Advertise your blog. Marketing materials such as business cards, postcards, and brochures should contain your blog’s URL in addition to contact information. You could also include it on your email signature, purchase orders, invoices, receipts, at the end of a Power Point presentation, etc. to gain more visibility.

Social Media

Twitter. Not only could you tweet your blog post, you could ‘retweet’ your followers. This is a great way to build a following. Tweet during ‘peak hours’ for your business which could be in the late morning or afternoon. This is something you’d want to test.

Facebook. There are 845 million Facebook users. If you’re not using Facebook or using it properly, you’re missing out an opportunity to market your business. Consider having a Facebook like/lead page that will knock the socks off of visitors and entice them to visit your website and read your blog.

LinkedIn. If you’re not taking advantage of LinkedIn, do so now. It’s a social media site for professionals and you can connect with others within your industry. Be helpful by answering questions in the ‘Answers’ section. Show off your expertise.

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My 7 Best Keyword Research Tips Ever

February 16, 2012 by 4 Comments

Finding the right keywords for your website can be a tedious process. Keyword research takes time, but it doesn’t have to a ‘dreaded’ task. The main point to remember when researching keywords is to ask and answer the following questions:

  1. Who is the target audience?
  2. What is the main focus of my website?

If you don’t know who the target audience is then you’ll have a difficult time finding keywords and phrases for your website. Keep it simple – don’t make keyword research a complicated process when it doesn’t have to be.

My 7 Best Keyword Research Tips Ever
Keyword Research Panel at the Niche Affiliate ...

Keyword Research Panel at the Niche Affiliate Marketing System (NAMS) Workshop 4 (Photo credit: rogercarr)

1. Use Google AdWords Keyword Tool. This free tool is used by millions of people. You can conduct keyword research by entering your company’s website and or specific keywords. 

Google AdWords gives you the opportunity to sort keywords by high, low, or medium competition. This is important when you create Google AdWords advertisements.

2. Think about your target audience. Do you know who your target audience is? It’s important to know who your target market is before you begin conducting keyword research.  

3. Choose focused and descriptive words for your website. Stop worrying about the competition for one second and choose keywords specifically for your website. If you keep focusing on the competition, you won’t have a keyword list. Looking at your competitors keywords can be helpful because you can learn what they’re not ranking for. However, if you spend countless hours looking at your competitors, you won’t have a keyword list of your own.

4. Use Google Insights for Search and Google Trend. Use these tools to research trends in your industry. Type in a short and long tail keywords and review the data. You’ll be able to spot trends within your industry which can help you with your keyword research.

5. Review and remove negative keywords. If you own a floral shop, Google will more than likely suggest ‘flowers’ as a keyword. It may suggest related terms such as ‘silk flowers.’ This would be considered a ‘negative keyword’ if you don’t use silk flowers. You want to be aware of ‘negative keywords’ because you can disregard them when you create a Google AdWords advertisement. If you don’t, your ad will show up when customers search for ‘silk flowers.’

6. How many keywords do you want to optimize? How many products and services are you selling? If you only have one product then 5-10 keywords could work for you. However, if you’re selling more than one product and or service, you’ll want to expand your keyword list.

7. Analyze your website to see what it’s ranking for and make adjustments. You may not have to start over with a new keyword list; however, you want to make sure your current keywords are a priority. Analyzing what your website’s ranking for can lead you to keywords that were overlooked.

8. Assign a percentage to your keywords. If you’re a local travel company in Columbus, Ohio, you may not rank for a ‘general’ keyword term such as travel agency. Your company would be 100% relevant for ‘Columbus Travel Agency.’ Travel agency could get 10%, while ‘Columbus Caribbean Travel Agency’ could return 30-50% if you specialize in Caribbean vacations.

Tip: Google AdWords Keyword Tool provides analytics such as competition, local market, etc. Use these numbers and other analytics when conducting keyword research.

9. Select the final keyword list, for now. Let’s face it; markets change as do technologies. Keywords that worked for you yesterday may become obsolete today. It’s important to ‘keep your finger on the pulse’ of changes within customer buying trends and your industry. Periodically, review your keyword list and ‘tweak’ it when necessary.

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