Archive for the ‘Copywriting’ Category
Friday, December 1st, 2006 by Karon Thackston © 2006 http://www.copywritingcourse.com
Time for a pop quiz! Name three products that sell better when a facts-based approach to copy is taken. Just off the top of my head I’d say computers, fax machines and microwave ovens. Now, name three products that sell best when the copy is romanticized. Travel, fur coats and jewelry are good examples. Knowing when to use facts and when to use fantasy was a problem JuliesJewels.com had on one particular website page. Let’s see how approaching the copy differently brought this e-commerce company greater success.
The Problems
One of the hardest things to learn as a copywriter is which focus or approach to take with copy. There are general guidelines to follow, but experience will tell you that there are almost as many exceptions as there are rules. However, in the case of JuliesJewels.com‘s Moissanite jewelry page, it was obvious we had a clear lack of — and a clear need for more — emotion.
For those who may not be acquainted with Moissanite stones, they were originally created in a laboratory by a Nobel Peace Prize-winning scientist. They are made of a replicated mineral that was originally found in a meteorite that crashed to earth thousands of years ago. However, unlike cubic zirconia (CZ), they are extremely hard and do not form a cloudy appearance over time. Moissanite offers the brilliance of a diamond without the flashy price.
Now, the guideline goes: If you have a product that is unfamiliar to the marketplace, you will want to educate your site visitors while you sell to them. However, sometimes “educate” gets confused with “provide facts.” This was one problem Julie’s page suffered from.
As I read the original copy (which you can see here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/juliesjewels-moissanite-original.pdf) terms like “replica” and “lab” and “wholesale” struck me as cold and undescriptive. Yes, they were absolutely true, but they completely disregarded the wonder and enchantment brought about by one of these manmade diamonds.
While a few words like “beauty” and “lustrous” were included, they did little to help a man feel proud and confident that he was choosing a gorgeous piece his wife or girlfriend would swoon over. It didn’t evoke any emotions in women who lack the funds (and the desire!) to spend thousands on diamonds yet still dream of jewelry that was is unique as they are.
Another challenge was the page’s so-so performance in the search results. Considering how horribly competitive most jewelry terms are with regard to search rankings, Julie’s positioning for this page wasn’t too bad. The Moissanite jewelry page usually bounced between positions 11 and 30 on the major engines. However, the goal was to push the page as high as possible while driving visitors deeper into the category.
The Solutions
The key points that needed to be made on the Moissanite jewelry page were these:
- Moissanite is the next best thing to a diamond, closely replicating a diamond’s luster, vibrance and quality.
- Unlike CZs, Moissanite jewels are rare, not a victim of a flooded marketplace.
- While not considered “cheap,” Moissanite is definitely affordable.
To prepare myself for writing this page, I looked over the various other pages of the Julie’s Jewels site. I wanted to dream a bit about the earrings, rings, necklaces and other pieces I that included Moissanite stones.
As I clicked from page to page, I took notes about what I saw, what I felt and how I reacted to the pictures of the jewels. I also went to various diamond websites. Since Moissanite is almost as hard as diamonds and since it so closely resembles the characteristics of diamonds, many of the adjectives used to describe diamonds would also be applicable to Moissanite stones.
Lastly, I thought about who would be buying these gemstones and why. Perhaps a man who truly wanted to impress his fiancé, but who didn’t have the money to pay for a one-carat or two-carat diamond ring. Maybe a woman who wanted a pendant that was truly exceptional, but didn’t care to pay the extensive markup usually found on diamond jewelry. While the reasons might vary, the common denominators were that beauty and quality mattered as much as price. Once I had a good grasp of the target audience and the products, I set out to write a new category page.
In Part Two of this series, you’ll see how the rewrite unfolded and what those changes accomplished for Julie’s Jewels.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Sunday, October 29th, 2006 by Karon Thackston © 2006 http://www.marketingwords.com
It’s one of the best pieces of copywriting advice I’ve ever been given. “As often as possible, start your paragraphs with sentences that hook readers and drive them deeper into the copy.” Why? Because – after the headline – the first sentence in any paragraph is what gets read most often. After that point, customers usually skip to the next section unless they feel compelled to keep reading. That means your job, as the copywriter, is to entice them into each segment, so they will consume as much of your copy as possible.
Take your cue from Reader’s Digest. They crank out – issue after issue – exceptional opening lines for their articles that engage then hook readers. What happens next? The reader is pulled into the story full force. Here are some examples.
It was a horrific display of irreverence.
By the way she dressed, you would have never guessed she was only 14.
As he reached into the box, something inside it moved.
See? Those sentences boost your curiosity. They make you wonder what happens next. They cause you to visualize a scene that might be taking place. You can do the same thing from a marketing perspective when you write your copy.
For instance, rather than starting the copy for an email to Australian hotels like this:
You may be aware of www._______.com – we are an Australian-owned and managed online hotel booking service.
Really capture their attention with an opening sentence that is specific to them like this:
Now you have the opportunity to affordably position your hotel in front of approximately 6,000 travellers every day that are looking for accommodations exclusively in Australia.
For an Australian hotel that depends on the Internet to generate reservations, that sentence gives them many reasons to keep reading.
Here are some other before-and-after examples of opening sentences.
==============
BEFORE: Hello and welcome to our website. If you are looking for [enter product name here], you are at the right site. (In this case, the example is from a wedding photographer’s site.)
AFTER: We don’t take pictures. We capture precious memories that you can enjoy for a lifetime.
==============
BEFORE: Our site has been online since 2000, and this marks our 6th year online providing designer-inspired sunglasses.
AFTER: How do you get the latest designer-inspired looks without paying outrageous prices?
==============
BEFORE: Our cruise website offers unbeatable rates and a diverse array of travel services guaranteed to satisfy even the most discriminating vacationer.
AFTER: Just imagine yourself on the white sand beaches of Honolulu, hiking through the balmy rainforests of Belize or whisking down a powdery, snow-covered mountain in Aspen… all at up to 50% off!
==============
BEFORE: Thank you for shopping for your corporate gifts at _________.com. We hope your shopping experience is delightful.
AFTER: When you truly impress your clients with distinctive corporate gifts, they remember you longer, feel a closer relationship and are more likely to reward you with increased sales.
See the difference? The “before” sentences are dull, average and unflattering. The “after” sentences are intriguing, imaginative and enticing.
Don’t stop after you create inviting headlines. Keep the momentum going by writing intriguing opening sentences, too. When you do, you’ll help convert more site visitors into paying customers.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Thursday, October 19th, 2006 by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.marketingwords.com
The length of search phrases continues to grow. Back when the Internet was just an upstart, single keywords were the only thing you needed. But in recent years we’ve seen the number of words used in search phrases triple and quadruple. Rather than a single keyword, searchers who live in countries where English is the primary language are now using three- and four-word phrases as a standard, according to Web analytics company, OneStat.com.
While the worldwide average is two words per search phrase, the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia all show that searchers prefer the use of three- or four-word terms. What does this mean from a copywriting standpoint? Writing with a single keyword in mind is relatively easy. Using two-word terms is a bit more of a challenge. But when you get to three- and four-word phrases, your risk of sounding stiff and awkward increases substantially.
Why Longer Phrases?
Longer search phrases are the natural progression of the Internet population boom. As more and more information is placed online, it becomes increasingly difficult to find exactly what you’re looking for. When there were only a few thousand sites, entering the word “marketing” into a search engine would bring up a handful of sites for you to choose from.
Now, however, you find hundreds of thousands of sites dealing with everything from marketing plans to marketing jobs to university curriculums for marketing degrees. The natural action for copywriters is to follow the search trend of the target audience and use the keyphrases that they use.
That leads us back to our original question… how?
Tips for Writing With Keyphrases
The biggest mistake I find search engine optimization (SEO) copywriters making is attempting to substitute a generic term for a specific keyphrase. For example:
At our Mexico cruise vacation site we offer the best rates on Mexico cruise vacation packages to the most exciting Mexico cruise vacation destinations. Visit our Mexico cruise vacation specials page for deep discounts today!
Or
Welcome to our Chicago web design firm site. If you’re looking for innovative and creative Chicago web design firm, you’ve come to the right place. No other Chicago web design firm has the talent or technological skills to develop the type of high-end sites we do. When you’re ready for a truly professional Chicago web design firm, contact us today.
Oh please! My 10-year-old nephew could write better copy than that. When you substitute generic terms (in this case: site, packages, vacation destinations, vacation specials, etc.) with the specific search phrase, you get a bunch of repetitive, awkward babble. The longer the keyphrases are, the more clunky the copy will sound.
The best advice I can give is to break up some of the mentions of longer keyphrases. Yes, you do need to keep the words of the phrase in the same order most of the time. However by using punctuation and other elements you can still make the phrase appear less obtrusive.
For example, let’s look at our Mexico cruise vacation site again. Rather than using that bunch of fluff written above, try this instead:
Long stretches of sunny beaches, delightful fiestas filled with lively bands and some of the most delicious fresh seafood you’ve ever tasted. Where can you find it? In Mexico! Cruise vacation destinations from Cancun to Cozumel offer some of the most exciting adventures and beautiful scenery found in Mexico.
Cruise vacation specials make these remarkable getaways even more affordable than you might think – etc., etc.
Do you see what was done? Using punctuation, the phrase “Mexico cruise vacation” was broken up between sentences. Because the search engines all but ignore punctuation, they see the phrase as one term. However, the site visitor doesn’t. They don’t notice that the phrase is being repeated because it spans two sentences.
If the trend continues as it has in the past, search phrases will get even longer in the not-so-distant future. However, when you get creative with keyphrase use in your copy, you’ll find longer search terms are not a problem to work with. The length of search phrases continues to grow. Back when the Internet was just an upstart, single keywords were the only thing you needed. But in recent years we’ve seen the number of words used in search phrases triple and quadruple.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 13th, 2006 I was so excited to read his post! Google-icon Matt Cutts was blogging on August 21st and hit the nail on the head (as he does quite frequently). The title of the post was, “SEO Advice: Writing useful articles that readers will love.” That, in and of itself, says it all. Why is this such a thrilling post? Because it reinforces what I’ve been saying for years. Whether you’re writing content for a website, an article or any type of SEO copy, you must think of the reader first.
There is such a barrage of worthless articles floating around the ‘Net these days. Keyword stuffed, useless ramble that was obviously written with the sole intent of attempting to rank high. Striving for top rankings is not a bad thing, but the purpose of writing SEO articles is threefold not onefold:
provide information, rank high when used on your site and increase link popularity. That means the practice must follow the purpose.
Why Write an Article?
Let’s start at the beginning. Why write articles to begin with? While having SEO content on your site is a good thing, your first concern should be with offering useful information to your readers. Cutts agrees with this practice and makes a point to discuss why providing relevant, helpful information is vital.
If the information isn’t helpful, those who visit your site will have little interest in reading it. Yes, if the page ranks highly, it might bring in a bit of traffic. But if visitors take one look at your article then click away, what good have the high rankings done you?
Likewise, if you choose to distribute your article throughout the Internet, it is highly unlikely that others will elect to run your article on their sites. If your work doesn’t provide solid information and is poorly written, it will not be considered link-worthy.
Optimizing for the Engines
Once you’ve decided what information you want to provide, you can turn your focus to SEO. Copywriting for the engines requires balance. You never want to sacrifice the reader’s experience for the sake of rankings. Stuffing keywords into text is a method that will almost always backfire. Practically no one wants to read an article (or website page) that constantly repeats the same exact terms to the point of extremes.
Cutts also addressed this issue in his blog post, stating that he included keyphrases within his own article and also used similar terms. Cutts made a point of suggesting that we pay more attention to keyphrase use (and the use of variations of those keyphrases) than focusing on keyword density.
The Two Most Important Keys
The two “meta-issues” Cutts highlighted in his article were both related to user experience, not to the practice of SEO copywriting. First, pay attention to the content you offer.
Always impart useful, concrete knowledge to your reader.
Second, study your niche (a.k.a. know your target audience!) and write specifically for the purpose of helping them.
There is other great information included in Cutts’ post, and I encourage you to read it plus the comments that follow. You can find it here:http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/seo-advice-writing-useful-articles-that-readers-will-love.
These are things I (and other SEO pros) have been preaching for years. User first, search engines second. When you get the priority straight, the rest will fall into line without much hassle.
About the author:
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO and online copywriting that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon’s report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Thursday, August 17th, 2006 Automation is an odd creature. It usually seems, at first glance, that automating a process can make things easier, simpler and faster. But oftentimes, once an automated process is in place, trouble spots pop up. This is sometimes the case when looking at the copywriting aspect of Google’s dynamic keyword insertion tool.
In case you’re unfamiliar with dynamic keyword insertion (DKI), it’s a feature of Google’s AdWords program. It is often used for large campaigns in order to automatically insert the keyword into the headline of an ad. Truly, it’s a lifesaver for many pay-per-click (PPC) ad managers who have to stay on top of thousands of ads every day. It’s all done with a simple syntax command: {keyword:_______}.
From a timesaving standpoint, this is a wonder tool that hasrescued PPC managers from the mind-numbing chore of typing the same keywords over and over. From an economic point-of-view, DKI can (not always) perform well enough to make it a viable option for larger campaigns. But what happens with regard to copywriting and eye tracking?
See It and Click It
The human eye is normally drawn to things that are unusual.
Things that look out of place or different get noticed far more than things that blend in. For instance, on a page full of black text and black & white photographs, a small red square in the bottom corner will get focused on almost immediately. Why?
Because it is completely different than everything else around it.
This same principle applies when considering your copywriting strategy for AdWords. When using DKI, you’ll want to keep your eye on the results pages. Why? We’ve all heard that using the keyphrase in the headline pulls better. It does? most of the time. There is an exception, however. This exception is what you’ll be watching.
In fact, a study done last year by Enquiro, Did-It and Eyetools tracked users’ interactions with the Google search results page.
It found that surfers normally reviewed the page in an F formation. They would scan vertically down the left side of the page and then over to the right (where paid ads are) IF something caught their attention. That’s the point we’ll explore in this article.
In order to get clicks, you first have to get seen. If your ad looks and reads like all the rest, you’ve completely lost your originality advantage.
See For Yourself
Copywriting using DKI is a balancing act. You have to consider several factors, including the character count of your longest keyphrase, your ability to add text to the keyword-rich headline and how the ad looks on the page.
Take a look at some examples below. Remember that AdWords results show differently at various points throughout the day (and in relation to individual account parameters), so you may not see exactly what I saw when doing this research. I’m sure it will be close enough for you to get the idea.
Go to Google and type in the phrase “cruise vacation center” (without using the quote marks). See how all the ads look different? They don’t all have the same words bolded. They don’t all use the same copy. The bold words stand out because they are different. In this case, your eye will usually go first to the ads with bolded words in the headline.
You see ads offering a 6-night cruise for $xx.xx and other ads promoting X% off on a cruise vacation, etc. There is diversity and that’s a good thing.
Now, what if you type in “home improvement?? (Again, without the quotes.) If your results page looks like mine, practically every ad has the exact same headline: home improvement. Not only do most of the ads look the same, the headlines read the same. Your eye doesn’t know where to go because everything seems identical. But wait! About four or five ads down, something catches your eye. It’s an ad that has no bold in the headline. That stands out because it’s different! As you scroll further down the page, more ads with no bold in the headlines pop out at you. In this case, because everyone else has opted for the DKI feature, their headlines are all very similar, making them less noticeable. But the ones who wrote custom headlines won out, thanks to diversity.
Tips for Writing With DKI
If you want or need to write using the DKI option, consider these tips:
- Use a descriptive word along with your keyphrase. Instead of just inserting the phrase “airline tickets,” place the word “discount” or “cheap” before your keyphrase to help it stand out.
- For keyphrases that will take the entire 25-character limit, consider using one word of the keyphrase in the headline, instead of the entire phrase. Rather than “home improvement,”
try inserting just “home” or “improvement” along with other text you write yourself. - Keep it applicable. Your headline still has to convey a strong message about what the customer can expect at your site.
- Test and Track! Everything in advertising is subject to change. Smart marketers always test and track to get the best results.
With a little forethought, you can develop a combination of DKI and custom-written AdWords ads that drive qualified visitors to your site.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 5th, 2006 What would happen if?? I’m a person to always ask that question. I love testing and tracking to see what factors can improve or worsen a situation. So, it was only natural for me to track the moves of a little experiment I did involving SEO copywriting recently. I’ll gladly share my findings with you.
Before I do, however, I want to make a couple of things very clear. The outcome of this experiment will not be the same for every keyphrase on every page of every site. There are too many unknown factors at play in the overall SEO equation. Not to mention, all keyphrases are not the same, and all sites are not the same. In addition, this experiment takes no account of link popularity, which is a huge factor in achieving high rankings.
With that said, let me show you how I took the home page of one of my sites – that didn’t even rank in the top 50 – and caused it to rank in the top 10.
First of all, I’m not a big fan of checking rankings on a regular basis. I don’t run ranking reports for all my sites to be sure they are all in the positions I want them in for every given keyphrase. I’ll do it from time to time just to satisfy my own occasional curiosity. This experiment began when I noticed the home page of one of my sites was ranking highly for a keyphrase that didn’t seem to appear anywhere in the text.
Upon further investigation, I saw that the keyphrase was included in the ALT tags (a.k.a. image attribute tags) and that it was also included in the title tag.
I knew ALT tags previously carried a lot of weight with the engines, but had been downgraded in importance because site owners had badly abused the tag. Had ALT tags been reinstated in their level of importance? I decided to find out.
Keyword #1 was currently in the ALT tags and the title tag, so I decided to eliminate the keyword in the title tag. This would let me see if the ALT tags alone could hold the position in the search engine results pages (SERPs). To make things more interesting, I also decided to research and find a keyword that was a little more competitive and insert it into the title tag. On the same day I removed Keyword #1 from the title tag, I inserted Keyword #2. My home page was not ranked in the top 50 at that time for Keyword #2.
A few days later, the Googlebot came by and boosted my home page to position #18 for Keyword #2. Not bad! The page fell one spot (from #17 to #18) for Keyword #1 since the removal of the phrase from the title tag.
Keep in mind, these are not the most competitive keywords ever known. They each got between 100 to 200 searches a day. Also, the home page of this particular site had been (and still is) well ranked for years for other keyphrases and had a positive legacy with Google.
Five days later, Keyword #2 was moved up three notches to a ranking of #14 while Keyword #1 stayed the same. Things remained in their status quo for roughly 10 days and then began to shift again. Keyword #1, the original that was previously in both the ALT tags and the title tag, vanished completely. It was not found in the top 50. Keyword #2, that was only found in the title tag and nowhere else, dropped to position #25.
Four days later, Keyword #2 was back up in the rankings and was now at #16. To see if I could improve rankings further, I began to make small tweaks to the page attributes. I added Keyword #2 to the ALT tags (taking the places where Keyword #1 had once been), and I also added Keyword #2 to the body copy. The keyphrase was added to one, bold sub-headline and at three places within the body copy: none of which were above the fold. It was not added to any primary headlines that used tags, and no keyword density formula was followed for the body copy. No other pages on my site used this term as anchor text in links pointing to the home page. That gave the page keyword placement in the:
- Title tag
- ALT tags
- Body copy
Seven days later, the home page hit the top 10 for Keyword #2!
So, what does all this mean? Simple. There is no single primary factor in search engine rankings. It takes balance, testing and tracking to find out what works for your particular pages. Your best bet is to do exactly what I did? begin one step at a time and track your progress. Did something cause a positive movement? Keep it. If something causes a negative shift, take it out.
I’m not finished with this page yet. I’ll keep trying different things from time to time just to see what happens. Maybe I’ll add anchor text links from the internal pages to the home page.
I might try writing articles with keyword-rich anchor text links to help boost the rankings more. There are many acceptable practices I can implement for this page (or any page) that will allow me to observe the shifts in ranking. As the old saying goes, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” A diversified approach to SEO copywriting that includes tags, copy and links is always a wise start down the road to top 10 rankings.
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO and online copywriting that impresses the engines and your visitors at
http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon?s report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at
http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 14th, 2006 Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Monday, May 22nd, 2006 Here’s something every web site owner should know. When visitors come to your site, they are looking for a reason to buy from you. Think that’s stating the obvious? You’d be surprised! I come across countless sites every day that do everything but give the visitor a reason to buy, subscribe, click, call or otherwise take action. It’s a fatal mistake in any business, but it’s especially damaging for web-based companies.
Let’s continue with our example of buying a computer desk. You start with the big three office-supply stores. You click the “office furniture” link, and you’re faced with a barrage of links to pages about lamps, printer stands, bookshelves and more. Then you get to the desks. Computer desks, desk collections, metal desks, workstations? geez! There are lots of links, but no information. Finally, after drudging through pages of links, you find some actual copy that describes a desk you think you might want.
You look over the features. You write down the price. You gather the shipping or delivery information. Great! Now, on to the next site.
When you arrive, everything looks almost the same except the logo. Same navigation, same links, same inventory, same prices. The shipping amount is the same, and the delivery policy is identical to the site you just came from. As you click from site to site, it’s like déjà vu. How are you supposed to make a decision to buy when all your options are equal? What will be the determining factor between site A and site B?
If you’re feeling frustrated just reading this scenario, imagine how your site visitors feel. When they come to your site, they are looking for a clear reason to buy from you instead of all the other sites. Do you give them a reason? Do you give them several reasons?
If all factors are equal – even if all factors are similar – your visitors will find it difficult to make a decision. When they start guessing at which site would be best to buy from, you start losing business. Maybe they’ll choose you, maybe they won’t. There is a way to ensure you are chosen over your competition. You have to clearly point out how you are different or better than every other option available.
MarketingExperiments.com recently published their findings in regards to differentiating your company from others. They reported that most companies – when asked what their most unique aspect was – answered, “Our great customer service.” I have bad news for you. That won’t cut it. Why? Because, in most cases, when customers are visiting sites to gather information and make purchasing decisions, they won’t come in contact with your customer service department. It would be a nonissue until something went wrong.
Also, since most businesses are claiming excellent customer service, it’s an overused promise that has begun to carry less and less weight. You need something solid. You need something that is persuasive. If I were standing in front of you and told you that I was considering buying my desk from you or from Vendor Z, what would you say to convince me to buy from you?
Here are some things to consider when trying to discover ways to differentiate yourself from other businesses.
- Offer free shipping (on all orders or on orders over a certainamount)
- Increase your inventory
- Decrease your inventory and only carry specialty items
- Lower your prices
- Raise your prices (works well for premium goods and services)
- Increase your area of expertise (for service-based businesses)
- Specialize or narrow your niche
- Achieve ratings or rankings from well-known associations or organizations
- Apply for a patent
- Win awards
- Offer a customer loyalty program
Conduct an online survey of your visitors to ask what they want. (SurveyMonkey.com is great for this.) Look back over your complaints and other feedback for ideas about how to set yourself apart. Email existing customers (if you have their permission to do so) and ask them why they chose you. Whatever you do, don’t stay in a position where you are exactly the same as (or highly similar to) your competition. The chances are far too great you’ll get lost in the crowd.
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon?s report ?How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)? at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Friday, May 5th, 2006 Let’s go offline for a moment. Go get your telephone book. If you were going to conduct a search for, say, an office desk, how would you go about it? You’d look in the Yellow Pages? under office furniture. Next you’d drill through the ads in search of ads that specifically mentioned “desks” or perhaps the particular kind of desk you want.
SEO for Newspapers?
When looking through the inserts that come with your Sunday newspaper, your eye would be especially drawn to office supply flyers that featured the word “desks” or a picture of desks.
Why? Because you’ve got desks on the brain right now. You’re going to be especially sensitive to that word because that’s the current need you’re trying to fill.
The same, exact thing applies when someone searches online. Keywords started out because human Internet searchers typed them into the search engines, not because the search engines selected the terms. The same holds true today. You don’t just make up keywords. You use services and programs that allow you to research the exact phrases human beings are typing to Google, Yahoo! and other engines. When you incorporate those words and phrases into your website copy, you’re doing way more than attempting to boost your rankings; you’re also helping to navigate the site visitor from the search engine to the right page of your site.
If you’re the owner of the office supply store we’ve been talking about and you want to create a newspaper ad to sell a new line of desks you carry, what do you think might appear in the headline? The word “desk” or perhaps the phrase “office desks.” Why would you do that? There are no search engines to optimize for in the newspaper industry. You’ll include those keywords because it makes sense to do so. You’ll include them because they are descriptive of what you’re selling. You’ll include them because it will attract the readers? attention and draw them to your store. That’s not search engine optimization; it’s just good marketing.
Lead, Don’t Shove
The same applies when writing copy for your site. There’s more than one reason to include keywords in your copy. The primary one is not the engines?it’s your site visitors. Strategic keyword placement helps guide your visitors to the information, products or services they are looking for. Don’t shove keywords in everywhere you think you can possibly fit them. Instead, use keywords to lead your visitors in the right direction.
Even if there were no such thing as search engine optimization, your copy would almost certainly still contain keywords. It only makes sense to have keywords in the headline, so visitors will know what the page is about. Sub-heads? Sure thing!
People scan more than they read, so having keywords in sub-heads is a great idea. And in the body copy? You bet! After all, it’s pretty hard to sell desks without actually using the word “desk.” Since there are school desks and computer desks and many other desks, you’ll want to make it clear that your sale is for “office desks.” That, too, only makes sense.
As you can see, keyword inclusion has been going on far longer than the Internet has existed. It’s been an important part of copywriting since marketing was invented. When you create a copywriting plan for your site pages, think through which keywords you should use and where the most effective places to position those keywords would be. Then develop your SEO copy with a goal of directing your visitors to the right information.
When you do, you’ll naturally optimize for the search engines at the same time.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
Thursday, April 27th, 2006 My soapbox is just about worn out. I’ve been preaching the necessity of knowing your target audience for at least 10 years. "You can’t write effectively to someone you don’t know," is how my spiel would normally go. When one day someone asked me to show him what I was talking about. "I’m writing copy for computers," he said. "Everybody needs and can use a computer. How could a general product like that possibly have different target audiences?" I’ll show you exactly how.
Be Specific With Your Definition
Don’t ever begin an analysis of your target audience with the word "everybody." The people who fit into your target group are individuals. They certainly share common traits, needs and wants, but they are unique. When defining your customer base, and the segments within it, be as specific as possible.
Senior Citizens
If we go back to the computer example, we would surely find several segments within the target group who buy computers. One would be senior citizens. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project Report, 54% of Americans ages 60-69 go online. In fact, 21% of those over the age of 70 also go online. In order to surf the Internet, these people need a computer.
What concerns do seniors have when it comes to computers? Fear is a big emotion that comes into play with this crowd. While they love the idea of being able to keep in touch with family and friends, many in this age bracket have a hang-up with learning to use new technology. Ease of use and a low learning curve are some things that must be communicated clearly.
High School and College Students
Having grown up using computers in the classroom, and most likely at home, students are generally very comfortable and confident with this technology. If something breaks, they’ll figure it out themselves or just get a new computer. Portability, the latest technology and speed are the biggest factors for students.
With many younger users, gaming is a primary function, so the computer they want/need has to have large amounts of RAM, hard drive space and virtual memory. What about cost? Mom and dad are almost always the money source for a student’s computer, so the student isn’t interested in the price. If mom and dad can’t afford it, there is always grandma and grandpa.
Small Businesses
While computers are a tax-deductible business expense, small businesses are still concerned with price. They are also leery of low price points and special offers because, most of the time, small businesses will need to add a good bit of additional equipment to a basic computer which ups the price.
Small businesses also normally have no full-time IT staff, so support is an issue that comes into play. Is help available to answer questions or troubleshoot if and when networking doesn’t go smoothly? What about repairs? If the computer requires any service, is it done on-site or does the computer have to be shipped to some nameless service center? Is there a guaranteed time for repairs to be completed?
As you can see, each segment has its own concerns about buying a computer. While "everybody" may need one, every person does not have the same concerns or needs when making a computer purchase.
Before assuming that every member of your target audience is alike, take some time to do a little research. Conduct an informal survey, ask questions and talk with customers one-on-one. Find out what their wants are, what concerns they have or what they’d most like to see you offer. Once you find out, write so that you communicate directly with them on their level. You’ll find your conversion rates rise when you give your visitors the information they want.
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon?s report ‘How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)’ at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
Posted in Copywriting | No Comments »
