Tag Archives: Content Writing

Are you setting goals for your content marketing campaigns?

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Without goals we have no direction and this can be applied to content marketing too. When you set up goals — whether big or small — you have a direction and when you have a direction you know exactly what you have to do and what you should avoid doing.

How does setting goals make your content marketing more effective? Let us suppose in the next four months you want to increase your search engine traffic and you don’t just want any traffic you want traffic that converts, that generates business, revenue for you. Once you have decided that, you figure out what sort of traffic from search engines would have a better conversion rate? Obviously the sort of traffic that is looking for what you have to offer. So write down somewhere what exactly you offer.

In my case I offer online copywriting and content writing services. Very good! Incidentally there are thousands of online copywriters and content writers on the Internet and there might be 10-20 content writers and online copywriters whose links appear before my link on the search engine result pages for appropriate keywords and search terms. In such a case scenario I can do three things (through by content publishing efforts)

  1. Beat my competitors in the search optimization game and make my rankings better than theirs
  2. Target those keywords that are less competitive but that can get me a fair amount of business
  3. Generate content that significantly improves my conversion rate

The first option is obviously good but it may take a very long time and I don’t want to spend lots of money. The second option on the other hand is quite achievable. It won’t take much time and it will give me enough breathing space: I can get business and along with that I can also keep improving my website content for more competitive keywords and search terms.

Having a good conversion rate would also be very important for me because as much traffic as I get I would like to generate enough business from it. Since right now I won’t be able to attract thousands of visitors everyday to my website I would prefer that my content has a higher conversion rate. For me this would be my goal and I would generate all my content keeping this fact in my mind.

You may have another goal. Your goal may be getting lots of exposure on social media and networking websites and you may generate content accordingly. For this you will need to know what sort of content creates buzz and goes viral on social media and networking circles. This way you have a direction.

Simply dumping content on your website or blog doesn’t help you much. You must set clearly-defined goals for your content marketing strategy.

Is it true that an online copywriter shouldn’t charge according to the time he or she spends on the project?

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I recently read on another blog post (by a relatively well-known copywriter) that online copywriters commit a fraud by charging or quoting their clients according to the time they are going to spend on the projects. I think it depends on the situation and the kind of project you are working on. I mean you cannot impose your own way of working on other people and if they refuse to toe the line you label them as frauds.

Of course a well-established copywriter charges less for the amount of writing he or she does and more for the value he or she brings to the table. But not every copywriter or content writer is in that position and neither does every client understand this concept. They simply want their writing jobs done. This is not an ideal situation but then we don’t live in an ideal world.

Clients come to you either through reference or directly. If they know you and if they are aware of your reputation (and your rates) they consciously make a decision whether they want to work with you or not. In such a situation when they are paying you they are actually paying for your work. They want you to deliver them what you’re known to deliver to other clients. They are not paying you for the time you’re spending on their projects, they are paying you for your experience and reputation. In such a case it doesn’t make sense to talk in terms of an hourly rate.

On the other hand if your clients come to you by simply looking for a copywriter or a content writer you both have to quantify the work in terms of number of pages and number of hours and there is nothing wrong in that. The clients aren’t bothered what a big shot copywriter you are; they just want a couple of pages written and if you don’t write them they can easily get them written by that guy in China or Pakistan, all said and done.

Does it mean in terms of your career you put yourself in a vulnerable position? Certainly and I don’t advise you to get in a position where you can be easily replaced. But hey, even if you are currently in such a position the main point is getting as much work as you can and delivering quality to your clients even if you have to work on a single page.

Then gradually you build your brand and people begin to recognize you. Once they know what value you can deliver you can charge for the value instead of the effort you’re putting in.

Why cheap content mostly harms your business

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Cheap content harms your business

Just stumbled upon this blog post titled “pay peanuts, get monkeys” that basically means if you publish cheap content on your business website your conversion rate falls down drastically.

I would like to state at the outset that I have been offering low-cost content writing services from my website (although, I’m gradually toning down) and I was mostly outsourcing this work to writers who can produce lots of “passable” content at extremely low rates. I would also like to tell you that I started providing low-cost content after having provided content writing services at normal international rates for more than 4 years (I still do) primarily because of 2 reasons:

  • There is high demand for cheap content
  • Writers are actually willing to provide such content

So I thought if there is a demand and if there is a supply and if I can earn money out of it then why not? I started offering a “package” and I also got some clients and some steady work for my writers. I mostly provide this content for SEO boost — it helps my clients increase their keyword density. But it stops there.

Cheap content is a vicious loop of failure

The image describes the vicious loop of cheap content

Vicious loop of cheap content

The problem comes when some of the clients want very cheap content and then want to use this content as their primary content and when the quality doesn’t meet their expectations they complain.

It’s like, desiring to drive a car while paying for a cheap bicycle.

This is exactly where the expression “pay peanuts, get monkeys” applies.

Cheap content isn’t always bad and surprisingly there are a few writers who really write well without charging much.

How do they do that?

When I asked around for most of them writing is just a side activity carried out either during office hours or after office hours.

They have the skill but they don’t have the expertise and providing professional content writing and online copywriting service is not their primary activity.

This means they neither invest in resources nor in improving their skills.

They are simply comfortable with the language, they can quickly search on the Internet and find the relevant information and then rewrite it very fast.

Nothing is unique and individual voice is always lacking.

This is where the clients pay the casualty.

Whereas cheap content written around your keywords can certainly give you an SEO boost it doesn’t help you when it actually comes to selling.

You may increase your search engine traffic but it will just remain traffic; you’re going to generate very little revenue.

This is because your inferior content is never going to convince them into doing business with you.

Your content needs to inculcate a sense of trust and authority.

If you sound like a teenager it isn’t going to do you much good if your target market mostly consists of grown-ups who are very conscious about making purchase-decisions.

Content writing is like any other service: it takes effort and experience to give you content that gets you business.

There is a reason why bigger businesses eagerly pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars to experienced copywriters and content writers; they perfectly know what harm cheap content can cause.

But I hear some of you saying, “What makes you think that people who charge less cannot provide quality content?”

I have a Chinese Blackberry phone that almost looks like the real thing.

So if you can purchase really cheap versions of a Blackberry or an iPhone, why do you spend so much money on the real devices?

Well, this may seem rhetorical so let us see the practical aspect.

Let us say a content writer agrees to charge you just $5 for a business webpage — a professional content writer may charge you anywhere between $40-$100 for the same webpage, and I’m not talking about a well-known and reputed content writer or copywriter.

How much time do you want your content writer to spend on your particular webpage?

One hour? Two hours?

Keep in mind that your business depends on this page and that is why you are getting it written.

When people read it they will make their purchase decision.

So you would like your content writer to spend ample amount of time while preparing your page.

You would want him or her to properly understand your business and your market and you would also want him or her to visit your competitors’ websites to check out how they express themselves.

To sound convincing you would want your content writer to properly understand your concept and its impact on the target audience.

After all this, you would want him or her to come up with convincing copy.

Do you actually want someone working on your business page who is desperate enough to provide a skill for just $5 per hour or worse $2.5 per hour?

How much time can that person actually devote to your content?

He or she will certainly devise ways to make up for the meager payment.

On the other hand if you pay standard rates (rates that enable your content writer to make contemporary income per hour) then you make sure that your content writer eagerly spends sufficient time on your project without having to worry about how to make up.

He or she doesn’t have to come up with “n” number of words in the given time.

He or she can actually focus on the quality of your content.

So what is the solution if you don’t have a big budget?

Quality always works better than quantity.

Well-written 10 articles are far better than poorly-written 100 articles.

The same goes for your web pages. If you don’t have budget for 20 pages just stick to 10 pages but get some writer who can really write them well.

And what if you also need SEO content?

Then you need to strike up a balance.

You can publish low-quality content in as much quantity as possible but also make provisions for well-written content that actually does business for you.

You need to balance between content that generates you search engine traffic and content that converts that traffic into paying customers and clients.

How to Make Your Content Irresistible

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Are you spending a good amount of time writing articles, blog posts, press releases, sales copies but not getting sufficient clicks? If you answered yes you must take time to give a second thought to the strategy you need to adopt while crafting your write ups! Get these prompt makeover strategies to design your articles irresistible yielding desired results.

Check Out For Current Buzz

Keeping yourself abreast with latest information in your genre will always give you an upper hand in your niche. It will make your articles coherent which the readers can relate to their lives and situations. Your articles will gain popularity, and of course more traffic, as more people will start reading it being the latest buzz in your market.

Make a Captivating and Sizzling Headline

Howsoever well researched and aptly tailored your article is if your headline is not catchy it will not catch eyeballs. Start reading more and more to gain a thorough insight into the type of headlines one can coin. Get inspired by the headlines of magazines, newspapers and other journals that really stand out. Try writing 3-4 headlines for an article and seek suggestion of others which ones stand out the most.

Induce a Reason for Readers to Read

Give your reader a genuine reason to click your articles or your website! It has to be something unique that is rarely available, excluding free reports as it us quite common now. Make your readers know how the site is going to benefit them in the long run and what instant remedies is your article going to offer! This will definitely compel them to stay glued to your site.

Do Thorough Research on the Topic

Research your topic after selecting the angle for your article. Facts and content must be virtually accurate. It is only possible if you have conducted a sincere research and spent sufficient time to its conventional edification.

Generate a Readable and Simple Content

Albeit, it is the type of readers your site and article is going to receive should be the deciding factor in terms of the standard and quality of your content, it is advisable to use simple language and short sentences to express yourself. People enjoy those write ups which did not take much of their time to understand the stuff. They avoid visiting those sites that compel them to consult other resources to understand the chunk.

Make it Hilarious and Emotional

Being a social animal, people are inclined to love humor and a tincture of emotion. It enables them to feel relaxed and spirited and in turn your stuff will become a cornerstone of your website.

Stick to Your Original Writing Style

Develop a writing style to follow when you write. Don’t try to fake your abilities by trying different writing styles. It may land you in trouble as you may not be comfortable with other writing styles hence may not be able to do justice with them.

It will also influence your rapport and readers adversely. Hence it is advisable to be in your original shell. I am not going to demoralize you by advising you not to try other patterns but not without being confident that you can do justice to that style of writing.

Proofread as Many Times as You Can

This is the biggest blunder we all do by not spending enough time to read our stuff sufficiently. Your written article may contain spelling and grammatical errors. Just don’t allow it to frustrate the very purpose of your reader visiting your site. You may lose a considerable number of readers for good. You can take the help of another person to proofread your feature as well to detect your mistakes that you might have walk passed. As it is human nature we often overlook our mistakes.

Following these simple thumb rules you can make your content irresistible for the visitors to stay tuned.

Ways to Improve Your SEO With Content

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Repeatedly, Internet gurus (at credible-content.com we don’t generally believe in such terms) have always stressed the importance of content. Whether in a website or in a blog, content can make or break your search engine optimization (SEO). Readers would not want a blog or a website without contents. Content, no matter what other Internet marketers say is still king.

Below are ways you can improve your SEO with content.

  1. Article Marketing. Article Marketing is the process where you write articles and submit the same to article directories like Ezine Articles, Go Articles or Sooper Articles, to name a few. These articles, aside from being of quality, should have a compelling resource box, where you put your name, who you are or your expertise, and a call to action through a link pointing them to your website or blog. Most article directories allow a maximum of two links, depending on the number of words your article has. Most article directories require a minimum of 300 words. This is also where you could make use of keywords. Most Internet marketers advise on using long tail keywords or Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), to make your keyword not redundant in your articles.
  2. Pillar Content. Despite your Article Marketing process, your blog should have at least five (5) pillar articles. Pillar articles are words coined by famous blogger, Yaro Starak. Later, several bloggers coined words such as flagship content (Chris Garrett) and cornerstone content from Brian Clarke. In his article on pillar content, Yaro defines it as: “A pillar article is usually a tutorial style article aimed to teach your audience something. Generally they are longer than 500 words and have lots of very practical tips or advice.” This article you are currently reading could be considered a pillar article since it is very practical and a good “how-to” lesson (OK, we’re blowing our own horn here, but well, whatthaheck). This style of article has long term appeal, stays current (it isn’t news or time dependent) and offers real value and insight. The more pillars you have on your blog the better.
    Pillar content is also one way of creating backlinks (other sites linking to your site) because they find your article compelling and helpful. Thus, search engines will start crawling at your website or blog through those links and, in the long run will gain a good page rank. Search engines also rank websites or blogs with the number of quality links that points to it. This is how they measure the blog or website’s authority. Additionally, always remember to use keywords in your articles as this is also instrumental for search engines finding your contents and of course your sites.
  3. Guest Blog Posting. Writing for other websites or blogs, especially those that have gained authority and/or popularity is one way of gaining good search engine optimization. Your content placed on an authority blog or website will likewise create quality backlinks and links to your site. Not all are given the opportunity to guest post in other popular blogs. Usually, blog owners who already have gained popularity or very good page rank would always qualify their guest contributors.
  4. Fresh Content. Readers of your blog or website will usually like fresh content. Thus, it is necessary for blog or site owners to post a least three (3) quality articles in a week to ensure your readers that they can expect new things from you on a weekly basis. Fresh quality content means more visitors. And more readers mean more traffic. More traffic will definitely be of great help as far as search engine optimization is concerned.
  5. Reader-Centered Content. In general, all contents must be reader-centered. You must always know who the target of your articles is. When writing contents for your site, you must always focus on what would your readers like to read. Always ask yourself whether the article you are writing will help your readers, and if you think they will, are your articles simple enough to be understood by all? Make your articles simple so that they can be understood by readers from myriad backgrounds (or at least from your niche).

    6. There you go – the five basic ways by which your contents can greatly affect your SEO. Without these five basic things, you will have a hard time creating the popularity, the authority and eventually the page rank you would want to achieve. Besides, all bloggers and website owners would want their sites to be search friendly. Would you not want your site to gain the same thing?