This is a question we get all the time: when content writing for SEO ranking, what’s the optimal page length? Just how much content writing do I need to do to get and keep the attention of Google’s spiders?
It’s a common question, and if there were an easy answer, then we would give it to you.
In reality, every page is unique and what works for one will not always work for another.
We realize that’s a frustrating answer to a common question, so allow us to elaborate.
No matter how you do it.
No matter how often you try.
No matter how early you get up in the morning, or how many cups of “inspirational” coffee you guzzle while sitting at the keyboard staring at a blank page…
Sometimes you just don’t feel like writing.
The thought of discovering new ways of generating content can be incredibly daunting.
I could say “Don’t worry. It happens to everyone.”
(It’s true – it does.)
But then you’ll just throw in the towel and admit defeat.
And that’s not why you’re here, right?
It’s undoubtedly true. Today, the single most important aspect of your web content is your headline. As people cruise through online content at warp-speed, it’s the content with outstanding headlines that are more likely to get recognized. Subsequently, it’s the content creators who know how to develop quality headlines that are likely to reap the highest number of likes, shares, and engagement. While readers want compelling web content writing, the average visitors’ attention span is short, and people are highly unlikely to click on a headline that doesn’t grab their attention, even if the content behind it is high-quality. With that in mind, learning to craft exciting, unique, informative headlines is by far one of the most critical things a content creator can do for their business. Content relies on headlines, and this guide is designed to help you learn to create outstanding ones. Why Do Headlines in Web Content Writing Matter? While it’s easy to dismiss the importance of headlines, they’re more critical to content than most people understand. While 80% of people read a headline, only 20% will go on to read the body content. Because of this, it’s incredibly important for the headline to be attention-grabbing and unique. This is especially true when you take into account the fact that the average human attention span is around eight seconds, one full second shorter than that of a goldfish. With these two things in mind, it’s clear that bold, unique, attention-grabbing headlines are more important today than they’ve ever been before. A quality headline can increase click-throughs and boost engagement, while a dull or dry headline can easily harm your content, encouraging readers to move on to a better, brighter topic instead of staying and engaging with yours. Five Examples of Good (& Bad) Headlines in Web Content To create compelling headlines, it helps to have an example of what a compelling headline looks like. Here are a few we’ve rounded up: The Good: 5 Awesome, Stellar Web Headlines Here are five examples of functional, exciting headlines that get the job done. “How to “Waste Money” to Improve the Quality of Your Life” This headline, which features on the blog of Tim Ferriss, does all of the things you expect a great headline to do: it’s unique, attention-grabbing, and different. While wasting money is often seen as a bad thing, this headline turns that on its, well, head, and makes the reader think twice by claiming it can actually improve the quality of your life. Are you going to click? I would. 😛 “7 Life-Changing Beauty Products You’ll Wish You Knew About Sooner” Are these beauty products good? Are they great? No. They’re life-changing! This BuzzFeed headline makes a big promise and offers value and actionability to the reader, all in one sleek package. Maybe that’s why it has more than 46,000 views. “15 Genius Ways Your Phone Can Help You Sleep Better” This is another BuzzFeed headline that gets the job done. The word “genius” promises readers that these aren’t run-of-the-mill tips, and the article as a whole addresses a common problem: poor sleep. “The Amazing Reason that Medals at the Paralympics Make a Sound When you Shake Them” This is an Upworthy article that does a few things right. In addition to giving readers some new information that grabs their attention (did you know that Paralympics medals made a sound?) this article also promises a bit of information that the reader is unlikely to get anywhere else. “How to Have a Healthier and More Productive Home Office” This IncomeDiary piece promises actionable solutions, which makes people want to read. It also promises benefits that virtually everyone wants: better health and increased productivity. The Bad: 5 Icky, No-Good Headlines While the good headlines are good, the bad ones are really, really bad. Here are five examples of headlines that missed the mark: “How to Write (With Pictures)” The fact that it has pictures doesn’t make this WikiHow article any more compelling. In addition to the fact that its headline is way too vague, it also doesn’t offer the reader any real value, which makes them want to keep looking for something more distinct and unique. “Has Obama Been a Good President?” Whether he has or not, this Odyssey article headline doesn’t do much to inspire the reader. With so many interesting headlines out there, this one falls short of the mark. “5 Strategic Ways to Beat the Competition” Wait – to beat what competition? Where? How? This NaijaPreneur headline is way too confusing, and way, way too vague. “How to Win Summer” Come on FoodNetwork? How to Win Summer? Details, please! This article just doesn’t provide enough specificity to make readers want to click. “22 Ways to be Beautiful” While being beautiful is great (presumably), this Self article headline lacks specificity and doesn’t make up for it at any point throughout. While I might click if it added “Without Makeup” or “In the Morning,” I’m not interested in the generalities. The ROI of a Great Headline: It Impacts All Your Web Writing While a great headline takes some time to write (some experts claim you should spend 90% of your writing time on the headline alone), they’re well worth the effort. Here’s why: when a headline is catchy and expertly-crafted, it draws people both in the immediate short-term and in the much longer term for months and years after its initial publish date. In this way, good headlines are the gifts that keep on giving 5 Proven Web Content Headline Creation Tips Creating great headlines for even better web content writing results can be tough. These five tips can help: 1. Be as concise as possible in your headlines In addition to the fact that headlines longer than about 160 characters get cut off in Google’s SERPs, long headlines lose your reader’s attention at a quick rate. With this in mind, keep your headlines short and concise, and pack them with the relevant information your reader needs to click. 2. Be informative in your headlines Remember those bad headlines we pointed out? Many of them went wrong by simply not being informative … Read more
Company owners strive to create a fresh, modern, unique image for their brands, hoping to gain new followers and maximize their return on investment in record time. Compelling content writing plays an important part in this puzzle, representing the bridge between an online business and its segment of potential buyers. In most cases, words are cleverly combined to create beautiful tales for every single product currently available on the market; but are these stories convincing and inspiring enough to stimulate sales, to harness client engagement, or to grow the online presence of a particular brand? 7 Awesome Tips To Help You Create Compelling Content Writing Somewhere along the road to awesome web content writing, most writers get stuck. What exactly triggers their failure and how can one deliver compelling content writing that serves a higher purpose, generating traceable improvements over a short period of time? Apply a few simple tips helping you avoid major mistakes that could easily compromise your online credibility and your previous efforts. Deliver 100% accurate, fresh informative content on a regular basis Remember that fans usually stop following a company that does not benefit from a solid online presence and neglect the fact that meaningful Web content should be posted and updated regularly. 1) Share and promote only 100% original content, presented in a personalized, appealing manner Your readers have the ability to recognize stolen ideas, especially if they are copy-pasted from your main competitors; not to mention the fact that this practice is penalized by search engines and could even get your site banned. 2) A narrow focus can attract a larger segment of visitors Most readers tend to avoid so-called “generalist” bloggers who seem to have an informed opinion about everything these days. Develop your content writing skills, choose topics that represent you and reflect your purpose in business, and come up with truly remarkable ideas tailored to the expectations of you core audience after doing extensive research and conducting brainstorming sessions. Before trying to address the needs of your readers, discover who you really are, identify and list the attributes that you are trying to highlight, and establish goals that you would like to attain in the near future. 3) Share credible information and define yourself as a trustworthy source It goes without saying that honesty is a non-negotiable term when it comes to delivering excellent content writing. Don’t lie and don’t exaggerate your strengths. For example, don’t affirm that you are the best/most-trusted/most-popular plumbing company in your state, unless real numbers extracted from unbiased statistics can back up your statement. 4) The execution of your content piece is essential Your content writing should display a clear, simple, scannable structure. People don’t want to waste time trying to find the main idea of your text. They want to get to the point fast and with minimal effort. Learn more tips on compelling content at Copyblogger. 5) Turn some of the most common questions into brilliant answers and solve the daily problems of your readers Your readers might comment on your blog posts, asking you to provide the simplest, fastest, most-effective solution to their problem. If it’s a common issue, experienced by most of your clients, you can provide a detailed answer in a future blog post, which will definitely be received with great enthusiasm by your followers. 6) Explore fertile social media ground, looking for new sources of inspiration Find out what has gone viral recently in your field of activity, keep an eye on your fierce competitors, measure their progress, and anticipate their next moves. Spot new trends and become a trendsetter yourself by simply being active on some of the most popular social media platforms. Start out with these tips, grow your knowledge, and keep reading – you’ll be awesome at content writing in no time!
Web copywriting is an ever-evolving field, and the copywriter needs to be constantly aware of the changing environment of the blogosphere and the Internet in general. New views, shares, and search traffic are a set of moving targets, and unless you have your finger on the pulse of the Internet, you’re going to be a less effective copywriter than you can be.
Having a blog is essential in today’s business world. More and more companies are realizing that a business blog is one of the most effective ways of promotion. If your company’s not one of them, you’re going to fall behind – fast.
But creating and maintaining a blog is a lot of work. It might be logistically impossible for you to do it yourself, and you might not yet have the capital to hire a full-time copywriter. If that’s the case, you might want to consider hiring a blog writing service to jump in whenever you need them.
Whether you’re blogging for your new website or writing copy for your landing pages, writing for the Web is vastly different from other kinds of writing.
People who decide to either open their own website or online store usually try and create their own copy for it but fail to understand the reading habits of the Internet audience. This leads to either little or no traffic on the site or the ultimate collapse of the business.
If you have just purchased a domain name and a website for your new business, knowing how to reach your audience effectively and avoiding some of the most common errors when you’re writing for the Web can mean the difference between a successful online business and the frustration of failure.
There are many things to consider in blog writing before you even open your Word document to begin. You need to consider SEO, meta tags, and keywords. Yet, keeping all these things in mind still isn’t enough; there is one more task to consider before starting your post: you need to think about how viewers are going to read it. It is a well-documented fact that you need to create outstanding online content in order to hold the attention of the reader for the entire article. While it is true that most readers skim online articles, they actually read more content than most blog writers would believe. It is just that readers scanned the article a certain way in order to determine if the post is worth their time. So, how do you create a post that ensures that the most important information will be scanned? Then, how do you entice the reader to go back and digest the entire article? Formatting Articles for Blog Writing In order to make sure that readers notice the important facets of your article, you need to format the article in a way that attracts the reader’s eye. Next, you have to live up to the reader’s expectations by creating fantastic content. Two-Thirds of a Post is Read According to a study completed by Chartbeat, readers will actually look at 60% of an online article or blog post. This means that more of your blog writing is actually read then you may believe. In addition, 65% of engagement by readers occurs in what is considered below the fold. You have a good chance of having someone read your entire article if you can capture their attention during this initial scanning. Eye Tracking Study Chartbeat and other specialists like Crazy Egg have found that online articles are read in an F pattern. This means that a person’s eyes will travel horizontally first and then vertically as they continue down through the rest of the post. If you keep this in mind during blog writing, you can format your article to take advantage of this pattern. Be Bold You need to be able to attract a person’s attention when they are reading your blog post. One way to do this is by using bold in your post. If you place titles, subtitles, and important phrases in bold or italics then you will draw a person’s eye to that section of the article. This will call their attention to the key factors you are reviewing in your post and it will help them to decide whether they will find the rest of the post informative. Another important aspect of formatting during blog writing is to create multiple subtitles in the post. This helps to break up the content and also call specific subtopics of the document to the reader’s attention. Be Visual Guidelines for efficient online articles include at least one image. Blog writing calls for creativity, and your imagination should not be limited when it comes to discovering images for your post. Don’t just scan through the free images that are available online. You can apply to subscription service such as iStockphoto, or you can create your own images. Pictures are not the only type of images you can use here. Studies have shown that info graphics help to enhance the share ability and views of online content. Learning how to create info graphics doesn’t have to be complicated. There are some basic templates that you can use to create effective photogenic images that described your text for you. Video is another great way to explain the information in your blog post and to hold a reader’s interest. Videos can be as simple as an animated slideshow. Basic software to create videos is often found in laptops and can be downloaded for free on the Internet. Be Unique It is also important with blog writing to make sure that you are taking a unique point of view on your topic. Nobody wants to read a rehash of the same information over and over again. Put a unique spin on an article to keep readers informed and to show them that you are a thought leader in your field. After all, anyone can rewrite content. It takes someone that has a thorough understanding of the subject matter to be able to put their own perspective on the topic. Tell Readers What to Do Do not assume that readers will know what you want them to do next. You need to include a call to action in all of your online content. In terms of blog writing, this often means asking them to do something as simple as leave a comment, share your post, or subscribe to your RSS feed. Statistics show that when writers ask people to do things the readers are more inclined to follow the directive. While blog posts should not be advertisements for your business offerings, this does not mean that you cannot create calls to action for downloadable content. In order to establish your online reputation and brand, it is important to create case studies, white papers, and e-books. After this content has been created, you can craft a blog post about the topic of this content and create a call to action that will encourage readers to download the information to learn more about the subject. Live Up to Expectations Once you have caught the reader’s attention by using visual aids, subtitles, and bolding key phrases you need to live up to the expectations you have created in the reader’s mind. Too often, blog writers will craft a terrific summary but then the content fails to deliver. In the initial phases of your blog writing, make sure that you have outlined the topic of your post and that you have at least three main ideas and three subtopics to support those ideas for 500 pages of content. This way you make sure that you thoroughly explain the subject matter to your reader … Read more
When it comes to content writing, there is a right way to write and a wrong way to write. Your website content needs to be engaging, entertaining, and inspire readers to take action-whether that action is to sign up for an e-mail list or give your company a call for a free estimate. The rules of website copywriting have changed over the years, and it’s important to keep on top of the latest trends for SEO benefits, social media sharing advantages, and more. Why Website Copywriting? The reason for web copywriting is to gain company and brand recognition. In other words: to sell. The job of your website is to generate leads, to attract visitors and turn those visitors to customers. It is all about generating sales and building trust with your readers. With website copywriting, everything should contribute to this goal. Maximizing your content marketing is one means to a wonderful return on investment. Effective copywriting means more traffic, leads and sales, establishment of experts, improved SEO, faster results with less advertising costs, and a great ROI. It is success that makes success happen, and web copywriting has proved to be successful. Website Copywriting Do’s Powerful search engine optimized website copywriting has the potential to create a tremendous impact on your sales and marketing. And, let’s face it. When you do something, you might as well do it effectively, or it is a waste of time. Here are the do’s in website copywriting: what you should do and what you should accomplish with it. Keyword Research: Content is “King”, but that “King” needs a little more than outstanding copy. It needs to be outstanding copy with effective keywords. One of the first steps in website copywriting is keyword research. Targeting your keywords is a part of your strategic planning in SEO and the wrong keywords can totally break a campaign. Great Headlines: Headlines are a way to format your material so that readers can easily get to the information they want. Headlines attract the eyes, and create interest, and your keywords should be included in your headlines Correct Keyword Placement: Keyword placement is an area where you’ll likely receive a lot of advice. My suggestion here is to have your primary keyword appear in the first or second sentence of your opening paragraph and sprinkled throughout the copy. You should have a 2 to 5 percent keyword density. Attention-Grabbing Homepage Copy: Homepage copy needs to grab the attention of the viewer from the moment he/she lands on the page. Your words have to speak and grab the attention of the reader. Copy should be divided into chunks, with sub-headers, for viewers to get right to the information they require. Your keywords should be placed throughout the copy, like mentioned in the paragraph above. Your copy, like any copy, should be focused on the keywords. When you create website copy, it is important to create a meta title and a meta description, as well. If you have a web programmer / designer, you’ll want to give them both, along with Persuasive Copy: Any content you create should be persuasive. While this is kind of obvious, not all marketers create or hire someone to create compelling, persuasive content. The goal is to attract potential customers and turn them to long-term customers. Bullet Points to Break it Up: Bullets are a real benefit. In fact, the search engines consider them to be important items. Website copywriting should include bullets when possible, preferably with one of your keywords. Strong Call to Action: Copywriting should have a call to action. A call to action is simply giving the reader a place to go for more information and is a great benefit to both you and the reader. Website Copywriting Don’ts Like the do’s of website copywriting, there are don’ts, and you want to keep them in mind as you craft your content. Let’s take a look. Not Having a Good Understanding of Your Business or Brand: One of the worst things you should do is to not have a good understanding of your business or brand. In order for your copy to be effective, you need to have good insight on your business, products, and services, and you need to be able to focus on your business, products, or services. There is no place for “fluff” in website copywriting. Lack of Persuasiveness: Persuasive copy is essential. Content can be great, but if it doesn’t involve the emotion to learn more or purchase, then it really isn’t effective. You want persuasive copy that spells out why your business, products and services are needed. Bland Text Instead of Headings, Subheadings and Dot-points: When you have your content formatted with bullets it is an easy means for readers to get information fast. Statistics show that bullets attract. They also show that your bullets need to be effective. Bullets headings and subheadings all give you an opportunity to grab the attention of the reader and keep that attention. They should be in a place that is noticed, and as well constructed as possible. Lack of Relevancy: A lack of relevancy will send readers away from your site or content, and will leave an impression that doesn’t sit well. When content is irrelevant, you aren’t highlighting or saying anything important about your business, products, or services. Never write around the subject. Always engage the readers with interesting and relevant content that is to the point. Again, there is no room for fluff in web copywriting. Without effective website copywriting, you don’t have the potential to generate optimal interest in your business and brand. Content is “King”, and when created properly, it is effective and does make a difference in your SEO advertising. Need great web pages? We curate some of the best writers online to formulate our team of writers – order online via our Content Shop!
Remember what used to be the ABC of sales in the 20th century? The old adage Always Be Closing rang in the ears of salespeople across the globe as a guiding mantra for decades. This ABC, which suggested that all that mattered was the sale and closing it, was later translated as Always Be Confident, implying a shift from the object to the subject. According to this perspective, there was a slight change of focus from the sale to the salesperson, on whose confidence the sale depended. Now the sales agent was no longer the disembodied entity that had to close the sale, but an individual whose confidence in his or her own skills increased the likelihood to actually close the sale. But what happens now? First of all, it should be noted that the turn of the century brought a shift of balance in the relationship between the elements of the selling triangle: sale – salesperson – customer. From the least important in this equation, the customer became the central piece. And online selling is a telling example in this sense. Businesses build Websites to become visible to people surfing the Web, hoping to turn them into potential buyers. To do that, their Websites need to capture visitors’ attention. That’s where content writing comes in. The ABCs of Content Writing: Part of an Online Marketing Strategy Here’s the one we propose. It’s actually a double ABC: Answer and Appeal, Briefness and Buoyancy, Condensation and Consistency. Let’s see what each pair in this AABBCC actually stands for when it comes to content writing. Answer and Appeal Your content writing should be informative, providing answers to visitors’ questions about your product or service. Credibility is directly linked to usefulness, therefore your content should be useful in order to influence the visitor and turn him or her into a potential buyer. Also, if your content is not only offering answers to questions, but does this in an appealing way by providing relevant details, suggestive examples, and explicit action steps, it’s even better. Briefness and Buoyancy To fulfill its purpose, content writing should at the same time follow the rule of briefness and buoyancy. It’s a fact that fleeting attention is the worst enemy of online writing. To convince people to read what you have to say, you need to be as concise as possible while also allowing them to skim and scan your words in search of what’s relevant to them. But brief and succinct does not mean superficial. Briefness should be doubled by buoyancy, by which we mean that the language used to write online content should be simple, fluent and lively, conveying a lightness of spirit, that keeps the readers alert and does not overload their system. And with this, we move to the third pair in our double ABC. Condensation and Consistency Your content writing should not be only appealing and brief, but also substantial. You should provide condensed ideas by reducing the content to the gist, in a simple and clear manner. Even if the content is technical or highly specific you need to find ways to render it in laymen’s terms. Condensation does not mean obscurity. It means synthesis, and it requires the ability to render the essential. To increase the effectiveness of your content writing, you need to be consistent. Customers and prospects appreciate consistency and see it as a sign of reliability. Consistency in Web content quality is fundamental in earning people’s trust and maintaining their interest. Quality content writing is like great customer service. If you surprise people by exceeding their expectations, they’re not only more likely to return to you, but also make referrals to others. By keeping in mind the double ABC of content writing, you can improve the quality of your copy, and as a result increase your traffic and website efficiency.
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