In Today's Issue
Search Engine Marketing
---> Is Your Website User-Centric or Company-Focused?
High Rankings Happenings
---> Small-Business SEO Package Starting at $749/month
---> April and May SEO Classes Available
---> Recession Buster SEO Website Review
Twitter Question of the Week
---> Which Parts of SEO Do You Outsource?
Stuff You Might Like
---> Global Search Marketing SEMNE Event in Connecticut
Advanced SEO Forum Thread of the Week
---> Too Many URLs on Home Page?
Advisor Wrap-up
---> This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us Introduction
Hey everyone!
Hey everyone! We've got another great guest article on website copy from Karon Thackston today. Be sure to check out the Twitter question of the week and chime in on the website if you didn't catch the question on Twitter.
Let's get to it! – Jill
Search Engine Marketing Issues
++Is Your Website User-Centric or Company-Focused?++
By Karon Thackston © 2010, All Rights Reserved
Just for a moment, pretend you're a fly on the wall in my office. I'm on the phone with a prospective client and things are going well. We're talking about their target audience and they seem to have all the right answers. I am confident that these people "get it." Then the conversation takes a sharp left turn.
Client: "We want to build a website about our company."
Me: "We typically suggest building a website that's focused on the site visitor."
Client: "That's what we want to do. We want to tell them all about us."
Me: "If a client walked into your office, would you just start rambling on about your company? Or would you tailor your conversation to the person you were facing, finding out what they need and how you can help?"
Client: "Uh, well…"
Go look at your home page right now. How many instances of "we" and "us" and "our" do you see? And how many times is "you" or "your" used? You don't want to get caught we-ing all over yourself, now do you?
I have actually seen countless websites that completely ignore the site visitor. Not a single "you" or "your" on the entire page. Everything…every last sentence revolves around "us," "we" and "our." Can you just imagine what type of telephone or face-to-face conversation that would be? For some reason, placing information online instead of communicating verbally gives license to be completely self-centered.
The Transformation From We-Copy to You-Copy
"If the copy isn't supposed to be about us, what is it supposed to be about?" The copy should focus on how you can help your site visitors and what results they will see after using your products or services. Let me show you the difference.
Here's a snippet of copy from a business that provides services to protect daycare centers from parents who are bad payment risks. Here's the company-focused copy:
Our Best-Ever Parent-Check Software Is Now Available
Over the past 10 years, we have developed innovative software designed to check parents' histories and ensure they have no outstanding daycare payments or judgments. Now, our most advanced version is available. At Provider Watch, we guaranteed that version 2.0 has the most up-to-date database available. We keep a guarded watch over all our providers to prevent financial problems before they start. Contact us today for a free demonstration.
And the customer-focused copy:
Find Out If Parents Are Bad Payment Risks BEFORE You Accept Them as Customers
It's a sad fact. Providers often face the hassles and stress of parents who are bad daycare payment risks. In many cases, these parents are just making the rounds...hopping from provider to provider. They may have a long history of non-payment or even childcare collection proceedings. If you had only known that to begin with, you would never have accepted them as your customers.
Provider Watch delivers the vital information you need to make confident and accurate decisions based on past daycare payment history.
See the difference? The first is all about the company. The second is all about the daycare center, its needs, and how Provider Watch can help.
It's Not Just About the Copy
Everything about your website should focus on the site visitor. Yes, this includes copy that addresses and speaks to customers in their language and about their needs. It also includes the keyphrases you choose, the colors you use, the layout of the pages, the navigation, the flow of information, the checkout process (if it's an e-commerce site), etc.
With every decision you make about your copy, search optimization, design and usability, ask yourself this, "Does this focus on our site visitors? Specifically, how will this benefit our site visitors?" Because they are the ones with all the money, doesn't it make sense to create an environment that is engaging and comfortable for them?
Karon Thackston
MarketingWords
Jill's Comment: While this isn't typically an SEO issue, we do see this all the time with clients when they write their own copy. Unfortunately, we also see it with some "professional" copywriters' content. It's definitely a tough skill to grasp and it takes a different mindset to do it correctly. And yet it's one of the simplest things you can do with your website to increase its conversions in a big way.
I highly recommend Karon's Copywriting Course for anyone who wants to learn more about writing TRULY professional copy that converts.
Share your comments and thoughts here.
Twitter Question of the WeekThis week, I asked my Twitter followers:
++Which Parts of SEO Do You Outsource?++
TonyVerre: Non-custom, Directory Link Building, when you need to amass quantity. Custom: Done by hand.
guerillagirl: We only outsource linking...that's it!
ChiqueLife: None – I would like to, but budget constraints for a small business make it difficult, especially with all the charlatans out there.
forestsoftware: None of it – outsourcing means loss of control, from my experience.
hugoguzman: Just the public relations (which results in some juicy, one-way inbound links).
louisedesmarais: I outsource keyword research – that is an art in itself! And it makes SEO writing so much easier and more effective.
I80equipment09: All custom is done in-house, we outsource articles and landing pages that link our most competitive keywords.
weboptimist: Link begging, er, uh building!
Emma_Lee1: I'm in-house SEO and simply don't have the budget to outsource. If I had the budget would outsource PPC only.
yuraf: I outsource research and/or content creation, copywriting as there's never enough of good content.
Want to participate in the Twitter Question of the Week?
Follow @jillwhalen on Twitter
Share your comments and thoughts here.
Stuff You Might Like ++Global Search Marketing SEMNE Event in Connecticut++
Have you been to a SEMNE event lately?
SEMNE is the search engine marketing networking organization for New England. It's your chance to learn from and network with world-class search marketing experts at very little cost.
Here's some information on the next event:
Topic: Global Search Marketing
When: Wednesday, March 31, 2010; from 6:30 PM to 9 PM
Where: Rocky Hill Marriott, Connecticut
Speakers: Bill Hunt, Back Azimuth Consulting
Cost: Free to SEMNE members, $49 for non-members
Learn more and register here.
Advanced Forum Thread of the WeekForum member "Becs" is concerned because some automated SEO software told her she had too many URLs on her home page. What are your thoughts?
Share your comments and thoughts here:
Too Many URLs on Home Page?
Advisor Wrap-up
That's all for today!
My trip to Arizona and California went well, but I'm glad to be home and in the office this week. Corie really liked the law schools she visited in Arizona and hopes that she gets accepted to at least one of them. The best part of the trip was finding a "saloon" with swinging doors even though it was really just a replica. You can see my not-so-great pics here.
The SMX West conference was also good. I had a chance to meet a number of search marketers I had only previously met through Twitter, so that was fun. The sessions I attended were quite interesting and I even managed to take away a few good nuggets from them.
This week we're busy preparing for our March SEO class. There are still a few openings for the April and May classes if you're interested in improving your SEO skills and having your website thoroughly reviewed by me. If you're still on the fence, remember that spring is a great time to visit the Boston area! Here's where you can learn more about the SEO classes.
Catch you in 2 weeks! – Jill
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