That, unless you really dedicate yourself, you’ll never make it.
Plus, Google changes their algorithms so often that you’ll have to relearn everything anyhow, right?
The truth is, the fundamentals of good SEO writing do not change. What it takes to write engaging copy that reaches your real readers and SEO rankings is completely learnable.
And, while you’ll certainly need to put in the time and work to succeed, becoming an SEO writing superstar isn’t out of reach, especially if you’re already some kind of writing-slash-tech nerd.
Hopefully you already have a pretty good idea of who your target audience is and what type of content they want.
If you don’t, I strongly encourage you to develop a target persona so you can better identify and reach your audience.
Takeaway: Identify your audience and ALWAYS create audience-centric content catered to what they want to hear about.
2. Target Long Tail Keywords
Keywords obviously play a pivotal role in SEO success. But, as more and more content is being created, it’s becoming almost impossible to rank for common, one-word keywords.
Fortunately, as long as you’re creating great content, there are still plenty of long-tail keywords that you can target and rank for.
Want to know the best part? Long-tail keywords significantly outperform other keywords when it comes to conversion rates.
As you begin performing keyword research for content, work to identify long-tail keywords that support the topics that your audience wants to hear about.
While there are dozens of strategies you can use to find them, the below resources should give you a solid head start:
Not only does their article lay out everything you need to create an outline, but it also shows you how to do it in the most efficient way possible.
Takeaway: Develop an efficient process for creating strong outlines.
5. Get Good at Research
To become truly great at SEO writing, you need to get good at research.
Gary Bencivenga, a legendary copywriter with over 40 years experience, said that understanding the importance of research changed his career.
As he went on to say:
“It took me a while to realize that the best writers are the most tenacious researchers. Like miners, they dig, drill, dynamite, and chip until they have carloads of valuable ore. John Caples advised me once to gather seven times more interesting information than I could possibly use.”
While I’m not advising that you spend ten hours researching for your next blog post, gathering as much information as possible is going to put you in the optimal position to create the best available content on your topic.
And, if you’re looking to become an SEO writing superstar, that should be your goal.
While searching via Google has made research a fairly fast and pain-free process, here’s a few other resources that could help:
Google Scholar
Books on the Topic
Expert Interviews
Industry Specific Magazines
Takeaway: Commit to consistently developing your research skills and understand that research is key to any great piece of content.
6. Study the Competition
As I mentioned in the last section, if you want to become an SEO writing superstar, your goal should be to create the best piece of content available on the topic you’re writing about.
To do that, you have study the competition and find out what’s already out there.
Fortunately, Google makes this process easy. Let’s say, for example, that I wanted to create a blog post about ‘how to create an about page’.
When I type that into Google, the results look like this:
From here, I’ll sift through and take notes on each article on the first page of the rankings to identify where and how I can outdo them.
Sometimes, when I really want to dive into the competition, I’ll also check out some of the content on the 2nd and 3rd page of search results.
Exactly how you go about this process isn’t important.
What is important, however, is that you take the time to understand what you’re up against so you can devise a plan to create a better piece of content.
Takeaway: Study the competition to understand how you can create better content than what’s already out there.
7. Consider Promotion Strategies Before Writing
There’s a TON of content being created and published on a daily basis throughout the web.
Unsurprisingly, most of it goes unnoticed.
The overwhelming reason for this is because many writers either avoid considering promotion strategies prior to writing or avoid promotion altogether.
This is a HUGE mistake. How you will promote and generate traffic to your content needs to be top of mind before, during, and after you write.
For SEO purposes, your promotional goal should be to earn as many high quality links as possible.
Takeaway: Find out how you’re going to promote and distribute your content prior to writing it.
8. Write to and for Real People
Even though we’re talking about SEO writing, your main focus still needs to be on writing content that engages your readers.
Because, at the end of the day, if your content isn’t getting read, your chances of ranking are slim to none.
Well-respected copywriter Henneke Duistermaat put together a great post on How to Write Conversationally that offers some great info on how to do this. You’d be wise to check it out.
Takeaway: Write in a conversational tone that engages your readers.
9. Develop a Compelling Intro
Other than your headline, the intro is the most important part of your content.
Takeaway: Identify your Content Differentiation Factor and use it to stand out from the competition.
11. Make Sure Your Content Serves a Clear Purpose
In conversion copywriting, there’s a principle known as the One Big Idea Rule that is used by many of the best copywriters in the industry.
Essentially, the rule states that the focus of your copy should remain on a singular idea instead of several different ideas.
The same should be true of your content.
When you create blog posts that try to solve multiple problems or dive into 2-3 topics, you’re opening yourself up to potentially confusing or alienating your audience.
By sticking to One Big Idea, you’re ensuring that your content has a singular purpose and keeps your readers engaged throughout.
Takeaway: Identify the singular purpose of your content and don’t stray away from it.
12. Use Short Sentences and Paragraphs
While we’ve already talked about the importance of being short and sweet in your intro, it’s a strategy that you’d be wise to stick to throughout your content.
Modern day readers are inundated with so much content today that many of us have become avid skimmers instead of concentrated readers.
By keeping sentences and paragraphs short, you’re increasing the chances that a larger portion of your audience will read the entire post.
For instance, take a look at these two examples:
Example A
Example B
Which one are you more likely to continue reading?
If you’re like most people, it’s going to be the Example B.
Takeaway: Keep sentences and paragraphs short throughout your content to keep readers engaged.
13. Avoid Big or Uncommon Words
One of the biggest misconceptions about SEO writing is that you need to be an elite wordsmith to be good at it.
That’s simply not true.
SEO writing is not the time to show off your vocabulary. All that does is interrupt the reader.
Instead, your focus should be on creating a rhythm throughout your content so it’s as easy to read as possible.
A great tool for testing the readability of your content is Readable.com.
Not only does it give you a rating, but it also dives into reading grade level, syllable use, keyword use, tone, etc.
Takeaway: Write with rhythm and avoid any words that could interrupt the reader.
14. Include Relevant Visuals
While high value, audience-centric content still reigns supreme, visuals play an integral role in modern day blogging.
In fact, studies have shown that articles containing images get 94% more total views than those that don’t.
Takeaway: Find and use relevant visuals throughout your content.
15. Follow Basic SEO Rules
While the relevancy of technical SEO is decreasing due to the ongoing improvements to search engine algorithms, many aspects of SEO still remain important.
In a recent study by SEMrush on ranking factors in 2017, they listed the factors from least important to most important. The results looked like this:
Image Source
As you can see, many of the most important factors (direct website visits, time on site, bounce rate, content length) are more related to the actual quality of the content than the SEO rules followed.
And while keywords are still important, as they signal to search engines what your content is about, this study proves that you don’t need to stuff your content with keywords to rank.
For more info on following basic SEO rules and creating great content for search engines, check out my article on How to Write Content for SEO.
If you’d like to dive into this topic even further, Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO is another great resource.
Takeaway: Ranking in search engines is more about creating great content than following SEO rules. By following basic rules, however, you set yourself up to be found by search engines for the keywords and topics that you want to rank for.
16. Optimize Your Headline
It’s been said many times that 8 out of 10 people will read your headline but only 2 out of 10 will go on to read your content.
Regardless of whether this statistic is true, the importance of headlines cannot be overstated.
You NEED to take the time to craft a compelling headline that intrigues the visitor to read the first sentence of your content.
Since this topic is a bit too important and in-depth to cover within this article, I invite you to check out our ultimate guide on How to Create Headlines That Will Go Viral.
Takeaway: If you don’t optimize your headline, you’re significantly decreasing the chances of your content getting read.
17. Build Your Email List
When someone comes to your blog, what do you want them to do?
If you’re like most website owners, you want them to stay on your site as long as possible and continue reading other content.
But that’s not exactly realistic. Especially if this is the first time they’ve ever been on your site.
To keep them coming back to your site, it’s absolutely crucial that you develop a plan to get them to sign up for your email list.
By doing so, you can build an audience that consistently visits your website and views your content.
And, over time, that audience can become a major source of revenue.
For more info on building your email list, Content Marketing Institute’s ultimate guide on How to Build Your Email List is a tremendous resource.
Takeaway: Start building your email list from day one and use it as a way to build loyalty among your audience.
18. Include Internal and External Links
Including a healthy mix of internal and external links helps your blog in multiple ways.
For one, internal links allow readers to explore other aspects of your site. This, in turn, keeps them on your site and reduces your bounce rate (which affects search rankings).
Second, external links help validate your content to readers while also signaling to search engines that your content is high quality.
With both types of links, it’s important that you’re including your links within relevant words or phrases.
For instance, if I wanted to link to a resource explaining what external links are, and I wrote the sentence:
“Writers use external links to provide the source of their content while also offering additional resources for the reader.”
My link would only be used within the phrase ‘external links,’ and not the entire sentence or a long string of words.
When including an external link, you’ll want to be sure that it is a trusted resource. To find this out, check out the Domain Authority (DA) of the link you’re sending readers to.
Moz has a tool, aptly named the Mozbar, which allows you to quickly and easily check the DA of potential links.
Takeaway: Be sure that you’re including a healthy mix of internal and external links within your content.
19. Make it Mobile Friendly
If you didn’t know yet, mobile internet usage recently surpassed desktop internet usage worldwide.
And, as you can see from the graphic below, the trend is continuing to favor mobile viewing:
Takeaway: Make sure your blog is mobile-friendly to maximize potential traffic.
20. Utilize Call-to-Actions
When someone is reading your content, you obviously don’t want them to simply read it, exit the page, and move on with their day.
As we’ve already mentioned, the ultimate goal is to get them to come back for more in the future or, in the perfect world, get them to take action immediately.
To make this happen, it’s essential that you include call-to-actions in your content.
The purpose of your CTA should be related to the goal of your content. If you’re trying to educate the reader, use your CTA to get them to sign up for your email list for more educational articles.
If you’re trying to inform them about your service, product, event, etc., use your CTA to encourage them to continue learning more.
While you’ll definitely want to include a CTA at the end of your article, it’s also good practice to sprinkle them throughout your content.
Did you notice anything strange on Wednesday, 10th September? Maybe spinning objects kept appearing before your eyes? Were you inundated with messages asking you to contact your congressman as a matter of urgency? Don’t worry, we weren’t under attack from outer space, you were merely experiencing the Internet slowdown.
Have you ever stopped to think about how important the Internet is? It’s changed the way we communicate with each other, and the way we buy our goods. It’s also changed the way that smart businesses attract and retain customers. Is your advertising budget spent on pieces of paper, or ads on television or radio? If you want to attract the millennial generation, you’re much better off attracting them with up to date blogs, or exciting and content rich articles. Put simply, the Internet has revolutionized business in a way that would have been unimaginable just 20 years ago.
Yes, we sure have a lot to thank the Internet for, and it’s only going to keep on getting better and better, or is it? The Internet slowdown was a coordinated attempt by some of the web’s biggest players to highlight plans by the FCC that could have a devastating effect on the Internet as a whole. So what was the Internet slowdown, what are they protesting about, and what effect could it have on your business and your content? It’s a battle over net neutrality, so let’s put our tin hats on and head on out to the front line.
1. What Is Net Neutrality?
The Internet slowdown was essentially about net neutrality, and what some companies saw as an attack upon it. Neutrality isn’t something we’d normally get excited about. Think of neutrality and you think of Switzerland. They had 500 years of neutrality and all they came up with was the cuckoo clock and cheese with holes in it. I’m tipping my hat to Orson Welles there of course, but the point I’m making is that maybe we shouldn’t think of net neutrality, with the negative context that brings, but net freedom?
It’s the concept that federal governments shouldn’t interfere with what’s traveling along the Internet highway, but should instead let the content providers regulate themselves. Many content providers say that this allows everyone a fair playing field, and encourages innovation and development. This in turn helps the end user, as well as businesses who use the net for advertising and promotion.
2. What Exactly Is the FCC Proposing?
The Federal Communication Commission has proposed radical changes to the way that the Internet is operated within the United States. The main thrust of their proposal is that ISPs (Internet service providers) will be allowed more power and flexibility to charge what they like to content providers who use the ISP. What do I mean by content providers? Well, just about everybody. Netflix, Digg, Vimeo, Etsy, Kickstarter and Reddit are just some of the companies who have been vociferous in their criticism. It also affects us. It affects you, if you have a blog or business website. And, of course you do.
Under the FCC proposals the ISPs would be able to charge these content companies to provide faster access to their content. If you have enough bucks, you’ll be able to jump the queue. There’s nothing more irritating than waiting at the back of a departure lounge, while a handful of priority passengers walk smugly on board the plane. That’s what could be about to happen to the Internet. The fear is, of course, that this new Internet fast lane will inevitably create an Internet slow lane, and lead to the end of net neutrality as we know it.
3. Is the Net Neutral Outside of the United States?
The USA isn’t the first country, or group of countries, to grapple with this controversial concept. The European Union looked at this issue earlier this year, and eventually decided to enshrine the concept of European net neutrality in their law. European ISPs had lobbied the decision makers in the same way that American service providers have been, arguing that the new restrictive rules would impact on creativity and Internet growth. The ISPs didn’t explain how rules that guaranteed equal and indiscriminate access to the Internet could be regarded as ‘restrictive’, but then Europe is the continent that gave us George Orwell and his ‘newspeak’.
The EU have effectively made it illegal to create Internet fast and slow lanes in Europe, but most of the world’s Internet traffic comes via the United States. Don’t think that you’re safe because your business is based in Berlin, London, Tokyo, Sidney or anywhere. If the FCC proposals are enacted, Internet traffic across the globe will be affected.
4. How the Internet Slowdown Could Have Affected Your Content
The Internet slowdown was a well-planned attempt to raise awareness of the effects that a long-term slowdown could bring. The sites involved showed what a slowdown would look like, by including images of the ‘page loading’ symbols across their pages. Whilst they were not seeking to slow their services down for the day, some people did feel that their content access was slower than it usually was. Did it affect you? If so, the effectiveness of your content could have been compromised.
We live in a fast paced world, and people want things to happen immediately, whenever they want it. This applies especially to web content. People hate to be sat waiting for pages to load up. That’s time that could be spent doing something useful, like having a cappuccino, or perfecting a minecraft strategy. Web content and blogs are a great marketing tool, but if your content becomes too slow, no one will want to read it. Just think of all the hard work spent putting your thoughts into words, only to see it shunted down the Internet priority list to make way for more videos of cats riding Roombas.
5. Have We Had an Internet Slowdown Before?
So what’s new about Internet slowdown, I hear you say, we’ve had slow traffic days for years? That’s true, but it was largely due to intermittent attacks from malicious sources. These are often called denial of service attacks, where hackers bombard prominent websites with so much information that their servers can’t cope, and slow down. A huge attack can affect the Internet as a whole.
One such cyber attack happened in March 2013, and its effects were felt by businesses of all sizes. As Internet traffic became so slow that it was practically unusable, consumers had to take an enforced break from their usual browsing activity. The difference this time, is that future slow downs may not result from malicious sources, or cyber terrorists, but as a result of legislation from the US government itself.
6. Is Net Neutrality Relevant to Your Business?
If net neutrality is compromised, power will lie firmly in the hands of the big ISPs. They won’t just control how fast individual websites are to access, they could also control what content is displayed at all. Take this scenario: an ISP has a major client who distributes and sells gasoline. Your company has a new concept for greener cars that will use less, or no, gas. The ISP may decide it’s in their interests to make your content as slow as possible. Your content could effectively be broken if it doesn’t comply with what the ISP wants the public to hear.
7. Why Should I Worry About Content Providers Being Charged?
So what if big companies like Netflix have to pay more to have a reasonable speed for their content, how does that affect you? Small to medium businesses could be amongst those most affected. Could you afford to pay a premium to ensure that your web content was available at anything other than a slow speed? If not, an advantage has just been handed to the bigger companies that can afford it. Start up businesses in particular could find it hard to compete.
8. Is Speed Really That Important?
Would you rather ride a Harley Davidson or a 50cc moped? Do you like the express train to work, or would you choose to go on one that stops ten times along the way? People will always opt for the fastest and most convenient choice. You could have something incredible to announce, such as how you’ve invented shoes with a retractable heel that can be worn all evening long, or something really useful to tell people, such as giving them 10 facts about the Internet slowdown, but if your site’s too slow to access then you may as well not bother.
9. Why the Internet Is Essential For Your Business
Could your business remain unaffected by a widespread Internet slowdown? If so, then you’re probably not doing enough to utilize its power at the moment. Creating attractive, interesting and mobile-friendly content is the best way to get your product noticed by the modern consumer.
Statistics show that there are now over 190 million digital shoppers in the United States, and this figure continues to grow. Your main priority should be to attract these digital shoppers to your brand. Using websites, blogs and articles can be the most effective way to achieve this, but will your content be left lagging behind by the FCC driven Internet slowdown?
10. How to Fight Back Against Slower Internet Speeds
So now you know all about the Internet slowdown, except how to combat it. One way to do this is by shopping around for the best Internet Service Provider. Contact your ISP and ask them if they plan to introduce a two-lane Internet service. Tell them what you’ll do if that happens, but try to keep profanities to a minimum.
You should also keep in mind that quality content will still be king. High quality, relevant and up to date content is still more likely to feature highly in Google results pages. If your web content is slower than your competitor’s web content, your SERP position could be the only weapon you have left. Use it wisely.
Create that high quality web content, climb the rankings, and fight back against slow Internet speeds.
Humor is like common sense, it doesn’t grow in everybody’s garden.
Some people have a good sense of humor while others don’t. And some have a dark sense of humor that will make you choke. Humor is highly subjective, yet it appeals to our want to have fun, laugh, and be happy, which is why it’s such an awesome tool to leverage in web copy—if it’s leveraged the right way.
Our Want for Laughs
People love to laugh. Every year just about every last one of us tune into the Super Bowl, whether we’re avid football fans or not. For the friends and spouses who don’t much care for football, the commercials are what they live for. Year and year the Super Bowl broadcast has provided a spotlight for amazing commercials sprinkled with just the right amount of humor. There’s no mistaking our want, and need, for comedy.
Adding Humor to Web Copy
Inserting humor into a televised ad is far easier than infusing our web copy. Let’s face it; getting humor across in writing is tough. Writing is all about tone, and since body language isn’t present, one slip in tone or word choice can result in the exact opposite: an insult.
According to a recently published article by Jillian Richardson via Contently, although making humorous content is a great idea, “it takes a lot of hard work to earn actual laughs.” For example, Kmart tried their hand at being funny by placing GIFs in real life in one of their latest commercials. The idea isn’t bad. I mean, they are trying to be trendy. But the execution isn’t stellar. In fact, most viewers find the commercial annoying. (Thank goodness for the mute button on the remote!)
In contrast to Kmart’s attempt at humor, let’s look at an abstract means of awareness brought to us by The Australian Metro. The transportation organization has landed over 82 million YouTube views for what is, in its most basic form, a public safety video designed to make people more aware of the dangers of trains. In this pithy video, you will see a rather ingenious mixture of adorable characters, catchy lyrics, and a dark sense of humor. At the end of the day, people don’t want to share another “Look Both Ways before Crossing the Tracks” article. They want to get this tune, “Dumb Ways to Die,” stuck in everyone’s head!
How to Bring Visual Humor into Context
There is no denying that humor is a powerful marketing tool. But how can you take it off the screen and bring it into context in your web copy? Here are six tips to help you make your readers giggle, chuckle, and laugh out loud:
Know your audience. As is the case with all marketing copy, the greatest success comes from knowing what makes your audience tick. Humor works best when it hinges on something everyone can relate to.
Stay true to your brand. Whether it’s a silly video or a funny tweet, be true to your brand by staying consistent and relevant. If you veer too far from the image you project, even the most hilarious comment will fail.
Be obvious. When you write the punch line, it needs to be instantly obvious. If your reader has to reread to get the joke, it’s not going to have the desired impact.
Do not offend. If you know your audience well, then chances are you’ll be capable of steering clear of anything offensive. After writing a humorous piece, always evaluate it from someone else’s perspective. Be sensitive to race, gender, and culture.
Test market. You know how marketers preach about test marketing a campaign idea before going full bore? The same thing applies to humor. Seek opinions. Find a few trusted staff or audience members, and ask their opinion about a humorous piece before you publish.
Hire a funny person. Funny is hard. Sometimes the best solution is to hire a pro, a writer who has experience weaving humor into content and knows how to create humor in your niche. Funny is a tough act. If it weren’t, we’d all be stand-up comics. Since we’re not, don’t be afraid to seek professional help.
Funny Anecdotes and Stories
One of the most effective ways to infuse your content with humor is to use funny anecdotes and stories. This is one of the best kinds of humor because it’s something people relate to and it’s conducive to writing. It also establishes an emotional connection, something that makes content irresistible. But once you’ve begun to wield the power of humor, the trick is to wield it responsibly:
Be strategic. Do not scatter punch lines willy-nilly throughout your content. Instead, use humor with strategy, whether it’s to hook the reader at the beginning or drive home the point at the end.
Use it frugally. Humor is like candy; it tastes great, but too much will make you sick. As you infuse some sweet laughs into your content, use this new confection frugally. Limit the humor to selective references. The purpose of humor in content is to make a point in a creative way, not come across as an entertainer.
Keep it focused. Be sure the humorous parts of your content are on topic. You don’t want them to detract or distract from the main point.
Queue the laughter. It sounds like a sitcom filmed in front of a live studio audience, but there’s nothing wrong with letting your readers know it’s okay to laugh. Find subtle ways to let them know that you are laughing and it’s fine for them to join in.
As business owners, marketers, and writers, it’s up to us to use the tools at our disposal to hook and keep our readers. Humor is a fantastic way to touch and connect with your audience. As the old saying goes, “If you can’t get your audience to open their mouths to laugh, you can’t get them to open their hearts to learn.” And that makes for truly effective web copy.
We’ve really had the run-around on Authorship, thanks to Google’s ever-changing brain. Just when we thought all that hype was only that, we hear that Google has killed it. Completely. In terms of Authorship, this should be your thought now: nada.
I can hear the sound of flags being lowered to half-mast across the globe. Perhaps writers are stirring their lattes sadly, with a teary expression on their face. At times like this, it’s right to spend a moment in reflection. Right, reflection time is over. Let’s have a look at the death of Google Authorship, its causes, and the implication it has for content writers.
Was Google Authorship A Step Too Far?
When Google announced its Authorship plans, it sounded too good to be true. Writers, through the use of rel=author tags, could use their articles, blogs and general brilliance to make themselves more visible, and increase their rankings on search engines. All the writer had to do was to mark up their content on their Google+ account, and leave the search engine wizards to do the rest. That’s easy, huh? Well, for many it wasn’t easy enough, and that’s why Authorship was doomed to fail.
The fact is that many writers are happiest when they’re tapping away at their computer keyboards, letting their fiendish brains take them on flights of fancy, sharing their wisdom with a waiting world. They want to complete their work, put it out there in cyberspace, and then forget about it. Anything that seems too ‘techy’ can see them run screaming to the hills.
The Google+ mark up scheme was simple to implement, but it was still too involved for some authors. As reported in Search Engine Land, a recent study by Stone Temple Consulting found that a remarkable 70% of authors made no attempt to mark their authorship on the content they were producing, and that many of them complained that the rel=author mark up system was too complex or time-consuming.
Why Did Google Create Authorship?
Believe it or not, there’s nothing that Google loves more than connecting its users with the content they want. They don’t spend their days trying to find new ways to move their parameters, or looking for new ways to make things more difficult for bloggers and writers. That’s just a by-product.
Google has said time and again that they want to promote high quality content, and they saw the Authorship scheme as a way to do this. If a writer consistently produces exciting and informative content, and had a track record of writing blogs and articles for leading sources, then it’s only right that they should be connected with the public. Google Authorship would reward writers who consistently created content that people wanted to read. That reward came in the form of enhanced search visibility, rather than a maxi-sized blueberry muffin, but it was still good.
Is that the only reason that Authorship was created, or was there another underlying cause? Some cynics may imagine that Google wanted to find another way to add value to its Google+ channel. Since its launch in 2011, Google+ has failed to slay the giant that is Facebook. If authors could increase their search rankings by using G+ more fully, then surely they’d interact with it more often, right? What do they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? That cheese has well and truly moved.
The Death of Google Authorship
The announcement was made to a less than shocked world on August 28th, when John Mueller of Google Webmaster Tools announced that Google Authorship was no more, it had ceased to be. It was an ex-scheme. So why did they carry out this technological infanticide?
Put simply, it wasn’t providing the advantage to searchers or writers that Google had hoped, because of the low take up. Google had attempted to address the problem by auto-attributing work, but this in itself caused problems when work was incorrectly attributed. Famously, they attributed a work to Truman Capote that was written nearly three decades after his death. Capote wouldn’t mind, he did, after all, often claim authorship of his friend Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, but it was symptomatic of the problems besetting Google Authorship.
The Importance of Blogging, Post-Authorship
It’s a fact that Authorship wasn’t used as much as it should have been, but to those who did use it, it was very helpful indeed. It was like getting a free popsicle from Google at the end of every day, and now they’ve snatched it away. So what can writers do to ensure that their content is still getting the attention it deserves on the SERP merry-go-round?
We all know that it’s impossible to second guess Google, or decipher their ever elusive algorithms. What we can, and must do, however, is to listen to what they’ve been sating to us over and over again. They want high quality content, not content that consists of meaningless backlinks with a few words to flesh them out.
We’ve lost the magic trick that was the Google Authorship program, but by concentrating on turning out informative and content rich blogs and articles, we can still maintain our content authority and reach a wide audience. Rest In Peace, Google Authorship, you’ll be sadly missed. But only by 30% of writers.
The content length debate is one that never goes away, though it does seem to die down every now and then. Once upon a time, many content creators were afraid to write long content because they believed that people wouldn’t read it. Long content is still the winner and it is what will bring and keep people on your site, according to a recent Search Engine Journal article. While it is true that people skim your online content that does not mean they aren’t reading it. We will be referencing this article throughout this post to explain just why longer content is the winner over short pieces.
Is Longer Content Really The Best?
When someone talks about long content, many of us possibly think that long content is not a winner and people simply will not finish in-depth pieces. Going back to the Slate article, it is titled, “You Won’t Finish This Article.” Regardless of what Slate says, Search Engine Journal has compiled a list of research that shows just how important longer content is. Long content is going to help you rank significantly because Google takes several things into consideration when ranking your site, not just keywords and quality. (Although, quality is one of the most important things, so do not forget to write quality material!)
Why Is Longer Content The Winner?
It is always a good idea to have information that backs up something such as this, and the Search Engine Journal article referenced earlier gives this information. There are several examples showing that longer content is the best to aim for when writing your web content and blogs, but people are still avoiding it.
Let’s take a look at a few things that will be impacted if you write longer content and avoid posting shorter content:
1. People Are Going To Read An Article That Is Longer. In an article by SerpIQ, the researchers point out that longer content will bring more people to your site than a short article. The reason for this is pretty simple and something many people overlook. Think about when you search on Google for an answer to the question, sometimes you are just wondering how tall a celebrity is or what their next project will be, but other times you need information on how to install a sink or why you should write longer content. When you search for those things, you will want to read something that is actually a long piece instead of a short 500-word article. Why? Because, you know that you will get answers in a longer content piece than a shorter one. This is true of your visitors, clients, and readers as well. If someone searches for a question, he or she might only go to your site if you give a lengthy article in answer to the question.
2. Longer Posts Generate More Traffic. The Search Engine Journal article points out that because of people looking for longer content to answer their questions, your longer pieces are more likely to generate traffic. Generating traffic is something you want to do because that could mean more clients and revenue. You will be able to bring in more people with high-quality content and you will have content that establishes you as an authority in your field. This is important for every business, and you can capture this by writing lengthy content. You might be publishing short content that is high quality and should establish you as an authority, but you will find that many people might consider you more of an authority if you have long pieces on the different topics you write about.
3. People Will Stay On Your Site Longer. You will also find that people stay on your site much longer than they would if you only wrote short content. The reason for this is pretty obvious; it takes longer for someone to read a 2,000-word post than it does to read a 500-word post. When it comes to helping your site rank, having people who stay on your site longer is something that Google’s algorithms take into consideration and will combine it with other elements such as the ever-important quality content to determine your rank. Your lengthy content will take customers a bit of time to read through, but it will also make them more likely to look around your site after they have finished reading. This can help your ranks, but can also help bring in great revenue because those who are on your site longer might be more willing to make a purchase from you.
4. Longer Content Can Lead To More Social Media Shares. While people may only seem to share Grumpy Cat or some sort of—brace yourselves—Game of Thrones “Winter Is Coming” meme, many people also like to share content they find interesting. Sometimes they might share short content, but many times, an article that gets shared is one that provides the reader with useful information. All you have to do is click on the link of a certain article shared by a friend and you will most likely see that it is quite lengthy. If you want your content to get shared, you should try writing a few lengthier pieces that provide people with value and information, according to Meltwater.com. Always make sure you break up your long content, though, making it easier for people to skim. Bold sub-headers are a great way to break it up easily while still providing people with great longer content.
How Can You Write Long Content?
Now that you know longer content is still a winner and how it can factor into helping rank your site, you might be wondering just how to write it. This can be difficult for many people, especially if your market is a niche market.
Here are a few handy suggestions that you can use to write longer content and give clients something that they will appreciate:
1. Create Lists And Flesh Them Out. Lists are something that everyone loves. First of all, lists make your content easier to read for clients. It helps with skimming because people can look throughout your content to see if you will be offering them anything of value. Once they see that you do offer valuable information, they might read the whole article or at least skim throughout it all. This can lead them to looking around at your other blogs or to your products and services.
Secondly, it gives people the ability to read your article in pieces throughout their day. Many people might not be able to spend much time on your article, but if you give them a list to glance over, they might decide to save it for a break or lunch. When you write a list, you can always have a large number of points with only a bit of information per point or you can write out a few points and flesh them out. Either way works, so consider playing around with different things. Don’t worry, it is actually quite easy to come up with lists. Once you get started, you might find it hard to stop!
2. Choose A Broad Topic Instead Of A Specific One. When you are writing content for your niche market, it is a good idea to choose a broad topic instead of focusing on something very specific. When you write about a specific item, service, or idea, it will be more difficult for you to write lengthy, quality material, but if you broaden it out, you might find it easier. For example, let’s say you are selling dog shampoo. Instead of just writing about your wonderful product or why it is perfect for someone’s dog, consider writing a how-to on washing dogs. Give people suggestions for different ways to wash a dog and focus on a few areas that you know people have problems with. You can further expand it by giving tips for those who wash their dogs inside and those who wash their dogs outside. Whatever your product or service, you can find some way to broaden your topic to give people useful information and create a lengthy post.
When you write on a broad topic, you are still able to give specifics. Your lengthy content will give you that ability and help you give people valuable information about your product, how they can use it in their lives or work, and other helpful information that they will find useful. It isn’t as daunting as it seems, and you might even realize that once you get started, it’ll be hard to not make it as long as The Lord of the Rings.
3. Offer Tips To Clients Or Those In Your Industry. As we mentioned above, giving tips is a great way to add length to your content. Tips are some of the best ways to answer common questions and give people help in areas where they need it. The great thing about writing tips in your content is you can always implement things about your particular product or service and can even tell your readers that if they are having a difficult time with a particular task that your product can help. It might not seem like it at first, but you will find that your lengthy content does give you more wiggle room to write bits about your company and bring in interest about what you are selling or what services you provide.
Your advice will help promote you as an authority in your field, but will also help your readers feel like you are willing to help them even if you don’t bring in revenue. This is something that is pretty cool about marketing; you might find that people who would not have normally purchased something from you will, in the end, make a purchase because you offered tips for free. It certainly is strange, but many people seem more willing to pay for something if they feel they are being helped without needing to pay a dime.
4. Tell Your Readers A Story. Storytelling is important to content marketing and really does help to provide those excellent lengthy pieces that bring people to your site. You can tell your clients the story of how your company came into being, things that your company faced such as successes and failures, or other interesting information regarding your business. You can also tell people stories about your products, other clients who have been helped by your items, and how it will help them. While it sounds sales-like, if you put it in story format, it will come across as a simple story and will pique quite the amount of interest. It isn’t too difficult to write a story, either. Again, once you get started, you might find yourself having a hard time reining it in.
5. Approach A Few Ideas Instead Of One. If you want to write lengthy content, but find that the above steps aren’t really helping much, consider writing about several ideas in one post. Make sure you outline it in a natural way, so that it doesn’t come across as stilted or forced. Talking about a few ideas might just be something your clients appreciate. Write up a few topics you want to discuss and see how many ideas you can mesh together. You might be surprised at how well several of your ideas tag-team well. In addition, always use examples when writing your content. Those examples sure will help you create lengthy content, while also helping people understand what it is you are trying to tell them.
In Closing
Writing long content is not as daunting as it seems and, as the Search Engine Journal article says, you will find that your content wins significantly when you utilize longer content. Start creating a strategy for lengthy content and come up with some great topics to write about. Eventually, writing longer content will come naturally and you will find that those 500 to 1,000-word articles are actually harder to do than 2,000 words or more!
