Blog > Archive by category 'Freelance SEO copywriting'

No one engine should have all that power

August 26, 2010 • posted by Heather

OK, I have a question for y’all…

Why do we let Google have so much power over how we produce Web content?

I was reading a Search Engine Watch article where Kevin Gibbons was stressing how Google is never the “only customer.” Still, at every conference (most recently, Search Engine Strategies, San Francisco,) I hear people saying that they’re looking for a writer who can “write for Google.” They don’t care about how the article sounds to their customer – heck, that doesn’t even cross their minds. They’re just focused on 1,000 word articles with a magical keyphrase density.  If they only had that, the rest of their SEO campaign would be smooth sailing.

People, let’s get with the program.  “Writing for Google” without thinking of your customers is like praying to some sort of angry, vengeful god, hoping to appease it with odd rituals and violent sacrifices. Instead of killing people, businesses place their content on the sacrificial block and pull out it’s still-beating heart. Stripped away is writing to inform, entertain, or tempt people into taking the next conversion step. Instead, it’s all about what the Google Gods “want.”

Mind you, Matt Cutts has never said, “Stuff your content with keyphrases.” In fact, he’s stressed quality content – as has Seth Godin and a string of other smart marketers. When conferences do have content sessions, speakers stress customer personas, writing for your audience and yummy, engaging content.

So why do we let one engine have all that power? Why do we sacrifice our conversions and our branding for what we think Google wants? ‘Cause Google has never said, “Go forth and write 1,000 word articles with a 6 percent keyphrase density.”

Here are some of my ideas – and I’d love your thoughts:

  • The SEO industry gives clients a mixed message around content. We get on stage and stress how it’s important, and then some SEO companies outsource the content to India, pay their copywriters $20 a page, or don’t offer content services at all.
  • The search engines purchase “content mill” companies (I’m looking at you, Yahoo,) where writers are paid bottom-dollar…and the quality is questionable at best.
  • SEO conferences don’t have a lot of “how-to” SEO copywriting training sessions. AWAI does…but their market is freelancers, not businesses. Mind you, I’m blessed to be speaking on those SEO copywriting panels…don’t get me wrong. But when a good 70% of all panels stress “good content,” I wish there was more of an emphasis of what good SEO content even *is.* Ten minutes of SEO copywriting talk-time is not enough.
  • Many online SEO copywriting resources are sub par at best. They report “tactics” that are incorrect and/or outdated. This makes it hard for the average business owner to know what’s right – and what’s been written by a clueless individual who touts their “expert” status after working online for two years or less (ahem.)

So what say you? SEO copywriting is the foundation of so much SEO and social media “stuff” – including Tweets, sales pages, white papers and blog posts. What do we have to do as an industry to get folks moving in the right direction…as opposed to the “keyphrase stuffed, it’s all about Google” direction?

‘Cause at the end of the day, Google doesn’t pay your bills. Prospects that convert into customers DO pay them. Why aren’t we focusing on the customer experience instead?

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing

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Did video kill the copywriting star?

August 5, 2010 • posted by Heather

I received an email from someone asking:

“Since videos do so well in search results, why not just produce videos. Why do you even need words on the page?”

Interesting question, and one that gave me pause. Because the thing is, video marketing (when it’s done right) can be incredibly powerful. Plus, videos are easy to produce. What may have taken a company back in the day many hours and thousands of dollars can now be done with a Flip camera and good editing software. It’s not perfect, but it’s “good enough for Google.”

But here’s the thing: Video marketing can drive rankings, traffic and conversions. But I wouldn’t chuck your SEO content campaign out the window just yet. Here’s why…

  • Studies show that text still has power.  In an multimedia versus text eyetracking study by the Poytner Institute, people recalled slightly more facts when the information was presented in text.
  • Steve Rubel in his blog Micro Persuasion points out that text is more scannable, easier to distribute and easier for mobile users and cubicle-dwellers to view (He believes that “Watching videos [even work related vids] screams ‘slacker.’”)
  • Jakob Nielsen in a 2005 post asserts that “talking-head video is boring,” indicating that attention wanders when people are watching video online.

So does this mean that you should chuck video in favor of all text, all the time?

Heck no. But on the flip side, you shouldn’t rely 100% on video either.

I’m one of those folks who doesn’t like people “talking at me.” I can’t listen to talk radio, I have a hard time sitting still for two minutes. Watching online video drives me nuts. I want to know what I want to know NOW – and I don’t want to sit through a video, hoping my question is answered in the first 30 seconds. Will I watch videos? Yes – but not when I’m in information-gathering mode. I read too fast and I’m too impatient.

At the same time, video testimonials and mini-broadcasts are powerful, powerful stuff (and yes, I’ll have to bite the bullet and do this myself.) Video gives us “real person” insight – we can watch and listen and see the story unfold. In terms of the consumer psychology benefit, when we see a video testimonial, we can immediately connect with that person and think, “Hey, she’s just like me. And this company was able to help her. Wow, maybe they can help me too.”

The key is, you want to appeal to both folks. The people like me, who want their information now – and in text form. And the other folks who “connect” with a more visual medium.  So, for instance, if you’re planning a product page, you may consider offering both video and text and cover your bases. That’s what Brookstone does for their product pages – and it’s a powerful strategy.

The beauty of the interwebs is you can give your prospects the exact information they want, when they want it. For some folks, that means text. For others, it means video. Both are good.

Video didn’t kill the copywriting star. It just added a new dimension to how we collect and process information.

(P.S. If you’re interested in video marketing, Greg Jarboe’s book, You Tube and Video Marketing: An Hour A Day is a must-read. Buy it! Buy it now!)

SuccessWorks SEO Copywriting Certification Training

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques

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Profiling is Good, When it Comes to Your Perfect Customer

August 2, 2010 • posted by Laura

Greetings fellow SEO copywriters and content marketers! As foretold, here is the fourth of the five crucial steps you need to walk through before putting fingers to keyboard, pen to paper, voice to recorder — whatever your chosen method — and yes, it involves  RESEARCH! But as you know by now, research is not a dirty word.  On the contrary,  it is your friend, confidante, and informant.

I know your fingers are itching and your mind is twitching, BUT if you take the time to do the groundwork laid out here first, you will save yourself untold fruitless hours, wasted energy, client frustration, and botched work!

So let’s do it right the first time:  Measure twice, cut once!

If you’ve been following this SEO copywriting and content marketing how-to blog series, featured each Monday, then you’ve already checked out your competition, noted the latest social buzz about your product/service, and have completed a productive and insightful “SWOT” (strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats) analysis of your content.

Now, we have two more essential research steps to go.

First, in this post, we are going to profile your perfect customer.

All of the brilliant SEO copywriting you’ve created will not accomplish The Goal – Conversions –if you fail to capture the attention, imagination, and buying impulse of your target market.  Can you define your perfect customer?

Take the example of a relatively simple product, like a digital camera.  Now, let’s take a closer look at your prospective buyers:

  • The senior citizen may want an easy-to-use digital camera with minimal features, simply to take pictures of the grandchildren
  • The college student may want an inexpensive digital camera with which  s/he can readily upload videos to YouTube

Another example, cosmetic dentistry:

  • The high-powered female executive may want cosmetic dentistry to enhance her image
  • The  “weekend warrior” hockey player may want cosmetic dentistry to repair a chipped tooth

It should be clear by these examples that, while we would like to appeal to every customer, the most effective marketing message will target one perfect one.

Why?  Because at the end of the day, your prospect wants to know:  What’s in it for me?

Ask yourself theses questions, when constructing the profile of your perfect customer:

  • Are they men?  Women?  Both?
  • How old are they?  Does your product or service appeal to different ages?
  • How much money do they make?
  • What kind of work do they do?  Are they retired?
  • What are their main concerns and pain points?
  • What books and magazines do they read?
  • What websites do they frequent?
  • How do they spend their discretionary income?
  • Is “OK and cheap” what they crave?  Or do your clients require only the best – and are willing to pay for that exclusivity?

The deeper you dig, the more defined your perfect customer, the more refined your market niche, the more targeted your copy, and the more effective your SEO and content marketing efforts!

Next Monday, we will pull it all together to address the crux of the matter:  defining your unique selling proposition,   See you then!

Filed under Tips and techniques,Working with clients

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Should your SEO company create your content?

July 29, 2010 • posted by Heather

I had the most interesting email exchange the other day with a SEO firm.

This particular firm (one that is well known in the industry…and no, I will not name them) contacted me because they wanted to outsource their SEO copywriting. This isn’t uncommon  – in fact, many SEO firms offer SEO copywriting services but don’t keep that particular skill set in house.

The exchange was pleasant, nice and positive. I sent over my prices. My contact wrote back and said that the price was too high. I responded that I work with a number of Certified SEO Copywriters – perhaps I could refer them? I then asked how much they were willing to pay per page.

The answer: $20 per page. And their old writer spent about 30 minutes per page.

I was floored. Literally floored. It takes a lot to shock me (as my friends know.) This was…shocking.  Let me explain the reasons why:

Quality SEO copywriting (or any type of quality writing) takes time. I’ve been a full-time writer for most of my adult life, and I would never – ever – spend 30 minutes on a sales page and call it good. That’s barely enough time to write a rough draft (and that’s on a short-copy page.) In order to write a good sales page (and not crap) you have to:

  • Research the competition and know how to differentiate your client
  • Create the best tone and feel for the page (or know how to replicate your client’s preferred tone and feel)
  • Understand the micro and macro sales focus on the page
  • Highlight the main benefits (both company and product/service)
  • Write a headline (by itself, this could take 30 minutes or more)
  • Create a rough draft
  • Edit the draft mercilessly until it’s “right” (and this can also be highly time consuming)
  • And then…finally…you’re ready to submit your draft.

You see what I mean? No matter how many efficiencies that you’ve built into your writing (and I’ve built in a number of them over the years,) writing quality content takes more time than 30 minutes. Much, much more time.

And then I started wondering, “I wonder if their clients – many of them big-brand clients – know that this SEO is paying their writer $20/page, marking it up to who-knows-what and selling it as quality content.”

(Mind you, I have no problems with a company marking up the cost – that’s just good business. But if you’re working with large brand companies and promising “quality SEO copywriting services,” shouldn’t you WANT the best for your clients?)

This situation puts the client (you) in a buyer beware position. It’s easy to trust a SEO firm when they say, “Don’t worry about the SEO copywriting. We have people who can help you.” It sounds all warm and fuzzy and nice and comforting – and you’d figure that of course the company would have good, experienced, whip-smart writers on staff.

But don’t count on it.

So here’s what to do if you’re thinking about having your SEO firm write your content.

  1. Ask about their writers. Are they Certified in SEO copywriting? How many years experience do they have? How does the SEO company vet their writers before they hire them/ outsource to them? The last thing you want is to find out that their “experienced SEO copywriter” is someone fresh out of college who (as my father used to eloquently say) “doesn’t know their ass from third base.”
  2. Ask about the company’s writing process. Can you have direct contact with the copywriter (highly recommended – otherwise, your information is being filtered through multiple people.) What’s the average time the writer spends on every page? Will the same writer be working on all of your pages, or will your pages be written by multiple writers?
  3. Ask what kind of continuing education the SEO firm provides their writers. The SEO/social media world is constantly changing – and if the writer hasn’t updated their knowledge for a couple years, that can negatively impact your results.
  4. Ask for writing samples from the writer assigned to your account. Always. If you don’t like the samples, request another writer.
  5. Consider chatting with a SEO copywriting agency at the same time. It doesn’t mean that you have to use a copywriting agency over your SEO. But you may find that the prices are similar (often less) than what the SEO firm is charging – and you’ll benefit from more experienced writers (who get paid a living wage.)

Is all of this due diligence necessary? You bet. The writing on your site represents your brand. It’s your “silent salesperson” online. And yes, you deserve to be highly picky. You (probably) wouldn’t work with a SEO firm if you knew they outsourced your account to India. Why would you buy writing services from a firm who devalues the writing so much  – and cares about your branding so little – that they’re outsourcing to the lowest bidder (and yes, Demand Media and Associated Content, I’m talking about you too.)

Think about it.

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Working with clients,Working with freelance copywriters

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Has Associated Content cheapened SEO copywriting?

July 8, 2010 • posted by Heather

My, how the SEO content development fur is flying.

In the July 6 issue of MediaWeek, the headline “Council to Counter Web Generators’ Growing Clout” was front and center.  The Internet Content Syndication Council (ICSC), comprised of representatives from firms such as Proctor and Gamble and Reuters, is complaining that content aggregators like Demand Media and Associated Content are “cheapening” the quality of Web content.

I couldn’t agree more.

For those unfamiliar with the business model, Web content aggregators make their money from syndicating content produced by freelance writers.  The production process is like SEO copywriting on steroids: Editors use savvy keyphrase research to ferret out SEO copywriting opportunities, and assign keyphrases to their freelancers.  However, rather than the emphasis being on the customer experience – that is, creating a quality, informative article that’s targeted towards a specific market, the emphasis is on content that’s “good enough” to get links or long tail rankings. For more information about Demand Media’s business model, check out this Wired article.

If you’re a site owner – and you don’t want to hire a copywriter or produce content in-house – you may be tempted to turn to Demand Media or Associated Content for an “article bank” of articles.  Heck, it’s cheap, easy content that you can instantly slap on your site. But personally, I’d think twice about using such services. Here’s why:

1. Syndicated content isn’t targeted. It’s great to fill content “holes” with new content – and that’s a great strategy. But you want it to be original content, targeted towards your audience and their specific needs. For instance, if I was writing an article about marketing with mailing lists, I’d be asking questions about the target audience, their existing knowledge levels and their pain points. Those specific writing touches helps to connect with your reader…and drives conversions. After all, “write for your reader” is the foundation of every writing gig for a reason.

2. You’re getting exactly what you’re paying for.  Writers working with sites like Associated Content aren’t making much money – at all.  For instance, Associated Content’s site lists upfront payment rates of $2-$15 per article. If someone has an $1,000 mortgage payment, they will need to write over 66 articles in a month just to make their mortgage. The focus isn’t on quality – it can’t be for those rates. Those rates breed a sweatshop, “Write it fast and turn it in” mentally (and how could it not, really?)

As an example, I searched Associated Content’s site for “SEO copywriting” and checked out the first article.  Here’s a direct quote discussing the advantages of SEO copywriting:

  • “Helping to work out various steps to increase sales

SEO content writing aims to increase the sales rate and marketing goals to achieve maximum profit.”

Really? REALLY?  ::hits head against desk:: No, this isn’t exactly “high quality” content that should be syndicated. At all.

3. Bad content reflects negatively on your brand. Would you rent a rundown storefront in a bad area to save money? Heck no. It would drive customers away. Same goes for poorly-written content – if the content is inaccurate, poorly written or just plain dull, it’s not going to help.

As a side note, I’m a tad disappointed that a search engine like Yahoo – who is intimately familiar with the importance of quality content – would purchase Associated Content. From a SEO perspective, Y! would have to know that articles syndicated across multiple sites probably won’t position well. And from a pure copywriting perspective, it seems like they’d want to focus on quality content – not copywriting for “outsource-to-India” prices. From a revenue perspective, I get it – cheap copy makes money. But I’d like to see them up their game a bit. Shame on you, Yahoo, for promoting content that you know isn’t top-notch.

For more on this topic, check out MarketingVox’s take.

Filed under SEO Content marketing,Working with freelance copywriters

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Why SEO is a sure and profitable copywriting niche

June 24, 2010 • posted by Laura

SEO and content marketing are here to stay, and more and more businesses than ever are recognizing, investing in, and outsourcing SEO copywriting talent!

For us, a most excellent news flash!!  (Or more like an affirmation/confirmation)

Just the other day, Marketing Sherpa published its Chart of the Week, which clearly indicates that companies are planning to spend the biggest chunk of their outsourced marketing dollars on SEO, even more so than on Public Relations.

MarketingSherpa.com Chart of the Week
Click here to return to main article.
New Chart: Outsourcing Plans for Key Marketing Functions

MarketingSherpa.com Chart of the Week



So as a copywriter, you have to ask yourself:  in which niche do I specialize?  Duh!  No-brainer!  Go for SEO and reap the low-hanging fruit!

If you haven’t already, enter your 75 words describing why you’d like to be an SEO Copywriter for a free pass to my SEO Certification Training Program!  A $599 value for the only recognized SEO Certification Program around!

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Working with clients

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Mayday, Mayday: Why SEO content development is more important than ever

June 22, 2010 • posted by Laura

My guess is that you’ve already heard the buzz surrounding Google’s “May Day” announcement (and its rankings aftermath).  Even if it’s late June, Google’s May Day algorithm change continues to be analyzed, expounded upon (and yes, even feared) by search engine specialists and the clients who love them.

Good news:  it’s not all bad news.  Google’s Mayday update may be the thing to slap site owners upside the head and encourage them to create great content.  Wondering what May Day means to content marketers?  Check out some of the buzz:

  • Webmaster World’s ongoing discussion of Google’s “Mayday” changes, as well as Google SEO News & Discussion:  Webmaster World

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques

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Think Penny Wise, Search Foolish when it comes to investing in an SEO copywriter

June 17, 2010 • posted by Heather

Hello, all!

Today’s post is by Pam Foster, a highly experienced SEO copywriter and one of the first Certified SEO Copywriters in the world. Enjoy!

The other day, a marketer for a sophisticated mid-size national company inquired about hiring a professional SEO copywriter to improve his website’s search engine traffic and sales results.

He admitted that his website is in very tough shape (weak search engine rankings, not much activity on this site), and that he doesn’t know why. This kind of awareness is terrific – it’s the first step toward making big improvements!

So let’s quickly hit the key points about what’s wrong with his site… those missing critical elements that drive results online these days:

•    The web pages don’t include a single keyphrase his ideal prospects may be using to find his company’s services in search engines such as Google and Bing.

•    The page titles and meta descriptions have absolutely no information about why someone would choose his company among the many options in search results

•    The messages on every page are all about “how great and cool our company is;” not focused on what the customer needs

•    It doesn’t seem to set itself apart from the competition. There are no messages that differentiate this website from others in the same business category

•    It isn’t “conversion-focused,” meaning there are no inviting calls to action; no compelling reasons to sign up for his company’s emails, inquire about services, or buy anything

And that’s just for starters.

So as you can imagine, this marketer would find tremendous value in hiring a skilled SEO copywriter who knows exactly how to bring his website to life with a smart keyphrase strategy, customer-focused messages, and compelling sales copy that offers unique and exciting reasons to choose his company over others. Right?

In other words, copy like this would be “found money” in the bank for his website, yes?

Well, sadly he didn’t see it that way. He balked at the fees for hiring a professional, skilled SEO copywriter – someone who will offer a terrific return on his investment and deliver measurable results. Instead, he decided to search for a cheaper resource; even though his company can and should make the sound investment in what works.

Ah, well. He’ll soon find that this “Penny Wise, Search Foolish,” approach means he’ll end up working with someone who doesn’t know all it takes to write successful SEO copy. Therefore, his frugality will come back to bite him.

We hope to help you avoid this problem with the following logic.

We’re not saying you have to take out a second mortgage to invest in SEO copywriting that works. But if you plan on a budget of at least $500-$800 or more per page, you’ll soon find that it’s a drop in the bucket when you consider the immediate and long-term gains you’ll realize.

For example, let’s say a single new client is worth $1,000 to you (if you’re a consulting service). Or 20 new product sales may equal $1,000 if you’re a retailer; even more if you’re a B2B marketer.

So would a $500 web page investment today, that returns $1,000 in business tomorrow, be worth it? I’m pretty sure I hear you saying, “Heck, ya!” Plus, when you consider the long-term gain of each new customer relationship, the revenue potential is infinite. Trust me on this one.

It’s important to banish short-term thinking when investing in your web content. Instead, consider it a solid foundation that will support your business revenue growth for quite some time. (You wouldn’t build your dream house on quicksand, now would you?)

Thanks for giving this some serious consideration. Here’s to your web success!
Pam Foster

Guest blogger Pam Foster is the owner of ContentClear Marketing and PetCopywriter.com. Pam recently became one of the industry’s first web content writers to achieve SuccessWorks SEO Copywriting Certification… the world’s only SEO copywriting certification program.

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques,Working with freelance copywriters

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Outsourcing your SEO copywriting? 9 ways to get the best quote

May 27, 2010 • posted by Heather

Yesterday, a business owner sent over an interesting question.

“Why do I have to answer so many questions before you give me a quote? Years ago, if I wanted a copywriter to write a print ad, I knew it would be X amount. Why can’t there be more transparency?”

He had a point. I don’t list prices on my site – and neither do a number of my Certified SEO Copywriters. The main reason is because, “we don’t know what we don’t know” – short, catalog pages could be $250 a page – or up to $1000 if you factor in things like strategy, keyphrase research, customer persona generation and other factors.

And granted, a range like that could freak out the average prospect.

However, there is a way to get the information you need and find the right SEO copywriter for your next campaign. It may take more background research than sending a quick “how much do you charge” email.  And from the copywriter’s standpoint, there are some things that prospects can do to get an accurate quote, quickly.  Here are nine tips to get you started:

Do include your domain name in your initial email. At least twice a month, I get an email from an @AOL address that says something like, “I need five pages written for search engines. How much will you charge me? From a copywriter’s perspective, we can’t help you if we can’t see what we’re bidding for. Some pages (think longer direct-sales pages,) cost more. Others (like short catalog copy) can cost less. We won’t know what to tell you without seeing your site.

Do let us know your challenges. It’s wonderful when a prospect says something like, “We’re ranking well in the engines, but our sales copy isn’t converting.” Or, “We have a marketing team now, but they don’t know anything about SEO copywriting.” That information helps us evaluate your site and develop some ideas.

Do talk to us on the phone. I understand that it’s often easier to gather quotes via email. That’s OK. I do it too. But even a 15-minute conversation can help copywriters delve a little deeper into your challenges and explore different ideas. I’ve actually saved clients money because I told them that they didn’t need the big content marketing strategy they thought they did – and some simple tweaks would garner a great reward. We wouldn’t have come to that conclusion in an email conversation.

Do tell us what you’ll expect. Do you need us to provide status reports to your marketing department once a month? Are you working on an internal deadline, and need to have copy turned around by a certain date? Let your copywriter know what you’ll need before he zips you a proposal. That way, you avoid any future sticky issues – like your copywriter expecting to be paid to be on a three-hour branding conference call – when you thought it was a freebie (yes, this has happened!)

Do chat with multiple writers. It’s tempting to hire the first SEO copywriter who happens to meet your pricing and turnaround requirements. Just know that finding a good writer may mean talking to multiple people and asking lots of questions. Some writers will quickly “get” your business and will immediately generate some ideas. Other writers may not be as well suited for the task. Who you hire is crucial – after all, this person represents your brand – so make sure you find the best person for your business.

Do ask us for writing samples. Writers love to brag about our successes. Yes, by all means, ask for writing samples – especially when evaluating us against another copywriter. It’s important that you find the right fit for the right price, and writing samples (as well as case studies) help us showcase our value. Plus, from the client standpoint, writing samples will clearly show the difference between a $5 and a $500 sales page.

Don’t expect free consulting as a way to “prove our worth.” It’s important to find the right vendor – and many SEO copywriters will throw out some quick top-of-mind thoughts about how you should proceed. At the same time, asking us, “What strategy would you recommend” and “How would you specifically change the Titles” is moving from sales-process vetting to freebie consulting. Yes, ask us hard questions. Yes, ask for writing samples. But please know that the best copywriters (like the best doctors, attorneys and business consultants) won’t give it away for free.

Don’t tempt us with “more work later if you can lower your rate now.” In my non-scientific estimation, 99.9% of copywriters have lowered their rate in this scenario. And 99.9% of copywriters would never do it again. Unless we have a signed contract promising us “future work” – including a retainer guarantee – we can’t “bank” on future work. Ask us this question later, after we’ve worked together and we’ve built a successful relationship.

Do be open to higher fees  – but ask us how you can save money. Many people start the SEO copywriting vendor search process without a clue about per-page rates. Or, the prospect needs more than writing – they need strategy and better keyphrase research – and that drives up the price. At the same time, if you feel like the price is edging higher than you’d like to spend, ask about training (DIY always costs less in the long run,) running a longer campaign for a smaller (guaranteed) monthly spend, or even paying your agreement up-front for a discount. There are always ways to save some cash without sacrificing quality.

Filed under In-house Content Marketing,Working with freelance copywriters

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3 easy ways to make your testimonials more powerful

March 25, 2010 • posted by Heather

Ah, the testimonial. There are few things more powerful in the conversion process than reading comments from real people stating, “Yes, I used this product (or worked with this company) and I highly recommend them.”

Unfortunately, many sites don’t leverage testimonials like they could. Instead of thinking about strategic testimonial placement, folks will upload whatever the client gives them and call it good. But if you want your testimonials to have a real impact, here are three tips to consider:

  • Use the testimonial author’s full name. We’ve all see testimonials like, “I loved this product – R.B. Oregon.” The problem is, people’s B.S. meters start flashing when they see initials rather than a person’s first and last name. They’ll wonder if “R.B.” is a real person…or if it’s a fake testimonial penned by someone in marketing. Consider telling folks that you’ll need to print their full name in order to post their testimonial on the site. In all my years of doing business, I’ve never had anyone come back and say, “No, I’d prefer that you use my initials instead.”
  • Use “appropriate” testimonials for the target audience. Many sites have multiple target audiences – so doesn’t it make sense that the testimonials should be focused around whatever audience you’re targeting? For example, Constant Contact has separate pages for the main industries they service, and each page has a testimonial from that market (here’s an example.) That’s much more powerful than, say, a real estate agent testimonial on the “non-profit” page – or a spa owner testimonial on the “sports and recreation” page.
  • Specifics sell. It’s great when a prospect says, “Thanks. You’ve increased my business.” It’s even better when they say, “You’ve helped us increase our conversion rates by 27%, which brought in over $50,000 so far.” When you’re asking for the testimonial, ask for examples and stats – how did your work (or your product) make your client’s life better? What kind of conversion lift did they see? What specific improvements did they experience? When the testimonial provides details and tells a story, prospects will read it and think, “If this company was able to help these people, I bet they can help me too!”

Finally, what’s the best time to ask for a testimonial? After you’ve done something that rocked your client’s world. According to the psychological theory of reciprocity, people are more apt to provide a testimonial right after they’ve see results. That is, since you’ve done something fantastic for them, they are more than happy to do something nice for you. If you wait a few months, your awesome results have already faded in your client’s mind…and getting a specific testimonial (or sometimes, any testimonial) is more difficult.

Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques

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