As I was making the rounds through my list of morning blogs, I found an interesting post on SEOMoz. Jane Copland made the point that far too many times newbies are shortchanged because they receive “useless” advice like, “You should create good content.” Jane names three reasons this type of advice is given. While I don’t think these are the only three reasons, I do agree that generic advice like this is very common.
My take is that blanket comments like “have good content” are most often given because people who have been in the industry for a good while think everybody understands the how that goes along with the what. People with a lot of experience tend to believe that beginner advice has been heard so many times that everyone on the ‘Net should know by this point how to create good content.
But because a fresh supply of newbies is ushered to the Web every day, the basics always bear repeating.
Explaining the entire online copywriting process would be far too complex for a blog post. But for any beginners out there that may be wondering, “How the heck do I create good content?” let me offer a few tips.
1. Be Original – Google is all about uniqueness. In the webmaster help section of their site, Google echoes themes of uniqueness and originality. If your copy is like every other site’s copy, why in the world would it deserve to rank higher than the ones that already show on the search engine results pages (SERPs)? Don’t copy others! Don’t steal content, don’t plagiarize copy, don’t write what everybody else has written… don’t, don’t, don’t. Not only is it illegal, it will end up biting you in the butt later on with poor rankings, possible banning from Google if the original content creator files a DMCA report and – should they choose to sue – fines in the tens of thousands of dollars range.
2. Be Natural – Yes, if you want your copy to contribute to your rankings, you’ll need to include keyphrases. But don’t assume you know how to write with keywords if you’ve never done it before. One of the biggest mistakes I see newbie writers make is using the keyphrase in the same way every time. To create SEO copy that sounds natural, you’ve got to get clever with your keyword use. Take the time to learn how to write with keywords before you attempt to produce SEO copy.
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3. Have a Plan – Don’t just put fingers to keyboard. Stop and consider what information is important to your visitors (which may or may not be the same as what is important to you). Think about the flow of the page: don’t just leap from topic to topic. Have a cohesive message that is easy to understand. Make sure that – either directly or indirectly – the visitors know precisely what to do after reading your copy (order, click to a new page, subscribe, contact you, etc.)
4. Differentiate Yourself – This is the #1 piece of advice I can give anyone who wants to write good copy: SEO or not. You have to make it easy for customers to choose you. Of all the other options your site visitors have, why should they pick your company to buy from?
5. Offer Proof of Performance – It’s no longer enough to tell a visitor, “We’re #1.” You have to show definitive proof that you’re worthy of your customers’ business. With all the hype online… with all the phony reviews… people are more skeptical than ever. They want proof, not fluff.
6. Learn Before You Burn – If you’ve never written online copy before, take time to learn before you make your first effort. This may mean visiting search engine optimization forums and reading posts by the moderators and other trusted posters. It may mean taking a copywriting course specific to search engine copywriting. There’s a lot involved in writing copy that’s designed to highlight benefits and persuade others to take a particular action. Doing it yourself without getting an education first might result in a crash and burn.
That should at least give you a little something think about as you create your copywriting strategy.
Already know how to write copy, but need help with keywords? Get Karon’s ebook Writing With Keywords today at http://www.writingwithkeywords.com.
