Author: April Hall

Internet Copywriter

Internet copywriters are often a unique blend of accomplished, talented writers who also have an uncanny knack for marketing. We are skilled at taking those all-important keywords and creating content that flows well, provides information and is interesting to read. There are times, however, when some of us feel compelled to put marketing keywords on the backburner in favor of demonstrating our creative prowess when it comes to the written word. For those of us who create SEO content every day, and who work to create useful and understandable content for our readers, the following information about trusted newspaper and magazine publications may be extremely useful:

Plain-Language Services conducted a study of the world’s leading print publications, using the widely-accepted “Dale-Chall” formula that analyzes writing and gives each piece a grade level designation. Some of the world’s leading newspapers write at a surprisingly low grade level:

Grade Level and Circulation of Current Periodicals

Were you as surprised as I was to learn that Harper’s writers target a 9th grade reading level? Or that the National Enquirer publishes at a 12th grade level? Here I was thinking that I looked like an intellectual by carefully displaying New Yorker magazines around my coffee tables, when I would have been better off picking up the latest tabloid in the grocery store line!

So, what does this information mean for those of us who work with internet copy? It means that we need to always keep our audience in the forefront of our minds as we create new content. If the largest print publications in the world–TV Guide and Reader’s Digest–understand that to reach the most people, the most effectively, writers need to aim for a 9th grade reading level, how much more carefully should internet writers use language?

The reality is that the internet is the reading source for millions of people around the world, so your content should definitely be geared to reach them. Unless you are writing an academic article for an online journal, you really shouldn’t be using language that only college graduates would understand; and, in fact, you should probably shoot for the grade level that local newspapers often target, which is a 5th grade level. As a former English teacher, it pains me to recommend that SEO writers lower their writing level to reach site visitors rather than to spur readers to stretch their level of understanding… However, as SEO writers, our purpose is to provide relevant, understandable information in order to promote our sites as well as our products and services.

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Author: Henry Adaso
SEO Copywriter

You’ve heard that old saying “You only have 11 seconds to capture a web reader’s attention,” right? Well, I have some good news and some bad news about that age-old sentiment.

The bad news is, that time frame may have even shortened lately, following the emergence of millions of websites and blogs offering the same old solutions to the same old issues. Reading on the web may have enhanced communication between marketers and consumers, but with over 75 million blogs in existence and 120,000 new blogs being created every day, standing out from the crowd has never seemed more difficult.

The good news: there are still proven ways to get magical results on your business blog. Copywriting breakthrough is not unattainable, if you know how to navigate the rapidly expanding web world. Learning the tricks of SEO copywriting can help you gain higher conversion rates.

Practice headline research - Doing a headline research can make all the difference when it comes to niche blogging. If your headline is bland and uninspiring, your business prospect might never get a chance to learn about your products no matter how groundbreaking. Scour top social media sites like Digg and Sphinn to see which headlines are constantly making it to the homepage. For example, “How Tos” or instructional articles that add value to the reader’s experience will surely get you some attention.

Form a brainstorming group - Team up with your colleagues to come up with copywriting ideas. You may not find the magic bullet on the first go. In fact, many of your brainstorming ideas will end up in the proverbial garbage can. Still, you have a better chance of striking gold when you mine other people’s intellectual resources.

Dig deeper - Have you had a personal experience that relates to your topic? Don’t hesitate to share it with your prospects. Your story is unique to you and you alone. No one can tell it like you can. Ultimately, taking the personal approach allows you to connect directly with your consumers.

Subscribe to blogs, newsfeeds, and magazines in your niche - You’ll be amazed by how much content ideas you can discover by sign up for newsletters and RSS feeds in your field. Subscribing to most feeds only takes a few minutes, but the benefits to your business can be tremendous.

Let the reader decide - If all else fails, try a democratic-style blogging — of the readers, by the readers, and for the readers. There are so many ways to do this without turning your blog into spam central.

1. Ask a question (e.g. What’s Your Favorite Xbox game?) and unlock the experts in your readers
2. Ask for guest submissions from consumers or other experts in your field.
3. Turn user correspondence into an article. If a prospective customer writes you with a question, chances are there are other users with a similar concern. Why not address the issue on your business blog so that everyone benefits from your insight?

Good copywriting is not just about creative content. Any Internet-savvy marketer can write effective website copy. It’s about delivering valuable ideas to your consumers in a personable tone. When you find yourself running into a brainstorming firewall, don’t despair — reach out to your co-workers for content ideas, dig deep within for a personal angle, or simply embrace your consumers.

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Author: Eric Brantner

Web Copywriter

The phrase “content is king” has been beaten to the point of exhaustion by SEOs throughout the industry. As an internet copywriter, I would never try to dispute this statement, but I do think it needs an amendment. Judging from the magazines at checkout stands, the most read stories in the local newspaper, and the success of these celebrity train wreck TV shows, I would have to say that “controversy is king.”

Every morning I follow the same routine when I get online. Part of that routine is visiting the website of Houston’s largest newspaper, the Houston Chronicle. One of the features of this online newspaper is that it shows the stories that are being read the most by online readers. So, which stories are the most read? It’s definitely not the bland business articles that people could actually learn from.

Instead, the most read stories are the ones that have a controversial spin to them.  Above, there are 2 stories about fraud, 2 about mysterious notes/text messages, and 1 about drugs. What is the one thing that all of these headlines have in common? Controversy! People just can’t resist clicking on these enticing headlines.

Undoubtedly, you have seen the magazines that clutter the checkout stands at the grocery store. Which magazines are your eyes attracted to- the old school Archie and Jughead comic or the ones about the celebrity who went nuts and punched out a cop? Sorry Archie, but the crazed celebrity wins every time.

Controversy Spills into SEO Blogs
SEOs aren’t allergic to controversy either. People from all throughout the industry go into a frenzy every time Jason Calacanis opens his mouth. He always makes negative, controversial remarks about SEO, and as a result, he ends up dominating the industry headlines. Every single SEO blogger from Stevensville, Montana to Broken Hill, Australia had an opinion on Calacanis’ disrespect of their industry.

The posts covering these controversial statements climbed to the top of social websites, like Sphinn, proving once again that controversy resonates with readers. The bloggers covering the topic surely earned some inbound links for their Calacanis posts. Controversy creates a buzz; buzz creates inbound links, and of course, inbound links help boost your presence online.

What Does This Tell Us?
I’m not suggesting that bloggers should focus all of their efforts on creating controversial content. There is certainly no substitute for quality, educational content. However, the occasional controversial post will help separate your blog from the others, and it will go a long way to increasing your online presence.

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Author: Eric Brantner

Internet Content Writer

One of the main things SEO content writers continually underestimate is the importance of content usability. Many writers think it is enough to produce keyword rich content that is decently written. This shortsighted approach focuses only on search engine implications and not on the effect their content has on the reader.

Scannable Content
People view content differently online than they do in print. Because users tend to have a very short attention span online, it is necessary that you produce content that is easily scannable. This means that you must avoid lengthy paragraphs. Huge blocks of text tend to scare readers off.

Instead, you should write shorter paragraphs. Users appreciate the smaller sections, and the white space helps the content appear less intimidating. Additionally, each section should include a bold caption that briefly explains the main idea. People like to have a clear, quick grasp on what they are reading about or they will just move on to another page.

Readability Should Match Audience’s Needs
Many SEO writers make the mistake of writing content that flies over their audience’s head. Sure, there is nothing wrong with having an extensive vocabulary, but you have to understand the overall purpose of your content. If the writing is wordy and difficult, your target audience will never read it.

Since at least half of Americans read at an eighth grade level or lower, you want to produce content that is accessible to a wide range of people. This doesn’t mean that your content needs to read like a Dr. Seuss book, but depending upon your target audience, you probably don’t want to be writing your SEO articles like they are your graduate thesis, either.

Interestingly enough, there is an online readability tool that can help writers understand if their content is hitting the mark or not. This tool analyzes your content on multiple levels and tells you the content’s level of readability.

Of course, the discovery of this tool made me want to see how readable our SEO blog is.

Each of these readability scores is based on its own formula for determining readability. I won’t go through each individual score, but I will touch on a few. These results are satisfactory overall, but they show us what we need to improve on to maximize our readability.

Flesch Index- The Flesch Index is one of the most widely recognizable readability formulas today. This score ranges from 0 (most difficult) to 100 (easiest to read.) The average person responds best to documents that are in the 60 to 70 range. Since the Directory One blog aims to be accessible to everyone from SEO beginners to experts, I think a score of 63.5 is great. It shows that our average post is well written and easy to understand.

Fog Index- The Fog Index assigns a grade level to content. Ideally, you want your grade to be around an 8. Our grade of 12.5 is a little higher than I would like, but I believe much of that can be attributed to the use of technical SEO terms. Furthermore, I think it is acceptable to have an occasional post that ranks a little higher on difficulty. It helps separate your blog from the spam. That being said, the average SEO client will want their content to be accessible to the average reader.

Paragraph Length- Perhaps the score I am most pleased with is the analysis of our paragraphs. Out of 38 paragraphs, the SEO blog averaged 4 sentences per paragraph. As I mentioned earlier in this post, short paragraphs are ideal for keeping your content scannable. An article that contains paragraphs with 4 sentences provides readers with content that is easy to read and not intimidating.

All SEO writers can benefit from analyzing their content’s usability. In the end, you have to give your audience what they want. Otherwise, they will leave your website and never return.

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Author: April Hall

Content Writer

Contrary to conventional wisdom, SEO content that will increase your site’s readership and drive your business is built upon good ol’ fashioned creativity. A well-written web page is not just a bunch of keywords that have been carefully targeted to your audience. It is a thoughtful, professionally-crafted piece of communication that is enjoyable and informative to read.

Many copywriters peruse their competitions’ websites to see what topics they are writing about, finally deciding on a popular topic and then simply rewording whatever it is they said for their own sites. This is absolutely the wrong method! Internet searchers (as well as search engines) value uniqueness of thought and creativity in approach. Saying whatever it is everyone else is saying will not make your web page stand out from the crowd. It is true that skilled copywriters understand how to use research methods to discover the most popular keyword searches, but creating worthwhile content around those keywords takes creativity.

Remember that content that includes too many keywords is “stuffed” and takes severe hits, if it is not outright banned from search engines. The key is to use one, or just a few, keywords and thoughtfully build an informative page that weaves them throughout the article in such a way that the reader hardly recognizes them. If your readers come to your site via a search engine–only to discover that the information you provide is exactly the same as the previous seven sites on the search engine results page–they will quickly stop taking the time to visit your website.

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Author: April Hall

Directory One, Inc.

One of the most effective ways to increase internet traffic to your website is to incorporate keywords related to current news, weather or entertainment events. Many website content writers simply do not realize the treasure trove that lies in keeping up with current events. With a little creativity, you can work in keywords that relate to political and news events, driving people to your site who may otherwise have never noticed it.

So, how can you use this somewhat “sneaky” strategy to increase your site traffic? Try perusing your local newspaper (or, of course, some internet news sites) for current news stories that may be indirectly related to your company. For example, a popular story on hazardous FEMA trailers can become the ideal article for your environmental consulting company. Or, a news cycle on Senate hearings on drugs in baseball is a clear call for content for a sports equipment company. Just about every business can find timely current events for content material; it just takes a bit of “thinking outside of the box”.

One word of advice for content writers who may be thinking of ways to incorporate current events into their copy: remember to always figure out ways to link readers to other areas of your website. It does you little good to have users take advantage of your current event content if they are not encouraged to further explore your site. Find appropriate opportunities for links to other pages–preferably your sales pages! The ideas for SEO rich content can be almost endless when you look for inspiration everywhere from the tabloid in your supermarket checkout line to the Weather Channel.

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