Entries from February 2008 ↓

Search engines read text and not much else. Because they cant generally index graphics, search engines rely on the text in web sites to provide information about the site content, which they can compare with search queries.Webmasters therefore need to use body text on any pages on the site that they want indexed by the search engines and ranked highly for matching search queries. Not graphical text that was created in design software, but actual, visible body text. Not sure if your site uses graphical or body text? A good rule of thumb that I learnt from search engine guru Danny Sullivan is to try and highlight the text with your mouse. If you can drag your mouse over individual words in the text when viewing it in a browser, chances are this is body text and the search engines can read it.

The most important page on which to use body text is the home page. Above is an example of a home page that uses graphical text instead of body text. Figure 1 shows what content the site visitors see, while Figure 2 shows the content a search engine sees and indexes.

How much information about a site’s content does a page like the one above provide a search engine? That’s right, very little. With next to no text to be found, the search engine would have to rely on the pages Title and META Tags to tell it what the page is about. With such little information to go on, it is unlikely that a search engine would consider this page a relevant match for search queries relating to its content. To remedy this, it is widely recommended that each web page you want listed in search engines should contain at least 250 words of visible body text.
Keyword-Rich Text

While it’s a good idea to use plenty of body text on web pages, if that text doesn’t contain relevant keywords and phrases that people type in to the search engines, there’s not much point, because a site isn’t going to be found for logical search queries anyway. Many web sites make the mistake of including text on their site that is either unrelated to their products and services, or full of marketing-speak like Internet solutions or superior services. The Internet is plagued with web sites selling particular items without once making reference to those items in their site text. Weird huh?For a search engine to find a site relevant for a particular search query, it MUST find that search query somewhere in that site. The easiest way to ensure this is to include logical keywords and phrases within the visible text on web pages, as well as in the Title and META tags. The best way for webmasters to find keywords that searchers are actually using is by conducting keyword research of their target market on a site such as Keyword Discovery or WordTracker.

Once it is determined what search terms perspective visitors are commonly typing in to search engines, they can then be compared to the goods and services offered on the site and the body text can be adjusted accordingly. Sites lacking any keyword research tend to use very generic, unfocused body copy, or sales-oriented hype. Neither style contributes to high search engine rankings.

Target keywords and search phrases placed strategically throughout your body copy give your pages a much higher ranking potential on search engines for related searches. But it’s not as easy as throwing the keywords into your site text willy-nilly. You must ensure that the keywords are integrated seamlessly so their repetition is unobvious and so that the text flows smoothly for the reader.Don’t compromise the readability of your copy to achieve this - hire an expert copywriter to strike the right balance if need be.

SEO Copywriting

Before writing your web site copy, you should research potential keywords and phrases that your target audience may use in search engines and then narrow the list down to your priority terms for each page, sorted in order of importance. You should then use those target search terms as a basis for the creation of optimized Title and META tags for each page on your site. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to integrate those same target search terms into your visible web page copy. We call this SEO copywriting. But exactly how do we do it?

Speak to Your Audience

Don’t lose site of the reader when writing your body copy. Integrating your keywords is important, but not if you are sacrificing the readability of your site and losing the attention of your audience. Put yourself in their shoes like you did when researching your keywords. What are they looking for? What do they need? How will your product/service help them? Does it represent value for money?

Be emotive when describing your products and services. Describe how your product/service will make them feel or look, how it will improve their lives, give them more time etc. Use trigger words that people respond to such as free, success, you, cash etc. Not sure what these are? Check out Words That Sell reports. These reports are perfect if you are targeting a specific industry or profession because they define what keywords people in over 38 industries respond to and what they expect when making a buying decision.Not sure who your audience is or what they’re looking for? Why not ask them? Use a free survey service such as Survey Monkey to learn more about them so you can write to them. You could even draft various styles of body copy and obtain feedback from your site visitors to determine what copywriting style works better for them.

Use Easy to Understand Language

The Internet is no place for verbosity. People are in a hurry - they want to find what they seek quickly and easily with the least hassle possible. You can help them in this quest by ensuring your site pages use simple language and easy to grasp concepts throughout. For example instead of “brand-building web information architects”, use “website designers specializing in brand promotion”. Keep the large chunks of text on each page to a minimum, using bullet points, white space, graphics, lists and sub-headings to break it up and make it easier to read. This rule of thumb is especially important when creating landing pages for pay per click and other advertising campaigns.

Use examples to get your main points across or to demonstrate your product benefits. Use the old WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) adage when composing your body copy to keep the user’s interests at top of mind. Remember your international visitors by incorporating regional word usage (such as organize versus organize or jewelry versus jewellery) and avoid technical jargon that could alienate. Want your visitor to take a particular action? Spell it out for them in plain English, for example Click here to Buy Now, Subscribe to our free newsletter, Bookmark this page now etc. These references are called Calls to Action.Build Your Copy Around Your Keywords

You should always build your page copy around your keywords and not the other way around. If your existing page copy doesn’t contain any of your target search keywords, you’re going to have to rewrite it! Start from scratch if you have to. The secret is to focus. Search engines aren’t going to rank your web site about socks highly if your body copy talks about foot sizes. You need to get specific. It sounds really obvious, but if you sell socks, make sure your site copy has plenty of references to the word socks! If you sell green wool socks, target the phrase “green wool socks” and not “foot apparel in lovely shades of emerald”! Who’s going to search for socks using that phrase?

At the risk of sounding like Dr Seuss, if you want to be found for, big socks, small socks, cotton socks and wool socks, then mention them all. Better still, sort your copy into categories based on your various products and services. If you sell wool socks AND cotton socks, then have a page dedicated to each kind. This allows you to target niche keywords within your copy and meet the search engine’s relevancy guidelines for related search queries.Keyword Integration

So imagine you’ve added plenty of text to your pages and the copy flows well for the reader. You’ve researched your keywords and phrases and now you’re faced with the dilemma of integrating the keywords into your copy. So how do you satisfy the search engine’s craving for keywords without interrupting the copy flow for the reader? The answer is: very carefully.

Let’s take a look at a practical example. We have a client that specializes in luxury adventure travel. Before I optimized their site, part of the home page copy read like this:

“We specialize in providing vacations for people who want a personal service. We bring to our efforts a fanatical obsession with quality and exclusivity. We also bring a freshness, an outward-going passion for discovery which justifies our growing reputation as one of the world’s top travel providers. We can put together packages that include all adventure activities, accommodation, transport and food”.

Extensive Keyword Discovery keyword research for the client had determined that the site should target the following key phrases:adventure travel
best adventure vacations
tailored travel
overseas adventure travel
luxury travel packages

Note that the key phrase “overseas adventure travel” accommodates the phrase “adventure travel” too. Voila! The search engines are happy because the site contains text content relevant to related search queries, the client is happy because we were able to integrate the keywords without distracting the visitor and I’m happy because I know the site is going to rank highly for the client’s target search terms.

We have published many articles on marketing, advertising and promotions. We have also given you many on sales and how to increase your customer base. Whether it was our informative articles or our daily podcast from our home page, we provide a plethora of information to assist you and your business. We want to tackle in this segment how to use a blog promotional campaign so that your blog can make you a little extra money. If you have a blog then you already know about the information I am going to provide on basic blog knowledge. A blog, shortened for binary log, is a personal written, audio or video account of someones experience on some topic in a chronological order. This information is then shared with the world over the Internet through their blog. What a lot of bloggers (the name someone is called when they have a blog), do not know is that they can place small pieces of advertising on their blog for their visitors to take a look at. The first question that comes to mind, is, will it look like it is cluttering their blog. The answer is no. Since blog websites are fully customizable so are the small pieces of advertising. The blogger can choose the color schemes, fonts, size, etc. In doing so they can make the advertising look like it is part of their site. The next question would be, is it difficult to install this advertising? Again the answer is no. In regards to our advertising campaign, you as the blogger will create the code through a wizard which automatically generates the code for you. You then copy and paste that code to be displayed in the area of the blog that you feel needs to be occupied and will get the most exposure. Once installed, the third question will arise, how exactly does one make money from this. The answer is simple. Everytime one of your visitors clicks on an advertisement, you earn money. There are many programs out there like this, however in the case of our advertising program, we have put together a unique program of levels. In other words, everytime someone clicks the ad, you are closer to the next level. With each increasing level you achieve, the more you get paid per each click. This type of program works well for anybody and everybody that has a blog. The best part it takes very little effort on the part of the blogger. The blogger copies and pastes the code on their blog site and that is it. After that, they sit back and make money while their visitors click the advertisements on their blog site. Another excellent point about this is their visitors who click the advertisement do not need to buy anything, fill out any guestbook, etc.. All they need to do is click. If you have a blog, thinking about starting one, or know someone that does, don`t forget about adding some advertising to the blog site so at least you or your friends will make something for the effort that is put forth.

Videoblogging is the next generation of posting ideas and products over the internet. Everybody knows about textblogging. Now they use videos for a better way of expression. This form of communication may entail a lot of resources, but it is all worth it. If pictures say a thousand words, videoblogging exceeds that by far.

A videoblog requires larger disk spaces on websites, a faster server, and a whole new set of programs to support it. Videoblogs can be fed through RSS. This is technology of syndicating your website to other RSS aggregators.

Videoblogging works with people on the internet expressing their selves. Now if you put this on a business prospective, you are up to a lot of benefits. Think of it as a powerful tool in making showing your prospective customers your line of products or your services. It’s just like showing a commercial all for free. And if you videoblog through RSS, then most probably you are getting your target market.

People like to see what they are going to buy. Some would like to see proof and be sure that they are getting their money’s worth before shelving their dimes on it. All of us know the influence of a thirty second commercial. The effect of videoblogging is similar to that. You show your product, people watch it. If they like it, they buy it. If you present it good enough, they’ll buy the product even if they don’t need it.

Now on the web, things are pretty much static, unlike in television in which all are moving. If you post something that is mobile, it would most likely catch attention. Now imaging your product parading in all it’s royalty through videoblog. You’ll get phone call orders in no time.

If your business is just starting up, you can create a videoblog right at your own home. All you need is your web camera, microphone, video software, and lights. For as long as you know how to use your camera, then you can create a videoblog.

Invest in a good web camera. The higher its resolution is the better the output. And you like to present your goods in the optimum way so get the best one possible. Make a short story, or just capture your goods in one go. Just make sure you are getting the best profile for each. Get those creativity juices flowing.

Lights are important in a production. Make sure you illuminate entirely the area you are going to use to create videoblog. The brighter the area, the crispier the images will be. You can also use lighting effects for added appeal to the presentation.

Should you require sounds for your videoblog, you need a microphone. Record you voice as a voice over for promoting the product and its benefit to consumers. Sounds are as important as videos on a videoblog. It is advisable to make your sound effects as enticing as the video.

Your video editing software can be any program. You need this to finalize your work. You can add sounds, delete some bad angles, or insert some still pictures in there too. Some programs are user-friendly and can be used even with zero knowledge on video editing. Even simple video editing programs should do the trick. Select your background carefully too. The light affects the presentation so make sure that the background and the light complements each other.

Videoblogging is a great tool but it also has it downside. It may slow down the computer so other may steer clear of it. Download time may also be time consuming especially if customer is still on a dial- up connection.

But don’t let those stop you. Let videoblogging be an alternative for you, though it is best to still keep the text and pictures present in your presentation to accommodate all possible viewers of your site.

Nowadays, the more creative you are in presenting your product to the market, they more you are likely to succeed. Videoblogging offers an interactive way of selling. You involve the customers. You instill in them the advantage of your goods. And at times, those are enough to

The benefits of becoming an affiliate marketer cannot be over-stressed. Anyone who is interested in making extra money while staying at home, should consider affiliate marketing as a means to do so. There are many benefits in a business of this nature.

The cost of going into business for yourself must always be considered. No matter what kind of business you choose, there will be some money involved. Who ever said that being financially independent is free? You will probably find that affiliate marketing is perhaps one of the most cost effective ways to start a business as most of the work is already done for you. Affiliate marketing is very simple and also fun to do.

Perhaps the most cost effective way to go is to buy resale rights to informational ebooks. These ebooks can be downloaded over and over again, thus saving you the cost of shipping. Also, you will get to set your own price and the whole amount will be pure profit for you. People are hungry for information and will pay for your ebook without too much thought if you have presented it in such a way as to hold their interest.

Affiliate marketing is really quite simple and enjoyable to run. It is to be remembered that your business cannot run of its own accord. You must be dedicated to your business to make it work. Dedication and good planning will make you to prosper.

You will need to be diligent in searching out what sort of information or product people are looking for before you join an affiliate program. Make sure you have something that is in demand and is not out-dated.

There are many numerous ways to market your affiliate program.If you need free advertising because you don’t have the funds for paid advertising, then you will just have to work hard and smart.You can find many sources of free advertising. Internet marketing is an excellent source as an affiliate marketer.

Although marketing through the internet is an excellent opportunity to get your affiliate business in front of hundreds of thousands of potential customers, you want to remember that there are also other methods that are very inexpensive as well. Business cards along with newspaper advertising and simple flyers are good suggestions.

When you run your own affiliate business on the internet, you will have so many choices when it comes to how you want to market it. Some common internet marketing methods include search engine pay-per-click advertising. It is also very beneficial and common to publish articles that other people can use as good content on their websites. If these two techniques are used correctly, it may be all that you need to create a very profitable affiliate marketing business.

Even though there are many other marketing techniques, these will bring the most attention to your affiliate site in the shortest amount of time. Writing articles for informational sites, such as databases and newsletters is a good way to begin. When you write an article pertaining to things found on your affiliate site, you will be able to include your affiliate URL so people can find you. Your URL will be published many places because article databases permit people to use your content on other websites. This is indeed an inexpensive way to reach millions in your target market.