Tag Archives: Content Writing

SEO through conversational content writing

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Conversational content writing is very important for SEO these days. What is conversational content writing?

It is not as mystical as it may sound, it simply means writing in a manner people speak. This is because when people are searching for information, they are mostly speaking into their mobile phones. Many SEO experts also term it as writing for “conversational search”.

Defining conversational search and conversational content writing

As mentioned above, when people use search these days, they speak into their mobile phones (or even in the microphone of their desktop browsers) complete sentences and phrases. All modern search queries are of this nature.

In the past, people mostly used shorter search queries, something like “hairdresser” or “content writer”. This was mostly because people were writing queries into the search bar. Writing is always a bit difficult compared to speaking into a microphone.

When people use a microphone, they also use syntactical and grammatical patterns that resemble the way people speak. Someone is more likely to search for “looking for a content writer for my accounting website” rather than “content writer”. Or something like, “looking for a writer for my business emails”.

If you’re using Google Home or Amazon Echo, you are more likely to say “find steamed vegetarian dumplings near me”, or even “I would like to order steamed vegetarian dumplings”.

How to write content for conversational search?

Anticipate all possible queries people may use to do business with you. Write as many sentences as people may use to be able to find your business on Google.

Then write content dedicated to these queries. You can cover multiple queries on a single web page or blog post, or you can create dedicated web pages and blog posts to individual conversational queries. Just make sure you don’t end up publishing lots of duplicate content in the process.

Use natural language., Something like “how does content writing improve my SEO?”.

Is it fine to copy someone else’s content?

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Is it fine to copy content for SEO?

Is it fine to copy content for SEO?

You need to know whether it is an ethical question, an SEO-related question or a practical one.

Recently I was brainstorming a client’s content strategy on a Zoom meeting and SEO guy had also joined. I know there are many reputed SEO companies that are doing great work, but I’m quite wary of SEO people who want to manipulate content to improve search engine rankings instead of following the quality and relevance of the content itself to automatically improve rankings.

During the conversation he very casually said that I should copy content from other websites and then shuffle it and change a few words here and there and it would be great for SEO. He said that it’s good to copy content from high-ranking websites because they have already improved their search engine rankings with that particular content format.

I was like, WTF? I mean, I didn’t verbally object because the client is quite enamored with the SEO guy, but inside my mind, I was already figuring how not to butt in and remain focused on the core topic – how to write valuable content that will organically improve the clients search engine rankings.

Let’s put aside the fact that Google may realize that you have copied the content from another website and therefore, you should be penalized, for a while.

Let’s focus on the ethical issue here. But before that, let’s also be realistic.

As a content writer, how do I define “copying content from another website or blog”? When does it become plagiarism?

Difference between plagiarism and ideation

I think we all know the meaning of plagiarism – picking content as it is and then using it as your own, verbatim mostly.

Even if you pick content and then change a few words here and there but more or less keep the entire thing intact without changing even the sentence structure, still it is plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a very serious issue in academics, research papers, scientific journals, journalistic writing and books and novels. As a student you can be expelled from a course. As a scientist you can be debarred and humiliated. As a journalist you invite contamination and ridicule. As an author you can be sued, and you may have to pay damages.

As a content writer, although it may be difficult for the aggrieved party to take action against you, if someone is hellbent upon taking action, he or she can. For example, an aggrieved party can approach your web hosting company if your web hosting company has a policy against plagiarism and copyright violation. They can take down your website. If you’re in the same country legal action can also be initiated.

It’s mostly Google penalization that deters people from plagiarizing content. Google can blacklist your website if you are a repeat offender.

But what about rewriting something completely in your own style, in your own language? Many bloggers do that. I have written tips on content writing and hundreds of other websites and blogs have published tips on content writing. Similarly, websites telling you how to improve your search engine rankings are everywhere. They have the same information, it’s just that, they have rewritten the information with slight changes, and with their own take.

Just because Wikipedia has an article on what is blockchain doesn’t mean I cannot publish a blog post on the topic of what is blockchain. Similarly, just because Investopedia has explained what is bookkeeping, another website cannot explain it. This is not copying. This is not plagiarism. It is because you’re presenting the information in your own language, in your own writing, in your own style. It becomes plagiarism when you directly pick the Investopedia article and publish it under your own domain name as your own article.

What about creating a famous story? Many authors have done that. Mary Shelley’s stories have been rewritten. Greek mythologies have been rewritten. Ramayana and Mahabharata have been rewritten. Sherlock Holmes novels have been rewritten. The main stress is on originality vis-à-vis your style. You can tell the same story in a different matter.

Should you copy content from another website to improve your SEO?

Now that we know what plagiarism is and what is not plagiarism even when you are writing the same thing, let’s come to the ethical issue.

Frankly, to an average client it does not matter how, as a content writer, I write content that improves his or her search engine rankings. The client is not worried about legal issues or even with the prospect of someone accosting him or her and complaining about plagiarism. The client is majorly worried about the SEO implications – Google may penalize the website, or even blacklist it, which would be disastrous. As long as Google is fine, most of the clients are fine.

As a content writer, I’m not.

Almost every client hires me to write original content, even if Google is the only reason. Like pirated software, pretty much everyone is okay with picking content from other websites as long as it is safe to do so.

But I have been hired to write original content. If I’m not writing original content, am I not cheating my client?

You may say that the client is hiring me less for the originality of my content and more for my ability to create content that improves his or her search engine rankings, no matter what.

He or she is not bothered with originality. He or she is bothered with search engine rankings.

If I copy the content from somewhere else, if Google does not penalize the website and if Google improves the website’s search engine rankings, who the hell is the client to complain?

No matter how bad it sounds, I can understand this point of view. Nonetheless, I am a writer first, and then I am a content writer. As a writer, I take pride in my writing. If I copy content from another website, even if someone doesn’t detect that, I know that it reeks of my inability to write effectively. It shows that the other writer whose content I’m copying is better than me as a writer. He or she was able to write that beautiful piece of content that I’m shamelessly copying. He or she is a better writer. I’m just a pretender. I’m just an impostor.

No, I don’t expect clients to understand this.

 

35 types of content that require writing

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Content writing isn’t just about writing for blogs, web pages, email broadcasts, and social media updates.

Similarly, when it comes to content marketing, and writing for that purpose, there are multiple content forms where writing is required.

In one of the Quora updates, someone had asked if content writing is overrated. The sentiment originated from the fact that everybody seems to be providing content writing services these days.

It is like saying everybody walks, so walking is overrated. Everybody uses mobile phones these days, so, mobile phones are overrated. Millions of people drive around, so driving must be overrated. Almost everybody goes to doctors these days, so doctors are overrated.

Since everybody writes, sometimes people end up thinking that writing is overrated.

Writing was invented some 3000 years ago. Initially not everyone was crazy about writing. Socrates was dead against writing because he thought that if people started writing, they would use their brains less. Since knowledge could be preserved with writing, there was no need to memorize it. I wonder what he would think of mobile phones.

Most of the non-verbal writing exists in written format. Of course, you may say that you can use graphics and videos to explain concepts and I completely agree, but if everything turns into graphics and videos, what about those people who want to read?

Reading is a conversation. It provides multiple stimuli that are lacking in graphics and videos. When you are reading, you are imagining. You are not being provided audiovisual cues on a platter. Therefore, most of the people prefer to read, and since they prefer to read, content needs to be written.

As mentioned above, although content writing is mostly related to website content and blogs, there are various types of content needs that can only be met by writers. Listed below are some content types that require extensive writing.

  1. Blogs
  2. White papers
  3. Case studies
  4. Podcasts (writing script)
  5. Articles
  6. Email marketing
  7. Newsletters
  8. Social media campaigns
  9. Website content
  10. Guest blog posting
  11. Influencer interviews
  12. FAQs
  13. Testimonials
  14. News assignments
  15. Storytelling
  16. Product descriptions
  17. Product reviews
  18. E-courses
  19. Landing pages
  20. SEO content
  21. Press releases
  22. Wikipedia-type websites
  23. App notifications
  24. Lists
  25. How to articles
  26. Best practices
  27. Content repurposing
  28. Business forecasting
  29. LinkedIn posts
  30. Chat bots
  31. Paid advertising
  32. Sponsored content
  33. Guides
  34. Reports
  35. Educational content

Although these are different content types and they can all be used for content marketing purposes, they need talented writers to be effective.

13 ways you can build better content than your competitors

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Publish better content than your competitors

Publish better content than your competitors.

Publishing regular content is always about beating your competitors. This may not be your direct aim, but by the end of the day, it matters how much business you can wean away from your competitors, towards your own website or blog.

How can you build better content than your competitors? Here are a few things you can do

1. Understand your audience better

The more you understand your audience, the better your content will be. But what does understanding your audience mean?

It means writing and publishing exactly the content your visitors are looking for.

It means understanding the search intent and then writing content around that search intent.

You may like to read: Why search intent is most important when writing content for your website.

2. Use conversational writing

  • Write in a manner that it is easy to read.
  • Use small sentences.
  • Use smaller paragraphs.
  • Use bulleted lists whenever possible because they are easier to read.
  • Organize your text under headings and subheadings for easier reading.

3. Publish lots of long form content

Although I’m not a big fan of needless long form content, not many publishers can come up with quality long form content.

Long form content means publishing well researched blog posts and articles. These can be anywhere between 2000-3000 words, and sometimes even more.

The thing is, everyone can write 400–800-word blog posts but it is very difficult to come up with lengthy and comprehensive blog posts. This is where you can gain an edge.

4. Offer more value than your competitors

Most of your competitors might be publishing purposeless content just to improve your search engine rankings.

This may be a good thing for you because you understand that the purpose of publishing content regularly isn’t about improving your search engine rankings but providing value to your visitors.

  • Publish meaningful content.
  • Provide information that is valuable to your visitors.
  • Educate your visitors better than your competitors.

5. Maintain a schedule and be persistent

A big problem with most of the business blogs is that they are not regular. They post whenever it is convenient for whenever their budget allows.

Content publishing is a commitment. You can’t just offer content to your visitors whenever you feel like.

  • You need to be persistent.
  • You need to be regular.
  • Have a clearly defined content publishing calendar.

Publishing content with a schedule makes search engine crawlers visit your website regularly and also encourages your human visitors to keep a tab on your website.

6. Work with a professional content writer

I’m not saying this because I provide professional content writing services; it actually helps to work with a professional content writer because well-written content always outperforms content that is written in a lousy manner.

Most of the websites don’t have professionally written content. Luckily for you, you understand the importance of high-quality content (that’s why you are reading this, right?). The advanced AI being used in search engines can differentiate between good content and bad content.

Badly written content also increases your bounce rate. Remember that the writing on your website represents your approach to your customers and clients. If you don’t have properly written content on your website, it means that you don’t respect your customers and clients.

7. Publish case studies on your website

Case studies explain to your visitors how you solve their problems once they decide to hire you or buy your product or service. The format of a typical case study by itself is quite helpful. Here is how:

  • The title of the case study.
  • A small profile of the company or the individual for whom you had offered your product or service.
  • The problem the company or the individual was facing prior to using your product or service.
  • The highlights and features of the product or service you are describing in this case study.
  • How your product or service solved the problem of the company or the individual.
  • How the company or the individual is doing right now after having implemented the solution that you offered.

You can see that there is a natural flow –

  • There is a narrative that the reader can follow.
  • You introduce the characters.
  • You introduce the problem or the conflict.
  • Then you offer the solution.
  • In the end, you offer the “happily ever after” condition created by your solution.

8. Use storytelling through content writing

Just like case studies, stories can also help you weave a narrative around your product or service. People easily relate to a story. They feel emotionally connected with the problem and the solution being offered. They are more receptive towards your messaging.

9. Use concrete numbers when stating facts

Avoid using expressions like “hundreds of”, “many”, “a wide range of”, and so on.

Use numbers as much as possible. Instead of saying that “we have served hundreds of clients” say, “we have so far served 300+ clients”.

Instead of saying “our product offers many ways to solve your problem” say, “our product offers 18 ways to solve your problem”.

10. Master SEO content writing

SEO content writing can boost your search engine rankings. Writers who can get higher search engine rankings for their clients are highly coveted.

You may like to read this for more information on the topic: 10 SEO content writing rules you cannot ignore.

11. Publish content on multiple platforms

Content publishing these days isn’t just about publishing content on your website or on your business blog. You need to cover many platforms such as third-party blogs and social media websites.

  • Share your content on LinkedIn.
  • Post answers on Quora.
  • Write on Medium.
  • Offer guest blog posts on authoritative websites and blogs.

12. Re-purpose your existing content

You can re-purpose your existing content in many forms.

  • You can recycle small portions and post them on social media websites.
  • You can create dedicated blog posts on subtopics that you may have mentioned in other blog posts.
  • You can create infographics.
  • You can create animation and videos explaining the same concepts that you may have explained in a blog post.

13. Build a mailing list

This has got nothing to do with content writing or content publishing, but you can beat your competition by building a mailing list from scratch.

Of course, publishing a mailing list or a newsletter also involves content writing. Whenever you publish a new blog post you can broadcast the link to your newsletter. You can distribute important updates about your product or service using your mailing list. You can increase traffic to your website.

Ultimately it boils down to delivering value.

Fortunately for you, very few of your competitors publish content to serve their visitors well. In most of the cases, they want to generate search engine traffic and then they hope that this traffic would lead to business.

Unless they are publishing advertisements and that is the main source of revenue, random traffic does not help. You need to generate targeted traffic and targeted traffic can only be generated by publishing high-value targeted content.

 

Difference between content aggregation, content curation and content writing

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This is an interesting question I came across while surfing the web.  Content writing means writing original content. You may like to read What does a content writer do?

But what do content aggregation and content creation main?

According to this article, this is how you explain the two:

  • Content aggregation: You extract content from different sources and then publish it without giving credit to the original sources.
  • Content curation: You manually go through various links and decide which piece of content you would like to showcase on your blog, and then publish the link to it, with your own comments, attributing completely to the original source.

Interesting. By the way, I must have come this link via a content aggregator, Flipboard.

Though, to read the full article on the link mentioned above, you need to register.

I have written about content curation multiple times. You may like to read 5 benefits of content curation.

These days I do lots of content curation. Even right now in this blog post, I have linked to another article and then I’m quickly adding my own take.

Content curation normally involves gathering multiple links on the same topic. For example, I can publish something like “13 content writing tips shared by content writing experts”, and then I can find 13 different links, publish the links with individual excerpts, giving full credit to the original authors.

But even if you don’t publish multiple links, you’re curating content. If you link to another article or blog post and then add your thoughts, it is also content curation.

What about content aggregation? Many websites use content aggregation but it is mostly automated and content writing doesn’t play much role in that. You probably use a script that crawls the web looking for certain keywords or phrases and when it finds those keywords and phrases, it extracts the content and publishes it on your blog.

Lots of my content is aggregated in this way by other publishers. Sometimes a link back to my website is automatically added, but most of the time, it is not.

I don’t find the concept of content aggregation appealing because one, if you cannot spend enough time to create original and unique content for your business, how can you work hard for your customers and clients, and two, you can never be sure if the content is going to be of good quality.

Content aggregation is mostly used by people who want to make money through advertisements. For them, as long as they enjoy good search engine rankings and as long as people are clicking on ads, it doesn’t really matter how good or bad the content they are aggregating is.

As mentioned above, content aggregation is also used by known aggregators such as Flipboard and Feedly.