How to Write Blogs that Increase Your SEO

One of the main reasons most organizations maintain a regular blog is to improve their organic search engine optimization (SEO.)

Blogging helps improve SEO in many ways.

• It helps create more pages linked to your website, making your website's "web" larger and therefore more likely for people to be found in search engine results.

• It means content related to specific subject matter will be tethered to your website in search engine results. (Ex. Shoe company writes about sneaker trends.)

• It improves your Google quality score, which is part of how it decides which pages rank higher than others in search results.

And these are just a few examples.

But for many people who are spending hours developing copy for their blog, they still feel like they're spinning their wheels. They don't know the ins and outs of SEO, and don't have hours to spend getting trained on it.

That's why today, we've got one helpful strategy that will help increase your SEO performance. It only adds a few minutes onto the process, and makes a big difference.

Here's how it works.

Step 1: Sign in to Google AdWords (create an account if you don't have one. It's free.)

Step 2: Go to the Keyword Planner tool.

Step 3: Click 'Search for a new keyword and ad group idea.'

Step 4: Type the subject of your blog post into the first box, and then click 'Get Ideas.'

Step 5: Click on the 'Keyword Ideas' tab and look at the results of different keyword phrases.

You want to find a phrase that's 2-5 words long, has 1,000 or more average monthly searches, and has low or medium competition.

Step 6: Once you've found your perfect keyword phrase, try to work it into your blog post naturally 3-5 times throughout the post. Don't force it or overload on the keyword, as that will actually harm your SEO (Google sees that as "keyword stuffing.")

Now, will this strategy make you the #1 result when you Google a certain keyword phrase? Probably not. But if you use this strategy over time and regularly produce quality posts, your SEO will improve.

Think about what phrases your audience might be searching if they were looking for a product or service you offer, and then see how you can create blog content around those topics, pain points, and questions.

Still don't have time to write SEO optimized blog content? We can help.

Copywriter, Help Me!

Copywriter: One who creates written content for the purpose of marketing.  I think it’s a fancy name for anyone who has to write on behalf of a business. It’s all working toward a sales conversion, right? So whether it’s for ads, social media, press releases—even your emails—it’s all part of your company voice.

But maybe you don’t feel that your copywriting skills are at their sharpest. That’s okay. It’s a learned skill. But that’s why today, I want to go over a few examples of copy before and after the magic wand of smart copywriting has done its trick. Let’s look at a few examples.

Too Jargon-y

Before:  Our B2B services offer custom business solutions that increase ROI, drive engagements, boost SEO, and make customer conversion easy via hundreds of hyper-connected sales team members. Tailored, strategic marketing plans will help you draw in traffic online and off-line to help you reach your full potential.

Does anyone have any idea what that actually means? Seriously. What is it they’re even trying to sell?

After:  Our goal is to help business owners reach new customers. How do we do that?

Our tailored marketing plans include services such as:

• Copywriting audits to help increase your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• Customer support and telemarketing services

• Social Media consulting and advertising plans

• Public Relations resources (press release creation, media kits, etc.)

How they’re different:

1. Structurally, the first one is a clump of words. The second breaks down the information so it’s easier to digest.

2. The first is full of jargon and meaningless words that don’t explain much of anything. The second is concise and highly descriptive about the business’s offerings in simple words.

Too Cold

Before:  Your business needs consulting services that help minimize risk, achieve measurable outcomes, and include pragmatic methodology to help determine which areas hold the largest opportunities for impactful spend optimization in defined time frames.

Again, what? And secondly, why is this copy telling me what I need? They don’t know me!

After:  At BlahBlah Consulting, our goal is to help business owners get the tools they need to be effective leaders. Our team has 75 years of combined experience in the business world that we’re ready to share with you.

Have a question? A five-minute phone call is free. Call xxx-xxx-xxxx.

How they’re different:

1. Option one has a very negative tone that speaks down to the reader. Rule of thumb: Never tell your customer what he/she needs. It’s too blunt. Option two is much more conversational and friendly.

2. The first example doesn’t have a call to action that provokes the reader to get in touch with the business. The second option does (and it’s free!)

Too Informal

Before:  If your biz needs custom printing, call OTP Screens!! Weve got lots of colors to choose from and fill your orders ~FAST~. T-shirts, banners, signs…we print everything and our prices wont be beat by other print shops in the area so remember us for your printing needs!!!

This is an English teacher’s nightmare. Run-ons, bad punctuation, abbreviated words…yikes.

After:  OTP Printing prides itself on quality printing at affordable prices. Whether it’s t-shirts, banners, or signs, we ensure quick turn-around and attention to detail.

Have a project in mind? Get a free quote.

How they’re different:

1. Option two improves spelling and makes copy more polished and professional.

2. The clear call to action in option two makes it easy for the customer to understand what they need to do first.

When it comes to being a better copywriter, the bottom line is: keep it simple, don’t speak over people’s heads, and be clear about your offerings and how they can be attained. Words are powerful tools—use them to your advantage!

Copywriting for Social Media

You might have looked at the title of this post and thought, “Really? Writing for social media is not hard. Can we even call it copywriting?” Trust me, I asked myself the same question. I hear you.

But so many people make errors that would, to some, seem like common sense when it comes to best practices in writing for social media. So today, we’re going to go over some of those mistakes and give a few tips on copywriting for social media that can help you look more professional and add ethos to your writing.

1.  TURN OFF CAPS LOCK

It’s common knowledge that using caps lock in writing is the same as screaming at the reader. Plus, it can be difficult to read and might create a sense of anxiety. We don’t want that. Instead, save caps lock for a single word you want to stand out.

Example: We need volunteers for the food drive we’re hosting TODAY.

2.  Use proper punctuation

Posts that include squiggles, lots of exclamation points and question marks at the end, or end in ellipses communicate a certain level of informality that you don’t really want associated with your business. You still want to appear professional, so stick with what your English teacher taught you.

Example:

A)  Join us today for the ~special~ tomato soup and grilled cheese!!!!!!!!!!

B)  Today’s special is the perfect fall combo: Tomato soup and grilled cheese!

3.  Keep it short

Twitter limits your characters, but that doesn’t mean Facebook is a place for a novel. Keep your captions and status updates to 2-3 sentences. If you need to share something in longer form, turn to your blog and give a ‘read more’ link when you post about it on Facebook.

4.  Caption your photo album images

Think of your photo album images as a way to give a guided tour to your viewer. You can introduce people in photos, narrate what’s happening in the images, and help people get a better understanding of why these images were so important you wanted to share them.

5.  Think about your content & put your words to work

So often I see pages that only post their daily specials or sale events. No photos, no descriptive words, just a piece of information they’re putting out there as fact. These posts can be easily enhanced with a bit of copywriting jazz hands. Yes, jazz hands.

Example:

A)  Today only- 50% off all pillows in the store!

B)  Pillows make a huge statement in any room that needs a little change. That’s why we want you to come by today for 50% off all pillows! See what a difference something small can make? (Include store image of pillows on display)

We are all copywriters. Even on social media. Words are powerful tools—so put them to work! Be mindful of how you’re presenting your brand through your copywriting for social media. Or, if you want a little help, get in touch with us!