The secret way to get exactly what you want

Imagine this: You’ve been hinting around to that hot guy (or gal) in the office that you really, really want to go out. You’re friendly and scintillating within a 1 mile radius of his voice. You’ve highlighted your hair within an inch of its life. You’re putting out some major vibes…

…But why won’t he pick up what you’re putting down and ask you out, already?

We’ve all met these folks and there’s always one constant: If you don’t come right out and tell the clueless object of your affection, “I want to date you,” the date won’t happen. In marketing terms, you won’t convert.

And you know whose fault that would be? Yours.

My father used to say that you have to ask for what you want (he called this theory “Get it and growl.”) No hidden agenda. No, “Well, I just assumed they knew how I felt.” No passive/aggressive “Well, if you REALLY understood me, you’d get it.” If you want it (whatever it is), pipe right up and ask.

And that includes asking for the sale on your Website.

Fast forward to yesterday. My dear friend and owner of the soon-to-be-uploaded FI-Strategies.com forwarded over his Web copy. Some background: This man is a consummate salesman. Professionally, he’s at the top of his sales-training game. Yet, he didn’t ask for the sale in his copy because, in his words, “I made the incorrect assumption that most people would hit the “contact us” button if they wanted more info.”

That’s like assuming that the hot girl will go out with you. Someday. If you don’t ask, you may not get.

“Wait,” you may say. “Isn’t it obvious that my site is trying to sell something?” Yes, that’s true. People wouldn’t be on your site (assuming you sell a product or service) if they didn’t want to buy something. However, think about when you bought your last new car. You were obviously on the lot to purchase a car. Yet, the salesman probably still said something like, “Let’s draw up the paperwork so you can drive this baby home today.” He probably also handed you a pen so you could sign the contract. That’s about asking for the sale, baby. That salesman wanted to sell the car, and he asked you to buy it. Guess what – you did.

Another real-life example are infomercials. The cutaways that discuss the products features, benefits, price and how-to buy occur at least four times in a 30-minute spot. “Call now – special pricing for the first 100 customers” and “Call right now and lose 10 pounds by next Saturday” are all about asking for the sale. And just think – how many times have you watched an infomercial and actually – gasp – bought something. That’s the power of the call-to-action.

Asking for the sale (and creating calls-to-action) is easy. Simply tell people what you want them to do and give them a reason to take action. Here’s how to find opportunities on your site and to leverage those opportunities for SEO purposes.

• Review your own site. Are there any calls-to-action within the text such as “learn more” or “contact us today” or “buy now.” If not, why not?

• If you do have calls-to-action sprinkled throughout your site (good job,) did you pair them with benefit statements? For instance, would you rather read “call today” or “save $100 on your order if you call today.”
  

• Remember that hyperlinks are, by themselves, calls-to-action. That is, the hyperlink text encourages (that is, persuades) people to click through to the next page. From a SEO copywriting perspective, hyperlink the keyphrase whenever possible.

Sprinkle some calls-to-action through a Web page and see what happens. Chances are, you’ll find that people are happily willing to take your desired conversion step. And all you had to do was ask.

Ten common SEO copywriting myths

During every conference, someone comes up to me and says, “I’ve heard that you can…” - and proceeds to tell me about a spammy technique that they “just learned” or a brilliant idea that their IT department “just thought of.”

There are a lot of SEO copywriting myths out there. It’s scary, actually.

During SMX West, Jill Whalen discussed some common SEO copywriting myths - which was a brilliant idea. I’ve included some of Jill’s myths and added my own. Feel free to add your own in the comments section!

• I should put all my keywords on my home page. Nope, this won’t help at all. Instead, use your overarching keyphrases on your home page- and use more specific keyphrases on your subcategory and product-level pages. Besides, nothing looks sadder than a keyphrase-stuffed home page.
• My site is only relevant for five keyphrases. Not true! Even the smallest sites can be relevant for a number of keyphrases. Keyphrase research will shine the light on your true keyphrase potential.
• Keyphrase-stuffing is A-OK. This was never OK and never will be. First, the search engines think it’s spam. Second, stuffing your copy will completely decimate your tone, feel and conversion flow. It’s just not worth it.
• Invisible text works great! It may…for awhile…until you get caught. Invisible text is another big search-engine no-no.
• Anyone can be a SEO copywriter. True, anyone can be a SEO copywriter. But it’s more important to work with good SEO copywriters. Consider training your in-house writers on SEO copywriting best practices - and only hire folks who can demonstrate relevant experience.
• It’s all about the search engines. Yes, search engine positioning is important. What is also important is creating compelling, high-value text that resonates with your target market. Remember, the search engines don’t pay your bills. Your customers do
• I can stuff my Title, right? Wrong. Title-stuffing is far from SEO best practices. Besides, why not create a compelling, “clickable” Title that gets your prospect’s attention?
• Prospects don’t want to read a lot of copy. Prospects will read a lot of copy - if it’s relevant and if it’s presented well. A solid copy block of 1,000 words will freak out the average reader. However, that same 1,000 words in an easy-to-read format could gain good readership. Test different formats and see what works for your readers.
• The first conversion opportunity is when a customer clicks-through to my site. Actually, your first conversion opportunity is the search engine results page. A good Title and description will encourage SERP click-throughs -so use techniques like the Google Snippet Trick to gain better conversions.
• I have to write exactly 250 words for good search positioning. Writing 250 words has always been a rule of thumb. Sometimes, writing more copy is just fine. Sometimes, you can’t write 250 words about a product or service no matter how hard you try. Copy length depends on the overall SEO content stategy, what you’re writing about and a host of other factors. Don’t tie yourself down to a specific word count.

Don’t confuse fluffy “marketease” with good SEO copywriting

It’s true that customers don’t want to read your B.S. But they do expect good copywriting.

In Tim’s latest article, Cut Out the B.S. to Increase Conversions,” Tim discusses “marketease,” saying, “Unfortunately, your landing page was probably written in this kind of over-the-top promotional style. It usually involves a lot of boasting and unsubstantiated claims. If your company is the “world’s leading provider” of something, you are in good company.”

I would agree that this kind of writing is “marketease” - or what I have called “fluffy copy.” Surf for five minutes, and you’ll see fluffy copy-filled sites everywhere. Headlines scream, “We’re the best” and the copy shouts, “We’re the worlds largest!” You’ll see lots of bolded type, exclamation points and used-car salesperson hype. But you won’t see anything that will make you want to buy.

However, this is not good copywriting. Good copywriting uses facts - not fluff. It does not scream “we’re the best,” unless there is a third-party testimonial to back it up. It does not hide the product under the weight of so many words that readers can’t see the benefits. Fluffy copy reads horribly, sounds smarmy and people tend to distrust it. Like Tim implies, it increases the reader’s cognitive load.

Some copy is meant to be informative. Other copy is meant to be persuasive. The key is writing the right copy with the right tone and feel that the reader wants to read at that moment.

So focus your site on writing good copy. It’s OK to put “power words” in your headlines - a compelling headline leads to greater conversions. Yes, use benefit statements. If you are the “world’s best something,” go ahead and say it - if you can back it up. But yes, stay away from fluff. Your readers (and your conversions) will thank you.