content writing guide Archives

A Guide: 37 Ways To Write Content That Converts

by Adam Oakley | Jun 4, 2015 | Content Marketing

Creating content that converts is something every single website and business owner wants. You want people to come to your site, read your content, and click links to buy services or products. However, you might find it difficult to create content that converts your visitors into leads. I want to share some excellent ways that you can ensure you get great content that will convert your readers into clients, as well as keeping them for the long-term. Let’s take a look at the various aspects of content and specific points within each that can help you craft expert content that helps to generate leads.

I. Blogging

Blogging is an important aspect of any online campaign because it can bring in visitors and convert them quickly. You need to make sure you add a blog to your website to help generate engagement with your client base, as well as creating something that directs people to the rest of your site. You can do a number of things with a blog, and I am going to look at some of the elements you need to consider when blogging.

1. Use WordPress Only for Blogging. WordPress is a great blogging tool that can help you get some powerful results. There are many reasons why I think this is the best to use for your blogging needs. Some of the reasons are that it is SEO friendly, you can have a great blog design, and WordPress has been around long enough to be a trusted blogging resource. I would suggest using WordPress only for your blogging purposes, but you can use it for your static website, as well. They have a great selection of SEO plugins that help you get the most out of your blog, and so much more. Take a look at their blog platform to see just how easy it is to use and which aspects will benefit your business’s site.

2. Optimize Every Single Post. When you use WordPress, make sure that you optimize every post. WordPress makes it easy for blogs to be optimized to their fullest potential, and you need to take advantage of that. In order to get great optimization, do keyword research and use your low competition keywords in your posts. Make sure you optimize any and every image you use and select a good link name to use for the blog. How can you optimize every single aspect of a blog post with WordPress? I am going to look at that in my next point.

3. Use SEO Plugins On WordPress. As I mentioned earlier, one of the best parts of WordPress is the ability to use SEO plugins to optimize your blog further. There are several great plugins out there, but you need to choose the ones that will benefit you the most. WP Beginner highlights some of the latest SEO plugins you can use such as WordPress SEO by Yoast, SEMRush, and Google Keyword Planner. Take a look at the others listed to find some that can help your blog! You can also choose other plugins that aren’t specifically for SEO; just choose wisely and only choose the ones that will help your site and blog.

4. Use Big, Awesome, Colorful Adjectives in Your Headers. Your headlines and headers are crucial to convincing people to click and read through your blogs. When you create headlines or headers, make sure that you use amazing adjectives that capture attention. As you can see, I used a few in this header, illustrating how powerful, excellent adjectives can make a header. If you are trying to come up with great headlines or headers, you can follow a few suggestions of some of the hottest headlines out there to get started.

5. Use Action Words in Your Headers. Action words in headers are just as important as colorful adjectives because they convince readers to do something as they read. You can use action words in all of your headers, or you can wait until you create your call to action. Whichever way you choose, just keep in mind that you need to convince people to do something more than just reading your post. You can also do a mix of action words in a few headers throughout your blog and at the end for your call to action, which can be quite powerful.

6. Do a Controversial Blog Every Now and Then. Get your readers to sign up for something or go to a page by sharing a similar hatred or anger for something. Humanity is interesting and weird, isn’t it? We tend to do more when we connect with something, and many times that can be something we all feel strongly about and stand against. For example, how many people were willing to do whatever it took to stop the process of major corporations being able to take over the Internet? Several people and it was something that made all Internet users quite angry. When something like Net Neutrality comes up, you can use that as a way to write a blog and get people to act, no matter what the item is. You can also utilize trends like #WheresNatasha or other trends that have people angry or upset about something.

7. Do an Occasional Blog that Revolves Around Humor. Along with focusing on a controversy, focusing on humor is another way to get people to open up their wallets and buy your product. People love to laugh, and if you can make them laugh they will be more willing to buy items or services from you. Always make sure you are following some basic guidelines for using humor in your blog to ensure you have an impactful piece. A few things to remember are to be respectful, know your audience, and stay true to your specific brand. Once you incorporate humor, you will start to see many of your visitors starting to turn into leads.

8. Write Fun, Exciting Blogs On Seasonal Topics. When you sit down to plan out your content strategy, make sure that you look at holidays, the seasons, and any other seasonal items. Why? Because seasonal content can provide you with great inspiration for more blog posts. You don’t just have to stick with writing the typical Christmas or Thanksgiving posts, but can write on something like seasonal fails (burnt food, terrible presents, and more) or family or friend memories. Try to write your seasonal content with a fun, fresh voice without coming across sales-like to make the posts even more powerful.

9. Post a Recap Blog from an Event (and Add Photos!). Did you just have a fun event for your business? Then post a recap blog and add photos! This gives a great “behind the scenes” look at your business while giving people something to connect with. Your clients are more likely to feel a relationship with you and your business if you include them in things like your events, even if it wasn’t for clients. Your blog provides you with the unique chance to do this, and you can even use it to promote future events for your clients.

10. Use Customer Questions for Blog Inspiration. If you are looking for great blog content that can help promote a relationship and convert visitors, then utilize customer questions for blog posts. This is a great way to answer common questions while maintaining and building relationships with your clients. You can even host a monthly event where people submit their questions and you answer a handful every week, providing people with the information they want to see.

11. Write News Pieces on Your Blog. A great way to create content that converts is to start writing news pieces along with your other content. This helps you craft timely pieces that focus on trends within your industry, and offers value to your readers. You can easily find news topics in your industry by finding and following industry leaders who will post about similar topics and ideas. Always make sure you do your research and give excellent citations when creating news pieces to help make it trustworthy and set you apart as an expert in your field.

12. Do Not Hesitate to Get a Copyeditor. Every writer, no matter how skilled, needs a copyeditor. Copyeditors can read over your written material to make sure there aren’t any grammatical or spelling errors, that your pieces flow well, and that they make sense. Chances are if you simply write a blog piece and post it without editing, you are posting something with errors. We all make errors when writing, and it is hard to spot every single one with your own eye. A copyeditor can spot that, and he or she will help make your blog or web content top quality. This will help make readers trust your business more, and it will definitely make Google happy.

II. Social Media

The next aspect of content marketing is that of social media. It is just as important as your blog because it helps you connect individually with clients. It also opens up a new engagement method and gives you a great way to promote the blogs you’ve been writing. Let’s look at different aspects of social media that you should keep in mind when aiming to convert with your content.

13. Be on Facebook and Write For Facebook. Facebook is still a great social media channel to be part of, regardless of what you might be hearing. It can help convert many visitors into leads, and helps you stay in contact with your clients. With its constant evolving and improving, Facebook provides you with many great chances to reach out to your audience. Just how can you use Facebook for the best? There are many great tips out there and a few are:

Always share links on Facebook, especially if you are linking to your website or blog. Facebook’s design for links helps to showcase images, giving people visual content with a link to click on.
Create a post that is powerful in just a few characters. While you don’t have the limitation you do on Twitter, people have a higher likelihood of reading your Facebook post if it is short and to the point.
It’s good to post your Facebook content during non-peak times, giving your post a chance to be seen and not lost in a sea of other posts.
Have a consistent sharing strategy and plan for Facebook, and all of your social media channels.
Use hashtags on Facebook to reach more people. Many people don’t realize that Facebook hashtags do actually work, and hashtags are no longer just limited to Twitter.
When you create Facebook content, make sure you know your audience through research. Once you do, you can use Facebook’s targeting capabilities to select the various people who you want your ads and posts to reach. Vertical Response’s blog gives a great look at just how to do this to improve your Facebook posts.

14. Be on Twitter and Write for Twitter. Twitter is a great social channel and is one of the busiest channels right now. There are millions of people worldwide tweeting about their favorite shows, movies, and world events, and they could be your audience. You need to get on the social channel and begin writing and using Twitter to help leverage your business. If you want to see just how powerful Twitter has been and will be, take a look at Buffer’s excellent article.

One of the first things to realize is that Twitter focuses on what is known as micro-blogging, which means that their channel only allows for short tweets (140 characters maximum). Prepare to write content that is short and to the point. If you’re already doing this with Facebook, you shouldn’t have much trouble with Twitter. Forbes has a great list of other things to keep in mind when writing for Twitter such as:

Engage with your audience when they respond to your Twitter posts.
Keep your posts focused on one main goal.
Utilize humor and/or images in your Tweets.
Make sure that your profile is complete with profile image, bio, website link, and cover image.

15. Should You be on Instagram? Instagram is a great social channel, but it can be tricky to know if you should or shouldn’t be on it. There are a few things to consider such as whether or not you utilize visual marketing, if your clients are on the channel, or if your competitors are on it. Sit down to get familiar with Instagram and look to see if your business can benefit from it. You might be surprised just how much it might. If you get on the channel, make sure to use it to benefit your company by utilizing hashtags, knowing the age demographic you are trying to reach, and understanding how to use Instagram for Business.

16. What Other Social Media Channels Should You Use? Outside of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there are several other excellent social media channels to use. You need to make sure it is something that your company can truly benefit from before getting on it, however. A few of the top channels are:

Google Plus. Google makes sure to make this a vital aspect if you want to rank on the SERP. It’s a given to get this for SEO purposes.
Pinterest. Do you do a lot of visual marketing? Do you share a lot of photos and DIY tips? Then this channel might just be what your company needs.
LinkedIn. This channel is great for business-to-business models as many professional utilize this channel. You most likely won’t be able to reach out to the general public here, but it can really help you network within your industry as well as help your B2B model.
YouTube. This is another great visual marketing social channel. If you make videos, then this is the place to share them!

17. No Matter the Channel, Always Engage With Clients. Social media requires that you be social, which means that if you aren’t engaging with your clients, it will fall flat. Sometimes it can be hard to get engagement, but once you get it you need to make sure you are engaging back. When someone re-tweets you, thank him or her. If someone comments on a post or responds to a tweet, respond back. This will help foster a relationship with your followers and clients, and make them more likely to continue engaging. When you engage, you are also boosting your chances of converting your followers into customers.

18. Change Up Your Blog Headlines When You Post to Social Media. Creating the perfect headline for your blog is important when you want to draw in readers. However, it is also important for you to change it up when you share on social media. You want to share your blog a few times throughout the month, which means that you shouldn’t be posting the exact same title. A great way to mix it up is to come up with a few different variations and use those all on social media. This can help bring in more readers, and catch the attention of different people.

19. Figure Out the Best Times to Post for Your Business. Learning when to post to social media for your business, and what to post when, can really help when it comes to converting and generating leads. There are many different studies out there, such as NewsCred’s, which talks about some of the best times to post your content. While this can be a helpful starting point, you need to make sure to try different times to see what works best for your business. Don’t hesitate to try out new things and new times to find the best choice for you.

III. Advertising

Advertising is still a major part of converting people into leads for your business. There are many newer methods of advertising such as social media, but the tried and true methods are just as handy. What are some of the different aspects of advertising that you should consider for your business? Read on further to see some answers that are sure to help you grow your business and create content that converts.

20. Should You Have Ads and Brochures in the Digital Age? Ads and brochures were something that many businesses utilized a few years ago to help promote their business or services. Many people wonder if they are still useful now in 2015; they can be excellent for your business still. In the digital age, you can now create brochures that are available online for your viewers to download and look at, and if you have a physical location, you can print out paper ones. However, if you don’t want to waste paper for a brochure at your physical shop, you could use QR codes and other digital methods to share brochures with people when they come in.

21. Should You Utilize Television Advertisements? It might seem like TV ads are a thing of the past when it comes to digital and Internet ads. However, it is still a great idea for many businesses. How so? Well, Google Fiber is slowly taking over America as a new form of cable TV, allowing faster access instead of using traditional cable or satellite. Google Fiber is starting to change the game when it comes to ads, by basing what viewers see on their TVs off of their viewing history, much like digital ads now. Consider getting an ad spot or two to benefit your company, especially in areas where Google Fiber is being used.

22. Create Downloadable Incentives. People love to get free things, which means offering your visitors downloadable incentives for signing up for emails or purchasing products is a great idea. Downloadable incentives can be things like free eBooks, Whitepapers, services, or whatever else you would like to give to clients. This can make them feel appreciated when they sign up for your email list or when they purchase something, giving them instant gratification.

23. Social Media Ads are Still Powerful Tools. Social media is a great place for advertising because it is, usually, free. Throughout the years, people have written about why you should focus on organic social media results, but the reality is that organic is falling away. Organic results are still very possible, so don’t worry about that, but in order to have more of an impact on social media, you need to utilize paid ads. This will help broaden your reach and can bring in new readers and customers quickly and easily.

24. Are Press Releases Still a Viable Option? While it might seem like press releases are a thing of the past, that isn’t the case just yet. They are still viable options when it comes to advertising. When you create a press release now, you always need to be sure that it is something that can, and will be, published as its own article. You will also want to make sure that you make the press release available for your Internet audience through a blog or a downloadable PDF, as this is where many people will see it.

25. Never Forget About the Power of Email Marketing. Like press releases, people often wonder if email marketing is still important to advertising. Email is still vital, and it is something you need to dedicate a decent portion of your advertising budget for. According to Forbes, when you dedicate some of your budget to email marketing, you will see an increase in lead generation, be able to connect email campaigns with your current content campaign, and measure results easily. Don’t neglect email when it comes to creating content that converts; this might just be the thing that generates more leads for your business.

IV. Visual Content

In this section, I am going to look at visual content and how it can benefit your business. Many people don’t know if visual content is for their company, but it really can help convert visitors into leads quickly. It also makes things easier to share on social media and helps people who want to consume short content to do so.

26. Create Short, Succulent Content for Infographics. Infographics are excellent for visual content and can help your customers and readers consume more content quickly. They are also easily shared on social media. When you create an infographic, you should always make sure that the content is short and incredibly interesting to help drive engagement and shares. Many people who consume infographics as a form of content are looking for shorter, easier to read content.

This infographic from Quick Sprout is an excellent example of what an infographic should look like.

27. Create Videos or Podcasts from Your Content. Other great forms of visual content are videos and podcasts. These are great for people who are commuting on trains or when someone is taking a lunch break during the workday. In fact, depending on the individual’s job, a podcast might be something they listen to throughout their workday. Because of this, it is important to create videos and/or podcasts for your business. Any business can leverage a great campaign through these content mediums; just take a look at Accenture’s YouTube channel.

28. Utilize Images on Social Media and in Blogs. Visual content isn’t just for your blogs and website but is also an important aspect of social media. Images on social media will bring in more viewers as people connect better with images than with words. This is especially true now that our society is so visual. In addition to connecting better with images, people on social media are also more likely to share a post that utilizes images or video on the channel. I’m not referring to videos or images that are on your blog or site, but to images and video that you upload directly to Facebook, Twitter, and other social channels. Start using some visual content on social media to see just how many clicks and shares you get.

29. Create a Video Web Series for Your Content. As I mentioned, video content is great to help convert visitors into buyers, and a great idea is to create a web series based off of your content. You can tell stories or adapt your content into a series that people find enjoyable. A great example of a web series adapting content is the Lizzie Bennett Diaries, which is a modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. While you might not be retelling a classic story, a web series that follows some sort of story with your content can help connect with your audience and build relationships with them.

30. Encourage User-Generated Visual Content. Another excellent way to get and use visual content is to utilize user-generated content. If you have products that are perfect for visual content, then you can encourage your clients to tweet and Instagram images of them with the product or of the product itself. You can create a contest to get the ball rolling on user-generated visual content, but people do still like sharing pictures of products they buy. Always be sure you like any photos that are tagged to your business to help promote engagement and encourage even more user-generated content.

V. Content Audits and Research

While content creation is a vital aspect when it comes to converting leads, you also need to make sure your existing content is hitting the target. SEO changes from month to month as we all know thanks to Google’s many changes. In addition, your keywords can change over time, and you might need to spruce up existing web content. The best way to do this is to utilize content audits and do keyword and content research.

31. Get an Audit of Your Content to Fix Any Problems. A content audit is a great idea when it comes to making sure your existing content is on point. It can help you find if any of your links are broken if your SEO is off from what is current, and which blogs need to have changes made.

A content audit can help you figure out just what needs to be changed, freshened up, and gives you great ideas on how to handle your upcoming content. It will make your strategy more effective and powerful, giving you the chance to convert more with your existing and upcoming content.

32. Do Keyword Research to Find the Best, Most Powerful Keywords. While they might not be as central to an SEO plan now, keywords are still important when it comes to ranking. However, many people don’t realize that your keywords can change over time, and if you don’t make necessary changes, they won’t help you create powerful content. A great thing to do is to do keyword research throughout the year to find the best keywords, keeping your content up-to-date. You can either do it yourself by following HubSpot’s helpful guide or hire SEO experts to do the research for you. Either way, you will be on the track to finding keywords for your content that will help generate leads.

33. Don’t Forget the Importance of Content Curation. Content curation can help you find excellent resources for your web content, as well as finding great things to share on social media. Customers love to see more than just links to your website, so sharing curated content helps to break that up and give them great resources. Content Marketing Institute gives a great guide on how to do content curation to find excellent sources for your business as well as for your customers.

VI. Web Pages

If you want to create content that converts, you will also need to make sure your web pages for products and services are top quality. When Google approaches your website to rank it on the SERP, it will approach the entirety of your website, not just your blogs. Let’s see just how you can approach your landing pages to make them powerful, helping your site rank, as well as creating content that converts.

34. Create Powerful Landing Pages. One of the first things you need to do when it comes to making your whole website effective is to create excellent landing pages. You can utilize web designers to help you create something that will not only look great but be easy to navigate for your customers. A landing page is an important aspect of every website because this is where people usually happen across your site. Sure, the “home” page is important, but not many people will go to your home page at first. They will find a landing page through your blogs and social media posts.

35. Have Pages for Individual Services or Products. A great way to utilize your landing pages is to have pages for individual services or products. This provides you with several landing pages that people can happen across on the SERP, through blogs and social media. This will help direct people to a particular product they are interested in so as to keep them from being overwhelmed with other products they don’t want. Express Writers utilizes landing pages for every single one of our services, which makes it so much easier for our clients to find the services they want and need. Try this out on your site to see just how much conversion you can get from multiple landing pages.

36. Each Page Needs Its Own Call to Action. When you create individual landing pages, make sure that each has its very own call to action. This will help encourage people who are reading the content to click on the links to look at or purchase content. You will find that call to actions on your pages are perfect when it comes to creating content that converts. Never ignore the call to action, no matter what.

37. Keep the Design Easy and Simple to Understand. Usability is something you want to keep in mind when creating your website and web content. It needs to be easy to understand and use, and if it isn’t, you could lose customers quickly. If you want content that converts, then you need to have a website that is easy to use and understand. You don’t want visitors to get frustrated with your website. Once you have an easy-to-use site, people are much more likely to stick around and buy your products or services.

Conversion is Absolutely Possible Through Content

Following the various tips in this blog, you can easily start creating content that helps convert. Every single idea can help bring in a new customer, as well as keeping your existing ones around. Long-term customers are yet another way to help convert visitors into leads. If you need an expert in any of the fields mentioned above, do not hesitate to contact Express Writers. We have an excellent team of writers, social media managers, and more who can help craft expert content that converts. Contact us, today!

Too Much Content: Could It Happen?

by Adam Oakley | Apr 23, 2014 | Content Marketing

Short answer: yes. Too much content can actually scare potential clients and readers away. If they have to wade through a pool of different content to get to the meat of your website, they will run away very fast. “When is content considered too much?” you ask.

Let’s discuss this and how to avoid publishing or creating overwhelming amounts, and as a bonus give you some ideas on how to use your content to tease readers into wanting more. So, get your thinking caps on and get ready to learn about The Day of Too Much Content.

How Do I Know I Have Too Much Content?

If you start noticing that you are losing readers and visitors it is a very good indication that your content might be overwhelming. We know that you have spent countless hours preparing your content and we know that is pretty awesome, too. Just because the content is great and has had a lot of preparation does not mean that your customers will like it, though. Less really is more when it comes to content writing.

Business2Community suggests self-examination when you start realizing your website is losing readers. We are going to unpack what this means in the following section.

1. It’s a Tough Crowd, Charlie Brown. Just ask any comedian – audiences are hard to please. When you are writing your content, you need to know your audience and what they expect from you. If you aren’t talking their “language” you are going to lose them quickly. If your audience is in the tech world, you shouldn’t write things that aren’t related to that field. If your audience doesn’t know much about tech, don’t write about tech. Simple as that. Too much of the wrong content will hurt your company.

2. Are You Living up to Your Expectations? You have expectations for your company; everyone does, but are you living up to them? If you aren’t, it is time to re-evaluate your content strategy and re-evaluate what you expect from it. You may think you’ll go viral if you post a ton of photos a day on your social media site but instead you realize that your page likes are going down. This means you need to stop sharing so much and start sharing small, impactful photos or updates. Don’t spam people’s newsfeeds.

3. Where is Your Audience Going? Are you sending them to your front page or to a specific landing page? If you’re sending them to your homepage, you should know that they will feel very overwhelmed. Most front pages are packed with information, photos, links, ads, etc. and that gets very confusing and overwhelming. Tweak your landing pages to bring in customers to a specific place. You can use a landing page to give a brief description of your company, encourage people to sign up for updates, and give links to your social media sites. A landing page is crucial to a successful website and company.

Tease Audiences into Wanting More

If you want to bring in more people, you have to tease them, not overwhelm them. Here are a few ways you can do this and start gaining back your readership.

1. Giveaways. People love getting free stuff and giveaways are a perfect opportunity to build relationships with clients. You can use giveaways to keep your existing clients but you can also use them to bring in more readers and promote your company more. Giving people the ability to get extra entries is one of the ways to do this. Tell people they get one entry simply by commenting but can get X amount more (chose how many entries you’d like to give) by sharing on social media sites and blogging about it. People will do whatever they can if there is a potential to win, so take advantage of that!

2. Spoilers. If you have a big announcement coming up, think about spending a few days/weeks prior by vague tweeting and updating. This will start garnering interest because curiosity is a major part of human consciousness. Occasionally let something “slip” to make people chortle at your “mistake” as they attempt to solve what the big news is. You can even implement giveaways into this and give a prize away if someone guesses the big news (just don’t tell them until you have announced your news!).

3. Ask for Input. Your clients and readers are the best resources to utilize to find out if you post too much content. Send out questionnaires and make a web poll for them to access. You could create an anonymous tip box where people can freely tell you what needs to change. Take their suggestions and start implementing them into your content creation and you will see tremendous growth in visits to your website. Creating client participation is very important to all businesses.

Make Changes and Succeed

Creating enough content that isn’t overwhelming will save your business and will bring in more clients. Stay away from making common mistakes with your content and begin to be more personal with your readers. This isn’t the time to feel bad that your site isn’t drawing in readers; it is time to take action and make changes!

A Guide On Killer SEO Content For Your Readers and Rankings

by Adam Oakley | Dec 14, 2013 | SEO

You’ve had it drilled into your head that you’re no longer writing for SEO when it comes to SEO content, and it’s all about the reader. Google’s Hummingbird was a wakeup call for those who snoozed through Panda and Penguin releases; the emphasis is all on high-quality content.

So how do you write high-quality, awesome SEO content for search engines and readers alike?

Before you sit down feeling frustrated and give up, let’s get one thing out of the way:

Yes, you can rank high and gain new readers for your website!

Doesn’t that make you feel better? To get high rankings and gain new readers it’s all about balancing between what search engines want and what readers need. Google has made it quite clear that they won’t tolerate fluff or irrelevant content in SEO writing and SEO content anymore. Hummingbird was their way of letting everyone know that.

If you read through Google’s quality guidelines you will see what they’re looking for pages written for users, unique content, valuable content, and no more tricks, just to name a few. If you look closely, however, you’ll see the biggest thing Google wants of all: optimized content that is unique. That means you will need to differentiate your website from the rest of the Internet, offer real value and have a selling point that pops.

To help you through it, here are several methods that generate killer content for your rank and your readers.

Be Relevant, Not Random

You might be tempted to write on a particular topic you’re passionate about, but if that topic isn’t relevant to your website, you need to skip it, according to About.com. People searching on the internet want something that is relevant to what they’re searching for. Readers and Google expects relevant content and when users don’t see what they are looking for they leave — and don’t come back.

If you’re writing a blog or article, make sure it’s relevant to your brand, products or the purpose of your website. For example, if you are writing about wedding planning, you shouldn’t have information about birthday parties, because your site focuses on weddings.

Be relevant above all else.

Define Your Brand, Then Your Quality Goal

Unfortunately quality is a subjective term. What you think is “quality” might be “poor quality” to a reader. So how do you write content that is quality to everyone?

Simple, you can’t.

But, you can write quality content that is considered “quality” to your brand. Consider your brand, target customer, and/or products you offer. Then ask yourself: what type of content would be considered quality to my target audience? Don’t copy other brands and the strategies they’re using — those strategies are what are considered “quality” to them, not you.

Find something that works for you and is quality to your brand.

Get to Know Your Readers

Content should be customer-centric. Anything you write — blogs, reports, etc. — should attract and establish a relationship with your ideal customer.

You can’t make a relationship with a stranger, so it’s imperative you first research who is reading your content before you write it.

Find out what your typical customer is interested in, the types of questions or concerns that would bring them to your site, what might hinder them from buying, what a reader’s goal might be, etc. The more questions you can answer about your reader, the more in-tune your posts can be for them.

Remember that Google wants to see SEO content that answers your readers’ concerns and questions and is relevant to your industry/brand.

Using the wedding planner example, your target customer would be couples about to get married.

What are engaged couples worried about? Getting married, the costs, where to start with planning, etc.

Why would they come to you for assistance? You’re the solution to their problems and know how to plan a wedding.

What would hold back a reader from hiring you? Cost perhaps.

See the point?

Use the Language

Google’s keyword tool is no longer around, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find awesome keywords to drive your content — and boost your rank. Instead of looking through endless lists on Google, listen to the customers you have.

What terms would your typical customer use to find your services? What phrases are common with your industry?

Put yourself into the shoes of your target customer and pretend you’re searching the Internet for your type of service, website, etc.

The words and phrases they’re using about your products/industry are the words you need to optimize in your content. By doing so you can easily optimize and keep your content natural. In return you’ll match search queries and increase your site’s traffic.

Stop Selling, Even If You’re Selling

If you have a blog it’s time to change up your strategy. Blogs aren’t landing pages and they certainly aren’t meant for sales advertisements. Always remember that. You should use your blogs and articles to generate brand awareness, answer questions and ease concerns — not stuff products and/or services down the throats of your readers.

Sure, you can link to sales pages in case the reader wants more or wants to see a viable solution to their issue, but there is no reason to sell in the content right there. According to an article by Entrepreneur, good writing is conversational. Do you sell to your friends when you’re having a conversation? Probably not.

So why do the same to your reader?

Establish a relationship with your reader and write content that makes them trust your brand. By building up your credibility the sales naturally come. This is true of SEO content. In fact, 61 percent of consumers make a purchase based on a blog post according to Social Media Today.

Be Predictable

No, we’re not talking about your blog topics — we’re talking about how regularly you post.

Consistently is the backbone of trust in the virtual world. Readers should be able to depend on you to post frequently and stick to a predictable schedule. Also, being predictable gains your website credibility — excellent for your rank!

The more content you produce, the more chances you have to rank with the search engines too. So, create a schedule — one that you can easily maintain — and get busy writing your content, whether SEO content, blogs, articles, web pages, you-name-it.

If you know you’ll be unavailable to write or post for a few days or weeks, write ahead of time and schedule your posts. Google doesn’t care too much about how often you post, but you need to post consistently. If you post every day for three months and then suddenly only post once every other month you won’t see a jump in your ranking — in fact you’ll probably see a heavy drop.

Go Above and Beyond

To be considered “high-quality” you need to write something that is better than what everyone else has to offer. That means it’s time to step up your game and take on the challenge. See what your competition is writing about and top it.

How do you top what’s already done over and over again?

Be creative. Add your own perspective, unique personality and spin on the topic. It can be something that is discussed over and over on other blogs and still be 100 percent unique if you just add your own personal touches to it.
Think outside of the box. You don’t have to approach your topics using a boring, time-tested method. Think outside of the box and be unique.
Use your expertise. You’re an industry expert — that’s why you have your website! Use your industry-specific knowledge and experiences to boost up your content. Have a funny story about something related to your website? Have you used products that you sell before? The more experience and insight you offer the better your rank.

Try Using Lists

Lists sell.

After all, the list-themed title blog you’re reading right now appealed to you because the information was bundled up in a list, right?

List posts, such as “Top X Ways To…”, “X Tips for…”, or “How to Sell Your Car in X Days…” always attract readers. These types of posts are popular because they do two important things:

They tell readers exactly what they’re getting from the content
They tell readers they won’t see a wall of text — things will be broken up to fulfill the list (or at least they should be)

Use lists to write your content every now and then. Lists are great for reading, help break up the content for you to write, and attract visitors. Also, list articles are more likely to be shared than other types of articles — especially those lists with flashy headlines.

Sprinkle In Eye Candy

Everyone needs a little eye candy — it sweetens the content just right.

Sprinkle in images or videos that are relevant to your content to help break it up and give readers something visual. Content with images is a lot easier to read than content that doesn’t have anything for the reader to picture.

You can use stock photos or even make your own (which is best considering it’s free and personalized) to add to your articles and blogs for a little extra something.

What Type of Writer Are You?

There are five types of writers out there: the part-timer, hobbyist, full-time pro, corporate, and entrepreneur, according to Social Media Today. Everyone can be categorized into at least one of these types of bloggers or writers. Deciding the type you are might help give your content purpose.

For example, if you’re a hobbyist writer you write for fun — not income. You spend some time on your blog, but it’s not your life’s work. Therefore your posts shouldn’t be sales-driven or serious — they should be fun and something people can tune into for a taste of something different.

If you’re an entrepreneur writer you write for a company you own. You use your blog or articles to gain recognition, share your expertise and attract clients. Your posts should be helpful, unique and still professional.

Decide the type of writer you are and why you’re writing your content. By having a purpose you’ll know how to work your content, both SEO content and general content.

Edit, Edit, Edit

It doesn’t matter how unique and awesome your content is if there are spelling errors strewn throughout the words. Typos and spelling errors turn readers away and tank your authority. Use spellcheck or hire someone to review your posts before you hit “publish” — that way you’re not tainting your reputation with a simple typo.

Format Like a Pro

Use a font people can read. Also, keep your sentences short. You should only use the words you need to convey your message and stop there. Avoid adding in fluff or sugar-coatings that don’t really add value to the sentence or the message you’re trying to deliver.

If you can, keep your paragraphs short too. Readers often get discouraged or bored if they see a chunk of text they need to sift through to find their answers.

This info won’t help you with search engines much, but it’s not always about the search engines. Having your work formatted in a reader-friendly way encourages readers to come back for more and share your content — something that does boost your rank.

Hire a Pro

If you’re not a writer, it might be best to hire one. Professional content writers can speak to your readers, do the research you don’t have time for it, and write content that sells to the search engines and the readers of your target market. You don’t have to pay thousands for high-quality content, but you will have to pay to get good content.

You can achieve a high rank and still keep your readers happy all on the same website. By integrating these methods your website will be written for the readers, attractive to the search engines, and influential for your brand. Remember that search engines want content to be for the reader first, and them second. So when you sit down to write your next piece, ask yourself what you or your target reader wants — worry about the search engines later.