Tips for Search Engine Marketing
Do economic pressures and a pinched budget have you contemplating writing or editing your own website content for SEO? Our company is helping a lot of people who came to us for Search Engine Marketing services after having spent considerable time, effort and money getting poor results—either by attempting to do it themselves, or by using someone with a related but non-specific skill set (such as their web designer).
When it comes to writing content (or copy) for your website to strengthen your online presence, and ultimately your sales, I strongly encourage you to invest in a professional copywriter with solid SEO experience. The potential long-term benefits of good SEO copy makes it too important to skimp on. Here are some of the tasks a professional will accomplish for you:
Increase website visibility: By the skillful use of keywords, links, social media and other (often proprietary) SEO techniques. A reputable SEO firm can boost your online presence and move your website up the search engine rankings, but be very careful! There are a lot of self-proclaimed “SEO firms” and “SEO gurus” out there selling snake oil. You can sort out the good, the bad and the ugly by reading, How to Choose a Valid SEO Firm, at www.incytemarketing.com/blackhat.
Write great copy that grabs attention, engages and converts visitors to sales. This is where style, tone and writing technique are crucial. It takes specialized knowledge and artful skill to write engaging content that keeps visitors on your site while weaving in effective keywords and links without compromising copy readability and flow. Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger, says that using the right words in the right way will help consistently convert visitors to buyers and determine “how well you rank in search engines and how much traffic you get.” Simply stuffing your pages with SEO keywords can make content awkward and repulsive and it can backfire in another way—Google may penalize your site if it determines you are playing the system.
Keep your online content fresh. According to a September 21, 2011 article, Is Branded Journalism Still Journalism? on www.socialtimes.com, “The static corporate website is quickly becoming obsolete, and many smart businesses owners have realized the importance of [frequently]generating relevant, community-focused content to keep their brand top of mind.” Your SEO copywriter should be keeping up with the most relevant topics, keywords and links that will help you progressively grow your online presence.
A retainer arrangement for ongoing services is usually recommended for sustained, long-term results. Here’s some of what you should expect from a reasonable and efficient retainer:
Every few days: Write new content for your social media that is likely to spark conversations, sharing and sales (minimum of two hours a month). Visit our website and blog at www.incytemarketing.com for social media marketing tips.
Weekly: Compose keyword-rich content for your blog and e-newsletters (minimum of four hours a month).
Monthly: Compose keyword-rich articles, white papers and media releases for you—yes, media releases can boost your SEO (Minimum of two hours a month).
Quarterly: Re-vamp your website content so it stays interesting, relevant and search engine-friendly (about four to ten hours a quarter, depending on the size of your site).
All of these tasks will strengthen your search engine presence and provide interesting, educational and relevant information to increase your customer base and keep them coming back. Considering the important benefits professional SEO copywriting offers your business, it’s well worth the investment to do it right!
Kelly Walker, M.S., is Partner and Brand Communications Director for Incyte Marketing. For more information: Kelly@incytemarketing.com www.incytemarketing.com www.facebook.com/incytemktg.
