Does this sound like something out of The Mazerunner? We're not talking about flesh bags with needles here. Web crawlers are responsible for determining how your website answers specific queries to help your website get found by searchers. All the activity and clicking on the web is called traffic, and there are a lot of types of traffic. When a searcher finds and click on your website from the search results page on Google, it's tracked on your metrics as organic search traffic. An SEO blog, then, is a blog that is written with the express purpose of attracting organic search traffic. Whereas other blogs are written to connect with potential clients or share a personal journey, this blog is more like a content machine that follows "the rules" of SEO. In this way, an SEO blog acts as a tenet of marketing to help your content get found by new potential clients. What ARE the Rules of SEO?I admire your gumption. You're ready to build one of these suckers! Well, awesome. Let's talk about the strategies of how to attract search. But first, a caveat: like all technology, the rules of SEO change over time. What works this year might not work next year, or whenever the next update rolls out. We are at the mercy of Google's team. That being said, here's a few easy and quick ways to start improving your SEO for 2023.
When you have a few keywords to target, write blog posts that will incorporate those keywords. By doing so, you're encouraging the Googlebots to associate your content with those keywords. When someone searches your targeted keywords, your website is more likely to appear in the results. Also, use keyword research to add SEO tags to your each post. There are different methods for doing so depending on which website builder you're using. *Beginner's tip: Keyword no longer means one word. A keyword is now a search query; 3-4 different individual words are still counted as a single "keyword."
The Future of SEO BlogsAs content generators like Jasper and ChatGPT become more accessible, SEO blogs have been a hot topic. Using AI generation to create instant, long-form blog posts seems like a sweet deal. Blogging for SEO is useful, but I worry about the quality of content provided. Here's a few things to keep in mind.
1 Comment
3 Things You Can Do to Create a Brand VoiceYou've started growing your business. You've been a part of the #smallbiz community for a while. Now your old posts are totally cringy. You want to create one, consistent voice across all of your platforms so clients will recognize you as you. Girl, I've been there. Let me share with you three easy-to-implement tips to help you create a brand voice. 1. Decide Where You Are on the Scale of 1 to FUNImagine a little line...maybe I'll insert a graphic here. Here we have a scale that starts with extremely professional and ends with FUN! How are you interacting with your customers? Businesses that rely on high qualifications in order to perform a service (think surgery or law) should probably use a formal voice in their branding, because people need to trust that they are "serious" about their service or product. The professionalism encourages the client to trust the company as an authority. Other businesses might decide to go more casual, with the goal of sounding young, trendy, or friendly with the customer. Think less about what you prefer, and more about what would make the most sense from your customer's perspective. You can decide what level of professionalism you're comfortable with. Stick with it. It can be tempting to try to go overboard with trends or silliness, because it attracts attention. Unless it's what you've been doing, be careful not to lose rapport over a fad. 2. Consider a Slogan or CatchphraseThink of prominent brands that you know. Do you remember their slogan? Probably. Just do it. I'm lovin' it. With just 15 minutes, you can save 15% or more on car insurance. Okay, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch. I can also recite an entire Rhodes 60-second cinnamon roll commercial from 2007, so maybe I'm a bad example. What I'm saying is a good slogan will carry your brand. When you're writing messages across varying platforms, consider if you could include a unique and chippy slogan for your brand. Need more ideas? Can you come up with a name for your followers, a specific introduction, or a consistent ending for your pieces? Any of these would be a good place to start. 3. Use the Right VocabularyAlright, here's a pitfall. I worked with a client who, like many other business owners, is extremely educated about his niche. He naturally uses jargon (vocabulary specific to a particular discipline) and writes like an academic. He did not realize that his vocabulary might be excluding potential clients. Yep, sometimes the language that you use automatically restricts your content from those who are uneducated about the particularities of your business. It is hard to recognize that you're using words that other people don't understand. (Because, of course, you understand them, and if you understand it, can't everyone?) A good rule of thumb is to pretend that you are writing for a 7th grader. No, I'm not joking. The average American caps out at about 7th grade reading comprehension. Keeping the right vocabulary level for your clients is a great way to create an engaging brand voice. It will make your brand accessible to clients you wouldn't anticipate. Brand Voice for LyfeWhen you're ready to grow, don't overlook your brand voice. Sadly, it might be time to retcon your old posts in favor of consistency. You'll see a boost in direct traffic when your audience recognizes your content as your content. And remember, if writing all this content seems daunting, I'm always available to help you give your ideas a voice. Reach out on my contact form and we'll set some goals for how you can grow your business. That's all, folks. Alright folks, here's your vocabulary for the day: evergreen content. You may have seen this term floating around while watching SEO tips and tricks. Maybe you saw it while researching how to write a blog. Or maybe you saw it on my Instagram...who knows? Let me share with you what I know about evergreen content, and share the mistake that I made with my first client ever--oops.
What is Evergreen Content? Evergreen content is information that is consistently in high demand. What do we mean by that? Well, some information is only important because it is new. For example, the Kardashian's latest drama. You can read the article on People, but within a week, that drama has worn out and we're already on to the next story. This type of content is called incidental, timely, reactional, or promotional. Evergreen content is just the opposite. It is content that people are always interested in. It is usually content that is informational or provides help to the reader beyond knee-jerk curiosity. Instead of having a dramatic increase in views for a day or two, evergreen content will create views/visits that will come in consistently for a long time. What Topics are Considered 'Evergreen'? To answer this question, we need to analyze our audience. What are things our audience cares about? What are things our audience needs more information about? Generally, people always need new ideas for:
So that's a good place to start. From a general category, then pick something that has to do with your business niche. Consider explaining:
Finally, your evergreen content should be related to the top keywords that you are trying to rank for (rank means to get your site higher up on Google). Using a keyword researching tool, look at what other people are searching. Are they asking questions that you can answer? My Big Mistake My first client wanted to increase views on her crafting website. Her website did not have a blog, so that was immediately my first "solve" for her issue. We started the blog, and there were views, but not many. Finally, when I was searching some keywords for her, I came across a search term with high search demand. The term was asking how to use her (somewhat obscure) medium. What. An. Idiot. I cannot believe I had never even thought about it! I called her. I ran to her website. I started writing evergreen How-To articles that pertained to her medium and her methods. Within a week or two, we saw a huge uptick in unique visits to the page. Be Smarter Than Me If you're a business looking to increase search traffic to your website, evergreen articles are a great place to start. And remember, quality over quantity. With Google's new helpful content update, just trying to rank is not going to be enough. If you're feeling overwhelmed by all of this, let's work together on adding evergreen content to your website. I'd love to help you bring in more views by writing some delicious articles. With the rise of SEO metrics and the internet's need for perpetual content, the career of copywriting has recently come into the spotlight. But what is copywriting? How is it different from business writing or ghostwriting? Which should you hire? Let's check it out. Copywriters Copywriting is writing for advertising purposes. For this reason, copywriting can include website copy, landing pages, and blogging, especially SEO blogging. Copywriting also includes print copy, such as for paper advertisements or event brochures. Copywriting is often short-form writing with a focus on making sales. For this reason, a good copywriter will be familiar with SEO practices, employ enticing formatting, and maintain a specific brand "voice" to get customers to buy. Ghostwriters Ghostwriting is doing writing without getting credit for it. For example, my realtor wanted to write a book honoring war veterans. But he's a realtor, not a writer! He partnered with a ghostwriter to plan out ideas and expectations for the book. The ghostwriter wrote a good chunk (if not all) of the book, but it was published under my realtor's name with no credit to the "actual" author. Ghostwriters are needed for a lot of things: scripts, speeches, fiction and non-fiction books or articles, etc., so unlike copywriting, ghostwriting can be short- or long-form writing. And ghostwriting makes sense. When someone is trying to upkeep a brand or image but does not have time for hours of writing, it's a smart idea to outsource. A good ghostwriter will be a great communicator, and an adept writer that can handle a diversity in styles and assignments. Business Writers Business writing, wow, what an umbrella term! Business writing is any writing that is done for a professional setting. This term includes both employee-facing AND customer-facing copy. Business writing can include everything from onboarding materials to client correspondence. Technical Writer HQ wrote a great article about everything that business writing includes, and they divided it into these four categories: instructional, informational, transactional, and persuasive writing. Business writers have to be intimately aware of the branding, voice, policies, and procedures of their company. And whereas ghostwriters and copywriters are often freelancing or under contract, business writers are often hired directly with a company to work long-term. This gives them some stability that other writers may not have. Who to Hire? So now we've kind of broken down these terms. What's next? Who should you hire? A copywriter, a ghostwriter, or a business writer? Here's what all three definitely know how to do: Brand and style. Copywriters, ghostwriters, and business writers all know how to write standout copy that will maintain the voice of your brand. They are all great at matching tone and jargon to be in line with a customer's expectations. Blogs and advertising articles. All of these professionals know how to use persuasion to motivate sales. A copywriter might be more aware of SEO metrics, but all three will create outstanding content to live on your website and attract views. But here's a secret... As Shakespeare's age old quote says, "What's in a name?" A good writer is a good writer, no matter what name they choose for themselves. When you're looking to hire a writer, ask for work samples so you can see where they shine. If you can clearly communicate your expectations for your project and your writer feels comfortable doing the job, don't stress about titles. If you're looking for a writer, check out my featured articles here. If you have a project that you're not sure what is, but you still think you need a writer, let's chat about it! |
Kate PlattI'm a writer, content strategist, and general wordsmith. I like to write personalized, spunky copy that generally follows grammar rules. I have one kid, one cat, and a lovely viking husband. I'm constantly looking forward to 8pm, which is when I get in my bubble bath and play handheld video games. Archives
February 2023
CategoriesAll Copywriting Tips And Tricks E-books And Courses Freelance Work Ghostwriting Hiring A Copywriter Honest Thoughts Lifestyle And Business New Year Scaling Business SEO Blogging Small Business Love |