SEO Copywriting

Eric Brantner
SEO Content Writer

When writing copy for your website, the first thing you should ask yourself is “What separates my company from the competition?” While your first instinct might be something like customer service, that’s just not going to cut it. Every company says they have the best customer service. Your website visitors won’t be wowed by that.

Also, avoid the use of ridiculous superlatives. Simply saying “We’re the #1 company in our industry” won’t separate you from your competitors. No, you have to find something unique that adds value to your business. Something that a customer will grab hold of and associate with your brand for years to come.

As an example, Domino’s Pizza built their brand on the 30 minute guarantee. They drilled it into their customer’s minds that they would have their pizza delivered within 30 minutes. This service added value to the Domino’s brand. It distinguished them from all the other pizza joints in town. After all, everyone has experienced waiting hours for a pizza delivery at some point.

FedEx is another prime example of a company separating itself from the competition. Through numerous TV ads, the company has dramatized how missed deliveries can ruin a company. That’s why they absolutely guarantee you will receive your packages on time. This creates the impression that other shipping companies can’t promise this (and they don’t) and it adds value to the FedEx service.

So, what really separates you from the competition? As a business owner, you should already know this going in, but if you don’t, it’s time to start brainstorming. Do you offer a unique guarantee or service that nobody else in your field does? Feature your unique qualities in your website copywriting. Don’t just talk about the features, but explain how they will benefit the reader. Your website readers don’t care about all the technical differences between you and the competition; they just want to know how your unique features will benefit them as a customer.

It’s only after you truly distinguish yourself from the competition that your online brand will have real value.

Bookmark to:
         

Eric Brantner

Article distribution is a great way to help your business improve its online visibility. It also builds authority and gains you valuable inbound links. But you can’t just throw any old article on an article directory and expect it to work wonders for your brand.

That’s why I’ve come up with the anatomy of an SEO friendly article. This will help serve as a guide for creating content for article directories.

 
Title

It all starts with the title. Since content on article directories tends to rank well, you need to make sure your title is keyword rich. However, don’t commit the mistake of sacrificing an engaging title for the sake of keyword optimization. The key is to have a title that is both intriguing and keyword rich.

List titles seem to be the most effective at garnering attention. Titles that start with “5 Ways to…” or “11 tips for…” make users interested in reading the list you’ve created. The other reason lists are so effective is that they’re easy to scan quickly. Online users tend to scan content rather than read it; so, they are naturally attracted to lists.

Opening Paragraph

With online articles, it’s usually best to get to the point as quickly as possible. Readers tend to have a short attention span online, and you only have a few seconds to grab their attention. For this reason, the beginning of your article needs to give a strong, compelling overview of the topic at hand.  Before posting your article online, read through the first paragraph asking yourself “Does this make me want to keep reading this article?” If the answer is no, rewrite the opening paragraph until it does make you want to keep reading.

Additionally, try to work your main keyword into the first paragraph. Again, don’t do it at the expense of the paragraph’s flow, but if you can get the keyword in early, it’s beneficial for keyword placement.

Body

The body of your text needs to be easy for readers to scan through. Since you’ll probably be using the list format, you need to start each point with a bold, descriptive heading. This way, your reader can quickly scan through the list to understand your main points. Then, if they find your list interesting, they’ll read through your support for each point on the list. On a side note, make your bolded headings keyword-rich if possible.

As well as properly placing keywords throughout the body of your article, you also want to use short paragraphs. This goes back to the point of internet readers scanning through content. If someone lands on an article that’s just one long paragraph, you can rest assured they won’t be reading that article. Keep the body of your content focused, and take advantage of white space.

Conclusion

The conclusion of you article needs to wrap everything up in the article neatly. Additionally, it should entice readers to click on your website to learn more about you. Make sure the link back to your website has keyword-rich anchor text. This is one of the few times you’ll get to control your anchor text, so take full advantage of the opportunity.

Bookmark to:
         

Eric Brantner

SEO Writer

Press releases are great tools for promoting your brand and increasing your online visibility. When used properly, your business can experience many benefits. Unfortunately, many companies misuse their press releases, and they simply don’t know how to write them properly.

To get the most out of your press releases, follow these 5 tips.

1. Make it Newsworthy- The first step to writing a great press release is making sure you actually have something of value to say. Press releases are used to deliver news to interested parties. If you don’t have anything newsworthy to write about, then you might want to hold off on creating a press release. Otherwise, it will just look like a desperate attempt to promote your business.

2. Optimize the Content- Online press releases have changed the face of their distribution. Now, companies can publish their press releases on distribution websites online. For this reason, it’s important to optimize your press release for relevant terms. Since the search engines crave fresh content, your press release will rank well if optimized properly.

3. Get to the Point- The best press releases are those that can be digested easily. Within the first few sentences, readers should have an understanding of what the press release is about. You give them a brief overview of the topic first, and then, the rest of the press release includes the details.

4. Avoid Sales Jargon- Although the ultimate point of your press release is to promote your company, you don’t want it to read like a sales brochure for your products. Remember, a press release is a news item. Stick to the facts throughout the content, and avoid hyperbole at all costs. Stay professional, and your press release will be far more effective.

5. Include Contact Information- When writing your press release, you need to include as much contact information as possible. Include your website url, email address, phone number, and physical address. This will help interested parties get in touch with you quickly and effectively.

Bookmark to:
         

Eric Brantner
SEO Content Writer

Copywriting is the backbone of every successful website marketing campaign. You can have the most advanced design of any website online, but without the right words, you’ll never convert your visitors into customers. Not only does SEO copywriting help you get the rankings to attract website visitors, but it also helps you convince your readers to take action.

Unfortunately, many websites are filled with boring, filler content. It’s almost as if the content was simply an afterthought.

Here are 5 common SEO copywriting mistakes.

1. Not Hiring a Professional Copywriter- To me, the biggest mistake most companies make is to not hire a professional SEO copywriter for their website. They hold the belief that just any old content will do. That’s simply not true. A professional copywriter can create results-driven content that makes your visitors take action.

2. Keyword Stuffing- As a copywriter, few things frustrate me more than landing on a website stuffed with keywords. While optimizing your content is certainly important, you have to make sure your human visitors can easily read your web copy. Like I always say, what’s the point of getting high search engine rankings if your visitors click back as soon as they see your website?

3. Boring Titles- This is another instance of SEO gone wild. Yes, placing keywords in your title is a good idea. However, you should never sacrifice the quality of your content for the sake of SEO. You can have the best of both worlds. Make your titles compelling and keyword rich.

4. Big Blocks of Text- Several studies have been conducted to determine how people view content online. All of the experts agree: online users tend to scan content rather than read it. For this reason, using long passages of text is suicide for your website. You need to break your content up into short paragraphs with bolded headings throughout. This accommodates your readers by making it more scanner-friendly.

5. No Call to Action- This is Copywriting 101—a strong call to action is necessary for getting your visitors to take action. Your readers will never take action unless you tell them what you want them to do. Your call to action should be clearly visible, incentive-based, and easy to follow. A strong call to action will improve your conversion rate exponentially.

Bookmark to:
         

By Herb Firestone
Marketing Coordinator

If you were to read just the first three of the following Ultimate Blog Post Idea posts, you would never have to ask yourself what to write about for your blog again – or at least for the next 200 or so posts.

50 Blog Topics Marketers Could Write For Their Companiesby Chris Brogan.

My own particular favorites from Chris Brogan’s list are How to get the most from our customer service department, The best way to recommend an improvement to our product or service, and What we think is unique about us. Do you agree?

50 Blog Post Ideas for Business Blogging

101 Great Posting Ideas That Will Make Your Blog Sizzle

10 Killer Blog Post Ideas

10 + 9 Ways to Find Great Post Ideas for Your Blog

Where Do You Get Your Blog Post Ideas From?

The next suggestion is an example of reverse engineering.

Need Post Ideas? Browse Your Keywords

How To Grow A Blog Post In Seven Easy Steps

Conduct Interviews for Easy Content and Traffic

How to Steal Great Content Ideas

How to Choose a Topic For Your Next Blog Post

How To Write Better Blog Posts

Corporate Blogging Made Easy

5 Simple Ways To Open Your Blog Post with a Bang

How to Be Interesting

Three Sure Fire Steps For Beating the Boring Content Blues

The Two Most Important Words in Blogging

Now Featuring Benefits

Five Components of A Good Blog Post

Blog Post Titles

How to Write Headlines that Work

Writing Headlines that Get Results

Brian Clark’s Magnetic Headlines Series will have you writing better post titles, and then better blog posts in no time.

1. Why You Should Always Write Your Headline First
2. The Cheater’s Guide to Writing Great Headlines
3. Do Key Words in Post Titles Really Matter?
4. How to Write a Killer “How To” Post That Gets Attention
5. 7 Reasons Why List Posts Will Always Work
6. Why Some People Almost Always Write Great Post Titles
7. 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work
8. 7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work
9. Warning: Use These 5 Surefire Headline Templates at Your Own Risk

SEO Tips for Bloggers

Bloggers Guide to Search Engine Optimization of Blog Titles

Brian Clarke’s SEO Copywriting Series provides the proper foundation for applying SEO to your blog posts.

1. How to Create Content That Ranks Well in Search Engines
2. The 5 Essential Elements of Search Engine Keyword Research
3. How to Create Cornerstone Content That Google Loves
4. Five Link Building Strategies That Work
5. SEO Copywriting Techniques That Readers Love

The following posts apply to pillar, flagship and/or cornerstone blog posts as much as they apply to articles.

How to Write Great Content – The Pillar Article

Blog Pulling Power - Creating Flagship Content

How to Create Cornerstone Content That Google Loves

Special thanks to Brian Clark (Copyblogger), Darren Rowse (Problogger) and Chris Brogan without whom this list would never have been “ultimate.”

And last but not least, read the comments for each of the posts linked above, as you will usually find even more great blog post ideas among them.

On a similar note, please feel free to add related posts or even individual blog post ideas by commenting below.

Bookmark to:
         

Eric Brantner

SEO Writer

Want to turn your readers from passive scanners to loyal, active customers? The best way to get the action you desire is to include a strong call to action in your content. The people are already on your website, and they want to know what to do next.

Use a strong call to action to guide your readers into the next logical step. Whether that is taking them straight to checkout or baiting them with a free offer, it’s up to you. The key is that you take them out of passivity and into action.

Here are 5 tips for creating a great call to action.

1. Identify the Action- The first step to creating a good call to action is to know what you want your readers to do. That means identifying whether you want them to fill out a contact form, click on a link, or call you. Know the action you want, and spell it out clearly in your content.

2. Keep it Simple- The call to action portion of your content should be as simple as possible. Don’t waste time talking in circles to your readers. Tell them in plain terms what you want them to do and what they’ll get if they do it. The simpler your call to action, the likelier your readers will take it.

3. Bring Attention to the Call to Action- In a recent post, I talked about the importance of properly formatting your content. Don’t have your call to action hidden away in some corner of your page. Draw attention to it with bold headings, images, or unique text formatting. However you want to do it isn’t as important as just ensuring your readers clearly see the call to action.

4. Give them a Reason to Act- While you shouldn’t be afraid to ask your customers to give a little of themselves, you have to give them a reason to do so. Common reasons included in strong calls to action include limited time discounts, free information, or bonus products. If you give your customer an incentive for taking action, they’ll be likelier to become active.

5. Avoid Gimmicks- The purpose of a call to action is to sell something. You need to use strong copywriting tactics to get your readers to take action, but you also want to avoid gimmicky language. If you’re too pushy with your copy, readers will turn away. If you’re too passive, they won’t take action either. Your best bet is to be somewhere in the middle- confident and assertive, but not in their face.

Bookmark to: