Branding helps because:

• It is your identity
• It communicates your message to others
• It builds reputation and trust
• It separates you from your competitors

Your online brand should be aimed at your target audience and be consistent with your offline brand profile.

Keep in mind that your brand is more than just your website.  Consider all the other online avenues that your company and others use to publish information about your brand.  Information within your control such as press releases, company blogs, articles, etc., can all find their way into search engine results.  Information out of your control such as product reviews and customer opinions can also find their way into the results.  Because there are external factors involved, many organizations are now monitoring what people are saying online about their brands.

A growing group of brand advocates – individuals who are inspired spokespersons on behalf of a brand, are rapidly gaining the attention and consideration of many businesses.  Businesses are learning to  nurture these advocates by feeding them the latest news, providing advance knowledge of updates, and most of all, listening to their opinions and ideas regarding products, services, advertising, and other aspects of the company-client relationship.  These brand advocates can make or break the success of online brands.

The development of advocacy creates increased opportunities for the branding message to be passed on virally or by word-of-mouth.  Web 2.0 or social networking sites play a pivotal role in the rapid spread of consumer related information about brands.  These types of sites were developed so that individuals could communicate with others who shared similar tastes or outlooks.

Branding can no longer be thought of as something that can immediately be transferred from offline to online.  Online branding in the Web 2.0 age requires a change of focus away from the company’s branding message towards the message formulated by the consumers of the brand.  The strongest online brands are built on a foundation of brand advocacy coupled with a solid, consistent branding message from the parent company.

]]> http://www.topsemtips.com/2008/04/the-importance-of-online-branding/feed/ http://www.topsemtips.com/2007/10/copywriting-makeover-its-what-you-say-and-how-you-say-it-part-2-of-2/ http://www.topsemtips.com/2007/10/copywriting-makeover-its-what-you-say-and-how-you-say-it-part-2-of-2/#comments Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.topsemtips.com/2007/10/copywriting-makeover-its-what-you-say-and-how-you-say-it-part-2-of-2/ by Karon Thackston © 2007 http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced you to Announce It!, an online candy-bar-wrapper manufacturer that was seeking professional help with their search engine copywriting. Facing an audience that consisted primarily of women who were purchasing favors for special occasions, Announce It!’s copy had to be spot-on with its communication. The primary problems were that the copy did not convey a sense of excitement or answer all the questions customers might have. It also focused too heavily on the company rather than communicating with the site visitor.

Let’s see how the changes were worked into the copy and what the results were.

The Rewrite

You can see the original copy at: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/customcandybarwrapper-original.pdf
and the revised copy at: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/customcandybarwrapper-new.pdf.

Headlines are one of the most important elements of advertising copy and of search engine optimization. The original web page didn’t have any type of headline — a fundamental mistake that needed to be corrected. The introduction of the text now begins with using a keyphrase and stating a benefit. The headline reads:
Creative, Custom Candy-bar Wrappers
Designed To Make Your Event a Hit!

Since Announce It!’s keyphrases all deal with candy-bar wrappers, it’s obvious that visitors who find this site are already familiar with the general product. (At least to the point of knowing what a custom candy-bar wrapper is.) The question they still have is, “Why should I buy from Announce It! instead of all the other candy-bar-wrapper sites?”

As the visitors read on through the copy, they find reassurance that their idea of using custom-designed candy-bar wrappers is a good one. Visitors are also provided with several benefits available from Announce It! that other companies don’t offer. For the sake of scan-ability, bullet points are used to further highlight differentiating factors about Announce It!. (Low minimum orders, free color proofs, free photo inclusion, etc.) This all helps to clearly explain why this site is the better choice over others the visitor may have gone to previously.)

Because the product itself is graphic, it was important to retain the product images used on the original home page. Certainly, customers would expect to see samples of the wrappers. However, to create a greater impact, each image was captioned with a short bit of occasion-specific, persuasive, keyword-rich copy. For instance:

“Custom candy wrappers are a truly creative way to send your retiree off in style.”

The finished product now speaks directly to the site visitor, sounds more professional, outlines important benefits and uses keyphrases in an appropriate way so as not to hinder the natural flow of the copy.

The Results

The results showed improvements in both conversions and rankings. According to Announce It! their conversion rate quadrupled! They also report, “[The copy] has really made a difference in the way the site is perceived and how the customer reacts. I have gone from a one-person operation to a full-fledged business with five employees. The traffic and orders continue to increase every year!”

You couldn’t ask for much better than that!

Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO and online copywriting that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Already know how to write, but need help using keywords? Get Karon’s report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.

The old cliché is wrong. All our lives we’ve heard, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.” That may occasionally be true, but for the most part it’s what you say AND how you say it. Case in point: Announce It!, a custom candy-bar-wrapper manufacturer, had copy on their home page that was acceptable. It mentioned pretty much all the important things a site visitor would need to know about ordering candy wrappers. Yet the copy wasn’t pulling as well as it should have been.

The Problems

The target audience consists mostly of women. In addition, these women order favors for special occasions. That means (stereotypically speaking) you have people who ask a lot of questions and are especially cautious of buying something they can’t touch, feel or see (in person) for use at a major life event. Communication (what the copy says as well as how it says it) is vital.

The text had to convince women that they could trust Announce It! to produce something they would show off in front of all their family and friends for important occasions such as birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, weddings, showers and more. That meant answering the questions these women have as well as instilling confidence that their party favors would be the hit of the event.

Technically, the copy was OK. But it lacked excitement. No, not hype… excitement. It needed to reach out to women and make them feel welcome while also reinforcing that Announce It! was the perfect solution for them. You can see the original text here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/customcandybarwrapper-original.pdf

From a search engine standpoint, the site was bouncing around a good bit. According to the site owner, “For a long time, I held the #1 position for many of my keywords. As search engines evolved, my site started bouncing. It was time to hire a professional.”

The Solution

The plan was to make the text more inviting and supportive while providing information that was easy to immediately identify. I wanted to help Announce It! differentiate itself from other candy-bar wrapper and favor sites. That meant making important benefits clearly visible. In addition, a glimmer of excitement would be added to the copy to get the women in the mood to buy.

A complete change of focus for the copy would also happen. Rather than “we” and “us” the copy would be directed toward the visitor while still communicating important benefits about buying from the company.

Lastly, correcting an elementary mistake would help the copy read better and assist with SEO. The hope with SEO was to give Announce It! some stability, as it had a history of bouncing back and forth between the first and second pages in the SERPs.

The overall goal was to increase conversions for this site. As the site owner herself said, “Without conversion, your rankings don’t mean as much. You really have to convert the visitors once they get to your page.” Oh so true!

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll look at the rewrite and the results of this copywriting makeover so you can see firsthand what effect the changes had for Announce It!

Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO and online copywriting that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Already know how to write, but need help using keywords? Get Karon’s report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.The old cliché is wrong. All our lives we’ve heard, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.” That may occasionally be true, but for the most part it’s what you say AND how you say it.

To find financial success, and even financial security, you have to find good financial opportunities. But what makes a “good” financial opportunity? It really is as subjective as finding a “good” shirt. It depends upon what is good for you: What fits? What meets your needs? When you find an investment prospect that fits and meets your needs, then some investors would say it is time to “take the plunge” by investing in them.

If you have the time to research your options, or if you have the time to wait years for investments to mature before they yield a return, then you have the time to shop around and find the investments that will work best for you. On the other hand if you, like many others, can’t research companies adequately in your spare time, then you do not have the luxury of time.

How much time you have available to you will determine your investment style and the types of investments you are more likely to make. If you have little time to do research, then it is probably wise to find an experienced company that can do the research for you. Most people who want to see the return on their investment quickly are more likely to invest in the stock market, whereas investors who can wait may prefer venture capital investments. The key is finding what works best with the time you have available and sticking with it.

Stock Market Investments

The stock market changes rapidly, and information is frequently a central force affecting those changes. Knowledge of the markets, industries, trends, and etcetera is like a pot of gold. Having this information available quickly (without spending your days researching) levels the playing field, so someone without lots of time can make investment decisions like a pro.

Getting this kind of information is sometimes made available by stock brokers, or other companies. Gorilla Trades is a unique example, because they provide daily stock market information in addition to an analysis of the day’s activities. Gorilla Trades also has a proprietary software system that analyzes all stocks on the market. They specialize in finding potential short term high-yield stocks for investors looking to earn fast, large returns on their investments. Stock lists and suggestions reduce time spent on finding the stocks that are expected to appreciate in the near future.

Venture Capital Investments

Investing in the stock market is still very fast paced, even when the research is done for you. It’s important to read through information regarding the trends and set up the most appropriate times to purchase and sell the stock. For some investors, waiting for significant returns without the stress of dealing with the stock market is more appealing. That is appeal of venture capital investments.

Venture capital is about generating a fund for growing or startup businesses. Companies like the Berkeley International Capital Corporation, which is strategically located in Silicon Valley, research potential businesses to find the most promising selections. Their Chairman, Arthur Trueger, and their expert team make it easy to invest, even if you do not have the time or experience to find such companies.

As the selected companies increase in value and are prepared for an initial public offering on the stock market or if they are acquired by another firm, the investors who contributed to the fund will receive significant proceeds based on their offering. This process can take months or years, but the potential profitability and lower stress makes the investment worthwhile.

Branding helps because:

• It is your identity
• It communicates your message to others
• It builds reputation and trust
• It separates you from your competitors

Your online brand should be aimed at your target audience and be consistent with your offline brand profile.

Keep in mind that your brand is more than just your website. Consider all the other online avenues that your company and others use to publish information about your brand. Information within your control such as press releases, company blogs, articles, etc., can all find their way into search engine results. Information out of your control such as product reviews and customer opinions can also find their way into the results. Because there are external factors involved, many organizations are now monitoring what people are saying online about their brands.

A growing group of brand advocates – individuals who are inspired spokespersons on behalf of a brand, are rapidly gaining the attention and consideration of many businesses. Businesses are learning to nurture these advocates by feeding them the latest news, providing advance knowledge of updates, and most of all, listening to their opinions and ideas regarding products, services, advertising, and other aspects of the company-client relationship. These brand advocates can make or break the success of online brands.

The development of advocacy creates increased opportunities for the branding message to be passed on virally or by word-of-mouth. Web 2.0 or social networking sites play a pivotal role in the rapid spread of consumer related information about brands. These types of sites were developed so that individuals could communicate with others who shared similar tastes or outlooks.

Branding can no longer be thought of as something that can immediately be transferred from offline to online. Online branding in the Web 2.0 age requires a change of focus away from the company’s branding message towards the message formulated by the consumers of the brand. The strongest online brands are built on a foundation of brand advocacy coupled with a solid, consistent branding message from the parent company.

You can keep up-to-date on online branding issues by following this blog: http://www.brandnewbuzz.com.

If you have questions about your own online branding efforts and how Elixir Systems can help you with Web 2.0 initiatives and brand advocacy, please contact Fionn Downhill at 602.494.6326.

Fionn Downhill is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Elixir Systems. She is responsible for corporate direction, corporate branding, and business development.

For more information on search engine optimization contact Elixir Systems at 602.494.6326 or at http://www.elixirsystems.com.

There has been a debate about the use of keywords for years. Many SEO copywriters will tell you that using keyphrases in their entirety is the best practice for getting high rankings. Others insist it really doesn’t matter — that as long as all the individual words within the phrase are used, your copy will do its job. Before we get into whether keyphrases are best used in their entirety or as individual words, let’s sidestep for just a minute to talk about the inner workings of information-retrieval systems (aka search engines).

Straight From the Mouth of Google

Search engines are all about words. That’s their very nature. In fact, Google gives advice to searchers about how to get the best results. Its own Webmaster Guidelines state (among other things):

“Think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it.”

Taking it one step further, the Google Help Center offers this piece of advice to those using its engine:

“Google looks for the search terms you choose, so ‘luxury hotels Maui’ will probably deliver better results than ‘really nice places to spend the night in Maui.’”

On that same page we also find:

“By default, Google only returns pages that include all of your search terms… Keep in mind that the order in which the terms are typed will affect the search results.”

But it’s not just Google’s website that leads in this direction. The patent filed by Google in March 2005 discusses the background of this invention. A couple of key passages for copywriters to note are:

“…identifies relevant documents based on a comparison of the search query terms to the words contained in the documents.”

and

“Typically, the search engine (Google) accomplishes this by matching the terms in the search query to a corpus of pre-stored web documents. Web documents that contain the user’s search terms are considered ‘hits’ and are returned to the users.”

And, last, but certainly not least, we look to a scientific paper written many years ago by Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page (founders of Google) entitled, “The Anatomy of a Large-scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine.” In it, they describe the core differences between Google and other search engines at the time.

What do the creators of Google say is at its core?

That it “has location information for all hits and so it makes extensive use of proximity in search.”

So, what does all this mean? While you can use the terms of a keyphrase individually, your best bet, by far, is to use the phrase as-is. Why? Because Google (and other engines as well) makes extensive use of proximity. That means Google breaks every Web page it indexes into individual words. It tracks location information for all the hits it stores in its database. Then Google tracks where on the page the words are located in relation to each other.

Again we ask, “Why?” For the sake of relevancy. And we all know Google walks, talks, eats and sleeps relevancy. Take this phrase for example: Apple Laptop Computer.

If you typed that phrase, as-is, into a basic search engine, it could easily return results that include:

• apple orchards
• apple pie recipes
• computer repair
• computer tech support
• used computers

and millions of other, completely irrelevant results. If the engine uses proximity, however, and is looking for the entire phrase (or at least the words as close together as possible and in the same order if possible), you get results that actually deal with the Apple-brand laptop computer. It’s because of all the aspects listed above that Google is able to return highly relevant results. Those include:

• Attempting to match the words in the search query with the words on the page.
• Returning only pages that include all the search terms.
• Looking at the order in which the words are typed.
• Matching the terms in the search query to the terms in the document.
• Making extensive use of proximity.

Can You Do Both?

Will it hurt to use the words within the search phrase individually as long as you also use the phrase as a whole? Absolutely not. In fact, it may even help to do both and to also use a few synonyms and complementary words as well. But remember, you want the keyphrase (or phrases) used as-is more times than not.

Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO and online copywriting that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Already know how to write, but need help using keywords? Get Karon’s report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.

Google has provided recommendations for identifying and dealing with duplicate content at http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2006/12/deftly-dealing-with-duplicate-content.html.  This primarily addresses unintentional duplication within your own site.

A good tool for identifying where on the web your content appears is www.copyscape.com.  This free service allows up to 20 searches each month.  They also offer Premium and Copysentry services at different rates.  You simply type in the url of the page you want checked and it will return a list of all sites that have the same content.  We suggest you schedule a regular search for sites that have duplicated your content.

If you find that someone has lifted entire pages or chunks of your site, you can file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) complaint with Google at http://www.google.com/dmca.html.  We have found that sending a warning letter to the site asking them to remove duplicated content under threat of a DMCA complaint usually achieved the desired response. If that fails, then you can always file an actual complaint.

This free feature allows businesses to provide as much information as they like: hours of operation, payments accepted, links to e-mail and website, etc.  To add your business location to this feature, return to the main Google Maps page and click “Add/Edit Your Business” in the left-hand column. This will take you to Google’s “Local Business Center” where you can follow the instructions to create your listing.  After you have registered, you will receive a postcard about a week later with a password for making future changes.  This is to prevent anyone else from accessing your listing.

We suggest that any business with branches or franchises pass this information on to each location with instructions on how to register and coordinate your online branding.  If you have only one office, it will be simple to enter your information and manage your listing.

Yahoo! has their local directory sign up at http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/local/lbl.php.  They have a “Basic Listing” for free and “Enhanced” and “Featured” listings for a monthly fee.

Update: 3-12-2007

We want to advise you that Google has announced an update of these services.  There are now more features available for you to use in listing your business.

If you visit the Local Business Center you can expand your listing by uploading photos, changing your address if you move, and choosing a category for your business.  You can then provide “custom attributes” based on the category of your business.

Additionally Google is providing analytics of the Maps clicks you receive.  This lets you see just how many people are viewing your listing.

We definitely recommend that all of our clients put this tool to good use.  If you haven’t created your listing yet, do so today!

Linkedln

• Go to the LinkedIn site at http://www.linkedin.com/ and create a profile for yourself or your business leaders.
• Click on “Join Now” and enter your information, including website addresses.
• For advanced information look at this report - http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/linkedin_profil.html

Naymz

• The same can be done for Naymz http://www.naymz.com/

Both of these sites enable you to include live links to your business site.  They are also valuable as networking tools.

It’s one of the worst things to ever happen in the search engine copywriting field: the discovery of keyword density. I won’t venture off into a discussion about whether keyword density is still a valid measure of search engine optimized (SEO) copywriting success. I will say, however, that the mere introduction of this concept led to the mutilation and destruction of innocent copy all across the globe. Without any regard to flow or customer experience, website owners around the world began shoving keyphrases into their copy like wild men. The results have been disastrous! Otherwise wonderful content has been utterly destroyed. This slaughter of innocent copy must stop!

All joking aside, the realization several years ago that keyword density was a factor in search engine rankings instantly transformed the landscape of copywriting for the engines. That lone concept lit a fire under people who absolutely butchered their copy for the sake of the engines. A pity really because it doesn’t have to be that way.

Keep It Sounding Natural

One primary goal is to write copy so that the keyphrases are virtually undetectable when read by someone with no knowledge of SEO. One vital step in making this happen is to carefully research and select your keyphrases.

If you’re writing a page about wedding gowns, it would be complicated to include keyphrases such as “wedding reception music” or “wedding caterers.” The amount of traffic these terms might bring would be offset by the awkward fit with the focus of your page. Instead, opt for phrases that lend themselves directly to the topic of wedding gowns.

One common mistake many site owners and newbie copywriters make is to replace every single instance of a generic key term with one of their chosen keyphrases. Doing this in moderation is certainly acceptable, but frequently copywriters get carried away with tragic results.

For example, you would not want to have the following copy on your site:

Whew! I get tired just reading that! Not only is it extremely annoying to read, but also many of the phrases are used incorrectly, making it look as though there are typos on the page. Not a pretty sight!

To keep your copy sounding as natural as possible, you need to think outside the keyword box. Most often, people believe that writing in a similar manner as the example above is the only way to use keywords in copy. Not true! In fact, far from it.

Let me share three of my favorite tips with you for creative writing with keyphrases.

Don’t Use Keyphrases To Describe Your Products/Services

That’s right, I said DON’T use keyphrases to describe your own products or services. Instead, use them to describe what your product or service is not, or what it is similar to or what it is better than.

An example of this is any keyphrase that begins with the word “cheap.” “Cheap insurance,” “cheap sunglasses,” “cheap software” – the list is endless. It’s simply not a good idea to call your own product cheap. Yes, I understand that people are looking for cheap things, but that is because they don’t want to pay a lot. When THEY call your product cheap, it is in relation to price. When YOU call your own product or service cheap, it degrades the product or service’s perceived value.

Instead, let others know that your product is NOT cheap. For example:

Unlike cheap travel insurance offered by other underwriters, our policies have provided long-standing, publicly held companies with a history of exceptional customer service. You get affordable coverage and peace of mind.

The phrase is highly relevant to the page, you get to attract lots of visitors, and the copy is set to convince them that “cheap insurance” isn’t what they really wanted after all.

How about this one? I got an email from a student asking me how to use the phrase “doggie litter box” in his copy even though that was not what he was selling. His product was a replacement for the doggie litter box, so I suggested he use the phrase in exactly that way. Here’s what I would have done:

Here’s a great solution for that messy doggie litter box. Attractive, compact and easy to use even in the smallest apartments, [Name of Product] is destined to replace the doggie litter box forever!

See? You aren’t calling your product a litter box; rather you are positioning yourself against it to show how you are better.

Add A Word

Another frequent stumbling block for SEO copywriters is the use of phrases that seem to end abruptly. In these cases, simply add a word to the end. Here are two examples.

The phrase “web design for small business” seems out of place because, most often, we would use the plural term (small businesses) when we were writing. To correct the problem, just add a plural word to the end of the phrase. Perhaps you might talk about web design for small business startups or web design for small business owners. You get the idea.

Break It Up

When the phrases get too long, it is often best to break them up. Search engines don’t pay attention to standard punctuation marks or line breaks. They read right through periods, commas, semi-colons and the like without hesitation. That means you have a lot more flexibility than you might think.

One keyphrase I had to work with was “Texas Hill Country real estate.” That would get pretty cumbersome if it were left as it is seen there. But by breaking it up with some punctuation, it sounds perfectly natural. Here’s how it can be done.

There is no more beautiful place than the Texas Hill Country. Real estate listings in this area are filled with stunning homes that …

Do you see what happened? I broke the phrase up using a period. In the eyes of the search engines the phrase is still intact. They don’t even notice the period. That period, however, causes the reader to take a mental pause and helps alleviate any repetitive feel to the copy.

If you take the time to look at SEO copywriting as an art rather than an assembly line task, your content will sound more natural, will convert better and will help prevent further additions to the already overcrowded collection of tortured copy everywhere!

Having trouble with natural keyword use in your copy? Karon’s guide “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy” can help with 11 easy ways to incorporate keywords. Find it at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.

Back to Web Copywriting Index It’s one of the worst things to ever happen in the search engine copywriting field: the discovery of keyword density. Otherwise wonderful content has been utterly destroyed. This slaughter of innocent copy must stop!