Category: Article Marketing

Successful websites don't set out to sell

29/10/2021

What are websites? Are they sales tools for vendors and service providers, or are they electronic guidance for potential customers? Put simply, are you selling or are you helping?

Your answer to this question may determine the success of your website. So think carefully.

How we define what a website is all depends on which side of the fence we're on. I suspect that most - if not all - vendors and service providers would say their website is a sales tool. But this is a fundamentally flawed perspective. Adopt this position, and sooner or later you'll pay for it.

To really understand what a website is for, we need to think about who the Internet serves. It's tempting to think cynically and argue that it serves commercial interests, but that's getting the cart before the horse. The Internet serves buyers and information seekers. That's what most people use it for.

What your visitors are really looking for is a website that helps them.

A website that helps them buy when they want to buy. Helps them understand when they want to understand. And - most importantly - a website that helps them decide when they want to decide.

If you really want to build trust, credibility, authority, and site loyalty, helping visitors is the way to go. Of course, that's not to say you have to do it for free. We're all in business to make money after all. In fact, the main aim of many of your visitors will be to buy something. But it's important that you focus on them, not on you. For example, your visitors don't want to know what you have to sell. They want to know what they can choose to buy. If your primary focus is sales, your visitors will pick up on it.

To generate revenue from our websites - either directly or indirectly - we need to build them to help our readers. Don't start by asking, 'How can I sell?' Instead, start by asking 'How can I help?' (Even 'How can I help them buy?' is a step in the right direction.)

We need to build our websites from the ground up to be a form of online help. Think of your website as a cousin of the online help provided by Microsoft Office. (If you think of Microsoft's help as the slow-witted cousin, you're on the right track)

The key to successful online help is to always try to answer one simple question: What does the reader want to know? Do they want reference information or how-to information? Do they want to know how to get started or how to get out of trouble?

Sure, when you're writing for a website, the subject material is different, but the question is still the same. What does your reader want to know?

Obviously, the answer to this question will be different for everyone, but there are some common questions you can ask yourself which might help you decide:

Who is your audience?
What time of day are they most likely to be searching?
Are they searching from home or their workplace?
Are they the business owner or do they have a boss looking over their shoulder?
Are they relaxed or in a hurry?
Are they spending their money or someone else's?
Are they looking for something which will make their job easier?
Or are they looking for something which will make their job possible?
Are they trying to solve a problem or avoid a problem?
Are they looking for a budget solution or a 'best of breed' solution?
Are they looking for something with all the bells and whistles or something which focuses on one thing only?
Are they looking to buy immediately (just as soon as they know they've found what they want)?
Are they comfortable with internet purchases?
Are they the final decision makers or do they need to convince someone else as well?
How much do they already know about your subject material?
How much do they want to know?

Whether you do some real research or just make some educated guesses, it's important that you know your visitor very well. Then, and only then, can you help them. And only when you help them will you start to realize the true sales potential of your website.

Happy writing!

Target Practice Pro is your go-to digital marketing solution for planting marketing seeds and boosting your business. Call us now or schedule a talk.

0 Comments

4 Elements Articles Must Have To Drive Traffic to Your Website!

26/3/2021

0 Comments

The importance of articles on the success of today's internet-based companies is immeasurable. They are the lifeblood of product promotion and drive traffic to commercial websites. Articles are key elements in making websites produce profits. Business owners must include them in their marketing campaigns in order to create credibility for themselves and their product or service.

Submitting articles for publication creates links to your website resulting in higher ranking on the search engine result pages. The higher a site ranks, the bigger slice of the traffic flow pie they receive. With increased traffic to your website comes more profit and potential for producing other income streams as well.

It is not enough to just stuff your site with articles; there are other elements to be considered as well. You need these additional elements to obtain the maximum benefit articles can provide. A well-written article will peak the interest of site visitors and keep them coming back for more. These added elements can also prompt visitors to recommend your site to others.

Here are four tips to help you spice up your articles to produce more traffic that will result in increased attention to your site.

1. Keywords and Keyword Phrases
An article must be centered on keywords and keyword phrases. Visitors to your site are looking for something specific. They're at your site because they may have been sent there via a search engine as a result of typing in a keyword or phrase they were looking for (e.g., Toyota Camry, Tax Lawyer, etc). Once they reach the website it's critical that the information they are seeking is easy to find or they'll move along to another source.

You need content on your website that has keywords that are related to what visitors are searching for. For example, if you maintain an auto parts site, you must have the auto parts listed in your article. Look for tools on the internet that can help you determine what keywords and keyword phrases are mostly sought after. You can use these tools to determine what keywords to use and write about.

2. Keyword Density
You must use the keywords and keyword phrases you choose throughout your website content. Keyword density is important for search engines to "feel" their way to your site. Website content should have at least ten to fifteen percent keyword density for search engines to rank them high in their results.

Keyword density is the number of times a keyword or keyword phrase is used in an article. The number varies depending on the number of words used in an article. An effective article must have a keyword density that is not too high or too low. With a very high density, the essence of the article is lost and may turn off a reader as well as search engines. It comes off as overeager, and a low number may be ignored by the search engines.

3. Good Article Content
Like what is stated above, you cannot just riddle an article with keywords. They must also be regarded as good reading material. Articles must be able to entertain people as well as provide good information and help for their needs. Articles should be written well with correct spelling and good grammar. If you want people to trust you, make sure your writing is well thought out.

woman working in laptop making notes and drinking a coffee

People respond well to figures, facts and statistics. Try to get great information and as many facts as you can. A good and well written article will boost your reputation as an expert in your chosen field or topic. As more people believe in you. They will be able to trust you and your products.

4. Linking Articles
Here's another important thing to remember. If you are going to submit articles to e-zines and/or contribute your articles to newsletters and other sites, DON'T ever forget to include a link to your site. A small resource box with a brief description of you and your site should always be placed right after the articles you submit. If people like your articles, they will most likely click on the link directing them to your site.

coffee, notepad, pen and coffee beans on table

Target Practice Pro is your go-to digital marketing solution for planting marketing seeds and boosting your business. Call us now for a free quote.

0 Comments

10 Great Tips for Content Creation

19/2/2021

0 Comments

It has been discovered that visitors to websites read the content differently than they would if they were reading the same content in print. When a website visitor is reading a websiteís content, then instead of reading it word for word, it is more likely that he or she will scan over the page looking for the specific information that he or she wants from the page. Therefore, the style of writing used for print material is not the same as that which should be utilized for a website.

The style for the web, especially in the case of marketing, must be much more succinct and effective. Remember that it is the reader, not the writer, of the content who will determine the sequence that will be followed for the content.

To do this, there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind as you write your web content:

1. Instead of thinking like an online marketer, you need to think like the reader. This means that you need to make certain that anyone scanning over your content will find it easy to discover the information they’ve been seeking.

2. Always keep the reader in mind as you write each part of the copy. Use a style that is much more casual than you would in print, because the reader will need to be able to relate to the wording.

3. Apply more of a journalistic-type writing style. This means that your wording will be simple and direct, and any complex sentence structures should be avoided. Don't use any unnecessary words or "fluff".

4. Never let the end purpose of your content leave your mind as you write. Online marketing is something that must be done with purpose in order to reach a specific target. The design itself, the copy, and the navigational tools should all work together toward your online marketing message.

5. Make your copy personal so that it reads as though you're speaking directly to your prospective client.

This can be done by using the second person, that is, writing "you", so that the reader will feel as though he or she can personally relate with what you are trying to say.

6. Always tell your reader the benefits of whatever you're saying. Copy should be written in order to directly inform readers of "what's in it for them". This means not only saying the features of any given product or service, but also why these features are good for the reader's needs and desires.

7. Give order to your content by saying the most important things first so that they are the first points that your readers will spot at the top of the page. Since your readers will be scanning to find information that is worthwhile to them, you need to catch their interest as soon as possible or they will simply go elsewhere.

8. Don't make your content one or two enormous blocks of text. Instead, break up your paragraphs.

woman sitting on floor and writing on laptop

Smaller, more manageable and more inviting paragraphs of no more than two or three sentences are easier to read and scan. You can also use subheadings and bullets to make scanning easier and more appealing.

9. Be consistent with your writing style throughout your site. Every page from your website should be written with the same feel, the same layout, the same words that are capitalized, and the same number of headings, so that everything remains consistent. This is extremely appealing to web users, since it makes scanning dramatically simpler.

10. Of course, you should never forget the ever-important keywords to be included to maximize

vintage glasses, notepad, pencil and photos on map

SEO (search engine optimization) is one of the most effective online marketing efforts you can make. Furthermore, scanning your content becomes much easier when keywords are there to be spotted.

None of these points are very difficult, however, they are somewhat time consuming. Fortunately, they are worth every moment you can put into them. Whether this means hiring a professional, or doing it yourself, these techniques provide you substantial results that youíll be able to see growing over time. Just donít forget to keep up those efforts as you add new pages to your website, or if you change the siteís design in the future!

Target Practice Pro is your go-to digital marketing solution for planting marketing seeds and boosting your business. Call us now for a free quote.

0 Comments

Article Marketing and Content Cheapskates

22/1/2021

0 Comments

I see this everywhere and still cannot believe that people do not get it. Content is still king on the web. The most important thing you will ever do for your website is to put in good content. Great content will get you links and your position in the search engine results will be because of the content you put into your website.

Hundreds of backlinks will not get you ranked well with poor content. Great content will get you good keyword positioning with or without backlinks,

therefore, content is still the most important aspect of your website. Great design, flash, graphics, and a cool banner will not get you ranked well for your keywords and phrases. Great content will!

Let's first look at the content in your website. Images are great with alt tags. That helps. But it is the text on the pages that, when done correctly, will help your search engine results. This text is also what will convert your customers into sales.

This text is what your customers will read or not read based on its quality. This same text is what the search engines will analyze when they decide how relevant your WebPages are to the search phrase you wish them to send you visitors from.

Now, let us talk about article marketing. If you know about article marketing at all, you know you will be submitting articles all over the web. The links in the author bio at the bottom return visitors

to your website if they read and like the articles you write or have written for you.

Just having your articles in thousands of article directories is not the goal of article marketing, although there are article-marketing gurus out there who think it is. The goal is for webmasters to find those articles and place them in their blogs and websites. If they use your article, their website or blog is likely related to the same topic as your website.

You are looking for these quality links. The links for just being in the article directories do not hurt you, but they do not help nearly as much as those from related websites do.

Your other hope is that thousands of people read your articles. Do you really want people to read poorly written articles and associate that poor quality with your website? Well-written articles get people to read them all the way to the bottom where your links are located. Well-written articles reflect well on your website.

If the articles are of great quality then likely your products and services will be great as well.

two men discussing what to post in a blog

The reverse is also true in the reader's mind. If the articles are written poorly, then likely your products and services are of little or no value as well. It is not only about the number of keywords and phrases placed into the article folks.

With all of that being said, I still find all over the web, especially at freelance websites, people going in and saying things like; "I need 400 articles written for SEO and I'm willing to pay $1.50 per article." Or they say something like; "I need someone to write content for my website and I'm only willing to pay $10 per page."

I really try to refrain from telling people they are, well... stupid, but I am finding it harder and harder each day when I read this stuff.

purse, smartphone, coffee, notepad and pen on table

They will spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to have their website designed so it looks really pretty, but the text, the stuff that will get good search engine results and sales, they don't want to spend any money on.

Writers that know how to write text that not only is appealing to the reader, but that is also written with the keywords and phrases in mind, are worth being paid well. The moment you start hiring better

writers and paying for text that converts sales, you will begin to be successful on the web. That cheap content is not going to make you any money.

A website that is beautiful but gets no traffic and sales may as well be an ugly website. An ugly website that ranks well in the search engine and that makes sales gets more beautiful by the dollar.

Target Practice Pro is your go-to digital marketing solution for planting marketing seeds and boosting your business. Call us now for a free quote.

0 Comments

Successful websites don't set out to sell

4 Elements Articles Must Have To Drive Traffic to Your Website!

10 Great Tips for Content Creation

Article Marketing and Content Cheapskates

Author

Archives

Categories