SEO copywriting Q & A from my Writer’s Digest Webinar
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of running a Webinar for Writer’s Digest. The presentation ran ten minutes overtime, so I promised audience members that their questions would be answered in today’s blog post.
If you were on the Webinar – thank you so much! And if you’re a freelance (or in-house) writer wondering if SEO copywriting would be a smart skill set to have, read on. You may find the answers to your questions here!
Have a question that I didn’t address? Please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to help!
Q: How often does a new Google algorithm come out? Does every new algorithm mean you change your copywriting style?
Google is constantly tweaking their algorithm. Some are minor updates – and some are pretty far-reaching (such as the Panda update.) However, that doesn’t mean that you need to change your copywriting style. Focus on your readers first, and follow SEO content writing best practices.
Having said that, it’s very important that you keep up with what’s happening in the industry. You may learn that you need to handle certain situations differently (such as hyperlinking keyphrases or using synonyms in your content.) You won’t need to spend hours a day digging into the latest SEO news. But do plan to spend some time every week reading the trades.
Q: When choosing a keyphrase, as on Google keywords, is there an ideal number we should look for? How much weight should we give the “high” competitive terms? What if we need to go after those terms?
This depends on a lot of factors. For instance, an authority site that’s been up for years has a better chance of scoring a competitive keyphrase than a brand-new, small business site. Additionally, it’s always nice when you can go after the keyphrase “sweet spot” (highly trafficked keyphrases that aren’t as competitive.) For instance, the keyphrase [freelance writer] may be tough to position for. However, the phrase, [lab supply freelance writer] will be much easier.
You may want to check out the Writer’s Digest tutorial for more information about keyphrase research.
Q: How do you access the Google keyword research tool.
Easy! You can find it here.
Q: How does the SEO Certificate program work (cost, length, etc.)?
Thanks so much for asking. You can learn more the SEO Copywriting Certification training here.
Q: I’m hearing a lot of rumbling that search is changing dramatically because of mobile, and that within a couple of years Google will be moot, because everyone will be using mobile apps. True?
Ah yes. This is a variation of the “SEO is dead” conversation that happens a couple times a year. 
It’s true that mobile is changing the game – but people still use Google (and Bing) on their Android devices, iPads, iPhones, etc. And even if Google did suddenly go away (doubtful,) whatever solution would be left would still be providing answers based on content.
Search has been “changing dramatically” since I’ve been in the business. And actually, that’s one of the fun things about search. If you like working in an industry that’s ever-changing, SEO copywriting could be a great career choice for you!
Q: Does hyperlinking around two different keyphrases in a blog post help or hurt your SEO?
You should optimize for two to three keyphrases per page. Hyperlinking is fine – the key is to do it intelligently and mix up your anchor text. If you’re hyperlinking every instance of “cashmere sweaters,” that won’t help your SEO (it could actually hurt it.) Here’s an interesting article about how Google’s Penguin update impacted hyperlinking the keyphrase.
Q: Do you have any recommendations for raising your ranking for seasonal sites (like Christmas only) since they’re only seasonal, they aren’t updated as often, even though it’s formatted as a blog (santa’s elf’s blog for children).
Ideally, you’d create content year ’round. If you’re just looking for seasonal traffic, PPC (pay per click,) may be a better marketing avenue. You may also consider building a social media campaign to drive traffic (say a Facebook or Twitter campaign.)
Q: Approximately how many days/weeks, fulltime, of SEO training and beginner’s work would it take for an experienced writer/journalist to reach a level of competency to work professionally with corporate clients for $100-plus/hour?
It depends on the type of “issues” you want to deal with. If you’re a great writer and understand SEO content, you could accomplish this in a few months. If you want to work hand-in-hand with the IT department, consult on content changes and deal with more “hairy” issues, you’ll need a year (or more) of increasing experience under your belt. Having said that, one of the big issues that writers have is charging what they’re worth. Case studies and testimonials will help showcase your value (and congratulations for thinking ahead – that’s great!)
Q: Are there ways to include key phrases as hidden text?
Yes, but Google will spot it and punish you with a spam penalty. The “hidden text” trick is an old one that has been around as long as I’ve been in SEO (and that’s a really long time!) Anytime you’re thinking of “hiding” text (or including light grey text on a white background so it’s less noticeable,) you’re walking on very thin ice. It’s better to focus producing quality content instead.
Q: Is it true that Google is putting less emphasis on inbound links, and penalizing sites for having link wheels, etc.?
Google has certainly cracked down on spammy link campaigns. Gaining quality inbound links is still important – and the key word is “quality.” Submitting your content to random article sites won’t help you.
For some great advice on link building, check out Debra Mastaler’s site Alliance-Link (and sign up for her newsletter.) You’ll learn how smart link building is more about smart PR and marketing than “I’ll link to you if you link to me.”
Q: How do you find out about the algorithmic changes?
Here’s a fun way to learn more about the “weather” patterns of Google’s algorithm. You’ll also want to pay attention to the trade sites such as:
Matt Cutt’s blog (Matt works for Google and is known as “Google Guy.”)
Q: My google analytics usually blocks the keywords that people have typed in to get to my site – is there any way around this, as I’d like to know how people find me.
Ah, yes. That is irritating, isn’t it? If folks are logged into Google (and a huge number of folks are,) their keyword data won’t show in your analytics. Here’s a way around it, compliments of Jill Whalen (I would recommend signing up for her newsletter, too – it’s a good one!
Thanks to @writersdigest for inviting me to speak!
Are you looking for a fast, low-cost way to learn about your SEO content opportunities and problems? Check out my new SEO Content Site Review.
The A-B-Cs of SEO copywriting
September 6, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
Always test your content (or in the words of Brian Eisenberg “Always Be Testing.”) Yes, a piece of content may work “just fine.” But what if you could turn that content up to 11 and REALLY make it perform?
Be picky about the content that comes out of your company. “Thin” content written just for Google – or so-so content that’s not very good – reflects on your brand.
Content curation is a fantastic way to provide value to your readers, without having to write your own content. Beware – although this sounds “easy,” content curation is time consuming. Read Laura’s tips on how to do it well.
Don’t worry about keyword density. It’s been a myth for years (and even Matt Cutts has said the same thing.) Finally, it’s safe to let this one go. Really.
Examine ways that you can repurpose existing content. This is a great way to save time, extend the reach of your content assets and reach people across platforms. Here’s how to do it.
Focus on the benefits (what’s in it for your prospect) rather than company and product features. You’ll sell much more product that way (or capture many more leads!)
Get educated! If you’re writing SEO content, learn everything you can about SEO, copywriting, neuromarketing and consumer psychology. The more you know, the better your content.
Hire smart, talented copywriters – not the cheapest one you can find. Make sure they know exactly what they’re doing, and that they keep up with the latest SEO news. Here are some tips about how to hire an SEO copywriter.
In-house training is a super-smart investment if your company employs copywriters. Why outsource when your training investment can pay for itself in just 10 pages?
Just say “no” to making sure that your articles/sales pages/blog posts are a certain word count “for Google.” Google will not give you the keys to their algorithmic kingdom if every page on your site is 500 words. How long should your copy be? As long as it needs to be to clearly explain the topic and make the desired impact.
Keyphrases are still important. Some writers ignore this step, figuring “I know exactly how our readers are searching.” Quit fooling yourself. Unless your name is “Google,” you don’t have access to this information. Don’t fall into this trap.
Long-tail keyphrases are golden – especially for blog posts and FAQ pages. Learn why you should learn to love the long tail.
Mine your analytics for cool content opportunities. As soon as you learn what kind of your content your readers love, you can make sure to create more of it!
Never spam Google figuring that you won’t get caught. Techniques like invisible text or link spam has been bad for many years (and yes, Google will catch you eventually!).
Optimizing Web pages is only half the battle. It’s one thing to make them “good for Google.” It’s another to make them great for your readers. Know the difference.
Personas are soooo important. After all, how can you write targeted content if you don’t know who you’re writing it for? If you haven’t created a customer/reader customer persona document, do it now (and here’s how!)
Quit obsessing over Google’s latest algorithmic change. You can “chase the algorithm” or you can write great content.
Rest is important. It does no good to crank out Web pages when you’re tired, hungry, cranky or just plain burned-out.
Title tags are exceptionally important. Well-written, “clickable” Titles get the clicks from the search engine results page. Plus, they help with positioning. Learn how to write Titles right.
Understand the difference between writing to sell, and writing for social media. They represent two different skill sets (and may require two different writers.)
Vary your keyphrases. Focusing your very large site on a very few keyphrases will cause you to miss opportunities. And yes, synonyms are OK, too.
Winning in SEO copywriting means more sales, more shares, happier readers and more money in your pocket. Focus your efforts around those elements – not what Google may do next.
You is an incredibly powerful marketing word. Use it in your copy. A lot.
Zzzzz is the sound your reader makes when your copy is limp, lifeless and drab. Put some personality in your copy (check out 37signals as an example. You’ll find that people will read more of your content (and even convert at higher rates, too!)
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques
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Working today? Here’s why you shouldn’t have to…
September 3, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
In honor and celebration of the U.S. Labor Day holiday, we’re giving our labors a rest and forgoing the usual SEO copywriting video post.
Instead we would like to ask you, freelance copywriters: Were you able to give your labors a rest today? Yesterday? Were you able to enjoy a work-free holiday weekend at all? Or any weekend? When was the last time you were able to go off for awhile, anywhere, and leave your laptop behind?
And…feel okay about it?
In the spirit of claiming freedom from laboring overmuch for too little money for too much time, we decided to acknowledge this Labor Day by sharing a few of our “liberating” posts with you! Our hope is that this Labor Day edition of “a slice of Heather” inspires you to move from merely surviving to thriving in your freelance copywriting career – enjoy!
“My confession: Whenever I read one of those headlines that scream, ‘Imagine the freedom you’ll have being your own boss,’ I laugh.
Why? Because I know how easy it is to go from, ‘Hey, I can work from anywhere,’ to ‘Hey, I have to bring my laptop wherever I go.’
In other words, how quickly it can go from ‘owning a business’ to ‘the business owning you.’ “[Including working weekends and holidays!]…
“What’s important to your freelance writing life?
“I was thinking about all the ‘rules’ I live by as a freelance writer – most of them learned the hard way. I started surfing around, and I found this post by Carol Tice outlining her freelance writing manifesto.
‘Great idea,’ I thought. ‘I need to do that too.’
So, here you go – my 15-point freelance writer manifesto. How many of these points resonate with you?”…
“Who knew that my post, “Why do freelance writers hate SEO copywriting” would stir up so many comments?
After the post, I received a bunch of emails and blog comments like this one:
I like being able to work from home, but I really do despise the articles that I write. I would run away from these articles as quickly as possible if I had a client willing to pay a decent wage for excellent content.
Unfortunately, I cannot find these clients. To be honest, I don’t really know where to look because the only thing I find are the companies wanting quantity and care very little about quality.
Ugh. This writer is obviously in misery. Writing bad copy for low wages can’t be fun – at all.
But here’s the deal: If you’re in an uncomfortable situation, the only person holding you back is you.” …
“Are you feeling ‘stuck’ in your copywriting career?
Maybe you’ve been in business for awhile, but you can’t seem to find high-paying, quality clients. Maybe you’ve gotten burned by a bad contract that meant you had to revise a page six times before the client finally signed off.
Or maybe, you’re wanting to make the jump into the freelance writer’s life…but you’ve been afraid to start.
Here are six tips the experts in my Turn Content Into Cash Copywriting Business Bootcamp recommend. Implementing just one of them can launch (or turn around) your business in no time.” …
Thanks for checking in with us today! Tomorrow we pick up the “usual” flow of great content for you with a fantastic guest post by an expert in the field! Stay tuned!
photo thanks to Leo Reynolds (LEOL30)
Liberate yourself from the chains of “owning” a business that is running you ragged! Learn how to truly own and manage a happy, healthy copywriting business at 30% off, through September 24th! Hurry – at this hefty $300 discount and limited class size, the remaining spots are going fast!!
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques
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How to stop worrying about Google updates…
August 27, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
Greetings & welcome back! In today’s SEO copywriting video how-to, Heather discusses a most timely topic since Matt Cutts’ recent, ominous-sounding pronouncement that the next Google Penguin update will be “jarring” to SEO’s and Webmasters – and that is, how to stop worrying about Google updates and start writing really great SEO copy!
Tune in and learn how to set yourself free…
Fear is counterproductive
The thing is, around all the Google updates and the stress that comes with them, that fear is really counterproductive.
What this fear of Google updates does is get a lot of companies stuck in this learned helplessness trap: they don’t know what Google is going to do next and so they use that as an excuse to stop writing content. They completely freak out within the organization!
But instead of being all fearful about what Google is going to do next, think of what’s going on as an opportunity: Good content is still good for Google.
I know that it’s not sexy news, but there are a number of sites out there that never got penalized by either Panda or Penguin – they came through just fine! And that could be you.
The key is to focus on what your customers and readers are looking for, and stop focusing so much on what you think Google might want!
Focus on making your content better
So think of ways you can focus on making your content better, and this will help you ride through those algorithmic updates. Ask yourself these questions:
That’s a great way to be able to get folks to come to your site that might not know anything about you! You might also want to ask…
I’ve talked with a number of people who’ve said: “Yeah, we don’t really love the content that’s there – it doesn’t really sound likes us – but it’s what we have, so we’re stuck with it.”
No! You’re not stuck with it! If it doesn’t represent your company, then change it!
If you’re not satisfied that your website copy represents your company, you can change it either in-house, and write that quality content within your organization, or if you are maxed out internally and that’s not an option – then outsource it!
Find someone you can trust to work with: just last week, I talked about how to find a (Google-savvy) SEO copywriter.
You might also want to evaluate your site and see if you have low quality content that you need to fix.
On the lower left-hand side of the slide there is a link to an article written by Jill Whalen about other types of low quality content – those things you might want to evaluate on your own site to see if it’s something that you might want to tweak.
And…
Wouldn’t it be better to focus on “how can we drive more sales?” and think of ways that you’re able to do so, rather than “Oh my goodness, what is Google going to do next?”
Because at the end of the day, Google does not pay your bills – your customers do.
So if you can figure out how your content can make your site more money, then that is a much better discussion to have than “Oh my goodness, what is the next update going to do to our site?”
Focus your content around your readers, and when the next update rolls around, then you are probably going to be much more relaxed about it, because you’re coming at it from a different angle – rather than trying to tweak your content to fit what you think Google wants today.
That said…if you have questions about what Google wants and are looking for a checklist for evaluating your content, simply sign up for my free weekly SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter, and/or choose to receive daily blog post updates, and receive my free “How to write for Google” whitepaper!
Thanks so much for tuning into today’s SEO copywriting video how-to!
As always, if you have any questions at all, or if you are interested in the SEO Copywriting Certification training, please let me know – I’m happy to help! I can be reached via heather@seocopywriting.com, or via Twitter @heatherlloyd.
photo thanks to marklarson (Mark Larson)
Last call for SEO Copywriting Certification scholarship contest entries: if you haven’t entered to win a full scholarship to the SEO Copywriting Certification training yet, you have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern today to do so! Enter now at: Win an SEO Copywriting Certification Scholarship!
And remember – you have absolutely nothing to lose! Everyone who enters receives 20% off the certification training, plus 10% off the Copywriting Business Bootcamp training, through September 7th!
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques,Working with clients,Working with freelance copywriters
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How to find a Google-savvy SEO copywriter
August 20, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
As you know, Google has made a lot of changes to its algorithm, and those changes have been largely focused on content quality, so the key to hiring an SEO copywriter is finding someone who is keeping up to date with all of what Google is doing.
So yes, you want your new hire to be an excellent writer, and yes, you want them to understand conversion theory and how to get people to take action, and how to write content that is shareable, but you also want to make sure that they know how to stay on Google’s good side!
Here’s how to do it:
Review their writing
The first thing you want to do is review their writing.
Always ask for clips, and not just from one client, but from a variety of clients that they’ve worked with.
You want to see if their articles are well written. In judging this, think of their articles as if you were scanning the Web and just happened to land on one of their articles. Would you want to delve in and read more, or does it look like the article was written hastily?
You also want to get a sense for how they integrate keyphrases into the copy. If you are able to “catch” the keyphrases very easily, and it appears that the same word (or phrase) is being repeated over and over again: huge red flag!
And of course, you also want to look at their own website, and see how the copywriter has worked with an optimizer on-site.
If they don’t have a website and they are an SEO copywriter, that might also be a red flag because that’s a basic foundational step for an SEO copywriter – to have their own (well written and well optimized) site.
Ask about their process
The second thing you want to do is get on the phone with them and ask them about their process.
Ask something like: “Let’s say we sign the contract today – what would you need from me in order to get started? What is the process for how you write Web pages?”
Note their answers and beware these danger signs – the things you do not want to hear in response to your questions.
“Danger signs” include:
You do not want to hear something like: “Well, every article I write is 500 words. I write that way for Google because that’s what Google wants.”
Wrong. That’s not what Google wants – that’s a myth that’s out there.
You also don’t want to hear the words “keyphrase density” come out of their mouth. Even Google’s head of spam, Matt Cutts, has come out and said there is no such thing.
You also want to pay attention to what questions the copywriter is asking you: are they asking about your conversion goals and your target market, or are they saying something like “When we sign the contract, then we will have a kick-off called ‘We’ll ask you a lot of questions’”?
If they are not asking these kinds of questions, that means that the content they’re writing is not going to be good for you: it will probably be too general, it’s not going to fit your target market because they didn’t ask what it was, and it won’t fit your conversion goals.
So make sure that the copywriter is asking you really good questions, as well!
Ask about the latest Google updates
The final thing you want to do is ask them about the latest Google updates.
Ask something like: “Well, so can explain a little bit about what Google has been doing lately with their algorithm updates? I’ve heard about this Panda and Penguin thing – what does that mean?”
You want someone who actually knows the answers. If they can’t clearly explain what Panda and Penguin mean to the SEO industry and to content generation, it’s time for you to run away, and run away quickly, because these are things that any experienced SEO copywriter should know about.
If they do not know, that means that they are not keeping up with the industry, and that can come back to bite you later!
Thanks for tuning in to today’s video how-to! If you have any questions or topic suggestions for Heather, please let her know: email heather@seocopywriting.com, or tweet her @heatherlloyd. (And she’d love to know what you think about the new site design!)
Be sure to check back next week for the next webinar – see you then!
photo thanks to dannysullivan (Danny Sullivan)
You’re invited! This Wednesday, August 22nd, Heather will be holding an open SEO copywriting Q & A at noon Pacific / 3pm Eastern. Email our Heather G. for call-in information: vip@seocopywriting.com. Look forward to “seeing” you there!
Also, there’s one more week left to enter our contest to win a full scholarship to the SEO Copywriting Certification training – see Win an SEO Copywriting Certification Scholarship! for details!
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Working with freelance copywriters
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9 (more) questions writers ask about SEO copywriting
August 16, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
Would being an SEO copywriter make you smile?
Wondering if you’d be happy as an SEO copywriter?
Last week, I discussed 9 common questions writers ask about SEO copywriting. This week, the questions are all about SEO copywriting as a career choice. If you’ve wondered how you could find a job as an SEO copywriter – or how you can start a freelance shop – this post is for you. Enjoy!
I’m a print copywriter. Are you sure that I can learn this? Or can an old dog really learn new tricks?
Yes, this is a skill that you can learn and master (check out Lynda Goldman’s interview for a real-life success story.) Online writing is much different than print copywriting – so there will be a learning curve. At the same time, if you know how to write and connect with your audience, that’s half the battle. The main challenge I see with print copywriters is that they think that SEO copywriting is too “technical” to learn. Here’s how I answer that question…
I’m not a really technical person. Can I still do this?
Yes, you can. It’s true that the more you know about the “techie” side of SEO (and SEO copywriting,) the more opportunities that you’ll have. I highly recommend reading everything you can about SEO (including how to code,) and upgrading your skills. Having said that, there are many SEO copywriters who partner with SEO firms. The copywriter writes the copy – and the SEO firm takes care of the “techie stuff.”
There seems to be a lot of SEO copywriters online. Is the market too saturated?
Nope. Granted, if you want business, you’ll have to learn how to market yourself – and ideally, you’ll choose a niche. But there are still many opportunities to make money.
What kind of companies hire in-house SEO copywriters?
All types of companies, including B2B, B2C and publishing companies. If you’re looking to work in-house, think about sites that produce a large amount of content every month – and consider those companies possible employment targets. For instance, ecommerce sites are constantly updating their product pages and blogs. A publishing company may require you to write SEO-optimized articles. Some in-house writers may also create newsletters, emails and white papers. Others focus just on SEO copy. It depends on the employer.
I’ve seen job titles like “Web content writer,” or “SEO content writer.” Is that the same thing?
Yup. There are quite a few different job titles for SEO copywriters. The main thing is choosing a job that fits your skill set. For instance, if you love blogging – but sales pages aren’t fun for you – you’ll want to choose a job that’s more social media related. If you can write high-converting sales pages, you may want to look at jobs that allow you to write landing pages, product pages and service pages.
Can I find a job that can teach me this stuff?
Yes, but don’t expect to get paid a lot. Many companies are looking to turn this over to an “internal expert” – so you’ll make more money if you have training, experience and fantastic clips. Having said that, starting out as a “copywriting assistant,” can fast-track your knowledge. Some of the best copywriters I know had someone helping them expand their skills. The pay may be lower, but the experience will be fantastic!
I want to be my own boss and work as a freelance SEO copywriter instead. How do I do that?
Read my “Ultimate Guide for Beginners.” it will tell you everything that you want to know.
Wow, I’m sold! I want to quit my job tomorrow and freelance full time. What do you think?
Um, don’t do this. Not unless you have a pretty flush savings account, have clients already lined up, or have other income coming in. No matter how “hot” SEO copywriting is as an opportunity, it takes time to get your business off the ground. Having said that, learning everything you can about running a successful copywriting business will help you make more money, faster. For instance, check out my Copywriting Business Bootcamp classes for all of the topics that you’ll need to master.
Are you sure this is fun?
Oh yeah. It’s really fun. If you enjoy a fast-paced career – and you love working in an every-changing industry – you’ll love SEO copywriting. If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t be doing this for the last 14 years.
Want to win a free subscription to the SEO Copywriting Certification training? Submit your entry today!
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,Tips and techniques,Working with clients
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9 questions writers ask about SEO copywriting
August 9, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
Got SEO copywriting questions? I’ve got answers!
Thinking about jumping into the wild and wooly world of SEO copywriting?
You have questions – and I have answers! Today’s post is the first in a two-part series where I answer the most common SEO copywriting questions that I hear from writers. Enjoy!
So, what is “SEO copywriting” anyway?
SEO copywriting is an umbrella term for any type of “keyphrase-based” writing. That means understanding how your prospects search – and strategically including those search terms on the page and in the code. You can read this post to learn more.
Placing search terms on the page? Oh no – so, SEO copywriting means writing really bad articles that repeat the same words over and over?
Goodness, no. That’s spam. Good copywriting is good writing, period – and it was never about keyphrase stuffing (although that’s what some people did.) Thankfully, Google is focusing more on content quality. In fact, a Google update (code name: Panda) emphasized good content, and kicked the “thin,” keyphrase-stuffed content to the search engine curb. Here’s more information about how to write copy after the Panda update.
What about blogging or tweeting? Is that SEO copywriting?
You bet. Some people call this “social media writing,” and call writing a sales page “SEO copywriting.” Whatever you call it, you’re still researching keyphrases, determining the reader’s intent and making sure that those words appear in the content and code. Here’s the difference between social media writing and “traditional” SEO copywriting.
What kind of people make the best SEO copywriters?
I’ve met SEO copywriters from all walks of life – and they all love to write, love to research, love to learn and love working online. They also tend to have a high tolerance for change – which is good, since Google (as well as other providers) love to change things up on a regular basis. If you are the kind of person who gets bored easily, SEO copywriting is a great gig. I can guarantee that it’s never boring.
Hmm…will people actually pay for this?
Yup! You could work in-house for a company, or you could freelance. Some people do both. It’s up to you.
How much will they pay?
That depends on quite a few factors. The freelance SEO copywriting range can be anywhere from $75-$1,500 a page. I’ve heard of in-house SEO copywriters making anywhere from $35,000- $100,000+ a year. How much you make depends on who you want to work with, where you want to work, what kind of copywriting skills you have, and how much SEO knowledge you have.
How do I learn this stuff?
In a perfect world, you work with a mentor who can guide you through the process, check your work, and help you hone your craft. That’s why some people prefer to work in-house – they figure that they can earn while they learn. You’ll want to do a lot of research on traditional copywriting techniques (Bob Bly is a fantastic resource,) read everything you can about how people search online, and also consider taking my SEO Copywriting Certification training to learn best practices and the latest information.
Do I have to do all that? Can’t I just figure it out myself?
Not easily. SEO copywriting is an ever-changing skill set – and it can be somewhat overwhelming to learn for new (and even experienced) writers. You’ll need to put in the time to learn how to do it right. I can’t stress how important it is to know what you’re doing before you work with clients. If you do something wrong, it can hurt your client’s Google ranking – and damage your professional reputation.
Why should I spend all that time “honing my craft.” Isn’t Google just going to change everything anyway?
It’s true that Google loves to keep us all on our toes. However, the SEO copywriting fundamentals have stayed the same over time. Yes, strategies have changed – and there are definitely some new opportunities – but you won’t have to worry about the knowledge being obsolete in six months.
I’ll be answering even more common SEO copywriting questions next Thursday – stay tuned! In the meantime, if you have a question, please include it in the comments and I’ll make sure that I cover it next week. Thanks!
Contest alert! Be on the lookout for a special announcement – one lucky person will win a free subscription to the SEO Copywriting Certification training, and everyone who enters will receive 20% off the training. Stay tuned for details!
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques
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Is your B2B content choking on red tape?
August 7, 2012 • written by Laura Crest
Since most B2B marketers seem to constantly struggle with content creation, many are worried their industry might be too “boring” to write much about: it doesn’t make sense to make your content marketing efforts any more complicated and convoluted by adding layers of red tape and multiple chains of command into the process.
I was speaking with an SEO client of mine the other day who is the Marketing Director for a software company. While she completely understands the importance of content and how it helps propel a B2B SEO campaign forward, her management (that doesn’t come from a marketing background) isn’t always on the same page.
Like most higher-ups in just about every company, they want to see the right numbers:
It’s difficult for my client to explain to her management that without a strong content marketing campaign to help push their SEO along their efforts are going to plateau.
Since content creation isn’t a high priority for her management, both her and my hands are kind of tied behind our backs. Their content funnel had dried up to the point where I offered to have my SEO team write blog posts for them, using old white papers and webinars as a guide, which she could have her team approve and publish.
While she was completely behind the idea because it saved her time and effort, it actually added another layer of red tape to the situation. Since my writers aren’t experts in their industry, her management was concerned about the validity of the content; they wanted to be sure we didn’t write anything untrue (even though we were using their previously published material as our source).
So every blog post my team created had to go up various chains of command, get tweaked and edited (a process that sometimes took weeks), then kicked backed to us for revision. Once we made the necessary changes the process began again.
It was taking weeks, if not months, to get a single blog post approved! Since they weren’t publishing content on their own this meant their content marketing efforts were essentially non-existent and their SEO was hurting because of it.
While I completely understand that most businesses have a chain of command, you can’t let that interfere with your content marketing efforts so much that it brings your campaigns to a standstill!
I had a startup client that was so concerned with making every blog post “perfect” that nothing ever got published. Since they were in a demand generation mode, a strong content marketing campaign was critical to helping introduce not only their brand but also their terminology to their target audience.
Without consistent content creation their brand wasn’t getting the attention it deserved. I kept telling this client, at some point you have to let your content out the door. Even if it’s not “perfect,” if it’s well-written and informative it’s worth publishing.
Content marketing is so important for not only your SEO, but also your social media marketing and online marketing efforts as a whole, that you can’t afford to let red tape hold you back! There are enough obstacles to SEO success to overcome without having to worry about internal politics holding your content marketing efforts back.
About the Author ~ Nick Stamoulis
Would you like to learn more about SEO copywriting & content marketing? Heather Lloyd-Martin’s SEO Copywriting Certification program is the only online training offering certification, and independently endorsed by the SEO industry!
Photo thanks to frankh (Frank Hebbert)
Filed under SEO Content marketing,Working with clients
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More ways that spam can teach you about copywriting
August 2, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
See, the tricky thing about spam is that it works. Sure, maybe not on a more educated buyer…but not all buyers are that educated. Instead, they’re going on pure emotion – and it’s that emotion that gets them to respond.
And that’s exactly what these companies want.
See, good spam emails get results because they follow the copywriting basics to the letter. The email is written with a certain customer persona in mind (in this case, a site owner/manager who isn’t very SEO savvy.) It includes copywriting power words like “no obligation.” It outlines typical pain points – and expertly shows how the company has the perfect solution.
Again, we may not like spam – but we know people who fall for it all the time. Here’s a couple more specific takeaways from last week’s email example…and what we can learn from them
“Requesting this report does not obligate you to buy SEO services.”
Why this works:
Ever hear something that sounds fantastic…and then your first thought is, “How much is this going to cost me.”
Yeah. me too.
The person who penned this email know that, too. That’s why the writer made it clear that the report is “no obligation” (otherwise known as “free.”) The spammy SEO company is counting on the prospect to say, “Well, it couldn’t hurt to contact them and get the report. I may learn something. Besides, I don’t have to buy anything that I don’t want to.”
See how easily the “no obligation” blurb overcomes the objection and makes it easy for the prospect to say yes? If you don’t overcome objections in your copy, your prospects may still have that niggling bit of doubt – and that small amount of doubt could cause them to say no. The goal of your copy is to make it easy for your prospects to always say, “yes” – and take the action that you want them to take.
(As a side note…the phrase “no obligation” is used because the word “free” would have tripped spam filters. However, if you’re writing a sales page, know that “free” is a very powerful word.)
“We guarantee that from the first month of our work you will see an improvement in ranking, link popularity and traffic, which would result in higher Organic rankings, more Leads and Orders for better ROI (Return on Investment).”
Why this works:
Do you offer a guarantee on your products or services? If not, you may want to reconsider. The word “guarantee” is a a very powerful word in copywriting. When there’s a guarantee, the transaction seems risk-free. The next step seems easy. And it helps the prospect keep saying, “yes” to your offer.
If the copywriter wanted to really add some marketing punch to the note, the phrase “money-back guarantee” is even better. That signals the prospect that there is no risk - and they have nothing to lose.
Listing the benefits help to reinforce this “no risk” scenario. With this line, you can almost see the prospect’s mind starts churning with the thought, “Wow, I’d love better search positions and more sales. Maybe these guys can actually help me.” After all, what marketer wouldn’t want more leads and higher positions? :) When you’re writing your copy, remember that it’s benefits – not features – that close the deal. People need to immediately know what’s in it for them – or they aren’t interested.
A better way that they could have approached this? They could have included third-party success story testimonials. It’s one thing to read that you’ll see an “increase in ROI.” It’s another when you read how a companies service has helped drive over $10,000 of sales in the first month.
Finally, always remember that time-specific results a great selling tool. If you can (ethically) tell the prospect what they can expect – and when to expect it – you’ve calmed their fears and overcome their objections.
Yes, spam may drive us nuts – especially SEO company spam. But rather than instantly deleting it, take the time to read it over.
You may be surprised by what you’ll learn.
Filed under Direct reponse copywriting,Freelance SEO copywriting,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques
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What spam can teach you about copywriting
July 26, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
What copywriting tricks can you learn from spammy emails?
Have your clients ever fallen for the “Your website isn’t ranked in the top Google results” emails? You know. The type of email that you receive multiple times a day from multiple companies.
There’s a reason for that.
One of my clients sent one of those emails with the note, “My CEO wanted me to forward this to you. What do you think?”
At first, I started questioning the client’s business savvy, thinking, “They fell for this? Really?” And then I looked at the email a tad more closely.
We may not like spammy emails. But we can learn why they work (because they do work), despite the typos and poor grammar. Let’s break down what they do – and discuss how you can (ethically) use this technique in your own writing.
For instance, here are some common “spammy” statements:
We noticed that you are not at the top of the search engines for a number of your key words related to your business or within your page currently.
This plays on every marketer’s fear. In their heads, they’re wondering,”What do you mean that I’m not at the top of the engines? What did this company search for? I thought I was doing OK.” This sentence exposes a raw nerve of fear and doubt. And the business owner is left thinking, “No matter how well I thought I was doing, maybe I’m not doing well enough…?”
I particularly enjoy the phrase “we noticed that you are not at the top of the search results.” It almost makes it sound like a team of people were reviewing the site and were compelled to send this email. Now, you and I both know that this is automated spam. But from a copywriting perspective, “we noticed,” gives the phrase slightly more street cred.
Fear is definitely a marketing hot-button that you can push. If your target market’s main concern is fear-based (for instance a security company may know that a main sales point is the fear of getting robbed,) playing on that fear can instantly grab the reader’s attention.
We have helped companies similar to yours to achieve the top position (1st Page) on many search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.
Whew! The company has told me that my rankings sucked – but they can help. The email has brought up a problem, and the company has countered with a “Don’t worry, we can help” solution. This “We understand your problem/here’s the solution” is a very tried and true copywriting technique that’s applicable to B2B and B2C sites.
Additionally, this sentence showcases an OK use of the bandwagon approach. The bandwagon approach is when the copy emphasizes that other people are doing/buying X – so you should too (as a side note, this is why testimonials work so well.) A better approach would be if they could target the emails by vertical. Then, the company could change up the text and say things like, “We’ve helped other heavy equipment manufacturers like you.” See how making the sentence a tad more specific provides a bigger impact?
Next week, I’ll share two other content “tricks” that you’ll learn from spam emails. Plus, if you have a favorite spam email to share, send it over. I can break it down and discuss how and why it really works (who knew?).
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques
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