Archive for the ‘Writing for search engines’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

3 Elements of a Good Call-to-Action

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Web copywriting doesn’t simply involve placing keywords in strategic spots and leaving it alone. And it isn’t just compelling, unique content that informs prospective customers either.

A call-to-action is just as necessary an element of web copywriting as your keywords and message…simply writing your message without instructing the reader on what to do next will hinder your potential for getting new customers.

Call-to-actions have to be strategically placed throughout your copy (landing pages, solicitation emails, etc.) in order for you to move visitors from one phase of the buying process to the next. If they have to look for how to contact you, how to download that white paper or how to purchase your product, they will most likely get very frustrated and leave.

Continue reading to learn some good call-to-action strategies you can employ in your marketing emails and landing pages to ensure you move prospects through your site effectively. (Notice the call to action there.)

Position call-to-action above the scroll

You don’t want people to have to scroll down to the bottom to see the call-to-action…we’re an impatient lot so place a call-to-action (i.e. contact, order or download) in a prominent location at the top of your page. Different Internet ready devices layout things differently so factor that into your decisions.

Include several call-to-actions throughout your copy to give visitors multiple opportunities to take the next step…keep your words consistent though so you don’t confuse anyone. And in considering the layout, position your call-to-actions directly in your reader’s visual path.

Choose your words carefully

The tone and words you choose for your call-to-action are vital since you’re essentially asking someone to take another step. Incorporate powerful words in your call-to-action to prompt the reader to act and make them feel good about what they’re doing.

Be sure the words you choose create the effect you’re looking for…consider them from your reader’s point of view. And while words are important, the format of your call-to-action is important as well. Evo, an online outdoor outfitter, tested a couple of different calls-to-action with a recent marketing campaign. Would “15% off” or “$50 off” be a more powerful message…they found $50 off worked better even though it was roughly the same amount off the original price.

Make your words appear prominently

Once you have those powerful words down, you have to figure out how to draw attention to them. You may have a great call-to-action in words but if no one can find it, then you’re not going to get very far.

Think about how your call-to-action appears to your readers…should it be an image, a button or an anchor-text link? Take a look at this button vs. text link experiment from Aweber for ideas.

Remember, your call-to-action needs to be unique since your brand, industry, purpose and audience are all different. Considering that, these tips may not even work for you but they are a good place to start.

Need experienced help in developing your site’s infrastructure, content and even calls-to-action? Contact web copywriters at SEO Advantage today for a premier evaluation of your website, business and goals.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Online Marketing, SEO Technology, Writing for search engines | No Comments »

Four Ways you can Find your Ideal Writing Voice

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Especially for blogs, finding the right voice is critical to success…without it, very few people will read past the first paragraph. If your content has the right voice, people won’t be able to stay away. You may be the most knowledgeable person out there regarding your niche but all that knowledge won’t make up for it if you don’t have the right ‘voice’ to go along with it.

What is voice, exactly? And how can you make it shine through your blog?

In the context of writing, no one can literally hear you…but, they can ‘hear’ you through the words you use and how you use them.

Your English teacher in high school likely didn’t spend much time discussing the voice and who can blame them…it’s a messy, abstract venture that few instructors embark on.

Fortunately, we have a list of four ways you can use to find your ideal writing voice from Joy Tanksley, a middle school English teacher and philosopher. Employing these tips can help you transform your writing from a static compilation of words to an electrifying piece that lights fires in the minds of your readers.

Continue reading for four methods you can use to find your ideal writing voice and take your writing to a higher level.

Get into the flow

Sit down each day or fairly regularly and just write. Don’t worry about grammar or accuracy, just let the words flow…you will be surprised at how good your writing is in these bursts of activity. By focusing on quantity rather than quality, you get a natural and authentic piece…something with a voice attached to it.

Write like you talk

Another way is to write like you talk. Take some prior writings and read them out loud. Does it sound like you? If not, take a tape recorder and simply talk your compositions for a while. Take your recording and transcribe what you said and whammo, you will have some great voice-rich snippets to integrate into your final product.

Forget grammar conventions (…at least at first)

When you were taught about writing in school, you probably learned all of the rules that go along with it. Yes, writing does involve communicating a message so to that end, standard grammar conventions are important. In many instances though, these conventions hinder our ability to create a realistic voice for our writing.

Rather than spending too much time worrying about grammar, start out by pretending the writing conventions do not exist. And when you’re editing your piece, base your decisions on what best communicates your message and not on what satisfies all the proper rules.

If it will enhance the flow of your piece and give it voice, it’s okay to play around with the rules a little bit.

Write about what you know

Many web copywriters try to write about the latest, trendy topics. This may seem like a winner but in reality, if it’s not near and dear to your heart, it will have no voice. Instead, strive for authenticity over popularity…or as Dolly Parton says, “Figure who you are; then do it on purpose.” In other words, don’t try to sound like anyone or anything except who you are.

Harnessing tips like these can help you go beyond simple content creation to satisfy the ever hungry search engines…creating compelling content with the right voice can not only get you to the top of the search engines, it can get you more conversions as well.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Online Marketing, Tip of the Day, Writing for search engines | No Comments »

SEO Advantage’s New Pimped Out Press Room Landing Page – Optimizing for SEO and PR

Friday, June 18th, 2010

We’re always on the lookout for cutting edge SEO and online marketing techniques. Some things we find we test on our own sites to see how well they work before recommending them to clients.

Some techniques are more SEO related and “behind the scenes” (coding, tags, etc.) but other techniques are more in the layout of a page, its tone and how we communicate important things to know…our new press room page is an experiment to see how creating a more holistic press room can help site visitors – specifically editors, bloggers and journalists – find information more easily.

In fact, even if you never plan to issue any press releases, it’s important you have one place where people like this can learn more about your company and what you do…reaching out to journalists and bloggers is another way to help you get noticed by search engines and prospective customers.

In the past, most pressrooms simply listed a company’s news press releases. However, having a better understanding of what editors and bloggers are looking for in a pressroom allows you to build a more complete resource.

In fact, a main pressroom page can simply serve as a hub where you can link out to not only your press releases but knowledge center resources, blogs, case studies, testimonials and more as shown by this handy flowchart.

Check out SEO Advantage’s new pressroom and our guest blog post on SEO Site Reference for more insights on turning your pressroom into a powerful online marketing resource.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Online Marketing, SEO Technology, Tip of the Day, Writing for search engines | No Comments »

Standard Keyword Research Won’t Always Tell you what your Prospects are Looking For

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Sometimes we just need to get things done quickly…or are feeling lazy…whatever the case, a lot of times we simply refer to our favorite keyword research tools, grab a few phrases that look good and put those into our content.

We figure phrases with strong demand give us good enough insight into what our prospects are trying to find, learn, do or purchase.

But a lot of the time, customers don’t even know what they need to find when they begin searching. They will type some distant phrase into Google and see what comes up, perhaps hoping they will find more descriptive language about what they’re looking for.

Anyone who has searched for things online can understand this after a couple moments of reflection. How many times have you searched for something then found another term that better describes what you were looking for? A lot it’s safe to say.

With that in mind, think about some keywords you may see in your research tool that may not have much demand. Step away from all the research tools for a moment and think about what you would search for if you had no knowledge of what you offer – all you know is that you have a problem that somehow needs addressing.

What terms would you use?

Take these, and integrate them into your copy along with others. While you don’t want to target too many keyword phrases in your copy, many phrases you can target will simply be add-ons to ones that are more in demand. Therefore, Google will pick up the main one along with the extended version – not diluting keyword impact for ranking purposes.

Remember, it’s not all about pleasing the hungry Google bots that love keyword rich content that’s unique and relevant. Success largely depends on gaining a deep understanding of who your customers are down to the most basic levels.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Online Marketing, SEO Technology, Tip of the Day, Writing for search engines | 1 Comment »

3 Ways to grab your Reader’s Attention and Keep It

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Writing websites isn’t all about keywords and the search engines. Yes, your site’s copy and the keywords contained within it help you get to the top of the search engines…but this certainly isn’t the only thing an SEO copywriter must worry about.

Getting people to your site is only half the battle – you need to keep them there and guide them to the ultimate destination – making a call, purchasing a product…whatever metric you use for success.

Many great websites offering great products experience difficulty mainly because their copy isn’t designed to motivate customer’s to act. Of course I’m talking about that part of your copy that’s intended to close the sale – or the final step in the inbound marketing funnel.

In the end, your headline is the make or break part of any sales page. If the headline doesn’t entice someone to go further, then it won’t really matter what you’re offering and how good it is. While it doesn’t make the sale on its own, it certainly plays a pivotal part in setting someone up for the sale.

Here are three tips you can use to make a great headline.

1. Identify the problem you’re solving and who your target market is

The more you target your market, the more effective your copy can be. It usually doesn’t take long to identify your market in broad terms but narrowing it down allows you to address their specific problem, creating a relationship between you (or your copy) and the potential customer…the more you relate to a customer, the better your chances of closing the sale.

2. Include words your target market feels comfortable with

Once you have identified your target market and their problem, you’re in a better position to write your headline in a way that speaks to them. This is vital…you want them to feel you’re writing directly to them and that you’re not simply regurgitating a generic message that’s applicable to everyone but resonates with no one. Everyone likes to feel loved and that it’s about them.

3. Tell them how you can solve their problem and include benefits

Often times, your headline will focus on how your product solves the target market’s particular problem. Initially, people are interested in benefits, not features. Seeing what your product does for them will maintain their interest to continue reading and ultimately buy your product in many instances.

One more important thing to remember – many sites often use their headlines to make outrageous claims about their product. It’s okay to pump yourself up this way provided the claim sounds believable and is verifiable.

Web copywriting isn’t simply writing some copy that has targeted keywords sprinkled throughout it…mastering the art of persuasion with your writing is the ultimate challenge, and ultimate satisfaction of copywriting. Think of your ‘sales’ pages as being like the salesman in a store that’s speaking face-to-face with prospective customers.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Online Marketing, Tip of the Day, Writing for search engines | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »