Internet marketing is a challenging business. You must always be up-to-date on, and honestly ahead of, the latest updates on search engines, especially Google. While their new Panda and Penguin updates may make you feel like you’re at the zoo, it’s no stroll in the park for an internet marketing company.
Long gone are the days where you could generate hits for simply having your content contain specific keywords. Google’s newest algorithms have turned old and sometimes “spammy” search engine optimization (SEO) tactics on their heads. There is no such thing as copywriting for SEO anymore. Google has made it so that it is just real, regular copywriting, focused on original, worthwhile, engaging, and illuminating content, usually in the form of a power article, that is constantly updated, created and shared and shared again through a multitude of online media outlets via links which characterizes SEO content creation and promotion today. Only the very best internet marketers that have refrained from the spammy tricks are thanking Google for this.
How do you write the kind of content that will make other sites want to link to you?
Remember Mrs. Higsby back in middle school and that grammar class you hated so much? Well hopefully you were paying attention because that is the first and arguably most important place to start when generating new content. The best thing you can do for yourself is to use proper English.
- Your spelling, syntax and grammar matter. Wud u lyk to read articl lyk dis please? I think not.
- Don’t write in one huge block. Have some sympathy for your readers and disregard Mrs. Higsby’s advice on this one thing. Use formatting to your advantage and double space paragraphs, use bullet points, break things up a bit. A lot of white area makes an article seem less overwhelming. Remember when you were in school and groaned at the huge blocks of text that were handed to you?
- It seems like common sense, but have a point. Don’t ramble on or get off topic. Once you have your topic – stick to it. Create an outline of what you want to say in each paragraph. Better yet, use that outline in your article. Breaking up text with a numbered list is a great way to catch and keep attention.
- Organize your paragraphs. Have an introduction, middle, and end. (How many times did we have to listen to old Higs say that?)
- If you can’t think of a title, just start writing. The idea will come and you can add an introduction and narrow your focus afterward.
- Make your introductions fun. Use anecdotes, quotes, a joke. Something that breaks the ice and makes your reader chuckle – or raise their eyebrows. It’s okay to be controversial. Just make sense and give them a reason to continue reading.
- Since people generally only skim content to find something relevant to their search be sure to make your point at the beginning, like a thesis statement. This way they know where you’re going and can decide quickly if they want to follow. Make that decision easy for them.
- Because this is the internet after all, and not your sixth grade grammar class, titling each new idea with a subheading is a great way to help people skim your article for relevance.
- Remember your audience. Use the language and tone that suits them. It’s no use to showcase your vocabulary if no one knows what you mean without consulting a dictionary.
If the point of your article is to persuade your reader to take some kind of action, be sure to mention it in the conclusion. But be polite about it, no one likes to be told what to do. Your article should be convincing enough that all you have to do is show them how or where they can do what you need them to.
If the point of your article is to persuade your reader to take some kind of action, be sure to mention it in the conclusion. But be polite about it, no one likes to be told what to do. Your article should be convincing enough that all you have to do is show them how or where they can do what you need them to.So how do you generate links for your Higsby-approved content?
For SEO purposes, writing this magnificent content is critical, but it is only part of the formula. Once you have the content, you must also promote it. Social media sites and blogs are some effective and inexpensive outreach methods that will help build a stellar link profile.
Social Media
One thing that Google’s Penguin update changed was the need for highly rated, natural, organic links. Creating a social media profile on sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow you to share your content with your followers. They, in turn, share your content with their followers, who then share it with theirs and so on and so forth, building a solid, organic link profile.
The important thing to remember when posting your content on social media is to not just provide a link. As with the article content itself, your posts should be a quirky and to-the-point explanation of what the article is about and why your followers should check it out.
If they comment on it, be sure to respond. If they took the time to comment or share it, take the time to make them feel like it was worth their while. Nothing makes someone feel like they did the right thing more than being singled out and thanked. This also increases your chances of their sharing your material in the future.
Also, post a few times a day. Not everyone is on at the same time; so even if you’re at home, take two minutes to post about the link again. Be sure to reword your post so you’re not spamming people. Say something like In case you missed it… This way you expand your reach and increase your shares.
Blogs
Blogging, especially guest blogging, is a great way to generate back links for your content. The important thing to do here (and with your social media profiles as well) is to target a base that would be interested in your niche to begin with because these are the people who are most likely to convert – or answer your call to action. Choose blogs that are related to your industry. If it seems a little off topic, that’s okay. Find some way to relate what you have to offer to their niche, but be realistic.
Blogging can be a very personal platform for outreach. Remember this when contacting blog hosts to suggest a guest post. Do not send generic requests or emails with poor grammar and spelling; this will get you ignored immediately. Personalize it. Address them by their name. Show them that your are not only seeking a link, but that you are actually interested in their blog. A great way to do this is by reading a few of their posts and mentioning something about one that really wowed you.
Go one step further and offer to let them reciprocate the guest post on your site, which would link to them, as well. If you want to use guest blogging as a method of outreach, you have to realize that you are trying to build a relationship that will allow you opportunities for future backlinks on that blog, not just the one link you’re seeking now.
Once you’ve accepted this fact and addressed the host properly then you can suggest a guest post arrangement. The best thing to do is to introduce yourself, explain what you’re about, and then offer them a few links to samples of your work. This way they can get a feel for how you write and how well you’d mesh with their followers.
With Mrs. Higby’s help, this will get them to consider you. Again, you need to make the decision easy for them. Propose a few topics you are considering or have started writing, let them choose the one that would best suit their audience – even though you’ve done your research, the host still knows them better and can tell you honestly if you’re wasting your time. Even if that does happen, chances are if they like you and know someone that your post is better suited to, they can get you in touch with that host. For more insight and tips on guest blogging, check out Jani’s article, Guest Blogging for Dummies.
Taking the time to write extraordinary content geared toward people instead of machines will improve your SEO efforts even in the face of Google’s newest search engine updates. Creating a solid, organic link profile will further expand those efforts. If this seems like a daunting task, contact Optimum 7 to get in touch with an internet marketing company that knows how to combine content, outreach, and your budget for an invincible online marketing campaign.
