Sarah Damron - Express Writers

How to Promote a Blog Post to Generate Traffic to It

February 6, 2025January 28, 2025 by Sarah Damron

Blogging is only half the battle. Promoting it is the other half. While blog posts are valuable for nurturing existing customers and reaching new ones to bring in more traffic, effective promotion is necessary for content to be noticed. The greatest challenge lies in discovering robust strategies that maximize reader engagement and boost your content’s visibility. If you’re unsure how to promote a new blog post, these tried and tested strategies effectively generate more traffic for brands. Email Marketing Email remains one of the best ways to communicate with your subscribers and potential customers, as well as promote your blog posts. A few tips when marketing content through email include: Teasing subscribers with snippets to pique their interest. Using eye-catching CTAs to encourage them to take action. Personalizing the email by including warm greetings and the subscriber’s name. Sending follow-up emails to remind them to check out the amazing content. When sending a teaser email, keep it simple. Short intros, non-distracting graphics, and a link to the blog post are more effective than lengthy content. Did you know you can also repurpose your blog post into emails? Split them into smaller topics for variety and link each topic to the original blog post. Marketing your blog post through email gives you direct access to subscribers via their inboxes. It’s also inexpensive, and the results are measurable by analyzing email opening rates and click-through rates. When using email marketing as a promotional strategy, let your readers choose a frequency for receiving mail that won’t overwhelm them. Also, segment your audience so that you promote your blog posts to the right audience and increase your chances of getting them read. Share on Social Media Platforms Social media platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram are great avenues for networking, microblogging, and media sharing. If you’re wondering how to share a blog post on social media, an effective approach is to share teaser points along with a link to the full article. You can also take advantage of WhatsApp Status, Facebook and Instagram Stories, and Twitter Threads that disappear after 24 hours. An effective way to use these status and stories features is to break down your blog post into key points and turn them into multiple statuses, then include a link in the last status. YouTube Stories, on the other hand, last longer. They disappear after 7 days, but they’re only available for channels with 10,000 subscribers. If you’re not eligible, promote your blog post through a short YouTube video and include the blog’s link. With social media sharing, you’ll enjoy increased visibility due to a large audience. It’s also cost-effective since sharing is free unless you’re using paid ads. You also get real-time feedback through comments, likes, and shares, and gradually build a community as readers interact with your post. When choosing a social media platform, consider which suits your audience’s demographics. For instance, Instagram is popular with Gen Z while Facebook caters mostly to Millenials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers. Share on Content Publishing Platforms Content publishing platforms allow you to create and publish longer content than is possible on social media. Popular ones include LinkedIn, Medium, Blogger, and WordPress. Platforms like LinkedIn and Medium, which have numerous users, have inbuilt audiences where your posts are recommended to users, helping you reach a wider audience. They also contain engagement metrics such as shares, comments, likes, number of views, and average time spent by readers on your articles. Other platforms like Substack can integrate with email to further promote your blog posts to your subscribers. WordPress has SEO optimization features to help your blog post generate traffic. These content publishing platforms are user-friendly, making them easy to use for non-tech persons. They reach a wide audience and encourage community engagement, and you can monetize your content through ads or sponsored posts. When choosing the best publishing platform, consider your audience. For instance, LinkedIn caters to professionals seeking B2B content while Medium has a broad readership. Get Help from Influencers Influencers have a significantly large fan base, and they also have the power to influence their fans to make certain decisions. With their wide reach, influencers can promote your brand’s blog posts to reach a wider audience and generate more traffic. Search your industry or niche to discover which influencers fit your needs. There are influencer search tools such as Upfluence and Promoty which make it easier to find them. When you find the right one, collaborate with them on ideas such as allowing them to take over your social media for a day, and helping you promote your content to your followers and the influencer’s followers. When seeking influencers to promote your brand’s blog posts, consider settling for ideas that benefit both you and the influencer. Therefore, your blog posts should be relevant to the influencer’s followers. Also, look out for influencers with a genuine connection to their audience and whether their previous collaborations with other brands were successful. Generate Backlinks to Your Blog Posts Links from other websites to your brand’s website are a signal to search engines that your content is credible enough to be referenced. That is a big boost to your visibility and has the potential to increase your website’s traffic. Here’s how to promote a new blog post by getting quality backlinks: Create valuable content that people want to link to as their point of reference, and ensure you also link to credible sources. Write for other reputable blogs (guest blogging) in your niche and include a link back to your website or a relevant article. Get on Quora, Reddit, and other Question and Answer sites. Answer questions expertly there so that when you leave a link readers will want to click on it. When using backlinks as a means of promoting your brand’s blog posts, remember to choose quality over quantity. A few quality links to and from reputable brands are better than many low-quality links that can harm your SEO. Promote Your Content Through … Read more

How Many Keywords Should I Use for SEO Without Being Penalized?

February 6, 2025January 21, 2025 by Sarah Damron

You probably know how essential keywords are to your website traffic. Keywords help search engines crawl your website and rank it highly, letting your website appear on the first page for search queries related to your website content. Considering this, it only sounds logical to stuff your content with as many keywords as possible. However, this goes against SEO best practices and may lead to your website being punished and ranking lower. This might sound counterintuitive, but there is a method to the madness. In this article, we help you understand the intricacies of keywords and how to avoid ending up on the second page or, worse, being removed from the search engine’s index. Understanding Keywords: What Are They? There is little to take away from the literal meaning behind the word “keyword.” It might be misleading to some. As the name suggests, a keyword is essential to website content. However, keywords can sometimes be “key phrases.” By definition, a keyword is a word or phrase that defines the topic of your content. In other words, a keyword is a word or phrase that users would use to find information in your content. For example, the keyword that might have brought you to this article would be “How many keywords should I use for SEO?” How Many Keywords Should You Use in SEO? When it comes to search engine optimization with keywords, how many are too many? There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution to how many keywords should be in any content. As a general rule of thumb, it is largely accepted that SEO keyword density should amount to between 1-2 percent of the total content word count. This translates to around five keywords for every 500 words. However, it is essential to remember that content quality trumps keyword density. Search engines prioritize the human experience, so keyword stuffing should be avoided. For highly technical articles, it may be impossible to try to avoid heavy keyword usage throughout the length of your content. This is because they may often be descriptive or integral in conveying the critical intent of your chosen topic. In such cases, as a marketer or website owner, you should focus on writing high-quality and engaging content that effectively answers the user’s search query. This will indicate to search engines that your content is relevant and consequently avoid hurting your ranking and visibility. How Many Keywords for SEO Count as Keyword Stuffing? Keyword stuffing is a practice that manipulates search engines into ranking content highly simply because it is chock-full of keywords. This black hat technique could lead to your website being punished. You might have encountered content that barely sounds logical while attempting to find an answer to your search query. “Are you looking for a home in NY that is more than a house in NY? Then this home in NY is just what you need.” The previous statements target the keyword “home in NY,” but they make no sense to the reader and are an excellent example of keyword stuffing. Consequently, keyword stuffing is less of a numbers game and more of a technique that prioritizes keywords over the user experience. The consequences of keyword stuffing are explored further in this article. Keyword Diversity: Exact Match vs. Variations Keywords funnel users to your website through search engine rankings. However, several keywords exist depending on their relationship to the search query. Exact match keywords match the search query verbatim. Exact match keywords appeal to search engines by signaling high relevance for a specific search query. One downside of exact-match keywords is that the user’s search query must match your keyword’s meaning, translating to a narrow reach (the very high relevance may offset this). On the other hand, variation keywords may retain the SEO keyword’s meaning with slight changes in article usage, contain similar phrases, or be closely related to the keyword. Variation keywords have the advantage of having a broader reach with a slight compromise on relevance. Keyword Diversity: Best Practices Exact-match and variation keywords have their shortcomings. Pairing both keyword types ensures your website content ranks highly without over-optimizing, which may contribute to keyword stuffing. Additionally, your content reads naturally, which helps with SEO and prevents your content from sounding generic, which may be off-putting to users. Keyword Semantics vs. Keyword Synonyms As you might have noticed, an SEO strategy is the safest way to ensure you stay on the right side of search engine rankings. Understanding the differences between keyword semantics and synonyms is crucial to drafting a winning strategy. So, what is the difference between the two? Keyword Semantics Keyword semantics are variations of the keyword that meet the user’s search query. Taking this article as an example, the keyword “how many words for SEO” can be replaced with keyword semantics such as “keyword density,” “keyword optimization,” or “keyword count.” In simple terms, keyword semantics target the same idea with different languages. Google and other search engines have extremely advanced algorithms that can identify keyword synonyms and semantics with pinpoint accuracy. These algorithms allow you to create high-ranking content for your website without risking keyword stuffing. Keyword Synonyms Keyword synonyms are SEO keywords with the same or nearly the same meaning as the search query or the target keyword. For this article, the keyword synonym of “SEO keywords” could be “SEO terms.” Keyword synonyms allow you to diversify your content and rank for multiple search queries without overusing a single keyword. Why Over-Optimizing Can Lead to Penalties Search engines crawl websites to determine their relevance to users when answering a search query. Consequently, they tend to prioritize user-friendly content while punishing any attempts at keyword stuffing. Google and other search engines use complex algorithms to determine keyword density and can pick out keyword stuffing by referencing keyword usage with other high-ranking content. Additionally, keyword stuffing tends to increase a website’s bounce rate and engagement, indicators that are picked up by search engines for low-quality content. Ultimately, this causes … Read more

Competitive Gap Analysis: What Is Your Competition Telling You?

February 6, 2025January 2, 2025 by Sarah Damron

You’ve planned and prepared and put in the work on your unique product. You’re aligned with customer needs. You’re on top of your game. Then… you’re knocked out by a competitor you didn’t even see coming. One of the universal business owner experiences is losing to the competition. Maybe they released a new product before yours was off the production line. Or they launched a stellar marketing campaign that won over some of your customers. The trailblazing tennis champion, Billie Jean King, once said, “For me, losing… isn’t failure, it’s research.” If you are losing to the competition, put down the tissues and voodoo dolls. And do some research instead. Use your losses to gain some competitive intelligence and refine your business strategies. Here are three words to give you a jump start — competitive gap analysis. What Is Competitive Gap Analysis? Most businesses conduct some form of strategic analysis. The most common practice is standard gap analysis. This process compares your business’s expectations to its results. It can help you close the gap between them. Competitive gap analysis expands on this tactic by factoring in competing businesses’ results as well. Analyses can center on many aspects. These include product design, business structure, advertising, and website performance. Based on your needs, competitive gap analyses can be broad or focused. Refining your analysis by focusing on either a content gap or a product gap can help you pinpoint your weak spots. A content-focused competitive gap analysis looks at competitors’ SEO advantages. In comparison, a product-focused analysis shines a spotlight on how a competitor meets their customer’s needs. Why Does It Matter to Your Business? The 2023 State of Competitive Intelligence Report found that over half of stakeholders said their industries are growing more competitive. They also said that competitive data is vital to their success. Competitive gap analysis is a key method in gathering competitive data. By examining competitors’ successful tactics — things like product, process, market share, marketing strategies, and customer experience — you can gain crucial insights into your industry and unlock opportunities to improve your performance. A competitive gap analysis can support key business tasks. Here are a few: Proactive Risk Mitigation: More data allows for more informed decisions. By assessing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, you gain crucial insights. This can help you plan for risks and divide resources better. Long-Term Strategic Planning: Comparing your performance to competitors shows your successes and areas to improve over time. Understanding your competition’s successes can help you build a better planning framework. Adaptation to Industry Changes: Studying other businesses in your industry helps to identify market shifts and stay ahead of changes. A competitive gap analysis can reveal opportunities like untapped demographics and unmet needs. It’s important to know what competitive gap analysis is and why it matters to your business. But, before you can do any competitive research, you must identify who to research. That is, you need to know your competition. Identifying Your Direct (and Indirect) Competition You can’t conquer an invisible monster. To win, you must know who you’re up against. Identifying your competition is the prerequisite to performing a competitive gap analysis. In the business world, there are two main types of competition — direct and indirect. Knowing the distinct types of competition can help you identify them in your market: Direct Competition: Direct competitors are businesses that target the same audience and sell comparable products and services. For example, if you run a local movie theater, your competitors are nearby theaters. Indirect Competition: Indirect competitors sell different products and services than you but serve the same customer needs. A prime example of a movie theater’s indirect competition is at-home streaming services. Other indoor venues, like bowling alleys and skating rinks, are also in indirect competition with movie theaters. A Google search with your business’s keywords will show top competitors. Use tools like Google Trends and SEMrush to discover who’s ranking for similar keywords. Studying social media influencers and trending topics in your industry can also help you target your competition. Understanding direct vs indirect competitors helps you tailor your analysis strategies to yield more deliberate results. Ensuring you gather data from both types of competition helps you finely hone your competitive edge and top the competition. 5 Steps to Performing Competitive Gap Analysis Gathering effective competitive intelligence requires a systematic approach. Here are five steps to help you get started. 1. Understand Your Customers’ Needs Using a competitor’s product as your only metric for what the customer wants will get you somewhere… But it’s like trying to decipher an entire cake recipe by eating one slice. You’ll get an idea of what’s needed, but it will be impossible to isolate specific details. Truly knowing what a customer needs will only come from one place. The customer. Talk to your customers and get their direct feedback. What do they like or dislike about your product/service? What do they think of your competitors? What would they most love to see from you? Offering surveys on your website and social media accounts or sending questionnaires to your virtual mailing list are excellent ways to collect this valuable data. 2. Gather Your Competitors’ Data You already understand the types of business competition and how to identify them from the previous section. Once you find a competitor, it’s time to start gathering intel on them. Focus on the following areas: Website and SEO Analysis: Evaluate their website design, user experience, and content strategy. Use tools like SEMrush or Google Analytics to assess organic search traffic, keyword rankings, and backlink profiles. Product Analysis: Pull product data from item description webpages and technical manuals. Study the company’s past sales trends and market share. Use the Statistics of U.S. Businesses website to find applicable information. Social Media Presence: Analyze their social media engagement, follower counts, and content strategies. Which posts generate the most engagement? Are they dominating any platforms? Customer Opinions: Explore reviews on platforms like Yelp, Google My Business, and social … Read more

7 Tips to Create Browsable Content for Web and Mobile Optimization

December 19, 2024 by Sarah Damron

There is a very high chance you are reading these posts on your smartphone. Smartphone usage is increasing, right along with smartphone capabilities. Phones have changed so much over the years. In your teens or young adulthood, you most likely only used cell phones to make calls, send text messages, and play the game Snake. Now, you have the entire internet at your fingertips. Because smartphones act as computers for many uses, users are no longer only restricted to using a computer for their daily browsing. After all, why haul around a heavy laptop when you can shop, game, and browse on a lightweight smartphone? Browsing content on mobile devices comes with its unique challenges. Is your content prepared for mobile optimization? We’ll walk you through seven tips on how to optimize your website for mobile readers by making it more browsable. How Is Mobile Usage Changing Content Marketing? A startling 95% of the U.S. own a smartphone. By 2025, an estimated 72% of internet users will be using smartphones to access the internet. That means three in every four website visitors may be logging on from their phones. Mobile optimization for this change can take many forms. You’ll first want to look over the technical aspects of your site. Make sure your site runs on both web browsers and smartphone browsers. A crucial part of optimizing for smartphones is keeping your images, video, and other media small so they don’t bog down mobile devices. You will also want to ensure your smartphone navigation is easy to use. Once you have your technical details ironed out, it’s time to dig deeper into your content on the device and how people interact with content on their smartphones. Think of the last time you read an article on a smartphone. While you may have sat down to read the article thoroughly, much of phone usage includes scrolling and quickly browsing. The user may not even have a specific end goal in mind. When you want to access something on the laptop, you must be intentional about the process. After all, laptops aren’t convenient to pull out anytime to check a quick fact. Those who use laptops do so with a specific purpose. However, phones are accessible at all times. Because of how often your smartphone visitors might visit your site to browse rather than sit down and digest content, you will want your content to be easily digestible for readers who want quick snippets on the go. What Are the Benefits of Browsable Content for Mobile Optimization? You don’t need to target serious readers ready to study your 2,000-word blog post to succeed. Mobile optimization through browsable content has several benefits. These benefits are not just for those reading on a smartphone but also for people browsing on their computer. Readers Can Find Information Easily What is one of the easiest books to navigate? I would argue it’s the dictionary or an encyclopedia. All the information is divided into chapters and in an organized manner. You can search by topic and first letter to find what you need to know. Browsable content has an organization that allows users to quickly identify what they need without spending hours scanning your copy, making your content convenient for smartphone users. You Can Keep Your Audience Engaged Longer There is a widely cited fact that people have an attention span of just 8.25 seconds. This may feel accurate with how short everything is becoming in the world. Ads are shortening, people speed up their videos (we all know you do it for those Loom videos!), and the use of short-form videos like TikTok is becoming more popular. There is even evidence that filmmakers are shortening their shots in movies to hold the viewer’s attention longer. However, how accurate is that information? Netflix’s data shows a different story, as people can spend hours watching a show. Social media usage also reflects how long people spend scrolling. That’s because how you engage with content will drastically alter your attention span. That’s why you might have no problem binge-watching your favorite show on TV but struggle to read a financial report from your CFO. When you create browsable content, you help connect with the reader and hold their attention longer. It’s a more engaging format, especially if paired with top-quality content. Your Content Is Easier to Digest Having small sections of content broken up is easier for people to process. It’s like reading a book broken up with chapters where you can focus on one topic at a time, helping you absorb the information in small increments rather than all at once. Because people who browse content on mobile devices can do so from anywhere, distractions may often exist around them. They aren’t just reading your content in a home office on their computer. They could be watching TV, on a lunch break, or riding the metro to work. Keeping your content easy to absorb makes reading more convenient in busy environments and on the go. You Can Rank for Snippets Browsable content helps with reading and improves your search engine ranking. Google is also catching on that more and more people prefer bite-sized nuggets of information. That’s why you will see a People Also Ask section, and now Google offers an AI Overview. Both items pull snippets of information from online content so readers can find quick answers. When you create quick answers for your readers, Google can use those short, easy-to-digest answers in their snippets, improving your search engine ranking alongside your readability. 7 Mobile Optimization Tips to Create Browsable Content If you want the benefits of browsable content, use these seven tips to optimize your blogs for mobile and web browsing. 1. Add Frequent Headings Headings will be your best friend for browsable content. They are like your chapter headings that tell people what they can find in each section. Break up your content with frequent headings to make finding exact information easy. They can … Read more

What Is Brand Consistency and Why Is It Important for Content Marketing?

December 12, 2024 by Sarah Damron

When you go grocery shopping, you select specific brands and items because you know what they taste like or how they pair with your meals. You would be very disappointed if one day you bought your favorite nacho cheese dip and it tasted much spicier than usual. It might even be enough to put you off that brand and encourage you to try a different one. Consistency is key to loyalty. Without being someone customers can rely on, recognize, and easily discover, you will have trouble maintaining customers. Learn the secret behind brand consistency in content marketing and five tips to help you improve your brand consistency. What Is Brand Consistency? Brand consistency is creating a recognizable and predictable brand. Brand consistency runs deeper than your products. It’s about creating consistency in every interaction and publication. No matter what you do or sell, it should all relate to the brand image you are trying to build. In content marketing, brand consistency includes: Consistent images Consistent content Consistent video More importantly, brand consistency is creating a personality for your brand. Just like your fashion choices, hobbies, and food help define you, your imagery and content will represent your brand. If you want a definition your customers can see and relate to, you must invest in brand consistency. Brand Consistency Examples You will become more than a brand name if you have a consistent brand. Think about the last time a friend described a brand in a way other than the name. For instance, if someone asked if you wanted to grab dinner at “The Golden Arches,” you would know they were talking about McDonald’s. If someone told you to “Just Do It,” you would instantly think of Nike. For some brands, like Starbucks, you just need to mention the product and they will be the first name that pops into your head. Below, you will see how Google uses color to create brand consistency, so no matter which app people use, they still have that tie back to Google. HubSpot’s resource center shows how consistent branding on your website helps unify your posts. Even though they cover a wide range of topics, they connect all their posts. The posts have similar writing styles and imagery. Just look at those post headers. Each has the same fun image style and orange color palette, giving the entire resource page a cohesive feel. Why Is Brand Consistency Important? Branding consistency builds a personality around your brand. Interacting with branded content feels similar to buying name-brand food versus eating generic store-brand food. It is familiar and often better quality. Here are four of the top benefits of building a consistent brand. Increases Trust People are more likely to trust you when you are familiar and predictable. Next time you go to Starbucks, look at the side of their cups. The baristas use lines on those cups as guides so they know precisely how much ice, coffee, and milk to add. In addition, they have consistent recipes for how much sweetener or shots of espresso to add to drinks. Because of those guides, you can always expect a similarly flavored drink. Imagine if, one day, the baristas decided to measure with their heart rather than those guides. You would never know whether your drink will be sweet or bitter. Eventually, you will lose trust in the coffee shop and go somewhere where you can predict the flavor of your beverage. By being a consistent brand through consistent content marketing, your audience and customers know what to expect and trust you because of that consistency. Builds Relationships Would you buy a product from a good friend’s business or a stranger’s business halfway across the country? Building relationships with your customers transforms your business into a trusted advisor. Your clients are more likely to turn to you for advice and products. That relationship comes from being someone your customers can get to know. As a brand, you should keep your personality and appearance the same across your content so your customers can recognize you and become comfortable with your brand, like a friend. This helps your audience connect with you. Encourages Loyalty Loyalty is the natural outcome of building trust and relationships. When someone trusts you and feels connected to you as a friend, they are likelier to remain loyal to you. About 72% of customers are loyal to one or more brands. There is comfort in reliability and predictability. When customers find a brand they can connect with or like the products, they will remain loyal. Establishes a Recognizable Brand We touched on this point earlier when discussing how easy it is to recognize Google’s apps. Building a consistent brand means more people recognize you across different platforms or even if you have other tools and products. Apple computers are so recognizable that animated movies will feature an Apple laptop, but switch out the logo with any other design, and viewers still know what brand it’s supposed to be. You can build brand recognition through consistent colors, design, speaking style, and logos. Not only will customers be able to find you easier, but you will also stand out among your competitors. 5 Ways to Improve Your Brand Consistency in Content Marketing Follow these five tips to unify your brand and create more consistent content. 1. Unify Your Imagery Brand consistency largely depends on what your content looks like. This includes: Colors Fonts Styles Formatting Here’s a look at two major chocolate companies: Hershey and Ghirardelli. You’ll first notice they both promote chocolate, yet they look entirely different. Hershey uses bright, fun colors and thick, bold text. All their imagery and colors reflect their brand and ideal audience. Ghirardelli has a more luxurious theme. The colors are natural browns, greens, and blues. This reflects their regular customers. Choose imagery for your social media, blog post images, and email templates that reflect your audience and who you want to be. Then, stick with those colors and … Read more

Do You Need a Medical Writer? (6 Reasons You Do)

November 19, 2024 by Sarah Damron

Do you own or operate a medical practice with an online presence? A medical writer can help you create authoritative content that resonates with your audience. Why should you focus on providing quality content for your online readers? At least 5% of all Google searches are related to healthcare. Search drives almost three times as many visitors to healthcare-related websites as non-search visitors. Over 60% of medical services consumers run online searches before booking an appointment. Any form of misinformation in the medical industry can have a serious negative impact on various stakeholders in the healthcare sector, including patients, healthcare providers, and manufacturers. When you hire a medical writer, you can ensure that your content needs are being handled by a qualified professional with a deep understanding of scientific and medical topics. This article describes what a medical writer is and lists the main benefits of working with one. What Is a Medical Writer? A medical writer focuses on creating well-researched and authoritative content on health-related topics. These topics include everything from fitness and general wellness to medical research and more. Medical writers conduct extensive research to ensure they produce relevant and accurate content fit for public consumption. While they are not doctors, medical writers usually have a medical background. They understand health, scientific, and medical concepts and terms. Healthcare content writers possess excellent research, analytical, writing, and communication skills. Most importantly, they have the technical writing skills needed to convert complex scientific information into accurate and easy-to-read content in various formats for different audiences. What Does a Medical Content Writer Do? Medical writers develop well-crafted and highly engaging educational, promotional, and marketing material. Their main goal is to use the right expression and tone to create relevant and useful content that matches the brand in question and the needs of the targeted readers. They also use their SEO skills to write content that will rank in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Healthcare writers create different types of content, including: Web Content: Medical writers can write highly descriptive promotional material to be published on healthcare websites. Blog Posts: These include long and short-form posts covering a variety of medical topics to provide helpful health and wellness information to readers. Product Descriptions: Medical content writers can create accurate descriptions for the services and products provided by healthcare providers. Newsletters and Press Releases: Promotional pieces that raise awareness of new developments by a practitioner or medical services provider. Which Organizations Can Benefit from a Medical Writer? Healthcare writers can be useful to a variety of medical organizations, including: Hospitals Clinics Dentists Chiropractors Physical Therapists Optometrists Nursing Homes Benefits of Hiring a Medical Content Writer Some of the main reasons why you should hire a healthcare writer include: 1. Expertly Written Healthcare Content Healthcare writers can consistently generate expertly written communications. These writers have a good understanding of both general and medical writing guidelines. They can produce well-researched and accurate content free from misleading facts, grammatical errors, and plagiarism. Consistently publishing high-quality content can help you build topical authority in healthcare. Furthermore, you can reduce the bounce rate by using professionally written medical content. Your readers will likely spend more time on your website and may even become subscribers if you publish accurate and well-written content. 2. Getting Your Message Across Communication is vital in the ever-changing world of healthcare. A specialist healthcare content writer can help close the gap between complicated health-related concepts and public audiences. With an experienced writer on the job, you can be sure critical information will be conveyed clearly and effectively. Healthcare writers excel at breaking down complex technical information into plain terms without compromising accuracy. To create digestible content for various audiences, these professionals use different techniques, including real-world examples and simple terminology. With the right expert, you can be sure that your healthcare content is accurate, logical, and easy to read and understand. 3. Collating Information Medical writers generate impactful content for their clients. These experts have great research skills and can gather information from a variety of sources, such as expert interviews, medical journals, and trusted sites. This ensures a well-rounded view of the topic and cross-verification of information for reliability and accuracy. Once they have all the facts at hand, healthcare writers use their acquired skills to interpret, structure, and present medical facts and data to create coherent, high-quality content. This approach results in useful content that presents information succinctly, addressing readers’ needs and questions. 4. Better Search Rankings Seasoned medical writers have excellent SEO skills. They can use these skills to enhance the visibility of the generated content and the brand they represent. In addition to boosting online content marketing efforts, SEO also builds credibility and trust. A medical content writer can use their SEO skills to identify opportunities for their clients to improve the performance of their content online. For instance, the writer can study and analyze competitor websites. This can help them develop ways of crafting better content and identifying healthcare topics to write about. The following graph from Statista shows the importance of SEO on marketing performance. 5. Better Time Management Do you want to write quality medical content to build authority but don’t have the skills? Can you set enough time aside each week to create consistent medical articles? If not, you can benefit from hiring a professional medical writer. Even if you enjoy crafting your content, it can be challenging to fit it into your day, especially if you own and operate your healthcare practice. A healthcare content writer can help you meet the ever-growing content needs of your readers. These writers can create detailed, well-researched content that resonates with your target audience. This will free up your time, leaving you to focus on your medical practice or primary duties. To make things better, you don’t have to give up control of your project. You can work closely with the writer to ensure the creation of content that matches your goals. 6. Wider Reach Accurate, easy-to-read content … Read more

How to Hire the Right Travel Writer Every Time

February 6, 2025November 12, 2024 by Sarah Damron

Imagine your brand’s content so vivid that readers can feel the silica-white sand of Tulum Beach between their toes, or taste the rich, juicy flavor of the world’s rarest meat— the Japanese Kobe beef. This kind of sensory magic can only be crafted by a writer with specialized skills — someone who can build enough excitement to compel readers to book experiences with your brand. With realistic destination descriptions, timely travel advice, and a sneak peek into cultures worldwide, the right travel writer can make your brand the go-to for people seeking inspiration to embark on their next adventure. Every travel brand needs such a master crafter. It’s time to learn what to look for when hiring a travel writer. What Is a Travel Writer? While the general description of a travel writer is someone who writes travel articles, a real travel writer focuses on capturing the essence of destinations, experiences, and cultures, enticing readers to explore. Let’s face it, give any writer a travel topic and they’ll write it through general research. But, can they include a storytelling aspect describing the immersive experiences waiting to be explored? Hand a true travel writer the same topic and you’ll notice a massive difference. They’ll dive into detail describing the rugged hiking terrains, the mouth-watering cuisine, and the cultural highlights of different destinations. Because they’re focused on giving the most useful information, they also recommend upcoming events and even throw in tips on what to do or avoid. As a polished travel writer, I’ve seen firsthand how capturing more than the basics transports readers to destinations so realistically that they can’t wait to book the next flight. In a nutshell, here’s a recap of qualities that make up a true travel writer: Depth in writing: They tackle topics expertly by giving credible information and unique perspectives beyond surface-level knowledge. Storytelling: This is distinct from depth. How well can they paint a picture of landscapes, cultures, and other adventures with their storytelling skills? Cultural sensitivity: A real travel writer honors other cultures by writing respectfully about their customs, no matter how different they are. After all, they were passed down to them through generations. Adaptability: Travel is diverse. Expert travel writers switch their writing style seamlessly from rugged travel adventures to luxury experiences. SEO practices: Savvy travel writers write with SEO in mind. How will readers learn about all those wonderful places if the content isn’t visible on search engines? Why Quality Content Is a Must in a Competitive Travel Industry Quality travel content is well-researched, valuable, easy-to-read, and engaging. It must meet the needs of your target audience, whether you’re in the airline, hotel, or cruise business. Such content captures the essence of a destination or experience while providing practical information that motivates readers to plan a trip or book a service with your brand. The travel industry is highly competitive. With over 42,700 travel agencies in the U.S. by the year 2023, customers are spoilt for choice as each travel agency vies for their attention. Each business must stand out with quality content to attract and retain customers. Your content should provide readers with the accuracy needed to make informed decisions, nudging them to choose your services over your competitors. Risks of Using Generic Content and Inexperienced Writers Standing out in a competitive travel market is impossible with generic content and writers who don’t understand your niche. Generic travel content is broad and superficial. It’s uninspiring and lacks new insights. Such content features vague descriptions of destinations without showing what sets them apart. It also lacks personal experiences and cultural context essential for attracting readers. Additionally, generic content is often associated with plagiarism and keyword-stuffed articles that focus on search engine optimization without considering reader engagement. Content generators can easily create this kind of content. While these tools can generate ideas, they’re superficial and can’t create a heartfelt sense of mystery, excitement, or longing. Without that human touch, generic content fails miserably at capturing the reader’s attention and establishing credibility, making it ineffective in this highly competitive travel industry. The Amazing Benefits of Hiring the Right Travel Writer There are positive outcomes for your travel business if you hire the right travel writer. Having traveled to numerous destinations and read a lot about them, travel writers bring a wealth of experience. I’ve traveled extensively in my lifetime, including to mysterious places like the mythical site of the Lost City of Atlantis in the Mediterranean. I also read and watch a lot of travel books and documentaries. Exploration is my cup of tea, and that helps me write exact descriptions while adding other useful information I’ve learned. Similarly, hiring travel writers who are excited about travel and understand your industry brings these benefits to your table: Destination expertise: Their firsthand destination knowledge helps them provide readers with vivid descriptions of places that invoke wanderlust and inspire bookings. Cultural insight: They have a deep knowledge of cultures, having mingled with many locals while exploring the world. Accurate travel advice: They are up-to-date with health protocols, weather conditions, infrastructure, political changes, and environmental alerts essential for planning trips. Sneak peek of unique gems: They often highlight exciting hidden locations, local festivals, markets, or authentic restaurants travelers might overlook. Practical Tips: They provide readers with essential tips such as what to pack, places to avoid visiting alone, and even budget-saving ideas. Such comprehensive information not only enhances your customer’s travel experiences but also elevates your brand as a credible source of information. Experienced travel writers apply the best SEO tactics to ensure your content ranks high on search engines. After all, how will readers discover the amazing destinations begging to be explored if they can’t find your content? At Express Writers, our travel subject matter experts will transform your brand’s content into narratives that captivate and convert. They are skilled at highlighting your business’s unique offerings with an intensity that evokes wanderlust in readers. Our seasoned travel writers are more than captivating storytellers — … Read more

Content Marketer vs. Marketing Content Writer: Which Is Best for You?

October 8, 2024 by Sarah Damron

Content Marketing vs. Marketing Content Writer

Everyone who spends much time around words develops pet peeves around specific misused phrases. One of my pet peeves is when writers interchange use and utilize. For those who aren’t sure the difference, you aren’t alone. It is so subtle most don’t even realize the two terms are different. One of the key differences is that it requires a strategic, practical use rather than simply putting an object into action. Similarly, people can easily confuse content marketers and marketing content writers. Yet, one is more strategic, while the other has a more general use. Let’s dive into those differences with practical tips you can utilize (yes, that was intentional) when hiring another team member for your marketing team. What Role Does Each Writer Play in Your Marketing Strategy? While our main objective is to compare content marketers with marketing content writers, let’s take a step back because several other key players can also contribute to your overall marketing strategy. Take a look at the entire lineup. What Is a Copywriter? A copywriter is the most general term for someone who writes copy. This includes: Ad copy Blog posts Emails Product descriptions They understand the written word and how to use it to persuade and convince people. Copywriters are a crucial part of a content team that needs powerful words to move their strategies forward. While most content marketers are also copywriters, not all copywriters are content marketers, as that requires additional skills and writing superpowers. What Is a Content Strategist? A content strategist is a term I have seen floating around with variable meanings from someone who analyzes data to a strategic content writer. What differentiates a content strategist from a content marketer is that their focus is on the planning and strategy behind content. Content strategists may or may not be copywriters. In many industries, especially freelancers, content strategists do have copywriting skills. However, their primary marketing point is understanding the numbers behind copywriting. For instance, a content strategist understands the ins and outs of SEO. They research the best times of day for publishing content. They are experts on each platform and can list where you’ll most likely reach your audience. Strategists are great members to have on your team to ensure your content has a plan and purpose, and they can pinpoint the results from your content so each investment has the most significant impact. What Is a Marketing Content Writer? Now, we are getting into the more complicated terms that will sound very similar. A marketing content writer is a copywriter who has skills specific to marketing. When you hire a copywriter, you are hiring a broad skill set. However, when you hire a marketing content writer, they have experience in marketing-specific writing, such as conversion emails, newsletters, press releases, and ad copy. They can craft content built around marketing concepts to ensure each project you complete moves you closer to your marketing goals. What Is a Content Marketer? The simplest definition of a content marketer is they are all of the above. A marketer understands the strategy and can create compelling marketing content. They are the whole package from start to finish, ensuring you have the most powerful results from every asset you publish. While 90% of marketers use blogs, that is only one of many marketing channels content marketers work with. Other common channels content marketers monitor and manage content creation for include: Emails Social media Ads Press releases Whitepapers and eBooks Guest posts Content marketers also work with more than the written word. They also craft images, videos, and even audio content. 4 Primary Differences Between a Content Marketer vs. Content Writer Are you still feeling confused? Don’t worry. We are about to take a much closer look at those last two because the subtle distinction is worth noting. 1. Experience Level Content marketers tend to have more experience than marketing content writers. They understand the deeper intricacies of the marketing world and can use that knowledge to craft insightful content. Many content marketers start as marketing content writers or even perform marketing writing in their current role. Others operate exclusively in a managerial role while they hire marketing writers to perform the writing portion of content marketing. Through that role, they can gain more first-hand experience with all parts of marketing beyond crafting content, helping them always see content in the bigger picture. B2C and B2B content marketing writers have the most experience with content creation. They know enough about marketing to craft well-rounded marketing content, but they haven’t always had that first-hand experience in marketing roles outside of copywriting. 2. Role in the Team Content writers create written content for marketing purposes, while content marketers use that content for marketing purposes. For example, a marketing writer will create email campaigns while the content marketer schedules and automates the email campaigns the writer crafted. Even though there is a distinction between the two, the terms are often used interchangeably because the two roles may overlap. Businesses with smaller marketing teams may have the content marketer as the marketing writer. When that happens, the content marketer is responsible for: Planning and strategizing Creating content Distributing the content Monitoring results That’s quite the workload for one person! That’s why if you hire a content marketer, you should consider outsourcing help for marketing writing or an entire content marketing team with someone for each role in the process. 3. Access to Resources This third difference does not apply to all marketing teams but is a common differentiating factor. Often, the writer acts in a silo apart from the rest of the marketing team. They may be a marketing writer crafting content for a specific marketing goal, but they don’t always have the same access to data as other team members. Picture marketing writers like that trust game in elementary school. One child had a blindfold, while the other led them around an obstacle course. That is how many marketing writers operate, relying on the … Read more

Your Complete Guide to Optimal Keyword Placement for SEO

October 1, 2024 by Sarah Damron

When making a sales pitch, you want to sound eager but not desperate, but you also don’t want to sound too indifferent. Keyword placement for SEO in content requires a similar careful balance between too many, too few, or not being placed carefully enough to show a connection to a topic. It’s a strategic dance with Google’s search algorithm. You want to be obvious enough with your keyword placement to improve your Google indexing but not too eager for Google to assume you are spam. Here are ten tips for where to put keywords that yield the best results in Google. Why Does Keyword Placement Matter? In Google Search’s infancy, keyword placement was very straightforward. When a content creator used a word or phrase repeatedly in content, Google would naturally assume that was the topic’s theme and pull that content in relevant searches. Imagine you sell shoes. You might repeatedly use phrases like “shoes for sale” or “cheap shoes” to attract your audience. The more often you use it, the higher your chances of Google ranking you. Here was the issue. Spammers caught on to the algorithm and began keyword stuffing or placing keywords in every nook and cranny, hoping to increase their search engine ranking for that topic. The problem was most of that content wasn’t that helpful or well-written. It would also sometimes be on a completely different topic. That’s why Google shifted from keywords being the king of SEO to quality content being at the forefront. SEO content cannot rank without being well-written and demonstrating authority and personal experience. However, keywords still play a valuable role because Google still needs to know what your content is about. The phrases you use in your content help the algorithm know (because it’s a computer, not a human that can use deductive reasoning). Since you are dealing with an algorithm, you need to be clear about your content’s theme by choosing keywords or search phrases your audience uses in Google search throughout your content in strategic spots that will stand out. How Many Keywords Can You Use? Can an article only rank for one keyword? We often see our content ranking in several different searches. Google won’t only pull your content for the keyword you select. It can list your content for related searches, too. However, trying to rank for too many keywords is like mastering several sports simultaneously. You may be able to rank in more searches, but you won’t master one. You would see much better results by having a laser focus and putting all your effort into ranking for a single phrase and related keywords in each blog post. The related keywords appear one or two times each throughout the content, while the focus keyword has the spots of honor. By using synonymous and related keywords, you not only decrease your chances of Google seeing you as keyword stuffing but also read more naturally to readers because you aren’t repeating the exact phrase. 10 Places to Place Your Keywords Learn where to put SEO keywords to see the best results and tips for sprinkling those secondary keywords around the focus keyword. 1. Blog Title Your blog title is the H1 that appears at the top of your blog post. This is one of the most important spots for search engine keyword placement as it quite literally tells readers and Google what your content is about. Try to include it naturally in the title, correcting grammar errors and using stop words when necessary. Stop words are words like a, and, your, and the that doesn’t change your keyword’s meaning – only make it more natural. For instance, if your keyword is “best marketing tools,” your blog title might be “7 Best Marketing Tools Transforming Businesses in 2024.” 2. Introduction Paragraph Your blog’s first section before the first sub-heading is your introduction. This section should be 200 words or less. It’s only a sneak peek at your content and doesn’t need to hold any essential information. However, it does need to contain your focus keyword. Some marketers take this a step further and aim to have their focus keyword in the first paragraph. No significant data shows a difference between the first or last paragraph in the intro. You have this area covered as long as you hit on that keyword at some point while introducing the topic. 3. One or More Sub-Headers While the title is the most important header for your keyword, you will want to include it in at least one sub-header. These are your H2s, H3s, H4s, etc. What you want to avoid is adding your focus keyword in every single header. Instead, switch up your focus keyword with synonymous keywords. If your focus keyword is “financial services for doctors,” you might also use the phrases “medical financial services” and “healthcare financial services” in your H2s and H3s to avoid keyword stuffing and just sounding annoyingly repetitive. 4. Throughout the Body The number of times a keyword appears in the text has no official rule, and the number of opinions on keyword distribution is as many as the number of SEO strategists. However, one generally accepted concept is the 1% rule, or using keywords no more than once every 100 words, no matter how long your blog post is. Notice, I said KEYWORDS, not FOCUS KEYWORD. That’s because you want your focus keyword distribution to be much less dense. That ratio is for all your keywords. Would you enjoy reading a sentence that sounded like this: “When choosing the best smartphone repair near you, you want your smartphone repair service to match your smartphone repair cost.” That’s not a sentence. That’s a string of keywords patched together. Disperse all keywords once every 100 words unless they naturally fit closer together. Your focus keyword should only appear once every 400-500 words. You can even get away with it appearing less often if it’s very distinct and doesn’t fit naturally throughout. Instead, opt to use synonyms. … Read more

How to Optimize Content for Voice Search SEO

September 26, 2024 by Sarah Damron

Hey Siri, how much has voice assistant usage grown in the past few years? Having a personal assistant ready to respond quickly is convenient for all your tasks, from texting your best friend to setting timers. It allows you to multi-task or receive answers to questions without having to pick up your phone and interrupt what you’re doing. Are you in the middle of a board game and want to know when the game came out? Just ask Google Assistant. Are you exercising and curious how many calories 30 minutes on a treadmill burns? Ask Siri. The convenience of voice assistance is beginning to impact SEO directly. The very foundation of SEO starts with targeting search phrases people use. But if people use voice assistants to search and consume content, how might SEO look different due to changing search phrases? Here are a few predictions for voice search SEO based on trends we already see and what we know about content consumption from our years of content marketing experience. The Growth of Voice Search Voice assistants have come and gone (goodbye, Cortana). Today, three contestants stand as the most popular voice assistants: Google Assistant Apple’s Siri Amazon’s Alexa You will also come across lesser-known or more niche voice assistants built for individual brands or apps. Voice assistants are everywhere, helping people live more device hands-free without losing their connection to limitless information. In 2024, there were nearly 149.1 million voice assistant users in the US alone. That number is expected to grow to 162.7 million by 2027. This number includes voice assistants on smartphones, smart TVs, connected cars, and smart speakers. How Voice Search Impacts SEO About 45% of Americans use voice assistants for information discovery. Whenever someone asks their voice assistant a question, it pulls that information directly from the web and reads it back to the user. On smartphones, voice assistants often offer links so users can read the topic further (Yay web traffic!). This rise in voice assistants will impact SEO content marketing because people search for information on Google and consume the content from search results pages, whether knowingly or not. When people search through a voice assistant, they begin with a question. That’s different from most typed searches that often use scattered or disjointed phrases. For example, if you want to know how to fix a leak in your bathroom sink, you might type “bathroom sink leak” or “how to fix bathroom sink leak.” However, when you talk to a voice assistant, you ask complete questions using your natural language patterns, like “Hey Alexa, how do you fix a leak in your bathroom sink?” The voice assistant pulls the answer directly from a search engine like Google. Most responses come directly from a web source, with only a few pre-programmed responses, like when you ask Siri to tell you a joke. Search queries will also subtly change with the increased use of voice search and how people consume those answers. Rather than only reading results, more people will use voice assistants to read out results or sections of your content. Is your content optimized for voice assistants pulling out quick answers? 5 Steps Marketers Can Take When Performing Voice Search SEO Use these five steps to help you create high-ranking content and optimize for voice search. 1. Target Long-Tail Keywords You rarely hear someone talk to their Google assistant using half-baked sentences. Your voice search audience is often using complete sentences and very specific questions. That’s good news for you because those specific questions are often far less competitive SEO keywords than the one or two-word keywords. You’ll find most of those questions through your SEO tools or in Google’s People Also Ask section. In SEMrush, you can see a breakdown of keywords into groups that include keyword ideas and questions. Mixing in those long-tail keywords helps you gain that voice assistant traffic. You can use them as either blog post titles or supporting keywords throughout your content and website. 2. Focus on Natural Language in Your Content As you write your content, especially when targeting long-tail keywords that will attract voice assistants, consider how your content will sound read aloud. You always have a chance of someone reading your content aloud, which should be a constant consideration. Reading your content aloud during editing is a good rule, but it is almost essential when optimizing for a voice assistant. You will want your content to flow easily and sound natural. Try to aim for a conversational style that is engaging to read but still offers value with every sentence. If your sentence is too convoluted that a reader needs to see it on paper to understand its meaning, it’s probably not a good fit for voice assistant responses. You will also want to be conscious of periods and paragraph breaks. This signals the voice assistant, just like it does for a reader, to take a breath so your content doesn’t sound like a long-winded speaker. 3. Take Advantage of Text to Voice Voice assistants do more than just read words on a page. They can interpret everything going on with your content. This is especially important to keep in mind when researching how to optimize a website for voice search as you will need users to be able to navigate pages using voice assistants, not just read straight text. Think back to the last time you watched a movie with subtitles. Remember how the subtitles didn’t just transcribe conversations. It also transcribed sounds like horse hooves, wind, and the actor’s sighs. Voice assistants act similarly. They don’t just tell people what words say. They can also scan and describe specific images, buttons, or even videos. Since smart technology is often anything but smart, you don’t want to leave media descriptions up to chance. Instead, optimize your alt-text. This is a good habit for accommodating voice assistants and aiding those using text-to-speech or whose images won’t load. When you optimize your alt-text, describe the image … Read more