When to run away from an SEO copywriting company
Wondering if you should hire a certain SEO copywriting company?
Maybe…depending on what questions they ask you.
Recently, I spoke with someone who had just hired an SEO content development firm. This person really needed an SEO win – and he hoped adding content would help.
But here’s the problem.
There was no SEO content plan, other than “adding pages.”
There wasn’t a keyphrase strategy document.
Instead, they were going to “write pages” to “see if it helped in Google.”
:Insert sound of my head hitting my desk repeatedly.::
I don’t blame the client – he was doing what he could with the budget he had (and didn’t know any better.) What’s frustrating is when a SEO content company fails to address the educational basics. Sure, they made the sale – but will the pages really help the client?
Probably not – at least not without some sort of strategy and keyword focus in place.
So here’s the deal – when you’re hiring an SEO copywriting firm, it’s definitely a “buyer beware” situation. Some firms are awesome and do a great job. Some firms outsource the content to college students and have little (if any) quality control. It’s up to you to separate the good writers from the ones who merely say they’re good.
Here’s a list of questions any good SEO content firm will ask. They may ask some of these questions during the sales call – and others once you’ve signed. The point is: If the company is all that and a bag of chips, they will be asking a lot of questions.
If the prospective vendor fails to address most – if not all – of these points – run, run fast, and keep running. They won’t know enough about your company (and your content strategy) to do a good job.
- Will we receive a keyphrase list and a per-page keyphrase strategy? (Note: If you don’t have a keyphrase list, a good company should offer to run the keyphrases for you and develop a strategy for an additional fee.)
- What’s your current content strategy and why?
- Who is your target customer?
- What companies represent your main online competition?
- What tone and feel (or “voice”) resonates with your target audience ? Can I see an example?
- What’s the main conversion goal for the page? Do you have a secondary conversion goal (such as a newsletter signup page?).
- What are the main benefits of your product or service?
- What pages are currently doing well in Google now?
- What’s worked in the past? What approach hasn’t worked?
- What pages have the highest bounce rates? Why do you think that is?
- What makes your company unique? Why should people work with you?
- What information is crucial to include?
SEO copywriting is more than just putting words on a page. It’s creating a content strategy, researching keyphrases and writing content that prompts the reader to take action. If your SEO copywriting company isn’t asking some key questions, it’s time to find another provider. Fast.
Trust me. You’ll be glad you did.
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SEO Copywriting Checklist: Why your site needs a newsletter. Right now.
June 3, 2013 • written by Laura Crest
In today’s video, Heather addresses a content must that a lot of small business owners – and even medium- to large-sized businesses – completely forget about, and that is having an email newsletter.
This discussion came up when Heather was doing the SEO Copywriting Certification training in Phoenix last week. She was talking about how newsletters can be really good for business, and people came back with: “Why do I need to worry about a newsletter? I already have a blog. Why would I have a newsletter on top of a blog?”
Tune in to hear Heather’s response: Here’s why your site needs a newsletter. Right now…
Think A RSS Feed Is All You Need? Think Again.
The folks at the SEO Copywriting workshop had a really good question about why the need for an email newsletter as well as their blog, because a lot of site owners think “Oh, I have a blog, and people can subscribe to it through my RSS feed, so I’m good. I don’t need to worry about taking that extra step.”
But the thing is…
- Many people don’t know what RSS is or how it works.
- Weekly (or monthly) newsletters provide quite a few benefits – and are definitely worth the time and effort.
Email Newsletters Have Some Great Advantages
Some of the benefits of email newsletters are…
- They can drive traffic to your site and increase social shares.
So for example, the SEO Copywriting newsletter that I run comes out every Tuesday. Even if I couldn’t tell the day of the week in analytics, I could certainly see that spike in web traffic and know it must be a Tuesday, because of the surge in social shares and site visitors.
And what I do to encourage that with my newsletter is to include a little preview of what the blog post is about, and then a link that takes readers directly to that post on the site.
So the article isn’t printed in the newsletter, just a little snippet with a link that sends readers back to the site.
- They provide you an opportunity to “connect” with your readers.
Newsletters are a fantastic way to keep in touch with your readers. One of the things I enjoy doing with my newsletter is to write a brief introduction that maybe talks about the theme of the newsletter, or just about what’s been going on.
Especially if you are the brand, this is a great way you can connect with your readers as well!
- They are a great way to build a loyal following.
Newsletters also can help build an incredibly loyal following. You’ll have this core group of people who are really excited to read your newsletter every week. And they’ll even email you if they didn’t receive it, and say “I didn’t get your newsletter – can you send it to me? I really look forward to reading it!”
And that’s always fun!
- Newsletters help you sell more stuff.
Finally, newsletters provide an ideal channel for selling more stuff!
If you’re writing blog posts on a daily basis, chances are those posts are not promoting your products and services – because you’re writing strong, quality, informational content.
But say you’re having a sale, or there’s something special going on that you want folks to know about? Within the body of the newsletter, you can always include a little call-to-action block letting readers know about your sale or special event.
You can even set it up so that your newsletter subscribers are the first to know about sales or other special events. That way you can have that V.I.P. “velvet rope” appeal to readers, granting them access to exclusive benefits just by signing up!
So if you don’t have a newsletter, I encourage you to get one going. Or if you do have a newsletter but you haven’t done much with it in awhile, you might want to think about kicking it back into shape – and figure out what you need to do in order to build a bigger subscriber list and get more folks visiting your site.
Because I guarantee, once things start rockin’ and rollin’, you’re going to see some huge benefits!
Thanks for joining me! As always, if you have any questions or comments please let me know – you can leave them here in the comments below, or find me on Twitter @heatherlloyd, or email me directly at heather@seocopywriting.com.
photo thanks to FontShop
Are your conversions sluggish? Are your content efforts falling flat? I can help. Check into my low-cost SEO Content Review service today!
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Small business,Tips and techniques
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Scalable content generation strategy: The online marketer’s formula for success
May 21, 2013 • written by Lyena Solomon
And in the end, high quality content is not a guarantee of explosive attention and viral sharing.
In order for your content generation to be sustainable, it needs to be scalable. The formula for success is using fewer resources to generate more high quality content.
In addition, your content needs to provide an excellent user experience and convey a consistent brand message, in compliance with brand standards.
Yes, I know, it is easier said than done!
The only way you can sustain content generation without breaking the bank is by making your content strategy scalable.
Planning Your Content Strategy
Planning your content strategy can be broken down into three foundational steps: defining your target audience, doing a content audit and regular inventory, and setting your content marketing goals.
1. Audience. You will be using your content to speak to the customers you are trying to reach. Of course, it makes sense to learn about these people to determine what is important to them. Why would they listen to you?
Once you know what they want and what message they respond to, you will be able to craft your brand message more effectively.
There are many ways to collect information about your website visitors. You can run surveys, look at feedback and contact email, or talk to customer support. You can follow your tribe on social media. You can interview your most typical clients.
Once you know who your audience is, look at your website analytics. If you can, segment the data to fit your audience profile better. Trace their routes on your website and make note of what they are doing with your content.
Find out which content they like and share. Learn which content prompts them to take action and become your customer. And finally, which content does not affect them whatsoever.
Note what type of content they prefer – text, video, audio, etc. You will also notice if your audience likes to comment or they prefer sharing.
2. Content audit and inventory. It is important to do a content inventory regularly. Audit your content to avoid duplication and ensure accuracy and freshness.
You can combine the audit with your audience review. The analysis will show if your content corresponds with the interests of your visitors.
When reviewing your site, mark the pages that need to be updated or expanded. These should be popular pages that your visitors share and comment on. Review the comments and note ideas for new pages or blog posts.
Some of the content can be re-purposed, some needs to be deleted. Mark the pages accordingly.
3. Set goals. You know what your audience wants. You know what you have to offer. It is time to define your content marketing goals.
Revise your business objectives and align them with your content strategy. Use your business and branding goals to guide your marketing.
At this step, you need to craft your brand message:
If you have answers to these questions, you are ready for the next step – implementation.
Implement Your Content Strategy
The only way to achieve scalable content generation is to have good processes in place.
You can start with a content schedule. Define tools and technology you will need to build work flows, help with the planning, approval, optimization, and distribution of your content.
Now you are ready for resources. Train them. Assign specific roles for each person. Your staff needs to be held accountable for the results and, therefore, they need to own their part of the process. Outsourcing content generation is also an option. With clear goals and processes, outsourcing can be very successful.
Create a process for generating a content pipeline. It should start with ideas. Then you can take each idea and cover different angles for a series of (un)related posts.
Define types of content that match your goals. Consider options like how to’s, tutorials, guides, checklists, or glossaries. These are usually very popular types of content.
Determine how much of each type of content you need. Create a process for generating each type of content.
Remember that content you needed to update? Go for it. Re-purpose those other pages. Put the deadlines on the content calendar.
Measure Results
Determine how you will measure success. Go back to your goals and objectives, review your content strategy, and set KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and targets.
Define reports and their frequency. Who is your audience for the reports? What are the next actions for them based on the data you are reporting?
What you measure will show you how you are doing. Base your metrics on data that matters to achieving your goals. A high bounce rate on a blog post might be okay, if the time-on-page is high enough. But a high bounce rate on a conversion page means that your message missed the mark.
Final Thoughts
Remember the formula to a scalable content generation strategy?
Fewer resources generating more high quality content make a scalable strategy. Good processes will ensure that few resources are used. They will also streamline the very process of content generation.
As a result, you will receive large quantities of different types of content. Applying audience knowledge to your company message will solidify the quality.
About the Author ~ Lyena Solomon
Lyena is Director of Search at Milestone Internet Marketing. She is leading the SEO and analytics teams providing strategy, overseeing processes, facilitating and carrying out training and testing latest strategies to improve conversion and revenue.
Lyena has extensive experience in SEO, analytics, website usability and navigation. You can connect with Lyena on Twitter and Google Plus.
photo thanks to UggBoy<3UggGirl
Learn SEO copywriting and content marketing best practices at 20% off! Use code CELEBRATE when you register for the SEO Copywriting Certification training. Hurry! Offer ends June 1st.
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The Veg-O-Matic approach to SEO copy development
March 28, 2013 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
Sure thing!
My slides were based on this 2011 blog post. When I originally wrote this, Google+ wasn’t even on the radar. Now, it’s yet another platform that marketers have to use and measure.
Feeling overwhelmed? Relax. Take a peek at my slides, and then read how the Veg-O-Matic approach to SEO copywriting can make your life easier than before. Really!
One of the areas where many site owners get “stuck” is content creation. There are more SEO copy opportunities than ever before, including:
(I’m sure you could add more to the list.)
The challenge with “content overload” is that nothing gets done. Planning an editorial calendar seems impossible. There’s too much to write in too little time.
That’s when you bring in the SEO content Veg-O-Matic to slice and dice your content into little bits.
For those not familiar with Ron Popeil’s Veg-O-Matic, it was a hand held appliance that made slicing and dicing vegetables easy. You could cut a carrot into small pieces. You could shred it. You could even create thin julienne slices. Cutting it up was effortless – and one carrot could take many different final forms.
You can do the same thing when you plan your SEO content. Rather than thinking, “Oh, man. I have a month’s worth of tweets to plan,” think of how you can “slice and dice” existing content many different ways. Here’s what I mean:
Say that your company creates one white paper a month. Once the white paper is complete, you could:
You see? You’re taking existing content and working backwards. You’re doing what you can with what you already have. Granted, you’ll still want to plan bigger projects (like another white paper or a product page revamp.) But, finding time for big projects is much easier when you’re not reinventing the content wheel every time.
Instead of looking at your editorial calendar and thinking, “It’s mid-March, what do I write/tweet/blog about for the next 30 days,”it shifts to, “We just completed a blog post/case study/video. In what ways can we slice and dice it into tasty content tidbits?”
Once you’ve figured out how to leverage what you have, the content creation process seems much more effortless.
You can accomplish the same goal even if you don’t have one “big” content piece a month. For instance, say that your company blogs five times a week. You could probably pull a couple – maybe more – good tweets out of every post. You could track popular blog topics and develop a Webinar (which could even be an additional profit center.) Heck you could even produce a monthly “Twitter tips” list that you could offer as a downloadable .pdf. The possibilities are endless.
You don’t need to solely focus on existing Web content, either. Do you have an old how-to guide that you could dust off and transform into blog posts or tweets? Did you write an article years ago that you could repurpose? Have you written a book? As long as the content is updated and valid, looking to “old” content sources is a smart idea. Recycling is good for the environment, and it’s great for your content, too!
Consider taking a cue from Ron Pompeil and see how you can Veg-O-Matic your content. You may find that you’re releasing more quality content than ever before – and creating your monthly editorial calendar is easier than ever before.
Filed under Blog writing,Direct reponse copywriting,Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques,Twitter,Working with clients
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5 questions to ask before accepting a guest post
November 15, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
Well, not necessarily…
Recently, especially post-Penguin, I’ve seen a lot of so-so (at best) guest posts. What do I mean by so-so? Grammatical errors, obvious sales pitches, poor writing…you name it. The overall blog may be strong, but some individual guest posts are definitely lacking.
That’s not good. The writer may “win” (they get a link, after all.) But the site owner is left holding the (stinky) bag. Now, they have content on their site that people don’t like, don’t link to, and don’t share.
What’s the answer? Vet your guest bloggers carefully. It’s like dating – you don’t have to (or want to) date everyone who asks you. Just the ones you “click” with and who meets your requirements.
Here are some ways to make sure that a blogger “clicks” with your site – and you should bring them on as a guest blogger:
How did you hear about them?
Do you have a relationship with the blogger? Were they recommended by someone else? Or did they pitch you out of the blue? If they pitched you, how does their email read? If I find a typo or grammatical error in a guest blogging pitch, I tend to delete it immediately. Why? I figure if they can’t get their act together when they pitch me, their blog post isn’t going to be any better.
Why does this person want to blog for you?
Guest blogging is about building relationships. I laugh every time I read a variation of, “I would like to provide you an original article in exchange for a link.” If I get an email from someone who is (obviously) more interested in what’s in it for them rather than building a relationship, I tend to be pretty unimpressed.
The pitches that I pay most attention to are from folks who take the time to say, “I noticed you had a great article about X. Have you considered a follow up article on Y? I can write that for you.” That shows me that the blogger has actually read my blog, they understand my audience, and they’ve taken the time to write a specific pitch. That’s way more impressive than just asking for a link.
What does the blogger’s site look like?
This is important stuff. Recently, Matt Cutts released a video called, “Does Google take action on spammy guest blogging activities?” Matt says, “If your Website links to sites that we considered low quality or spammy, that can affect your site’s reputation.” Always review the blogger’s site first. Ask yourself: Would my readers be happy if they landed on this site? Does this look reputable? If the answer is “no,” pass on the blogger’s request.
What else have they done?
Of course, the Holy Grail of guest bloggers is to land a high-profile blogger with a huge network. At the same time, “unknown” writers can churn out some really fantastic stuff. If you don’t know their work, ask to see past blogging samples. Read the samples very critically and look for things like typos, grammatical mistakes and overly long, “fluffy” writing. Ask yourself if their writing style would resonate with your audience. If the blog post doesn’t meet your requirements, pass.
How responsive are they to your email/phone calls?
So, the blogger passed the initial “smell test” and you’re interested in working with them – great! But let’s say that you sent an email (or called them) and heard…nothing. For days. Not even a “I’m swamped, and I’ll get back to you soon” email. If you find yourself sending notes that say, “Um, did you get my last email,” you may want to reconsider working with the blogger. Why? If the blogger can’t be relied upon to get back to you via email, do you think that they’ll hit a deadline? Maybe…or maybe not. And that’s a chance that you may not want to take.
As a side tip, always have a few posts “in reserve” just in case. You may find that you need to edit a guest post much more than you planned. Or, your guest poster may send an “Oops, I can’t send the post on time” email (ah, I love it when that happens.) Having some “just in case” posts in your back pocket means that you won’t have a gaping hole in your editorial calendar (or you have to run a so-so post because you don’t have anything else.)
Have you thought about signing up for the SEO Coywriting Certification training or the Copywriting Business Bootcamp? Be sure to check the blog this Friday, November 16th. I’ll be running a very special sale…
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Should your business stop blogging for SEO?
October 18, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
Not every business will benefit from a blog. In fact, I think that some businesses should stop blogging right now.
Is yours one of them? Here’s how to tell:
- You’ve asked team members to be accountable for X blog posts a month. The problem is, no-one writes their assigned post – and the blogging is sporadic and spotty. You don’t have the cash to outsource, and it’s just not getting done internally.
- You’re a small business with no time to handle the blogging in house (nor do you have any idea what to write about.) Plus, you don’t have a budget to outsource blog post writing to a good SEO writer.
- You’ve done everything right and have been blogging for awhile. Yet, your blog posts aren’t generating traffic nor are they meeting your conversion goals.
“But Heather,” you may say. “Isn’t blogging a good thing for SEO? And isn’t blogging good for demonstrating a company’s expertise?”
Well, yes. But…
In a perfect world, every company would blog their hearts out and create high-quality content. The thing is – most companies don’t have a “perfect world” scenario going on. People are busy, budgets are tight and some industries don’t naturally lend themselves to blogging (for instance, a local roofing company.)
As I’ve mentioned before, your Website doesn’t need more SEO content. It needs the right content that connects with your readers and encourages the conversion you want. If your blog isn’t meeting those metrics, it’s time to move on and find another avenue. This doesn’t mean that you’re off the content creation hook. What it does mean is you approach your content in a slightly different way.
Here are some ideas:
- If your employees aren’t blogging (but should be,) get everyone together and ask for feedback. Is it because they don’t know what to write about? Or is writing one blog post taking hours of time (which can be typical for non-writers.) If you have a clear idea of the real problem, it’s much easier to figure out a workaround.
- If you have a blog, but you’re not sure what (if anything) is wrong with it – consider bringing in an outside expert to review it and make suggestions (I do this during my SEO Content Reviews.) It may be that a few tweaks is all you need to transform your blog from blah into bodacious. It’s amazing how much easier it is to blog when you have some specific, actionable tips to work with.
- Consider other ways to reach your readers. For instance, it’s easier to write two or three high quality articles every month than to stick to a very demanding, five days a week blogging schedule. Additionally, if you’re a B2B company, consider producing a white paper every month (or every quarter.)
- Is someone in your company a video whiz? Try video interviews and post those instead. It’s much easier to summarize a video and post that than write a blog post from scratch. Plus, video has its own SEO benefits as well. Just make sure that you don’t rely 100 percent on video posts without offering some text.
What are some of your company’s current blogging challenges? Have you thought about turning to other forms of SEO content generation? Let me know in the comments – thanks!
Wondering if there’s a way to make your blog even better? Check out my low-cost and high-value SEO Content Review.
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SEO copywriting Q & A from my Writer’s Digest Webinar
October 11, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
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:
Search Engine Land
Search Engine Watch
Search Engine Roundtable
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.
Filed under Freelance SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips and techniques
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Is learned helplessness screwing over your SEO content?
September 27, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
It was one of my most popular posts ever.
I started thinking about this from the client’s perspective. The content obviously sucked, so it’s not like the SEO could pass this off as “quality.” And I couldn’t figure out why the hell the client wouldn’t fire the SEO – or at least say that they were no longer in charge of sourcing the content.
And then, while I was doing pushups during my morning bootcamp class, it hit me.
Learned helplessless has way too many companies by the balls.
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard…
…We want to write more content, but we’re afraid that we’ll do something wrong.
…We’re not sure if this is the right content, but our SEO company says it’s working – so it must be OK.
…I don’t have time to measure content effectiveness. I’d rather just pay $20 or so per page. That way, if it sucks, I’m not out a lot of money.
…We want to create more content in-house. But we don’t know what to write about or how to set up a workflow. And who has time to figure it out?
Sound familiar?
I understand. I really do. With the 1,000 other things on your plate, it’s easier to “set it and forget it” than really dig in to your SEO content plans.
But here’s the thing: You are leaving money on the table by NOT having a content plan in place. And if your writing doesn’t connect with your reader, it’s not doing you any good.
Unless you want things to stay where they are, you need to take action. Now. Right now. Quit screwing around and get yourself the help you need.
…If you have the capabilities to bring your content in-house, get your writers trained in SEO copy development best practices.
Yes, this has an upfront cost. But over the long run, it will literally save you thousands of dollars. Hell, even over the short run. Plus, you’ll learn how to create content that positions well and gets more social shares. You won’t piss Google off if you learn exactly what you should do.
…You should never have to settle for stinky content. If your SEO company (or SEO copywriter) is writing crap content, find someone else to write it.
There are many firms that specialize in SEO content development (mine included.) An excellent writer will ask you questions about your customer persona, your benefits, your brand “voice” and your competition – and craft what your readers want to read. Here are some questions to ask – and some red flags to avoid – if you want to hire a Google-savvy SEO copywriter.
…If you plan to dominate the world with your so-so $20/page for 1000 words of content, get over yourself.
As I mentioned last week, your site doesn’t need more words – it needs the right words. If you need someone to write a kick-ass sales page – or research and write a blog post – that’s going to cost you more money. The good news is that it will also make you more money too. Again, if you find a firm that you love and trust, the additional fee you’ll be charge will be way worth the ROi.
…If you want to create content in house, but you’re not sure what to write about – hire a consultant.
I’m working with more companies in this capacity. I may not write a word of copy, but I do make content recommendations, set up an editorial calendar, teach the marketing team how to find topics and help measure effectiveness. With a good plan in place, those content marketing initiatives start screaming along.
It’s time for you to take control of your SEO content. You wouldn’t settle for a so-so salesperson. Or a customer service rep who didn’t perform. The same goes for your content.
The moment you stop settling is the moment that you’ll start seeing the results you really want. It will take some work and effort on your part, sure.
But it will be worth it. And you’ll be able to break free of the learned helplessness trap.
Need help setting up a workflow and editorial calendar? I can train your team in best practices, set up your editorial calendar and make sure that you’re set up for SEO content success. Contact me for details.
Filed under In-house Content Marketing
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Your B2B site doesn’t need more freakin’ words
September 20, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
Here’s why.
Last week, an SEO agency called me. They represented a B2B company that was in need of content – OK, that’s fine.
And then, the prospect started talking about the gig…
“The client needs three blog posts a week, all an average of 500 words. That’s what Google wants, you know”
“The pages should have a keyphrase density of 6.7 percent.”
“We don’t want to spend much for this content – our budget is around $30/article.”
That was strike one, strike two, and strike three for me.
The client pointed me to an example page, and here’s what I found:
- The content was filled with grammatical errors
- There was no call-to-action anywhere. So, it was a content “dead-end” page that wasn’t helping with conversion rates.
- The post didn’t dovetail with anything that the client offered.
- The post drifted off and stopped making sense at about the 300 word mark. Obviously, the writer tried to “fluff it up” and added an additional 200 words because they were “supposed to.”
And who only knows how much the agency charged the B2B end client. I’m willing to bet that the $30 content “investment” turned into a $250-$300 content charge to the client.
I had a little fun with the agency person and started asking hard questions like, “So, tell me how X post is converting for the client? What’s the call to action here? Is this the right voice that works with the target audience?”
Sure, I was letting my inner bitch come out and play – but I asked nicely. And they were highly valid questions.
The agency person didn’t know what to say. He stammered and hemmed and hawed and finally said…and I bet you can say it with me…
“Well, the content is good for Google – so that’s all we care about.”
Here’s the deal: Google doesn’t give a shit about your word count. Nor does it care how many blog posts you upload a week. And it really doesn’t care about keyword density.
What your site needs are the right freakin’ words. Not necessarily MORE words – the right ones. The ones that connect with your prospects, build trust and encourages a conversion.
Sadly, this attitude is extremely common with SEOs and agencies (not all of them – there are “good guys” out there. But the crappy ones outweigh the good ones.) They may talk a good game and say that “content is king.” And then they turn around and order cheap content that has nothing to do with the site’s conversion goals and pass it off as SEO gold.
What’s worse – the poor B2B client doesn’t know. They think that the SEO is looking after their best interests.
So, here are a few reality checks:
- If your SEO/agency is recommending daily blog posts (or any other kind of content,) ask them how that content ties into your conversion goals. If they say the content is “for Google,” – and that’s the only benefit – don’t do it. The world doesn’t need more crappy content.
- If your first concern is the content price – you’re having the wrong conversation. Good content makes you money, period. It’s like paying a higher salary to a sizzling-hot salesperson who closes big deals. That doesn’t mean that you have to pay $500 a page every time. But it means that you have to weigh the cost of the content against return on investment. The best writing firm (or writer) isn’t the cheapest writer. The best writer is the person who will make you more money.
- If your SEO/agency is pushing “more content” when your sales copy sucks, run away. You need to pay attention to where your money comes from – and that means taking a hard look at your sales and lead generation pages. I’m sure that your CEO didn’t wake up one morning and say, “Our new mission statement is to have our content +1′ed all over the place.” The name of the game is to make more freakin’ money. Shore up your sales pages first. Make sure that they are connecting with your customers and converting like crazy. THEN look at your other marketing collateral.
Sheesh…rant over.
But the situation did give me an idea…
I’m working on an weekly mentoring class for B2B companies that want to take back their content, see what’s really working and find proven ways to connect with their prospects. There’s no reason to pay an SEO to do this for you when you’re perfectly capable of taking care of it yourself. Ping me if you’re struggling in-house (or struggling with your outsourced provider) and need help – I’d love your feedback and ideas. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Thanks!
Do you work in-house for a B2B company? Can you please help me by answering a few short survey questions? I promise that it won’t take more than 2-3 minutes of your time. Thank you so much!
Filed under B2B SEO copywriting,In-house Content Marketing,Tips by Industry
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Hey, @GordonRamsay01 – what about the Hotel Hell Websites?
September 13, 2012 • written by Heather Lloyd-Martin
Maybe it’s because I travel so often, and what I see confirms my worst fears (now my husband understands why I never use the comforter.) Maybe it’s because I love Gordon Ramsay’s in-your-face method of business consulting. Whatever it is, I find the show addicting.
If you’ve never seen Hotel Hell, Ramsay visits hotels around the U.S., and transforms them from “hellish” into “heavenly.” After he’s done, the property is beautiful, comfortable, modern and bug-free (ugh, bugs….)
I enjoyed a Hotel Hell marathon over the weekend. After the episode aired, I would visit the hotel’s Website to see if they were “Ramsay’ed” as well. After all, he stresses how important it is for the hotels to provide a lasting (and positive) good first impression. A hotel Website should do the same thing.
The properties may be beautiful, but the sites could use some improvement. Here’s what I mean:
When I went to view the guest rooms at the River Rock Inn, there were no pictures – none. There was copy outlining that every room had a “private bath” and air conditioning, but there weren’t any images that helped me get a feel for the property. Instead, there was a numbered list of the type of bed and the rate. The copy literally says, “A Queen sized bed – $110.” Yeah, that doesn’t really sell me…
The Roosevelt Hotel has a page dedicated just to weddings (smart move.) Instead of telling a story and using the content to promote how unforgettable the wedding would be, only the features and prices are listed. Granted, the photos are beautiful. But the copy needs to be equally stunning and tell a story.
The Juniper Hill site also has a dedicated weddings page. But if the copy reads a little too “optimized” to you – well, you’re right. The headline reads “Classic Vermont Wedding at Juniper Hill Inn” (hmm, I don’t know what a “classic Vermont wedding” is, but I can certainly guess the keyword!) When I clicked on a hyperlinked keyword, it took me to New England Bride Online…WTF?
The Keating Hotel actually does a fairly good job with their site – and I like their home page Title. However, the copy that describes the rooms is short and full of features (not benefits.) It’s great to read “Oversized walk-in shower with overhead rain fixtures.” But what would really wow the reader (and help them picture themselves staying at the property,) would be something like, “Step into your oversized shower and melt your stress away with two powerful rainfall shower heads.” (Notice the use of “you” in the revised version?)
(And I’m not even mentioning the scads of SEO opportunities that these sites missed.)
One hotel did get a site makeover, which modernized the design and made it possible to check guest in online. But I would have taken it one step further. Ramsay talks about how the reception area sets the stage for the rest of the hotel experience. I would argue that every page on your site should do the exact same thing. If the Website doesn’t wow the reader, why would she bother checking out the property on Trip Advisor or Yelp? Especially when other sites do it better?
Hotels (and other businesses) need writing that’s customer-centered, persuasive and personal. It should draw the reader in and help them think, “I need to book here now.” Pretty pictures are great. Pretty pictures paired with fantastic content is better. If you don’t have that going for you, you could be losing conversions without even knowing it. And causing your own “Website hell.”
And, Gordon, I’m available next season as your “Website content expert.” Just ask. I, too, can creatively swear like a sailor – especially on camera. And I am unbelievably blunt. Call me.
Want to learn how to make more money without writing until your fingers bleed? Now, you can save 70% on the Copywriting Business Bootcamp. Very limited spots available – apply today!
Filed under In-house Content Marketing,SEO Content marketing,Tips and techniques
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