photo credit: kevinmarsh
After you’re done reading this post, you’ll understand the importance of copy and and persuasion thinking, both on your website, and off. You should also recognize that there are many variables that can and will imply specific user actions externally, and on your page – from the brand itself, usability, navigation, page layouts, offer, pricing, site design, shopping process, the competition and more. Start with the basics though, get your copy down tight. Using a simple guide – AIDAS can help you. (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action and Satisfaction).
A robust SEO strategy uses multiple ways to drive traffic to your web site. Relying on keywords for search engines to find your web site organically (your first step), is a must – and, optimizing a web site or page relies on understanding the relationship between effective copy and how it is presented – both on the page (what the viewer sees) and what’s in the code (what the search engine sees). Fast loading pages is another potential “signal” now used by Google.
The key to writing effective copy and driving traffic, repeat visitors for SEO is creating content that is both relevant and value-driven. Relevance refers to matching what viewers are looking for to what you have to offer. This is accomplished by implementing keywords in the title of each web page, variations in the URL, Metadata, page description, and image and video descriptions, if it’s included – and we suggest you do. YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine, and it’s a straightforward process to add an “embedded” video on your page.
Additionally, keywords in the content need to be placed in prominent positions, early on the page, such as in titles of pages, subtitles, and within leading sentences of paragraphs. This not only helps determine relevancy, but also can structure the content into a more organized and presentable format for users and search engines.
Value-driven content focuses on the legacy of the copy, which will determine how useful and re-usable the copy is for readers. Part of that is formatting the copy into shorter paragraphs, structuring the content with bullet points and sub-headings, using active and not passive words, and providing descriptions for graphics, charts, and other multimedia. This is also where structure influences SEO, as creating easy-to-follow content adds value to your site and can help promote traffic to other pages within your site.
In order to effectively provide value, you should structure links to other pages within your site and organize them in a way that is easily accessible and readable. Adding links within your copy makes it easier for readers to go from one page to the next and acts as an open door to the other areas of your web site. Getting quality and slowly built merit-based citations will add tremendous value, and over time. Search engines make adjustments all the time, and Google allegedly, daily.
Don’t simply add directories, for example, but use a combination of press releases, blogs (don’t just mass-comment), articles, syndication of custom content (to partners), email marketing, ad swaps and social media platforms (no spamming).
Think about where the user is coming from, and what their mindset is. You have different visitors coming to your site, from the ones who know what they are looking for, to those more in a “browse” mode, and do have a general interest, to those looking for something, not sure what they want, to the visitors with no interest at all. If you provide quality and consistency, these visitors will share content and link to you. Don’t miss this important point.
If performed diligently and accurately, the combination of these factors will create an effective SEO strategy that will result in increased traffic levels to your site.
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