Posts Tagged ‘Meta Tags’

Sparkling SEO

Is there a magic formula for writing sparkling website copy? What’s the golden nugget that attracts visitors AND converts them to customers?

You could spend hours, days, weeks trawling through the Internet to find the answer. Now you don’t have to… The answer is simple. Spoon feeding.

Spoon feed search engines with relevant content

As ever, there are various factors that help to rank your page in search engines. From the outset, having conducted keyword research, you should be armed with a selection of phrases you want to target.

Remember: good keyword phrases answer questions. When people search on Google, they are looking for solutions to a problem. Your website’s content must be relevant to their needs…

Think of it this way: your business is the star attraction – it has to sell a product. To sell, you have to be in tune with the reader. To be in tune, you have to speak their language – and not sound like a parrot regurgitating phrases.

It is all about how you communicate directly and keep the search engines well fed with new, relevant information.

4 steps to keeping search engines happy

Follow these suggestions on how to keep search engines topped up with information and attract customers at the same time.

1: Write relevant content

Instead of getting hung up on keywords before you start, focus on rich content that appeals to people. Yes, humans … your customers.

Your website might rank strongly in search engine listings, but If you don’t ‘hook’ your audience with the copy, they are not going to buy into what you say.

You need to:

• Connect with the reader on an emotional, psychological level

• Be in tune with your readers’ needs … show empathy

• Have a conversation with the audience

• Mirror your audience’s language, by including words they search for

• Keep content fresh

Don’t write copy and publish it without revisiting it later. Test your copy against search terms people are using to find you. When you do this, it keeps you grounded and helps you to write natural, relevant copy…

Content must not be static. If you can write new blog posts, have audio/visual links on your website, a sign-up form and RSS feeds, all of these measures help to remind Google your site is active.

2: Get into position

You might have heard of keyword frequency (how often your keyword phrase appears on a page) and keyword density (the ratio of those words compared to the rest of the page’s copy.)

Although SEO gurus will try to convince you that keyword density makes a huge difference to whether your page is ranked well or not, it’s far better to focus on ‘where’ your keywords are on the page rather than trying to work out whether you’ve met the ‘quota’ or not.

How to position keyword phrases:

Get ahead… Focus on your headings. On a web page, you have HTML tags. The H1 tag is crucial since Google favours it over other headings on the page. Make sure you include a strong keyword in the top heading. If you’re tempted to write ‘Welcome to our website’ don’t!

Your headline is crucial as it’s the most visible heading on the page (above the fold) and has to act as a magnet to passing traffic… Enhance it with a keyword but ensure it ‘speaks’ to your audience. Include a compelling benefit to draw visitors in…

Keywords can also be placed in:

• Bullet points

• Early in sentences

• Naturally in the copy

• In other H tags on the page

• In bold

Whatever you do, don’t ‘stuff’ words into sentences hoping you’ll attract more traffic. If you switch readers off, it’s pointless having a website in the first place. Besides, you don’t want search engines to view your site as spam. You’ll be black-listed!

3: Magnetise Meta tags

If I earned a pound for every time I’ve spotted dire meta data, I’d be rich! A simple way to optimise your website is by getting the meta tags right.

To explain what these are, search for something online and look at the result listings. There you’ll see an underlined title, followed by a description underneath, detailing what that website is all about. Have you noticed the words you searched for are in bold?

The title is called ‘title tag’ and the blurb underneath is referred to as the ‘description tag.’

It’s important to include your richest keyword term in your title tag. (Your niche industry perhaps) And if geographical location is important to your business, make sure you include a relevant search term for that too. There’s no need to include your business name, as this uses up precious characters. Tip: keep the title tag below 55 characters.

The description tag is crucial as it influences readers to click through to your site or not. No pressure then! Try to start with your strongest keywords, including a call to action and key information at the same time.

It can help to include a benefit in the description tag as well. And all within 155 characters!

If your description contains what the person is looking for, they’ll click through. Just make sure the words you include in your meta tags are within the copy!

4: Be Linked up … and tuned in

The terms ‘link strategy’ or ‘link building’ are all over the Internet. But what does it mean for you? Essentially, don’t remain static or isolated. You need to literally connect with other websites to create a digital footprint.

Some Link strategies that work:

• Link to relevant content on the Internet

• Create inbound links by linking to article sites & directories

• Link to blogs & authoritative sites

• Use social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook

• Link to pages within your own website using anchor links

• Post press releases online

• Publish articles on your blog

It is about being connected and being seen!

And the final word?

Have the confidence to speak naturally to your target audience, without extra flannel and make sure you are the solution to their problem. Write for your reader, keep sentences punchy and be human!

As for the magic spark? While I have my own distinctive flair and creative stamp, the power is in the words…

How to sell online

Does your web copy bring you a flood of business? Or do web visitors pass you by? In an ideal world, we hope prospects spend time browsing through our site, checking out each page and reading every word. The truth is people:

• Scan web copy looking for points of interest

• Take seconds deciding whether to read on

• Click away if nothing catches their eye

Since your website is the face and voice of your business, it must perform for you! Not only do you need to ensure search engines index your website … but your website copy has to attract a visitor’s attention. And more importantly, persuade them into taking action. Read the rest of this entry »