SEO Copywriter Blog 2010
Latest entry 11 August 2010
The cost of not using a professional copywriter
Time after time, I see and hear of companies spending thousands on a new website design. And nothing or next to nothing on the content.
The design is the shell; the content is the meat. Without proper content, you're just left with a beautiful but empty shell.
Often, a company will simply write the copy themselves, believing they will save money.
However, this means that whoever writes the copy will not be able to spend that time concentrating on their core responsibilities and using their main talents.
It also almost certainly means that the copy will be badly optimised. Because of this, almost no-one will find the website. What will that cost in terms of potential lost sales?
So the company then pays an SEO outfit month-in month-out to start promoting their site. Or starts a Google Adwords campaign - expensive and only partially effective.
Until finally some potential customers reach the site. Only to be put off by badly-written copy.
It all adds up to a very, very expensive saving.
Latest entry 30 June 2010
SEOmoz survey
Every two years,SEOmoz carries out a survey of top search engine optimisation professionals to find out what, in their opinion, are the most important factors in a sites' ranking popularity.
Google and other search engines have over two hundred (some say over three hundred) factors which they build in to their algorithm to determine just where a page will rank for any given search.
It's long been known that the most important factors are the content of a site and the number and quality of links back to it. Their latest survey of 72 search professionals confirms this.
What are the main findings?
- Keyword use in the title tag, particularly towards the beginning. If you can get it in your domain name even better. (Sadly all the obvious terms like 'freelance copywriter' and so on had all been taken by the time I got my site and was looking for a name.)
- Substantial, unique content on the page. This was very important. Freshness of page addition was important too. Links pointing to other pagws on the same website were seen as quite important.
- Keyword-specific anchor text from outside sites. So if I'm writing free articles for republishing, for instance, my links back may look like this: Freelance copywriter in London
- As for the links themselves, a good number, a good variety and a good page rank (i.e. themsleves with plenty of links) were very important. Also the relevance of the sites linking back to you.
- A well-designed, easily navigable site was seen as importnat.
- Social media was not seen as important (yet?)
- Geographical factors were of some importance. For instance, a .co.uk site is likely to not rank highly for a US search.
Conclusion? While links are very important, as always, choice of and correct use of keywords is absolutely vital. If you're not using a professional SEO copywriter (as opposed to someone who just adds content) you're likely shooting yourself in the foot.
Latest entry 8 May 2010
Google results updated
I've just updated my Google results for copy optimised sites page
A few results have slipped slightly, but many more have actually increased their rankings. Which is especially pleasing given that competition is rising all the time.
Once again, it shows that SEO copywriting can make a big difference to your rankings, traffic levels and resultant new customers. To find out more, just contact me
Latest entry 21 April 2010
Should I copy optimise for Bing and Yahoo as well as Google?
This is an interesting question which I sometimes get asked. The short answer is to copy optimise for Google and the rest will follow naturally.
Google has around 90% of the UK search market, so is by far the most important. There are differences between the Google algorithm and that of the other main seach engines, but in general, if you concentrate on getting the keywords and the copy right, regularly updating the content, and getting some relevant links back, you're going to be pretty good to go with all the search engines.
Latest entry April 2010
Google results updated
I've just updated my Google results for copy optimised sites page
SEO copywriting can make a big difference to your rankings - and by extension traffic and customer conversions. Why not find out more - just contact me
March 2010
The importance of first page rankings
It's generally accepted that most people just look at the first page of results when searching for something. What's less well known is that this trend is becoming more pronounced. According to a Prospect survey not so long ago, the number of users looking no further than the first page of results was 62% - up from 48% for years previously. Only 10% clicked on listings from beyond the third page, down from 19% for years before.
So either results are becoming more accurate in terms of giving people what they want, or we're becoming more impatient; probably a bit of both.
Either way, using the right freelance copywriter for SEO copywriting your website has never been more important.
January 2010
Recent Google results
Well, I guess I was tempting fate with my previous entry. The number one spot was only for a few days. I now seem to have settled around the two to three position for both terms - slightly better for 'freelance copywriter', slightly worse for 'freelance copywriting'. Other keywords have held up well and even improved their position.
I've also updated my Google results for copy optimised sites page
Again, on an overall positioning, one or two have slipped slightly, most have held their places, and more than a few have actually improved their rankings, which is pleasing.
It just goes to show that getting the content right is the single most important factor in determining its search engine rankings. So if you'd like your site to do well in the search engines, just contact me