About Me
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Website content is a tricky beast. As a DIY webmaster, you
probably feel overwhelmed and don’t always know which way to turn. Everyone has
a solution and everyone wants you to hire them to fix it. The rules change from
time to time, but there are some that have not changed. If you get the basics
right, you can rest assured that your website content will help you attract
traffic, get visitors to stick around, and hopefully lead to repeat visits and
sales!
So what is the secret
formula?
Well, it’s really kind of an open secret for those who have
spent any time studying what goes into it. Here are some things that have stood
the test of time, and Googles zoo full of algorithm changes.
·
It has to be original. This is the biggest one,
I’ll explain more in a minute.
·
Informative content is best. Things that teach
make the best bait.
·
Avoid sales speak. People love to buy, but they
hate to be “sold”.
·
Stay Connected. Both inbound and outbound links
are important.
·
Keept it fresh. For best results, you should
have a steady flow of new content!
So, there are the basics, let’s take a look at each of these
individually. I’m going to give you some questions to ask about your current
content, and offer some tips on how to achieve these five things.
Not every piece will
fit all five, but the more, the better. These five have consistently been true
since content marketing began and are likely to stay true, even with changes to
search engines and evolving marketing techniques, this is why I selected them.
1. Orginal content is essential!
At the very tip top of the cardinal sins on any search
engine, social platform and article posting strategy is the idea that your
content has to be original! So, what does this mean, after all, there is so
much content floating around today that coming up with wholly new ideas is
virtually impossible, isn’t it?
Well, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but you might
want to reword your patent application for it! In other words, you can borrow
all you want, but you have to make it your own. It takes more than a little
“spin” to make content original. Most of
the ideas out there are repeated, over and over again, so your job is to find
new language to express those ideas in!
·
Try to mix it up. Do not copy any text and paste
it in directly! Write new text.
·
When borrowing, try to add a new twist. You
might borrow 7 of one top ten and three from another. Remember though, fresh
text!
·
If you get stuck, someone like me can help! When
I first started out I would write multiple articles on the same exact title, on
the same day, on the same platform and never once got dinged for plagiarism!
(literally, over two years, more than a hundred articles on hanging doors
alone)
So, why is this
important?
Two main reasons:
First, the search engines will not list a page that is identical or even too
similar to other content! Second, people will notice and original content gets
shared, commented on and linked to more than the same old stuff.
So, how do you know
if your current content is doing this?
·
Use a tool like Copyscape to check your content.
It will compare it across the web to find identical content.
·
Search around and find out what others in your
“space” are saying. If they are all saying the same thing, choose another
route!
·
Have you heard this before? If so, is it the
only way of sharing your service or product? The answer is almost never yes.
Find that other way and use it!
2. Informative content is best!
Whatever business you are in, you are in the business of
giving your clients what they want! A big part of this is the feeling of
knowing something that others don’t! Through the use of white papers and case
studies, you can present your products and services in such a way that the
client learns about your industry, while being subtly helped to see that you provide
the best solutions!
Ask yourself this
question. If you were interested in topics surrounding your product or service,
would you find your website helpful and informative? Do you think your website
really teaches people what they need to know to become informed customers? If
not, why not? What can you do better?
·
Give away as much information as you can,
without divulging trade secrets, or training your competition.
·
Those who will buy from you or hire you will
feel they trust you through your informative content. Those that will not will
have learned what they need to know and would likely share the source with
others looking for the same information.
·
Informative content builds authority for your
site, a huge component of page ranking in search engines. It also attracts
traffic that would not otherwise find you based solely on product and service
descriptions.
Do your research. This includes keywords, as well as
conversations within your niche on such places as forums and fan sites, etc.
Don’t assume you know what your client’s want to know. You know what you want
them to know, but this is often not the same thing. Sometimes just changing one
piece of your vocabulary, using “garden” instead of “yard” for example, can
make all the difference in the world as to how many people will find your
content.
3. Avoid sales copy content!
Unless you are specifically writing a long form sales letter
site, which may be the case, avoid direct selling language. Save this for your
call to action. Your general content should be readable, whether the person
buys or not.
Think about it, you’ve
had the experience of shopping for a house, car, or insurance policy. Think of
that feeling of dread that comes up. Are you giving your website visitors that
same feeling? No one likes to feel like they have just undergone a visual
credit check the moment they walk in the door.
·
Lead with information, make your writing
engaging and entertaining. Write as if this were the attraction.
·
Explain the benefits to your potential client,
then offer them more information. A well laid out content plan creates an
irresistible sales funnel that doesn’t really feel like one.
·
Get your readers to agree with you. To do this,
you have to make understand that you get what they need, you understand their challenge,
you “feel their pain” and you have a cure!
If you can lead a reader through multiple layers of content
offering the sale at each level, it is the same as getting yeses from a direct
sales conversation. The more a person agrees with you, the easier it is to get
them to buy when the time comes. Make it genuine. Ask for the sale, but ask for
it by offering it as a solution. Problem solved.
4. Keep your content connected to the web!
It’s hard to sell anything online in isolation. If you do it
carefully, you can use other’s content to confirm your own and help convince
the reader that you have the best solution. The best type of links are
incoming. When you get them, they are worth their weight in gold. Second to
this is an outbound link. Search engines love them, they make you look good (if
you choose the right ones) and they add interest and information.
The internet is a big
place! You need friends and through links you can build a kind of
“neighborhood” with each piece of content. It is hard to get good inbound links
for salesy copy, though, keep this in mind. Think of the type of content you
would like to share with your readers and write that!
·
There are a lot of good strategies for getting
inbound links to your site. The best strategy is to produce valuable content
that others want to share.
·
Choose outbound links carefully. Avoid
competitors and read carefully to be sure what you are sharing doesn’t undo
what you are working to accomplish with your own content.
·
Outbound links not only look good to search
engines, but can turn into inbound links. When you link to someone, they are
likely to investigate and may return the favor!
Referrals are some of the best and most qualified leads you
can get. Through links, you don’t just get traffic, you get traffic that came
from a recommendation. That is a very valuable thing. Since the best way to get
something from others, is to give it yourself, start there by building some
great outbound links to high quality content.
5. Keep your content fresh!
Sites that have static content are invisible to search
engines. If your site has been indexed previously, a search engine reading it
again is likely to discount you for not having kept it up to date. Whether it’s
right, or not, new content is considered better content.
Start a blog, or add
articles to your site on a regular basis, then ping the search engines for
indexing of new pages. Blogs are one of the easiest ways to achieve this. Many
webmasters think social media can provide this, since it changes
regularly. Social media is great, but,
since it is not inside your site, it does little to build SEO for your site. It
provides a great way to push traffic, but it cannot attract it from inside.
·
Content should be added to on a regular basis.
Most best practice articles are recommending multiple times a week, or even
daily.
·
Blogs are the best way to add new pages. They
are fast and simple and offer a lot of built in formatting and multi-media
options.
·
In addition to adding content, find ways to
autoshare posted content. This will go a long way toward building backlinks. I
suggest a website called IFTTT.com
If you follow all five of these guidelines, it will not
likely skyrocket your traffic overnight, or maybe ever. But, what it will do is
provide targeted, meaningful visitors, whose numbers will grow over time if you
are dedicated and don’t give up.
This may seem like a big job, and it is. But, you can do it.
But, just in case you can’t, contact me and I will be glad to give you some
pricing on getting things up and running for you.
Yeah, I know, it sounds like an ad for one of those online courses I am always warning you against. But, I'm not selling anything, at least not yet, well, unless you count my writing guide, which is selling like crazy.
http://payhip.com/b/YDF2
So, here is step one of the traffic system. You need to create multiple Gmail accounts, don't worry, it's perfectly legit. Call them whatever you want. It takes a bit of learning to keep them separate from your original, but once you have it, you also have access to a G+ account, and a blogger account, among others.
Once these are set up, a site called IFTTT.com will help you with the rest. They have over 60 different channels that can share links to your blog, sales page, Youtube videos, or other URL. For each Gmail, you set up a series of accounts, across these social platforms.
Then, share the RSS feed of your page into the various accounts. It's as easy as that. Once they are set up, each of these IFTTT "networks" can share your posts up to 20 times, or more! That means with three surrogate Gmails, you could be creating 60 backlinks to every piece you post. It's like gold.
I'll keep you posted as to how well it works for me!
http://payhip.com/b/YDF2
So, here is step one of the traffic system. You need to create multiple Gmail accounts, don't worry, it's perfectly legit. Call them whatever you want. It takes a bit of learning to keep them separate from your original, but once you have it, you also have access to a G+ account, and a blogger account, among others.
Once these are set up, a site called IFTTT.com will help you with the rest. They have over 60 different channels that can share links to your blog, sales page, Youtube videos, or other URL. For each Gmail, you set up a series of accounts, across these social platforms.
Then, share the RSS feed of your page into the various accounts. It's as easy as that. Once they are set up, each of these IFTTT "networks" can share your posts up to 20 times, or more! That means with three surrogate Gmails, you could be creating 60 backlinks to every piece you post. It's like gold.
I'll keep you posted as to how well it works for me!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Test post test post test post
I can't wait to share the details with all of you, but for now, I am just going to give you a little preview. Are you ready? The whole thing takes a lot of setup, but once it's in place, it works automatically to create over 60 backlinks to every single blog post!
I know, amazing right? SO, I am not quite ready to share the entire recipe yet, but let me give you the ingredients list.
I know, amazing right? SO, I am not quite ready to share the entire recipe yet, but let me give you the ingredients list.
- Blog posts go into IFTTT
- RSS feed gets fed to three other feeder sites, owned by friends. It will help them keep lots of great content, and help you out too.
- IFTTT sends the RSS feeds to the three sites, then out to 20 different bookmarking and social sites. VOILA! Over 60 instant, high quality backlinks from every single post you publish, and it's all WHITE HAT!
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
“Writing is a solitary job--that is, no one can help you with it, but there's nothing lonely about it. I have always been too busy, too immersed in what I was doing, either mad at it or laughing at it to have time to wonder whether I was lonely or not lonely. It's simply solitary. I think there is a difference between loneliness and solitude.”
― William Faulkner
When you write, it is almost always alone. You may be bodily
sharing space with other human beings,
but locked inside your own mind is where the magic happens. This can be
tough for some people. It may feel lonely. I get that sometimes. Not when I am
actually producing, as Faulkner points out, but more between projects, or just
on those days when the words have to be dragged out, instead of flowing easily.
If this is you, there are things you can do to build a “team”
of sorts, even in the solitary business of freelancing. There are others out
there who also need someone to share their journey with, and they will be happy
to come along for the ride, just be sure you are willing to provide value to
them in exchange for their company.
Find an Editor
This may be a professional, if you are at that stage in your
career, but it doesn't have to be. You may want someone to read every single
post you write, or you may only need them for the “important” stuff that you
are unsure of, or feel could have an impact.
Here are some qualities to look for in an editor.
•
Give honest feedback, you need someone with an
opinion, who “gets” you
•
Excellent grammar skills. I need a comma Nazi
personally, and I am looking for someone
•
Understands writing well enough to not just point
out weaknesses, but suggest improvements
If you are paying this person, be sure you have the resources
to pay their standard rate. Don't ask people to work at a discount, or for free
until you have enough success to pay later, that may never happen.
Start a Support Group
You can find, or start a writer's, or creative workers
support group. Look on Craigslist in your area, or check out Meetups to find
likely groups to be part of, or to put out the word for your own group. You can
share your writing, talk about technique, and encourage each other.
Here are some things to keep in mind when starting, or
contributing to a group.
•
Commit. If you say you are going to be there, be
there. Others will count on you as much as you do them.
•
Contribute. You probably looked for a group
because you wanted people to share with, now is not the time be shy. Be an
active part of the group.
•
Honor other's boundaries and set your own. There
are some things that are better not shared with a group.
This can be a huge source of support and creative
inspiration, if you work it. Make sure you don't get involved, unless you are
really willing to be a part of a group. I cannot stress this enough. Think of
what you would want from group member and be willing to give it before joining
up.
Work Outside the House
You may need the privacy of your mind, but in many cases, you
can still get out and work around other people from time to time. Laptops are
easily portable and most coffee shops have wi-fi. Or, if you are like me, choose
one that doesn't so you won't be distracted.
There are also places that offer common work space on certain
days of the week for freelancers. Again, Craigslist and Meetup might be good
sources for local information.
•
Choose a place that has an environment that
works for you. Don't expect other people to change their habits to suit you.
•
If you are going to a business, such as a cafe,
or coffee shop, buy something. They are used to people taking tables for long
periods, but not for free, that is rude.
•
If all else fails, most public libraries have
desks for writing, and lots of research materials at your fingertips.
It is important to stay in touch with the outside world.
After all, you are expecting them to read and love your work, and knowing who
“they” are can't hurt. New experiences are also necessary to fil up your own
inspiration, so go for it!
Take Time Off on Purpose
It's easy to think that the more time you spend writing, the
more success you will have, and this is
true, up to a point. But, unless you intend to be a hermit, remember
that you probably wanted to do this job, at least in part, to have freedom for
other things.
You need to intentionally develop outside interests, so that
home does not become so comfortable that you develop an unhealthy attachment to
it.
•
Start a hobby, especially one that involves
other people. Join a sports team, or a club of some sort.
•
Get a part time job working with people. It will
give your brain a break, and put a little additional money in your pocket that
is not dependent on writing. I build things for people.
•
Go to church, or synagogue, or whatever works
for you. Seeking out others who share your spiritual beliefs can be a strong
factor in staying content.
Try a few of these things, or share your own in the comments
below. We can all use ways to stay connected. It is good for us, it is good for
our art, and we have a lot of great stuff to contribute to the world at large.
You know you're smart and have great ideas, so don't deprive the world of your genius.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)