Sean, SEO Copywriter

WordPress SEO Guide

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:36:24 +0000

Joost De Valk, or Yoast, has become synonymous with WordPress. He has the definitive guide to WordPress SEO, as he’s the one who created the SEO plugin we’re all using, but it’s a little long. So I decided to make a more (ostensibly) concise version with screenshots of my installation for your convenience: A Snapshot Guide To Yoast’s WordPress SEO Alright, we’re going to this thing together, that is, set up your WordPress SEO. So go ahead and download Yoast’s SEO plugin, if you haven’t already: Great, now that you’ve downloaded and activated the plugin, let’s set up the basics. Set up your WordPress SEO the same as what you see below: The Main Set-Up General Tab Home Tab Post Types Tab I never use the same title and description twice, so there are no defaults set. I name each page I write myself. Taxonomies Tab Both “noindex, follow” and “Hide” radio boxes are also check for Format as well (couldn’t fit in the screenshot). Also notice that I removed “Archives” from the text spat out— it just makes your blog seem stale, don’t you think? Other Tab The Other Stuff Permalinks Social With social media getting its hands all over the SEO scene, linking to your profiles is important. Read Yoast’s commentary on Twitter cards and open graph. XML Sitemaps I’m torn here. I really am. As much as I love Yoast and his incredible plugin, I prefer to use Google XML Sitemaps Plugin. Simply put, I just like it better— the look, feel, functionality, everything. As for the other, other options (“Internal Links,” “RSS,” “Import & Export” and “Edit files”) I don’t really touch, so I’m not going to cover it. Yoast does, so, if interested, refer to his SEO guide. Setting Up Google Authorship I’ve encountered some headaches with this one. Here, let me save you the same… The easiest way to get your little picture to show up in Google’s search results is by doing this: 1. Link to your website from your Google+ profile “Contributer to” section. 2. Set your about page tab (assuming you have one on your site) as your author link. There, no plugins, no altering code— just a few clicks really, and you’re done. Some Remaining Little Reminders Since plenty of brilliant on-page SEO checklists are out there, I’ll save some words. In fact, here, I’ll link out to this one— it’s great. And now for the reminders: 1. Write at least 300 words per content page (going on a limb and suggesting up to 500). 2. Google crunches pages from top-to-bottom, so place important links near the top. 3. *Forget about using your keywords in copy— just optimize image, title tag and description. 4. Quality, quality, quality… Did I mention you need quality content? * Many pages I write seem to rank just fine for their keyword phrase when I solely write naturally. No optimization afterwards, just straight writing. The only things “purposefully optimized” are each page’s image, title tag and description. Your Thoughts Do you have any final thoughts? Leave any questions, comments or thoughts below— I’d love to hear!

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SEO Copywriting Tips

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:42:08 +0000

Here are some SEO copywriting tips that’ll help you write better search-engine-optimized web copy for 2013 and beyond. 5 Helpful Tips 1. Just Write Writing is fun, remember. So make it fun by just writing. Remembering that selling copy is fun copy is one of the best SEO copywriting tips you’ll ever hear. 2. Forget About It I say forget about on-page SEO, seriously. Lately, I’ve been noticing stuff ranking better when I just write. The title tag is enough for Google to find it. But you may consider using your phrase in the first and last sentence of your copy. 3. Image Tips Images are important for SEO. And people like to look at things. Keep copy adequately spaced— scannability (lists, bullets, etc.)— and use an image or two. And, despite what I just said about on-page SEO copywriting, do the usual: a. Keywords-in-title.jpg b. Alt=”keywords in here” Infographics, videos and other media are more than welcomed, of course. 4. Links I don’t know about you, but I like seeing a page with some links. Every guide with SEO copywriting tips will tell you to use space wisely. This links (no pun intended) into linking… When pages are pure text, some people may be put off. Linking out to relevant articles/sources also shows you know your stuff. 5. Bolding Bold and italicize when necessary to emphasize something. I sometimes use frequent bolding in my SEO copywriting to keep eyes moving. I think bouncing eyes become overwhelmed, and that’s when people hit “contact.” Just do overdo bolding. It’s annoying. Your Thoughts Questions, comments, concerns? Tell me whether or not you found my 2013 SEO copywriting tips useful!

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How To Write About Us Content

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:17:50 +0000

Writing your About Page is tricky. It’s perhaps the hardest thing to get down, in my opinion. What do you say? How much personal stuff do you reveal? What about humor and personality? The fact is, it takes a great writer to craft effective content for your about page. Think “Audience” Questions like these arise because it’s easy to forget who we’re writing for. That’s the real question— who are you writing for? * Your audience will determine how you go about writing your about page. Think about it: if you’re running a dog sitting company, you’ll likely have success with upbeat, high-personality content. …People, after all, don’t just give their pets up to anyone. But if your running a top-notch business, you’re going to want to keep things grounded. Be assertive, confident and reassuring. Explain your background. Exert authority. Observe Others Plagiarism is bad. But there’s nothing wrong with getting ideas from other peoples’ writing. Let’s take a look at my favorite about page: Yoast I absolutely love everything about Joost de Valk. From his amazing WordPress plugins, to the branding, website design and color scheme— everything— I love it all. But what I perhaps love most is how effortless he makes writing about us content seem: At Yoast, we optimize websites. Not just one aspect of websites, but every aspect. We make websites more usable, easier to navigate, faster and more reliable. In other words: we make websites work. Yoast is earnest, a bit playful, and speaks with “we,” for credibility, authority. After all, Yoast is the authority on WordPress. It’s only until the end that YOU, the reader, are directly engaged: We will help you make your website work and grow your business. Yes, sir. Yoast knows his stuff. I suggest reading the about page and learning a thing or two. A Few Final Tips on Your About Page Lists are good. This one should get you thinking: 1. Who is reading this page? 2. Why are they reading this page? 3. What do I need to tell them— what do they want to hear? 4. What tone do I want to evoke? 5. And how are my competitors doing it? Each webpage has a specific purpose. Your About Us page explains background info, how you got started, what you do, and why you do it for them— your audience. Writing about us page is definitely touchy, but do it well, and you’ll see results. A good about page can a long way… when you know who you are:

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How To Search Engine Optimize A Website

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:40:09 +0000

This comprehensive guide will teach you the basics of on-page search engine optimization (SEO). Follow these tips, and you’ll see vast improvements in your search results on engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing. How To Search Engine Optimize: Technical Side Notes There’s some technical things I’m not going to cover because other sites have already done so far better than I could. But the following are important for your SEO, so please read and explore further on your own. Robots.txt Files In order to search engine optimize a website, you must create a robots.txt file to instruct robots on how to crawl and index your webpages. WordPress themes, like the one I’m using for my website, already contain this file. However, if you’re creating a website from scratch— something beyond my technical knowledge— then please follow the link above to learn more about robots.txt files. XML Sitemaps XML sitemaps help search engines know what you’d liked crawled for indexing on your website. If you’re using a WordPress theme, things couldn’t be any easier. Simply download Yoast’s SEO plugin (which we’ll be using for your on-page SEO anyway). It has built-in XML sitemap functionality. This extremely informative and simple-to-follow guide shows how to use Yoast’s SEO plugin. I suggest reading it in full and following every suggestion made. They work. NOTE: Once you’ve installed Yoast’s plugin and enabled the XML sitemap functionality, you’ll need to submit your sitemap to Google. Google Authorship You know how some people’s faces show up in search results next to their websites? Website authorship is very important for search engine optimization. Search engines, Google in particular, are big on social media, branding and so forth. In addition, people tend to click pages with a picture next to them. In fact, one website claims that its click through rate (CTR) increased 38% one week after implementing authorship. You can read more about SEO benefits of authorship here. And Yoast himself discusses how to set up authorship here. How To Search Engine Optimize: On-Page SEO Stuff Okay, whew. Now that that the really technical SEO stuff is out of the way, it’s time to search engine optimize your website with on-page SEO. Site Structure The structure of your website is crucial for search engine optimization. You want to create an easy-to-navigate site to help crawlers do their job. Ideally, you want your main pages to be two clicks away from the homepage. That way, you ensure they’re easily crawled. Having an HTML sitemap can help crawlers index your pages. Simply place a link in your footer, and list your pages on the static sitemap. As for internal links— we’ll cover that a little later. Page URLs The slug of your content pages should contain your keywords. There’s not much more to say on this, except that with really long-tail phrases (e.g., “how to search engine optimize a website”), it may be better to get rid of stop words. So it’d be “search-engine-optimize-website.” Titles Title tags hold a ton of SEO weight. Use them wisely. I always put my primary keyword phrase at the beginning (primacy matters) and use additional ones after. Most search engines crunch up to 70 characters (including spaces). Anything after that is truncated. Descriptions Descriptions are also important for SEO. Primacy may or may not matter (I believe), but I always place my keyword phrase at the beginning, the same as with titles. Most search engines crunch up to 150 characters (including spaces). Anything after that is truncated. Tags Meta tags are listed keywords, to alert search engines. It’s like saying, “Hey, Google, my site is about ‘SEO,’ ‘writing,’ ‘copywriting,’ ‘content writing,’ and ‘blog writing.’” I don’t use page meta tags. Some people still do. I advise against it. …Let your content tell search engines what your page is about. Headings Websites have six headings you can use: h1, h2, h3, h4, h5 and h6. To search engine optimize your website, make sure to use your keyword phrase in the h1 heading. When I learned SEO, I was told to use the phrase as best I could in h1, h2 and h3 headings… but with Google’s Panda updates, using in h2 and h3 may not be as beneficial. I still suggest using variations of keywords in an h2 tag. Word Count As has been standard for quite some time, your content should be at least 300 words. However, post-panda SEO may prefer upwards to 500 words per content page. My main content pages range from 325 (four of them) to 650 words (one of them). Images & Captions Each content page written should contain an image. The file name matters, so entitle it with your keyword phrase (e.g., “seo-copywriting-services.jpg”). Once uploaded, make sure to use your keyword phrase within the images alt text, a tag which tells crawlers what your image is about. It’s also suggested to include your keyword phrase within the image’s caption, and it may be worthwhile to use the phrase in the image title (that is, what you see when scrolling over the image). Links: Internal Part of search engine optimization is link placement. Since search engines crawl pages from top to bottom, it’s suggested to place relevant links near the top of pages. I always link sub-content pages back to their parent page, and then link to any relevant pages or posts as appropriate. Links: Outbound As for outbound link (links to other sites), use them. When you link to other relevant pages— credible pages— you’re essentially telling search engines that you’re relevant and credible too. Moreover, outbound links are like good karma. You dish them out, and sooner or later you’ll get sites pointing back to yours. SEOBook has some good advice about what sites to link to, including the powerhouse credibles— Wikipedia, About, Yahoo! Directory. And, if you really want to get down to the nitty-gritty, you can mess with do-follow and no-follow, which you can read about on SEO-Hacker. Quality Content Remember, it’s now 2013. Search engines [...]

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The Importance of Web Design for SEO

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:00:13 +0000

Life’s about having fun. It’s about looking good. 80% of feeling good is looking good. Yes, this is a quote from a horrible TV ad for hair loss. Yes, it’s absolutely incorrect and paints a self-absorbed, superficial picture of life. And, yes, it totally applies to your web design… Visual SEO & Marketing: Looking Good Works A big part of marketing is presentation. Think about it. No matter how fantastic your services are, if you don’t look good, people likely won’t bite. …As I like to say, “Everyone likes the shiny red apple.” Now, whether that shiny apple actually tastes good is moot. The point is shoppers prefer it over dull ones. How Does This Apply to SEO? Although there’s no such thing as “visual SEO,” per se, it would be silly to spend tons of time optimizing and improving content if your web design sucks. You have around 10 seconds or so to catch your visitor’s attention. And I’d be willing to wager less if your site looks awful. Here’s an incredibly accurate bar chart displaying tons of *empirical data I collected myself over months and months of analysis: Where You Can Find Nice Templates Although you can invest in a totally customized design for your website, going that route is very expensive. On the flip side, you can find nice WordPress templates for little cost, or for free, in fact. 1. Woo Themes 2. Theme Forest 3. Theme Hybrid 4. Free Designer Resources 5. WordPress Theme Directory I’m sure tons of other sites out there offer quality designs as well. But the above websites are ones I’ve visited and have liked. Designs of A Few Websites I Like When you’re into SEO and web copywriting, you end up doing a lot of reading. How else do you keep up with current on-page SEO practices? So, in having read around, I’ve grown particularly fond of these websites’ designs: 1. Social Media Examiner 2. Reviews ‘N’ Tips 3. Socialable 4. Helium Creative 5. The Contentinators How’s Your Business Branding? Web design is very important. If your website is unappealing, people will assume your work is too. When you take time to create a great website experience, you brand yourself, gain visitor trust and get more sales and leads. Life may not be about looking good. But the design of your website sure is.

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Website Content Writing: How, Why & For What?

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:22:30 +0000

The quality and angle of your website content can make a huge difference in sales and leads. Content that’s written for audience, while keeping Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and marketing in mind, is key for any successful business. Accordingly, here are some things to consider when crafting your website content. How To Write Website Content An effective website content or copywriting service keeps writing spaced out. What I’m talking about is using short paragraphs (one to three sentences) and lists. Remember, people want information fast and don’t want to see huge chunks of text. Website content that employs italics, bolding, strikes and links keeps eyes moving and readers engaged. Learn more about effective website content writing services. Why Keep Audience In Mind Audience is important. After all, that’s the whole point of your website, right? To get leads, clients, make sales and keep them coming back. The problem is that SEO and website content writing don’t necessarily mix so well— at least for many writers, that is. I suggest you write content for readers first: What is it they want to hear? And why? Once you have solid website content down, then go back and optimize for the search engines. Toward What End: Selling Services Want to know my honest opinion? Sometimes website content writing overdoes it a bit. Services can be sold simply by having a kick-ass web design and (purported or not) display of authority. Everyone likes the shiny red apple, especially when it appears to be the best of the bunch. However… Unless you’re really into marketing (social media marketing especially), you’re going to need to invest in website content writing services— to get you exposure. A fantastic-looking website for an apparently high-end or industry-dominant business won’t do a damn thing unless it’s marketed. Where’s the exposure? This is why website content writing works so well for small business. Content marketing. Well-crafted, strategic website content writing services (and business blog writing) improve search rankings for that exposure, while connecting with readers for effective marketing of your services. It’s all about quality. Quality copywriting sells services. Quality.

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The Difference Between Copywriting and Content Writing

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:32:38 +0000

What’s the difference between copywriting and content writing? Good question. And there is a difference between the two, at least traditionally, anyway. In short, copywriting is persuasive writing that calls to action, whereas content writing is more informative. Of course, SEO has somewhat blurred the line between the two, oftentimes blending them together. What Is Copywriting? Copywriting has its roots in offline advertising. The job of a copywriter is to sell a product or service, to persuade. Persuasion is often achieved through the use of emotion, humor or power. A prime example of advertising copy would be anything from a catalogue, like the J. Peterman catalogue… For you Seinfeld fans: What Is Content Writing? Content writing has online roots. By definition, content writing aims to inform or educate. It can also be entertaining (e.g., blog writing). However, with Search Engine Optimization, content writing has become synonymous with general Web writing or copywriting. My SEO content writing page is more “content writing” than “copywriting,” even though it has a call to action here and there. Much of it explains what SEO content writing is. My Opinion: Copywriting vs. Content Writing Content writing isn’t necessarily persuasive, and is, in my opinion, easier to write, as you’re just relaying information. Copywriting— good, effective copywriting— creates a connection with readers, so that they will call, buy, hire, click “contact,” without being pushy. Here’s another writer’s opinion, if you’re interested— a bit more detailed. But That’s My Opinion— What’s Yours? Are you a copywriter or content writer? Do you write for SEO? Leave your opinion on the matter, and tell me if you differentiate between copywriting and content writing. Photo Credits: Brett Jordan and Jesica Alive

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Social Media Graphic Design Tools

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 02:13:10 +0000

Social media is important. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Youtube (LinkedIn too) especially. …What are you doing to help bolster your business branding? Here’s a couple websites to help you design pretty cool cover photos and images for Facebook and other platforms. Make Your Facebook Cover Photo for FREE Your cover photo for your Facebook fan page can make it or break it, in a way. I’m really not too big on the social media scene, but even I get it: Facebook cover photos need to look pretty. Try out Pagemodo’s cover maker for your Facebook page. FREE Graphic Design / Photo Tool for Google+ & YouTube Lately I’ve been a bit annoyed with the new look of Google+ (and YouTube; Google owns it). The size requirements for your Google+ profile cover photo and YouTube cover art is beyond my belief: A whopping 2120 x 1192 px! I used Pixlr photo editor to create this photo, which is currently, my Google+ page and YouTube cover artwork. Note: Make sure to check out this post by AutoRevo on the new image size and what it means for branding. What About Your Cover Photo Designs? I can’t be the only graphic-design-incompetent person out there. …Can I? Maybe you’ve found some pretty cool tools for creating neat cover photos and artwork. If so, please share them below. I’d love to hear!

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Finding Your Writer’s Voice

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:58:46 +0000

Finding your writer’s voice. How many times have you heard this as a writer? Perhaps you even get a visual of your favorite how-to book, author or— in my case— most memorable college professor. …Educators really should make more, shouldn’t they? Such great memories. 1. Write How You Speak When I worked at the University of Maryland, College Park, writing center, I learned an ugly truth: Academia, though somewhat unintentionally, teaches writers to begin revising before writing. “Replacement,” we’ll call it. Replacement occurs when we allow ourselves stop, think and hit the delete key. …Why is it necessary to complicate such a simple language? Tip #1: Keep typing, silly as it may sound. The first word that comes to mind came there for a reason. 2. Tell A Story Jesus spoke in parables. Bards recited poetry. Writers tell stories. Even for the nonfiction writer, stories help pique interest and create connections. People like getting a taste of your personal life. Tip #2: Remember to include a piece of yourself. Create a nice picture for your audience. 3. Speak To An Audience In Stephen King’s On Writing, King suggests writing to your ID, or Ideal Reader. I don’t necessarily have any particular person in mind when I write, but I do “hear” myself relaying a story to an audience. This helps keep a simple, conversational tone, which I prefer for most venues. Tip #3: Imagine yourself explaining whatever it is you’re writing to an audience. It works. 4. Read It Back Aloud This is one you’ve likely heard before. Reading aloud your writing not only helps establish voice. It’s good for catching errors, wordiness and redundancies. Tip #4: “Huh?” I bet you’ll end up saying that to yourself once or twice— and that’s when it’s okay to hit that delete key! Voice Your Thoughts So what about you? How do you work your magic? Leave any comments, tips or thoughts below. I’d love to hear! Photo Credit: alcintas [volver a empezar] via Compfight

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How To Write Great Website Content

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:05:05 +0000

Okay, you’ve got your website going. Great. You’ve got the blog set up. Nice. And you’ve even got a few word-of-mouthers tuning in. Sweetness. Fast-forward two months. The website’s still a go, blog is filling up and those diehard friends (a’hem, family) still tune in, but… “Where’s all my traffic!?” you say. “I’ve got gold here, baby— gold!” Hate to break it to you, but if there were gold, you’d have plenty of miners. BUT here’s the good news: You may be sitting on a gold mine— we’ll just have to do some digging first to see! Laying Out the Tools Before striking gold, you have to have your tools in place. I suggest making a checklist prior to ever putting a word down, at least until second nature kicks in. 1. Audience Meter Who are we writing for, and why? What is it that readers want to see? Why are people coming to you for information? The answers to these questions may seem obvious. But adjusting your meter is a subtle art, and the slightest adjustment can make a huge difference in reception. Golden Rule: Forget your needs, wants, desires as the writer, and focus solely on those of the target reader. 2. Time Table Good writing takes time. Good writing takes time. Good writing takes time. I think you get the message. In our world of instant gratification, time is a tall order. …Drink up! Golden Rule: Writing anything worth reading takes time— but isn’t that a requirement of all good things? 3. Word Bank Relevant keyword phrases Natural-sounding language Clear, concise sentences I’m not talking about vocab here. Voluminous, esoteric vocabularies are best left to the academics. This is Web writing, dammit! Keep it simple! Not only do we want to keep things simple. We want our writing to sound natural, regardless of keywords. That’s most important. I don’t want to get into SEOing content here. Besides, there’s plenty of other articles out there that have already done a good job of explaining that. Golden Rule: Use your keyword phrases, but always keep it naturally simple! There certainly may be more tools from one blogger’s bag to another’s. But these are staples the successful writer can’t write without. Getting Your Hands Dirty In college I read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. I’m reminded of an aptly titled chapter: “Shitty First Drafts.” Digging in means just that. Digging in. You’re going to get dirty. You’re going to get your hands wet. And, yes, that means your first draft may, in fact, smell like shit. But that’s okay. Part of writing, whether it’s for school, for fun or for your website, means swallowing pride, letting go of perfection and getting dirty. (If you come out clean each time, please fill me in on the secret— we need to talk). Selecting A Title What I like to do is start with an outline. That way, I don’t get in over my head. Have a little brainstorming session. Think about a catchy title for your topic: How to Write Effective Website Content 10 Steps to Creating Engaging Website Content Sean’s Guide to Creating Website Content that Really Works The Official Guide to Creating Effective Content Do this until you have that “a-ha! moment.” A-ha! Title: Striking Content Gold: How To Write Great Website Content And now we have a catchy title to start with. Many writers don’t worry about titles until after their work is complete. The reason I start with the title is because it often sets the tone for my article. “Striking Gold.” Okay, so let’s employ a gold theme. Got it. Writing effective, engaging web copy is all about tapping into creativity. Think about it: How many articles are there floating around about crafting good content. A ton. …So what can we do to make ours better? Creativity. Getting Your Headers After the title, I start outlining with headers. We’re simply sorting out the main topics. Here’s how the outline for this article went: 1. Pre-pre-writing: How to get in the zone, clear your mind, focusing 2. Pre-writing: Making a skeleton, outlining, forgetting about perfection 3. Writing: Introductions, theses, revising 4. Optimizing: Making it web-friendly, readability 5. Concluding: Calling to action, sharing, getting likes Then I made the headers catchy, fun to read. Come on, if we’re not having fun, what’s the point? 1. Laying Out the Tools 2. Getting Your Hands Dirty 3. Sifting Through for Something Shiny 4. Showcasing Your Mound of Gold 5. Inviting Fellow Miners to Come and Play Awesome. Now we’ve got a nice skeleton. …All that’s left is filling it in. Sifting Through for Something Shiny The lead. The teaser. Your intro. Whatever you want to call it, the opening of your article is by far the most important. Here’s where you’ll either make it or break it, capture the attention of your readers or send them surfing to another site. Make it good— very good. Nay, great. Theses For Thought After spending what seems like forever creating an engaging intro, it’s time to write our “theses.” Okay, don’t freak out. This isn’t English 101 all over again (thank God). What I mean is, write a sentence or so (fragments are kosher) under your headers, to leave as mental notes of what you intend to accomplish in each section: 1. Write about the main things brought to the writing table. What do I focus on before diving in? 2. Write about how to break it down into pieces. That skeleton metaphor is good here. 3. Stress the importance of introductions. Revising is a necessity. 4. The basic of Web writing— white space, lists, bolding, short paragraphs. 5. Just have fun here. Be playful (not cute, though!) and call them to action. If the sentences turn out nice and you want to actually keep them in your copy, cool. But I always delete what I’ve jotted down afterwards. They’ve served their purpose. Making Revisions Unfortunately, revising is a necessary evil. I don’t care [...]

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The Death of My Macbook

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:05:15 +0000

Yes, it surely will be a sad day in this web content writer’s life when his 2006 Macbook dies… 2006!?! Wait, that’s (hold on, let me count)— 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Seven years! Well, 6-and-a-half if we want to get technical. Hmmm. On the flip side, what a great investment! I don’t know much about laptop lifespans, but that seems pretty good. Right? So On To The Big Question PC vs. Mac? This is something I’ve been debating for quite some time. On the one hand, I love my Macbook. The look, feel, everything. On the other, PCs are usually easier on the wallet and are starting to look nice. Samsung, in particular, has some nice designs out there. It’s a bit of a toss up for me at this point. Some Considerations Let me forewarn you, so you’re aware: 1. I know very little about computers (hardware, at least) 2. I’ve conducted absolutely no research in writing this Whew, okay, I think we’re good to move on. The Pros & Cons Like tables? I do: The PC Pros Cons Cheaper Aesthetics Universality Virus-prone Lightweight Left-brained The Mac Pros Cons Beautiful Pricier Internet-safe Battery Life Right-brained Incompatibility The Conclusion After weighing it all, sleeping on it, consulting God and fasting for days on end, I think I’ve come to a conclusion: Stick with what you’re comfortable with. That’d be the Macbook. My current Macbook has been a great companion of mine for these past seven years: college, relationships, partner-in-crime. I guess I’ll stick with his kin. What Say You? Am I making the right decision? What do you think? Leave a comment telling me more pros, cons— whatever’s on your mind. I’d love to hear!

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Why I Don’t Care All That Much About SEOing My Copy

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:05:25 +0000

That’s right. I don’t care all that much about SEOing my copy. “But you’re an SEO copywriter.” “Yep.” “…Riiight.” Okay, you got me. I do care. It’s just that I care less about optimizing than I do crafting something good. There’s enough lackluster copy out there already— I don’t intend to add to the stagnancy. My (freight) Train of Thought So what do I think about, then, when I’m writing copy for your website? That’s like asking the wizard what’s going on inside that head of his, but here goes: Audience The most important aspect of copywriting— any writing— is connecting with your audience. This is called rhetoric, and it’s what I enjoyed the most the only part of college I truly enjoyed. Never use a long word where a short one will do. - George Orwell Use the first word that comes to your mind… - Stephen King Zest. Gusto. - Ray Bradbury You get the idea. When you take your time, place the reader first and keep things simple, you’re left with something quite remarkable: A connection. Branding What’s great about writing is recognition. And that means..? Branding. Zest. Gusto. Talking with a business owner, you get a sense of personality, insight into goals, values and priorities. Take time to process that, and you’re able to create copy that truly reflects his business. Conversions The point of a business website is to promote that business. In this sense, ranking well on Google doesn’t mean much— unless your site is making conversions. And that leaves us with the website-copywriting-slash-sales-dance… There’s a thin line between persuasively engaging and pushing sales. Mastering this is perhaps the most difficult aspect of effective website copywriting. [insert catchy, "salesy" language] What to know more? Feel free to follow the link and learn more about my small business SEO website copywriting service. Photo Credit: SunnyDazzled via Compfight

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What’s the Deal With Cheap SEO Copywriting?

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:05:56 +0000

As a freelance SEO copywriter, it irks me when other freelancers work for close to nothing. Who in their right mind is going to spend an hour-and-a-half writing a quality content page for $5? Sorry, but I refuse. Cheap SEO Copywriting: Friend or Foe? I’m not here to rant– that’s what forums are for. However, it’s come to my attention that low-balling (minus the technique) is a trend in the world of freelance SEO. What gives? 1. Time Is A Factor Let me ask you something: would you waste your time spending an hour writing quality, for a mere $5? I think not. Enough said. 2. You Get What You Pay For Although I offer a very affordable blog writing service and SEO copywriting service, you get quality. –I’m a freelancer with practically no overhead. But I worked my way to get here, take each project seriously and deliver a high-quality product. There’s no way you’re getting what your site deserves for $5. (Seriously. 500+ words for $5?). 3. Originality vs. Duplication Google likes genuine, unique content. “Article spinning” doesn’t count. Sorry. 4. The Sheer Logic Of It All I’m logical. You’re logical. Let’s break it down: 1 Hour Working at Burger King = $9 1 Hour Writing Quality SEO Copy = $5 …Right. Your Thoughts On the Matter So what’s the deal with cheap SEO copywriting? I’m at a loss (okay, I lied)— but tell me what you think!

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Search Engine Copywriting Tips & Techniques

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:05:21 +0000

Okay, you launched your website. Finally, after the great headache commonly referred to as web design, you’re ready to get going. You’ve even invested in a blog writing service perhaps. …Hmmm. And yet, the phone doesn’t ring. What gives? 5 Foolproof Search Engine Copywriting Tips There’s a little more to writing web content than the writing. Quality SEO copywriting and effective business blog writing take some planning. Search engines like Google take into account things like keywords, keyword placement, headers, anchor text (linked text) and readability, just to name a few. Accordingly, here a five tips to help you get started: 1. Choosing Your Keywords Keyword selection is very important. Some people swear by programs your pay for. Others (like me) use Google’s free keyword tool. …And then there’s simply Google-searching what you think is effective and analyzing competitor sites. –This is perhaps the best method, in my opinion. 2. Using Your Keywords Let’s say, for instance, that your keyword phrase for a particular content page is “SEO blog writing service.” Now, if you simply insert that whole string throughout your copy, Google won’t separate any other uses of “SEO,” “blog writing” or “writing service.” In other words, you want to balance using the entire string with separate uses of each keyword within that phrase. Yes, tweaking is often a necessity. 3. Placing Your Keywords There are a couple areas you want to place keywords: a) First sentence b) Headers (H1, H2 & H3 tags) c) Anchor Text (partial matching is now recommended) d) Last sentence a + b + c + d = ranking well 4. Linking Your Keywords Anchor text, or the text within links, is important. Intersperse relevant links throughout web copy, making sure to use variations of your keyword phrases. Whether or not exact-match anchor text is losing SEO juice is debatable. I say use a mix of exact-match, partial-match and long-tail anchor text for best results. 5. Keeping It Simple! Simplicity is a beautiful thing. Recognize it. Just because we’re complicating the whole writing thing with SEO doesn’t mean the quality of writing has to suffer. Keep your writing concise and pertinent. After all, it’s your audience you want to please the most!

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One Sure Way To Build Business Credibility

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:05:13 +0000

Okay, so you own a small business. You’ve got a website and are getting some traffic. But why aren’t you getting as many leads as you’d like? Business Blogging: Instant Credibility Facebook Likes: 5 vs. 500 Twitter Followers: 20 vs. 2,000 Your Blog Roll: Stale vs. Consistent Okay, “instant” may be an overstatement. But you get the point. Business blogging is becoming a necessity, and not having a blog, or (worse-yet) having a stale blog, doesn’t help you one bit. Build Your Business Credibility! As a freelance blog writer, I typically check out a website’s blog upon visiting that website. I may be a little biased– but how many others are checking out your blog? 1. Decide On Frequency How often do you plan to blog? Once per month? Twice per month? Weekly? Whatever you decide– I say at the very minimum twice a month– stick with it. Consistency shows you’re serious, and that, in and of itself, is worth the time. 2. Outline Your Entries Sometimes it’s hard to think of topics to blog about. I get that. –Believe me. The best way to go about with your blogging campaign is with planning. Lots of it. Think about your target audience. Think about what they’d want to read about. And then make a weekly, monthly, quarterly– whatever– plan of what you intend to write about. 3. Write For Fun Don’t write for sales. (Yep, guilty as charged ). And don’t write exclusively for search engines. Blog writing can always be optimized after the fact. The point is to engage and interest readers, so that they’ll find you credible, friendly and personable. Show your personality, and you’ll get more leads. 4. Maintain Your Blog Again, once you start blogging, it’s important to keep it up. Consistently cranking out entries can be quite time-consuming, especially for those who dislike writing. I suggest researching and investing in a quality blog writing service if keeping to your schedule becomes too overwhelming.

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Take Advantage of WordPress… It’s Free!

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:05:26 +0000

Don’t let some company control your website… Learn to manage it yourself! WordPress is by far the best content management system (CMS) available. Oh, and it’s totally free! Web Design Doesn’t Have to Be $$$ After my time at Glenn Construction, LLC, I decided to build my own website for my website content writing and blog writing service. …My jaw dropped at quotes ranging from $2,500-$4,000 for a custom design. Pre-Designed Templates Called themes, there are plenty of pre-designed web templates for you to begin with and modify to your liking. You can either download a free theme or purchase a premium theme. The theme used on this site is a premium theme I purchased a while back. I simply tinkered with it a bit to obtain the look you see now. It’s really not that hard! If you need help, just ask! Search Engine Optimization Not only does WordPress give you full control of your content; it enables you to perform on-page SEO like a pro! If you’re a self-starter (like me ), you can figure out quite a bit by just surfing the Net. Visit Yoast.com to learn more. Don’t let some SEO company charge you a handsome sum for your SEO– unless it’s Pay Per Performance with guaranteed results. Of course, good SEO content writing requires both excellent writing and marketing skills, and a strong knowledge of current on-page SEO techniques!

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Blog Writing Is Internet Marketing!

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:05:27 +0000

Blog writing is one of the best forms of Internet marketing/search engine optimization (SEO). –If not, the best. From internal linking to SEO content marketing, there are tons of reasons to invest in a blog writing service! Internal Linking SEO Although getting in-bound links from external websites (e.g., SEOmoz linking to me– I wish!) holds more weight in terms of SEO, there’s much to gain from linking to your homepage from your blog. Called internal linking, setting up links from your blog posts to your homepage helps improve Google rankings. The more blog posts you have pointing to your homepage, the better. You are, essentially, telling Google’s web crawlers what your website is about. Example: Keyword Phrase “business blogging” links to http://seanvandenberg.com. SEO Content Marketing In addition to internal linking SEO, blog writing also is a form of direct advertising. Many websites use their blog as their only form of Internet marketing. Have you ever seen a blog post with over 1,000 Facebook shares or Tweets? That’s Internet marketing! Blogs don’t have to promote services to count as advertising. Simply getting your name out there works well enough. Example: Infographic Design Company blogs about Super Bowl commercials. Voila!

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Maintaining Your Business Blog

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 05:05:35 +0000

Like all forms of writing, blog writing can take some time. If you’re a business owner looking to launch a blog, consider investing in a blog writing service for your website. Benefits of Blogging Services Considering having your business blog maintained? Check out the many benefits! Time Blog writing does take time. And time is money. Focus on your work, while a freelancer, like me maintains your blog. Quality Blog writers should know how to put a few works together. Writing is not everyone’s forte. A good blogging service delivers a quality product, every time. Consistency Even if you are an excellent writer, keeping up with your blog writing can become a hassle. When you hire a blog writing service, you can rest assured your blog will never grow stale. Optimization Writing a quality post is one thing. Writing a quality blog post that also ranks well on Google is another… Kill two birds with one stone by going with an SEO blog writing service! Sean’s Blog Maintenance Services Serious about having someone maintain your blog? Specializing in content marketing and blog writing for contractors and service industries, I’m here to help. –Click here to begin your blogging campaign!

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Why SEO Content Writing Works for Small Business

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 05:15:11 +0000

Investing in an SEO content writing and blog writing service is very effective for small business websites, mainly because small businesses often serve certain areas. By investing in SEO geo-targeting, you make it easy for clients in your areas to find your business online. SEO Geo-Targeting SEO geo-targeting, or local SEO, allows you to market your content to those who matter most: clients. Geo-targeted content pages are tailored for each of your service areas: 1. “Writing Services in Target Area A” 2. “Blogging Services in Target Area B” 3. “SEO Optimization in Target Area C” Many people include their states when searching for services (e.g., “XYZ services Maryland”). And just as many include their cities. By optimizing your content for locality searches, you help those people find you very easily. Oftentimes, geo-targeted pages rank on Page One for their keyword(s) + area. Google Knows Location Even when people don’t include their location when making searches, Google still knows. If you have a well-optimized Google+ business page, your business just may show up on Page One for service searches. Make sure to set up your own Google+ page. It’s best to utilize all of Google’s tools (including making posts –Google is the king of search, and every bit helps!

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Make Your Twitter Character and Infographic

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:08:56 +0000

Okay, this is pretty damn cool. Actually, it’s really damn cool– especially for those graphically-challenged writers (yep, that’s me!)… I was on my Twitter profile earlier today and decided to click on one of Jeff Bullas’ tweets. I wasn’t disappointed! If you’re looking to create a cool infographic about your Twitter presence (and get a neat-looking drawing of your digital self– sound like Morpheus, don’t I ), then check this out and Twitterize yourself! Oh, and here’s what was drawn up for me, by the way: “Skinny and geeky, with cool blue eyes… that’s me!” —Sean V. Twitterize Yourself! As website content writers, we all know that sleek web designs are all the rave. And, if you didn’t know, unique cartoons and web graphics are all the rave in terms of branding. So making your Twitter character can only help with your branding efforts. Enjoy!

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Essential Features of Any Successful Website

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 05:15:46 +0000

As I surf around, checking out other SEO sites and blogs, I’ve come to really appreciate readability. (Or easy navigation— who reads content anyway? ). Websites with effective use of white space, color, short paragraphs, headers and pictures succeed. Of course, keeping your content fresh and engaging doesn’t hurt either! White Space Websites with plenty of white space are easy to look at. Make your site as friendly on the eyes as possible by keeping things spaced out and simple. Color Now, too much white can be a bad thing. A “minimal theme” is one thing… boring is another. Make use of complementary colors, to keep it easy on the eyes. Short Paragraphs There’s nothing worse (okay, I’m exaggerating) than huge clumps of content. It’s daunting. Keep the content on your website audience-friendly: simple, short sentences and paragraphs. Headers Websites are for marketing. And Jeff Bullas knows this best. Make your headers as effective as possible. They’re promos! Pictures Sometimes pictures really are worth a thousand words… Although stock photos do work, it’s best to get some original sketches or infographics. Check out the SEOmoz blog for some good info (no pun intended) on infographics!

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Could You Benefit From Content Writing?

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 05:02:43 +0000

Content writing services provide you with effective website copywriting that engages readers. …Read the list below to learn how investing in optimized website content can benefit your business! Engaging content Your website content should be audience-focused. What do your readers want to read? What would you want to read if you were visiting your site for the first time? The best content writers write to inform readers while keeping language natural and engaging. Selling content Effective website content talks about “you” and answers “why?”. "When you invest in web content writing, you help people find your business online..." Selling web content is that which speaks directly to readers. People want to know what’s in it for them. Optimized content SEO content writing uses white-hat (Penguin-friendly) on-page SEO techniques. Titles, page descriptions, headers, anchor text— they all can be optimized without jeopardizing readability or the natural sound of our language.

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Blogging Hooks: Reel ‘Em In!

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:44:27 +0000

Your blog can easily become your most effective marketing tool. You can use your blog to a) show off your expertise, and b) draw traffic to your website. Inform with expertise Blogging lets you share your knowledge and industry experience. The best blogs provide readers with informative and interesting content that is relevant to their audience. When you blog for business, you’re letting clients know that you’re for real. Just make sure not to sell yourself; your blog is for sharing and informing. You sell by making a connection. Call to action Use your blog to tell people to contact you. After sharing informative content, consider including a final paragraph where you call to action. “If you need help with… simply leave a message…” Alert search engines Blog writing lastly provides a great way to alert search engines of your website. Search engines like to see websites continually updated. The more you blog, the better for your SEO. Optimized blog writing links back to your site’s homepage, using keywords you’d like to rank better for. Blogging keeps your website fresh and lets you tell Google what your site is about.

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On-Page SEO Techniques

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:43:07 +0000

There are several on-page search engine writing techniques you can use to improve search results. The following are white-hat (respect Google’s Penguin updates) techniques employed on this site: Titles & Descriptions Page titles and their descriptions feature the exact keyword once, and one variation of those keywords. Headings Page headings use the exact keyword phrase in h1 tags. H2 and h3 tags employ variations of those keywords. Keywords Keyword phrases like “SEO writing services” are broken up into segments: “SEO,” “SEO writing” and “writing services.” These keywords are incorporated naturally throughout content. Linking SEOmoz’s blog discusses optimal link structures for SEO. Content all flows from the homepage. Homepage to category pages, to service pages, and on to sub-service pages. And the sitemap ensures certain pages get crawled. Anchor Text Good on-page SEO services connect your website’s pages with an optimized internal linking structure. Best anchor text practices call for a combination of keywords and natural language.

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How to Market Your Website

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:17:22 +0000

Writing to improve Google rankings isn’t your only option in terms of marketing your business website. In fact, improving your website rankings on Google doesn’t necessarily mean more leads. From the way your site looks to effective sales writing, the game of content marketing requires a more comprehensive marketing approach. a) Aesthetics A term used in content marketing is bounce rate. It refers to the tendency for website visitors to find your site, only to quickly “bounce” away from it. Your website should occupy visitors’ eyes. Give them something unique to look at. Everyone likes the shiny red apple. b) Content There’s ranking content, and then there’s sales content. Your website content should fall somewhere in the middle. Effective website content writing should be audience-focused. Who are you targeting? What do they want to read? Don’t tell us what you can do. Tell us how your services help us. Persuasive web content takes a “you” approach and uses headlines and promos as calls to action. c) Updates The best way to keep your website on Google’s radar is by business blogging, and blogging frequently. Blogging alerts web crawlers that your site has fresh content, so that it gets crawled more. Blog writing is also a good way to cross-link throughout your website. There are lots of nuances to SEO writing. It may be worthwhile to invest in a blog writing service to ensure you stick to your blogging plan.

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How to Maintain Your Business Blog

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:28:03 +0000

Once you begin blogging, you’ll need to maintain it— there’s nothing worse for credibility than a stale blog. a) Make a plan Make a plan for your business blogging. What are you going to write about? Perhaps you should list categories you will write about. The next thing to decide is blogging frequency. How often are you going to post? Figure (to be safe) about one to two hours per blog post. Do you have time to blog weekly? Monthly? b) Schedule to publish Use WordPress to schedule blog posts in advance. If you find yourself in a writing mood, run with it and write your month’s blogs. Then set each entry to self-publish at a later time. It’s often helpful to outline several blogs in advance. That way, you avoid missing blogs and keep to your plan. c) Hire a blog writer Sometimes it’s easier to hire a blog writer. If you don’t have enough time on hand, consider using a blog writing service. You can easily keep to your blogging plan while staying within budget.

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SEO Blogging for Small Business

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 05:05:47 +0000

Small businesses can perhaps benefit the most from blogging. A consistent blog with informative content allows you to connect with clients while expanding your online presence. Your business blog can quickly become your most valuable content marketing tool. Link-Building SEO When you write your blogs, create links back to your homepage. Incorporate keyword phrases into the linked text (called anchor text) like this: a) Sean offers affordable website content writing services. b) Get in touch to use Sean’s business blogging & optimization. Just keep anchor text natural sounding, and vary your keyword phrases. Relationship-Building SEO While building and optimizing your website through blogging, you might as well make friends along the way. Make sure your blog provides useful, informative information— stuff people want to read. Ask questions and engage readers to encourage commenting and sharing. Look for blogs similar to your own. Comment on these people’s blogs and follow them on Twitter. Twitter offers a great way to network and market your content.

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How the Pros Write Effective Website Content

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:23:48 +0000

So how do the pros craft their website content writing? There’s no set formula for writing effective website content. Some web content writers outline first and then get to writing. Others dive right in. And then there are those who begin by selecting their keywords, in preparation for a more “calculated, strategic approach.” 4 Steps to Better Content Writing So what’s the best way to go about writing content for your website? Here are four steps the pros use to help create content for your website worth marketing! 1. Determine your audience. Writing should always have a focus, point, an end goal. The end goal of your content should be conversions. Before writing a single word of copy, you should figure out who your website content is for. If you solely focus on keywords, you not only jeopardize readability (and interest); you can easily end up with totally irrelevant content. 2. Forget about keywords. In my blog post on how to write SEO content, I discuss keyword density and word count. Well, forget about it (at least for the moment)! There are two issues with focusing on keywords: Your writing almost always sounds stiff and forced You may waste time by writing for the wrong keyword phrases Even if your content sounds natural and reads well, there’s still the question of keyword relevance. Think about it: just because Google’s keyword tool suggests certain phrases doesn’t mean your (future) clients are searching them! (e.g., “SEO content writing” vs. “write content that ranks well for drywall website“). 3. Think in terms of “you.” After determining your audience, begin outlining what you plan to write about. Ask yourself questions to foster brainstorming: What do my site visitors want to read? What are their expectations? Why should you invest in my services? In many ways, effective content writing is subtle sales writing. Clients are the result of content going above and beyond audience expectations. 4. Go ahead and have fun! Don’t be shy… show us your personality! People have always responded to good writing. If you write well, share valuable information and do it in a unique way (everyone has a writer’s voice!), people will respond. And there’s nothing better for business than more shares, tweets and likes! Content writing = relationship-building = social media = Internet marketing!

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Blogging SEO: Internal links

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 05:02:49 +0000

I can’t stress enough the importance of business blogging. In addition to connecting with clients and building credibility, there is great SEO value in blog writing. Blog writing keeps your website fresh. Blogging lets Google know you’re serious— the more you blog, the more you stay on Google’s radar. But perhaps most valuable is the internal linking. It gives you the opportunity to decide what keywords or phrases you’d like your site to show up for. By using creative anchor text, you can increase SEO for key phrases pertinent to your business. SEO Your Anchor Text Anchor text is the text within a hyperlink. When you link from your blog post to your homepage, you’re essentially telling Google what your website is about. The more you blog, the more opportunity you have to link with anchor text. Just remember to keep your anchor text natural sounding. With Google’s Penguin updates, using exact keyword phrases is no longer solely recommended. It is important to also acquire links from other sites to your own. External in-bound links carry greater SEO value, but building external links can be difficult and takes time. Frequent Blogging Is Best The best way to build your business website is by blogging frequently. Create a blogging schedule (one blog per week, for instance) and stick to it. You may also want to consider using a blog writing & marketing service. Although you want to continually post blog entries, do avoid publishing bland or redundant content. It’s better to post really informative blog posts once a month, than vague, stale entries every week. As with any sort of website writing, blog writing takes time— remember, quality over quantity! Blogging & Internal Links Recap Blogging presents an excellent and easy way for you to enhance your website search engine optimization. By linking to your homepage, you tell Google what your site is about. Keep anchor text natural and vary keyword usage throughout your blog entries.

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Why Should Your Business Get Blogging?

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 03:23:07 +0000

It’s essential for every business to have a blog. Without one, your business could lose some credibility. A well-optimized blog can also serve as your most valuable marketing tool. Blogging helps keep your website content fresh and provides an easy way for you to create internal links throughout your site. 1. Credibility Blogs are expected. If you don’t have one, you’re OK— it’s far worse to have a blog without any posts. Blogging builds credibility by showing your dedication to your business. Blogs also provide an outlet for you to prove your industry experience. Leads are often generated through blog writing. 2. Updating Search engines like Google like it when websites are continually updated— fresh. Blogging allows you to regularly update your website. The more frequently you blog, the better for your SEO. 3. Linking Blogging is a great way to create internal links to your content. These links point to your service pages and give you an opportunity to create unique anchor text (the linked text). SEOmoz recommends using long-tail keyword phrases in anchor text. 4. Sharing Lastly, your blog provides a way for you to communicate with clients. When you share valuable information on your blog, people may comment on or share your link on Twitter or Facebook. Business blogging is great for building relationships and acquiring in-bound links (links from other sites to yours).

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Do You Love SEO Writing?

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 05:05:41 +0000

What do you love about SEO writing & copywriting? Here are seven reasons I enjoy the craft. 1. It’s Fun When you enjoy writing, you enjoy writing. Writing for websites isn’t always exciting, but it’s fun enough that I spend hours each week working to improve my website rankings… 2. It’s Challenging Perhaps the greatest thing about SEO writing is that it’s challenging. Sure, you can use the same general techniques to structure your content pages, but it’s fun to find new ways to convey information. 3. It Requires Preparation Procrastination likes to linger around writers. SEO writing knows this. Good thing there’s prep work. It’s a little easier to begin the actual writing after finding keywords and outlining. 4. It Takes Logic SEO writing should: a) Keep audience in mind b) Call to action c) Alert search engines d) Sound natural a + b + c + d = logic 5. It’s Appreciated Search engine copywriting is the best form of advertising today. Everyone’s online. It’s always nice to hear back from people who like what you’ve written for them. 6. It Yields Tangible Results There’s nothing like seeing a page or website rank better because of your SEO writing! 7. It Teaches Patience As much as I’d love to post a page and instantly see it ranking at the top of Google, that’s never the case. But, as with most good things in life, visible results sometimes take a bit of time. SEO writing helps build the greatest virtue of all: patience. What makes SEO writing special to you? So what do you love most about writing content for websites? Leave a comment describing what you enjoy the most about the process! Meme Creation Website: Quick Meme

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Visual SEO – It Pays To Look Good!

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 05:05:00 +0000

You know why people remember Superman? It’s not his incredible speed. Or his ability to leap over buildings. Or that he continually saves the day over and over again… No. It’s something far simpler. Any old alien being with powers beyond that of human conception can save the day. But Superman, well, he looks good when he does it. He’s got the whole superhero thing down pat (that’s right, tights and all). What’s This Got To Do With SEO? Everything. Who wants to stay on a site that looks crappy? I sure don’t. When it comes to marketing your website content, there’s never enough you can do in terms of visual appeal. Realize you’ve got around three to five seconds to convince people to stay on your site. Even the greatest of copy can’t save you from poor web design. In this sense, it doesn’t matter how well you rank. Your site may sit pretty at that Number One spot, but what’s your retention rate? After all, you want people to find your site— and then stay there. Go Suit Up You don’t have to leap buildings in single bounds to impress your audience (though I’m sure it would help). Just think of what you’d want to see on your site, as a visitor. What do you look for? What catches your eye? Maybe we can take a lesson from our hero in blue and red after all… 1. Mild-Mannered (Simple) Websites that are overly flashy can be annoying. Likewise, overly minimalistic sites are bland. What you want is a simple, clean website with crisp colors and widgets– stuff to attract the eye and make people click. 2. Tights (Color) Sliders and skins are easy to find. And they’re becoming ubiquitous. Suit up, and make sure your colors match. 3. Saving the Day (Content) At first glance, we should know what your site is about. If readers go on to actually read (not just skim) your content, they should enjoy writing geared toward them. -> What are your visitors’ expectations? What does your audience want to see? -> What would you want to see (and read) were you visiting your site for the first time? SuperSEO: Brand, Then Build Relationships Sometimes taking a step back from the game of optimization is good. It enables you to look at your site through a different pair of lenses. And with Google’s Penguin updates, it’s not a bad idea to start wearing your relationship-building hat 24/7. Remember: Your website is your best marketing tool. Reveal your colors, brand yourself and capitalize. When you focus on creating an engaging website experience, both visually and verbally, you know you’ve done your job as a marketer. And isn’t SEO just another form of marketing anyway? Besides, you can always go back and perform as much on-page optimization as you want later– that is, after you’ve saved the day. Just do us a favor and veto the tights! Edna, The Incredibles, Image Source: Fanpop Superman Images Artist: Sebastian Colombo Meme Creation Site: Quick Meme

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Outsource Content Writing… and Benefit!

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 05:05:22 +0000

Why should you outsource your clients’ content writing? 1. Time is money Like with any writing, writing good website content takes time. When you outsource your SEO projects, you can save yourself hours of work. 2. Reduce redundancy Many SEO writers follow the same general “writing formula” until the equation stops yielding results. This can make content writing rather redundant. …At the very least, you can send out those topics you really dislike writing about. 3. Allocate resources Many SEO outsourcing services are good on the wallet. Outsource your content writing and invest resources elsewhere within your company. 4. Relieve stress Even with SEO writers who write the same sort of copy over and over and over, deadlines can be stressful. When your clients’ content writing projects begin building up, it’s not a bad idea to send it to someone else. 5. Concentrate on leads It seems that much of “the SEO package” is presentation. Outsource the content writing, and concentrate on collecting, crunching and clearly presenting data to your clients. 6. Acquire in-bound links It’s not uncommon for outsourced SEO writing to link back to the outsourcer’s website. When you outsource your content writing, inquire about link exchanges to further build your web presence. 7. Enjoy content that works When you outsource to “pros,” the writing you get back should be good, right? An experienced SEO writer should be able to write solid web content that also improves search results. So go ahead and have the pros do their thing!

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Benefits of Blog Writing for Business

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 05:05:34 +0000

There are many benefits of blogging for business. A consistent blog with compelling content can quickly become your most valuable business asset, especially in terms of enhancing your SEO campaign. 12 Reasons to Blog for Business! 1. Blogging is expected. In the age of likes, tweets, pins, grams and messaging, blogging is pretty much becoming expected for businesses. When I see a blog, I think progressive, innovative, current. I’m even more impressed when I see a huge blog with frequent updates. Catch that? Impressed. Benefit #1 – shows you’re up-to-date. 2. Blogging humanizes your business. Some websites are able to pull off anonymity. Let them keep the mechanical feel. When you write content for your business, you reveal yourself. Blogs remind visitors that there is, in fact, a face behind that website they’re reading. And people seem to like that. Benefit #2 – show your face! 3. Blogging shows your personality. Depending on your workplace niche, you can use your blog to show a little skin. If you’re smart, prove it. If you’re funny, make us laugh. If you’re x, then y. You get the point. Or you can simply link to your Google+ profile and show us your face— literally. Benefit #3 – clients get to know you. 4. Blogging attracts comments. This one is all about SEO. The best blog posts are those that receive lots and lots of comments. Once people comment, people keep commenting. Then they start sharing. And then they keep sharing. A thousand shares later… and that’s a ton of exposure for your business. Benefit #4 – drive more business-related traffic. 5. Blogging entertains and informs visitors. When I Google-search something, it’s because I want information. Give good information, and people will read it and share it. And if you can pull off entertaining while you’re at it, that’s even better. Benefit #5 – an outlet for clients. 6. Blogging displays your business expertise. Like I said, if you’re smart, show us. You know about such and such topic. Good; tell me. Of course, how much you reveal depends largely on your business. SEOmoz, for instance, can share valuable SEO information. That’s the nature of their site. Internet Marketing Company X, on the other hand, they want to reveal some stuff, but not everything. Benefit #6 – impress with your wits. 7. Blogging gives your business credibility. If just having a blog gives a little credibility, then having an active one generates a whole lot more. Blog writing takes time. When you regularly crank out useful, engaging blog posts, that says a whole lot. Benefit #7 – shows you’re for real. 8. Blogging shows that you’re serious. Blogs can carry a sense of tenacity. Think about it: you’re online, sharing with the world whatever is on your mind. Be definitive. Benefit #8 – speak your mind. 9. Blogging enhances SEO. In addition to optimizing blog posts for improved rankings, blogging in general helps SEO. Google likes it when sites have continual updates. And blogs do just that. (…and get shared, tweeted, liked, optimized for rankings…) Benefit #9 – stay on the SEO radar. 10. Blogging can be is fun. I had fun writing this blog. Are you enjoying it? I hope so. Blog writing can be very fun. The greatest benefit of blogging to many is the enjoyment and sense of accomplishment. Benefit #10 – have fun, duh. 11. Blogging is a hook. Blogs come with invisible nets. Just don’t let your visitors notice. Business blogging still is for informing and interacting with visitors. But that doesn’t mean you can’t throw a “contact us” at the very end. Better yet, seamlessly link anchor text to one of your service pages. It’s all about making people want to click the link without telling them to. Benefit #11 – stepping-stones to leads and conversions. 12. Blogging helps connect people. Writing has always connected people together. The bards of ancient centuries spoke with eloquence and grace. And then there’s David Spade… What I’m saying is, if you do it right, people will feel connected to you. They’ll like you. And it doesn’t get any better than that for business. Benefit #12 – interact and connect with clients.

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The Benefits of Facebook Likes

Sean Vandenberg, SEO Copywriter — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:18:54 +0000

In addition to equiping your website with effective content writing, you also should invest in social media outlets, like Facebook. Facebook is not only for socializing and connecting with friends— it’s an excellent platform for Internet marketing. And you don’t have to be tech-savvy either to reap the benefits of Facebook likes. 1. Likes Establish Credibility. When you create a Facebook fan page for your business, you are opening it up to cyberspace. Number One, this means more opportunity for exposure. Two, you now appear “more official” or “current,” since everyone has a Facebook account. Everyone. If you don’t, you appear behind the curve and out of the loop. Having a Facebook fan page, however, is not enough to build credibility. In fact, you’re better off not having a Facebook fan page than advertising one with no likes. A page with few likes will give visitors the impression your business is less successful than one with many. 2. Likes Encourage More Likes. People are followers and enjoy being part of a group, which can be good and bad, depending on the situation. When it comes to search engine optimization, this tendency to follow is a godsend. Think about it— what are you more likely to give a like to: a fan page with six likes, or one with 600? The more likes you have, the easier it becomes to obtain more. 3. Likes Are Direct Advertising. Likes serve as vehicles to influence opinion. When Bob finds out his barber of ten years likes Diamond Plumbing, Bob too decides to like Diamond Plumbing and use its services next time a repair is needed. Alternatively, Sarah decided to not go with Plumbing Company XYZ because of the lack of likes its Facebook page has. 4. Likes Influence Organic Search Results. With the integration of Google Plus into social media outlets, it is also likely that Facebook likes will play a role in improving your Google rankings. In other words, the more likes your business has, the more heavily it is weighted when returning relevant results.

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