Why?

First of all, because the only links I add to my site are to pages I wrote for my copywriting clients. (And, of course, to my son’s site!) That’s my policy and I’m sticking to it.

That little bit of extra “Google juice” my clients  get from having a link from me is an extra that comes with my copywriting services.

But even if I didn’t have a reason for limiting the outbound links on my site, I would refuse to add links for everyone who wants to trade.

The first reason is because most of those sites contain content which is not remotely related to the content on my own sites. I sell copywriting services and real estate letters – and that has nothing to do with shoes or handbags or diet pills!  The trade doesn’t make sense, and I believe Google looks at that.

Next, placing a link on your site is a recommendation. When I know nothing about the company, how they do business, or if they’re even legitimate, why would I want to recommend them? If it turns out that they’re bogus, that reflects poorly on me and my site.

So what can you do instead?

You can start commenting on blogs and including your URL. Yes, it takes a bit more time, but when you add intelligent comments to other people’s blogs you get a double benefit.

First, you get the link back to your site. But then it gets better. You get recognition as someone who has a good answer to a question or a good comment to add to a discussion. And, you let prospective clients have a look into your personality and your commitment to giving good service.

You can also begin using article sites like EzineArticles.com to share your knowledge. When those good articles are picked up by bloggers, they’ll carry your URL and contact information – giving you more “Google Juice” and exposure to a different set of readers than you currently reach.

Being found and seen and linked to from relevant sites is far more valuable to you than having your designer handbags linked to from a site that sells infant’s car seats!

Remember that the Internet is not just for search engines. It’s also for human eyes. So seek to deposit your links on sites that are related to your own – and whose customers just might be interested in what you have to offer.

A targeted approach to marketing is far more effective than a scattered spray.

Nearly every guru is touting the benefits of adding content to your website. Some say regular posts on your blog are enough, while others say you need to fill your site with content pages to attract the search engines.

As a marketer, I agree that the more content, the better.

But – unless the content is good, I think it can do you more harm than benefit.

True, any old content with the right keywords will attract the search engines. Get enough of it and it might raise your site to #1 ranking on Google for your keywords. That means more traffic to your site, which is a good thing. Right?

Yes, it’s a wonderful thing… with a big “IF.”

IF your visitors arrive at your site and read quality content, they’ll assume that yours is a quality business, and they’ll stay a while. They’ll take the time to read more and learn how your business can benefit them.

But IF they arrive and find bad content, they’ll assume that you:
* Don’t know what you’re doing
* Don’t know your own subject matter
* Pay no attention to details
* Hold no value for them
* Have “tricked” them into visiting you
* Are not the company they want to do business with

Just recently I was asked for a quote on search engine enhanced web copy. I replied with a price range, and got a letter back informing me that SEO copy could be had for far less. The writer sent me links to two sites where he had been quoted “bargain basement” prices for content articles.

Because I was curious, I followed the links to see what was offered. And I was astounded.

My first reaction was “Oh my gosh! I don’t even believe they’re offering to sell this!”

Apparently they weren’t ashamed of the copy, because their portfolio was extensive. And every article I checked was the same: Filled with typographical errors, misspelled words, and the kind of grammatical errors that made me stop to look again and figure out what they were trying to say. On top of that, the words were fluff, with no useful information for the reader.

In my opinion, spending money on that kind of copy is worse than holding your dollar bills out for the wind to take away. It may bring you traffic, but it will harm your reputation and your image in the process.

Be careful. Fill your blog and your web pages with good content that gives value to your readers.

Why does it annoy? Because the search engines have gotten smart enough to recognize “keyword stuffing” – and they don’t appreciate it!

But keyword stuffing hurts those site owners even more than ruining their chances of a high ranking on Google and other search engines. That’s because “stuffed” copy turns away those prospects who do find their websites. That kind of copy is hard to read, boring, and word-for-word doesn’t give much value.

Some are using pay per click ads to drive traffic – and spending a lot of money. Others are running off-line ads, which also cost money. So it’s a shame that when the visitors arrive, they click away almost immediately.

The bottom line:

You do need to integrate your keywords into your site, but stuffing your copy with them is the worst thing to do.

Instead, write meaningful copy that presents your benefits to your readers in a clear and straightforward manner. Concentrate on getting your message across, and if your message really is about the subject represented by your keywords, they’ll flow into it naturally.

Sometimes you’ll want to go back and see if there are places where you can insert a word where it won’t destroy the flow, but that’s easier done after you’ve written the message.

For instance, if you’re writing about credit cards and credit card issuers, you may write a message that says something like: “Your card issuer can lower your credit limit at any time.” Going back it’s easy to insert the word “credit” to add another instance of the phrase “credit card.”

Keyword phrases are gaining more ground today, too. People who are trying to narrow their searches and find what they want in the ever-expanding Internet universe are using more and more phrases to narrow their search goals. So it pays to use the free keyword tool offered by Google to see what kind of key phrases people are using – and then use them.

Remember that unless the searcher has specified “exact match,” you can insert a word or two within the phrase and the search engine will still pick it up. For instance, if your key phrase is “homes in Dallas,” you can write “homes for sale in Dallas” and still be found.

That feature definitely makes it easier to create copy that flows.

If you want to increase exposure for your own business, you should. Every time you comment you have the opportunity to invite people back to your site, and on many blogs you’ll even have a live link back to your site. As you know, the more relevant links to your site, the better for your own search engine optimization.

Note that I said “relevant.” That means the blogs you comment on should be in your line of business or one that compliments your line of business.

For instance, it makes sense for a Realtor to comment on a blog about mortgage lending, home inspections, or staging. Even a blog about landscaping or building construction would make sense.

But if you’re a Realtor, don’t try to increase your Google rankings by commenting on a blog about a movie star (unless he or she was talking about buying a home). Your comment there won’t add to your standing. Neither would a comment on a blog about car racing or stamp collecting.

Note that not all sites allow live links. But if you’ve said something interesting, your web address can lead that site’s visitors back to you.

When you comment, say something that adds to the conversation. My blogs get a lot of comments that are clearly there just for the links. Right now I’m being bombarded by brief comments with links to sunglasses sites. There’s nothing offensive about the comments so they don’t prompt me to label them as spam, but that’s what they really are.

Those folks should instead be seeking out sites about sunglasses, sunscreen, eye health, or summer recreation. Then they should be making comments about the topics in those blog posts – NOT just saying “I like this blog.”

So stop and think about the kinds of blogs that would offer you the opportunity to add a thoughtful comment. Every business has other businesses that are complimentary to it, so seek them out.

Adding to the conversation isn’t that difficult. You and I do it every day when we’re conversing with friends and family. They say something that sparks a relevant thought in our minds, and we offer that thought for their consideration. As long the thought isn’t offensive, that’s a fine way to go about adding comments to blogs.

For instance, if I write a blog post about writing home page copy you might disagree with one of my points. Or you might agree but think I’ve failed to mention a point or two. Either thought is fodder for a blog comment, and either will show readers that you know enough about the subject matter to give a thoughtful response.

On the other hand, you might have learned something new, so might want to say thanks and tell me how you’re going to use the information. Doing that can also raise your standing with the reading public, because they’ll see that you’re open to growing and considering new ideas.

According to the ad, running your article and your headline through this software would tell you if you were using enough key phrases and apparently would insert them for you. I’m not really sure, because it wasn’t making a whole lot of sense. Maybe it was also going to tell you what keywords you should be using.

Sometimes I just have to read nonsense to see how bad it can be, because we all need a giggle now and then. So I read about half the page.

I picked out the following two paragraphs and sent them to a copywriter friend so she could have a giggle too…

“Use copywriting software is and easy way of finding the right and most effective sentences in your content.”

and…

“If you write for other people, you provide a really good copy because you will use the most effective phrases. Using copywriting software makes you gain more confidence and the more confidence you are, the more success you achieve.”

And I laughed even more this morning when I read her reaction to them:

“With their software, native English writers can now sound like English is their second language. And they’ll fit right in!”

Not to be unkind – I do have pity for people who are trying hard to learn the English language. It is sometimes hard for people who have spoken it since birth.  But I still wish they wouldn’t hold themselves out as copywriters.

***The ideal length for a web page***
According to web expert Gerry McGovern, the ideal length for a page of web copy on a regular web site (not a landing page) is 300 words. He says 50% of visitors will read a 300-word page to the end, while only 5% will scan 1,000 words.

Headlines should be 4 to 8 words, sentences 15 to 20 words, and paragraphs 40 to 70 words. Hyperlinks should be in the right-hand column, not embedded within the body copy.

Reason: links in the body copy distract readers, making it difficult for them to read the paragraph.

Source: IntelBuilder

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From Marte:  Part of this advice is in contrast to some I’ve read about search engine optimization.That information said links in the body copy leading to other pages on your site lead to better optimization. So perhaps this is another battle between pleasing the reader, or pleasing the search engines.

My advice: Pay attention to what you do when reading, and decide. Do links distract you, or not?

Of course you’ve seen me harp about breaking up the copy – I just got another message this morning that I couldn’t (wouldn’t) stumble through… must have been 100 lines of copy with no breaks.

And there’s just no excuse for it. Adding a line between paragraphs only takes a flick of the finger on the enter button!

……………………………………………………………………

***3 ways to build credibility***
Here are 3 things you can give – or give up – to others to build credibility with them:

1-Material wealth.
For instance, giving a customer a full refund – even when you don’t legally have to.

2-Time and energy.
Giving clients guidance, assistance, or advice when you are not “on the clock” or charging them for it.

3-Opportunity.
Example: the consultant who turns down a lucrative offer from a big potential client because it represents a conflict of interest with a smaller, less lucrative existing client.

Source: Wanek, Tom, “Currencies That Buy Credibility” (WA Press, 2009).

……………………………………………………..

From Marte: I sure agree with the first two, but I’m not sure about the third, because who would know? The client you turned down, who is cross at you for it?

I’ve turned down projects that went against my moral standards, but I didn’t send out a notice about it when I did.

At any rate, these two items are brought to you courtesy of Bob Bly Direct Response Letter. To sign up for Bob’s letter, visit www.bly.com.

If you expect it to do that,  you need to take care in developing the website. It isn’t good enough to merely put up a page and say “Here I am.” Your home page needs to perform two functions:

• Clarify what products and services you have to offer
• Show visitors that you are the person to provide those products and services

Linking from that home page to a further explanation of your services and your products is good, and does add content to the site. But that isn’t enough.

If you want to be found by the search engines, you need to add some content pages. Further, those content pages have to have some “meat” so that the human visitors to your site will also benefit from them.

You can purchase content on line for pennies – but I don’t recommend it. Most of it will be what I would call “lame content.” I’m sure you’ve seen it – a few hundred words on a page that essentially say nothing.

If you don’t like to write and don’t want to hire a copywriter, you can also pick up articles  on EzineArticles.com – you can even use some of mine. But do be careful. Before you choose an article to use, make sure that it reflects your opinions about your subject, and that its advice is current.

For instance, right now in real estate, things are changing so fast that good information from last year could be completely false today. So carefully read the articles before you choose them.

Next, your content needs to tie in with your niche market, and it needs to demonstrate that you have the knowledge to help your prospects solve their problems. For instance, if you are a real estate agent specializing in short sales, you should include an article with advice about buying or selling short sales. If you sell waterfront mansions, you need an article or two with advice about buying or selling waterfront mansions.

If you’re an insurance sales person specializing in commercial liability policies, then your content should offer advice in that area; but if you sell life insurance you need something completely different.

Content, then, is not simply something to attract search engines. It should be something that enhances your personal image with the people who visit your site.

Today I read a long article that said it doesn’t necessarily work. On many of the sites where you might post, the links are automatically designated as “no follow,” which means Google isn’t supposed to use them. If they increase the traffic to your site, you’ll benefit, but the link itself won’t help.

So what you’re doing is adding content and increasing the SEO on someone else’s site. That’s a nice thing to do, but you want to increase the content on your own site.

What to do?

Take a page from Clayton Makepeace’s book… Write the first few sentences of your message and then insert a link that readers have to follow to get “the rest of the story.” Then (well, actually first) post the entire article on your own site.

The link still won’t give you more Google juice, but the added content and the added visitors will.

Mr. Makepeace does this with his e-mail letters, and it has always annoyed me, because when you have a slow Internet connection you don’t want to have to click and go somewhere else. That means his first sentences have to be VERY interesting or I don’t click.

But now that I understand why he’s doing it, I guess I’ll have to curb my annoyance. At least there’s a darned good reason.

Something else I learned – Google is the only one that pays attention to “no follow” so your ranking on Yahoo and others will increase when you keep posting those links on your blog comments.

The Importance of Content in Attracting Customers

“The content is very important”.

It’s true that this line has become monotonous, but you would still hear it more often from all the marketing icons. The reason is quite plain and simple; when you have a web presence, Content is the thing that attracts customers and retains their attention. It is the one and only means, which would bring customers to your website and turn leads into sales through all your advertising campaigns. This is what you are selling, and you should hit right on the bull’s eye for it. No place of compromise when it comes to content of your website.

If you do not feel confident enough of writing great content yourself, it’s better to hire a good writer to do it for you. But before choosing an appropriate copywriter, you should know whether he possesses Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) copywriting experience or not. This is the most important point, as your have a commercial website which is selling your business, and your main aim is to bring traffic to your website. So an adept person, with an experience of SEM/SEO, can do wonders for your business.

With clear, concise and compelling information presented attractively about your product and service, you hope to move the visitor to view your web site favorably when determining their action.

So, give importance to the content you have on your website and do all the things necessary to promote your web business. Hard work always pays; contrary to no work, no pay. Learn and analyze what other people are doing. Learn about success stories and implement them in your business plans. Everyone is making money on the web; so can you. Some are making less and some are making more but there is a whole world out there to be explored. Get started today!

The first thing I do when a new client asks me about upgrading their web copy is to visit their site – and I was a little bit startled about what I saw the past couple of days.

Far too many people are missing the SEO opportunity afforded by Title Tags! I saw lots and lots of pages with titles like “Home” and “About.” I guess you know – those words don’t do a darn thing to help the search engines find your pages!

But still, even folks who are working to put keyword-rich copy into their pages often forget all about the title tags. So go check yours – if they don’t give a good indication of what is to be found on each page of your site, then change them. But don’t do it in a hurry – stop and think about a phrase that will appeal to both the search engines AND any human who happens to glance up there at the top of the screen. You have about 65 spaces to use, so use them well!

A second place that is often ignored is alt tags for photos. These serve two purposes. One is search engine optimization – it gives you an extra place to add the keyword. But it also is an aid to those whose internet connection doesn’t allow them to see photographs – and those who are visually impaired and are using software that “reads” the page aloud to them.

That means each photo should have a caption that describes the photo.

I just read a warning article saying that some people are using that tag to “stuff” keywords – and how they’re apt to be penalized by Google for doing that. It’s also rude – How would you like to be listening to the copy on a page and suddenly be hit with a long list of keywords? Yuck!

So, if your site is about dog obedience training, your alt tag for a  photo might read: “image of mixed-breed dog at dog obedience class.” Or, if you’re a Realtor and show a picture of clients next to the sold sign in front of their home, you might say “Image of happy clients with home just sold by Joe Jones, your Dallas Realtor.”

Both of these items are easy to overlook when you’re hurrying to get a new page finished and uploaded – as is the meta description. I’ve forgotten a few times myself, even though I harp about it. So check your pages – make sure you’re taking advantage of all the simple SEO methods as well as the not-so-simple ones.