Tips for writing effective SEO content

Posted on 09. Feb, 2010 by in Content Marketing, Content Writing, Creativity Tips, Internet Marketing, Keyword Research, Landing Pages, SEO Copywriting, Testimonials, Writing EBooks

SEO helps your website to rank higher. But, your website is the ultimate destination of the online visitor. If the content given in your website fails to appeal then going away from your website is just a click away. Therefore, the success and failure of your website ultimately depends on its content.

No matter how many links you have, how effective your keywords are or how much traffic your website is getting, as long as the content is not relevant, your website loses the purpose of its existence. No visitor will be motivated to avail your product or service as your website is the reflection of your brand. This has long been the biggest blunder most website owners and SEO professionals had been making. But, the importance of quality content has been recognized and content forms the most important factor of on-page optimization. Therefore, most SEO companies appoint professional content writers for optimization of a website.

If your content is not seen according to the code by the search engines then your website is virtually invisible for a search engine. This means neither will your website be indexed by a search engine nor will it be ranked.

Also, the content should be informative, relevant and reader friendly. Content writing is that form of writing where a sophisticated form of writing is generally going to drive traffic away from your website. So, it has to be simple yet helpful for a reader. It should be easy to understand and even search engine crawlers prefer a simple form of content. It should necessarily be precise and usage of complicated words should be avoided.

Keywords play a vital role in effective SEO content writing. The content has to be so developed that it is keyword oriented for successful SEO. The keyword frequency should also be carefully measured and used. Other factors such as Meta title and Meta descriptions also have to be kept in consideration while writing web content.

The content should be fresh and keeping in view of all the norms of all the major search engines. This facilitates in obtaining a good search engine rank for the website.

Good and relevant content also attracts more links to your website. This will boost traffic for the website and thus increasing the chances of better sales. More links also mean better chances of a good search engine ranking and increased popularity of your website.

So, next time when you think SEO you know the importance of quality content on a website.

Why you are not a writer?

Posted on 07. Feb, 2010 by in Content Marketing

Many of you wonder, what makes this writer write these incredible thoughts so creatively (and secretly wish you could also do it). Guess what? You can.

Here are the biggest obstacles holding you back:

I’m not creative

You constantly hear people say that creativity is inborn and make yourself believe that you were probably not born with it. There you said it, that’s the biggest reason holding you back to be inspired and creative. There sure are people who are lucky to be born with a talent but not everyone. It is also about inculcating your hidden talent and skills. That might as well make you better than the best. Creativity is the ladder to your inner self expression and once that one step is taken, there’s no stopping you.

Frankly, the biggest inspiration for you should be a blank piece of paper. There is practically no person who does not have thoughts to be shared on the paper. But, it is only a few courageous people who put those thoughts in words. Moreover, how many people can boast of having a career out of expressing what they feel with the minimum possible equipment of a pen and a paper? You could be one of the lucky few.

Lack of time

Another excuse we constantly hear from people is the lack of time. Writing what you want to express can be done in the least possible time as well. Moreover, it is not the lack of time that restricts you it is the inner motivation. You are only convincing yourself by blaming it on time. So, you want to really write, you’ll find the time.

Yet, if there is a thought you want to put in words but you are currently caught up in work or something else, just jot down the main points you want to convey. This will really help when you actually sit down to write.

Fear of being wrong/ fear to experiment

Lastly, the biggest reason holding back various potential writers out there is fear, the fear of being wrong, of being misunderstood or even worse, the fear of being boring. The fact that you choose to ignore is that not every great writer became famous with his very first piece of writing. It may take you day, months or years to explore yourself and your thoughts properly.

Also, it is the comparison and competition of your pervious pieces of writing with your present work which will make you the writer you want to be.

So overtake these barriers, hold the pen and get going on the journey of self discovery.

How to write, rewrite and edit your article?

Posted on 06. Feb, 2010 by in Content Marketing

The first draft of our piece of writing is always from the heart. The second draft is from the mind and final version is from the reader’s point of view. If you are a writer, it is understood that you will always have a soft corner for your words (especially if you just finished writing them). So if you are told to delete or change them by someone else, it hurts.

The moment our copy is created we love it. But, as it gets old we find various flaws in it and wonder how we ignored them when we wrote it. The simple logic is that we as writers evolve every day. Therefore, our current copy has to be better than the previous one. The main problem being a writer is that we are our own critics.

Understanding your dilemma, here’s how you can create a copy which will never let you down in future:

Once the first draft has been created analyze if deleting the first paragraph will affect the rest of the article. This is a novelists’ approach towards writing. The reason behind this is that it takes us a few words before definitely knowing what we want to write. We may have a topic and an approach towards it in the beginning but many a times as we write we probably find a better perspective. This method is to check this philosophy. If you think that even without the first paragraph or two the article remains the same or gets better you know what to do. This fact is mostly true if you had to slightly or totally change the topic of the article after finishing it.

Many of us use our certain favorite words repeatedly where they are usually not required. Words like ‘really’ and ‘actually’ are often used out of habit rather than necessity. Deleting these words is the best way to cut the clutter from your article.

Keep it simple and minimize or totally delete the decorative words that exaggerate like ‘remarkably neat’. Remember, it’s the thought that should appeal rather than a word.

At the same time a simple word like ‘good’ as in ‘she looked really very good’ can be replaced with ‘she looked mesmerizing’. This helps you open the horizons of your vocabulary, creates a dramatic effect and makes it precise.

Once you learn how to cut or change the words you wrote accurately, you will still love them, only this time more than the first draft of your article.

Role of content in SEO

Posted on 05. Feb, 2010 by in Content Marketing

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of getting noticed on the internet by improving the ranking of your website on a search engine. Each SEO company and professional has a different set of preferences as SEO factors. But, one factor that everyone considers very important in the process of SEO is the content.

If the content of a website is powerful and appealing to the reader then it means that more than half of the work of a good search engine placement is done.

Keyword distribution and quality content

Many SEO content writers wrongly believe that placement of the keyword in the beginning and the end of the copy is sufficient. But, the keywords should be equally distributed throughout the copy in an appropriate manner.

Good content in terms of SEO relates to a balance in a copy between relevant distribution of keywords along with quality and informative content which interests the readers. Creating content exclusively for the purpose of SEO is negative in character. This means that even if there is regular traffic at your website but if the content does not retain the reader’s attention then it ignores the purpose.

Facilitate in growth of business

The content of the website should be so created that not only should it drive traffic towards your website and hold the reader’s interest but also fulfill the purpose for which the website is created. This means that if the main purpose of your website is to increase sales of your product or subscribe to your newsletter then the content should be persuasive enough to convince the reader do so.

Keep it simple, precise and prominent

Many web site owners believe that inclusion of extensive and sophisticated content will provide it with an edge. Firstly, most people are hasty readers and if they see a detailed copy with big paragraphs, they will lose interest in your content. Secondly, an intellectual reader will understand a simple form of writing but an average reader will not understand a complex form of writing. Therefore, keep the language simple and precise. Also, make sure that the main points seem noticeable and grab the reader’s attention.

Effective way to write an article

Posted on 03. Feb, 2010 by in Content Marketing

If you get the facts and the process right, it usually does not take more than twenty minutes to write an article of 400-500 words. For people, who wonder if it’s possible, you are following the wrong pattern of writing your article. Once you have the topic, there is a whirlwind of ideas that flows in your mind. The main thing to do is to establish what you want to convey or the direction of your article.

The introductory paragraph should cover the few essentials namely: explanation of the topic, your viewpoint, an insight into the following article and a straightforward language. Excessive elaboration of the topic will turn off the curiosity factor in the reader. Adding a touch of informal language will help establish a connection with the common reader.

It is important that you roughly list out the vital topics that you want to include your article. That may even be in the form of writing on a paper, whatever you consider convenient. If you need facts to support the topic then it is best to look them up online or in a library rather than making up facts on your own. This ensures credibility. It is also important that you list the topics in decreasing order of their importance as it captures the interest of the reader in the first few lines. Also, in case if the word limit does not allow all the points to be covered then there is the assurance that the most significant points have already been covered.

As you explain each point, make sure you maintain a simple language. Few may understand remarkable forms of writing but almost everyone understands a simple form of writing.

Illustrate your thoughts in a clear and precise manner so that it does not leave the reader guessing after each line. Each line should make way for the next one. Make sure that you don’t leave a topic incomplete to write about it somewhere else in the article. A reader loses interest if a previous line from an earlier paragraph has to be referred to understand the current line.

Lastly, the ending paragraph or lines should be a brief summary of the above words. Emphasizing your viewpoint again in the end adds a hint of persuasion in the mind of the reader. Make sure the parting line does not seem incomplete and the article doesn’t end in an abrupt manner. Get these basics right and fall in love with writing all over again.