Content Creation For SEO Purposes
I often come across sites where it is obvious they are trying to optimise for certain keywords but end up reading really badly, which isn’t the way to get sales. So, if you don’t think your own writing skills are up to scratch then employ an experienced content writer. But, assuming you feel you are up to the job, then read on and learn some of the tools to ensure your site has the very best content you can get.
Content is, in my opinion, the most important part of Search Engine Optimisation. It is what your web visitors are looking for when they search for your site and it is what the search engines evaluate in order to rank your web site. It is extremely important that you have excellent, compelling content on your web site. The quality of your content is directionally proportional to the likelihood of your site listing well, and more importantly, whether your potential customers are going to buy from you or employ your services.
• Write for people NOT search engines
Search engines are machines, but they do know the difference between well written, naturally flowing text and awkward over-optimised drivel. More importantly, so do people, and people can choose to spend their money wherever they like, and if they don’t like the sound of your site they will certainly click elsewhere, and consequently end up buying from your competitors.
All the traffic in the world isn’t going to mean a thing if you’re site doesn’t make the conversion from traffic to sales, so if you have high traffic but low sales then the very best thing you can do is take a look at you’re text. Does it read well, do you make it clear what you want the consumer to do?
Make sure your content is structured with the reader in mind. Think of your site as a salesperson – albeit one that works incredibly hard - 24/7! But would you want your salesperson talking drivel to sell your products? Probably not, especially if it was all day every day. You need to answer any questions the potential customer may have regarding your product. List the benefits of your product, don’t get too slogany, give them facts and be reasonable. Ask yourself what concerns you may have if you were a consumer, and answer those questions. What is great about your product? How will it make a difference to people’s lives? By answering these types of questions you will be able to alleviate some of the concerns a potential customer may have regarding your product or service, this is guaranteed to increase your sales.
• Keep the content current
Search engines like fresh content, so do returning visitors. Nobody likes visiting a ‘news’ page to find the last bit of ‘news’ was written in 2007. Current content is the key to maintaining listings and achieving high search engine rankings. There are many ways to achieve this, use RSS, write new content regularly, set up a forum on your site, and give your users a chance to interact with your site. It’ll pay off in the long run.
• Avoid Duplicate content
Duplicate content is penalised by the search engines. More importantly, they don’t have the capabilities of determining who wrote the content first. To check if your site has duplicate content you can use this nifty tool copyscape to discover if your site has been copied. Copyscape give you advice on how to deal with duplicate content if you have become a victim of this.
Content written for the purposes of search engine optimisation, or SEO, is written to achieve organic rankings. Web sites with keyword-rich, naturally flowing, original content are judged by the search engines to be better web sites. By taking your content seriously (and I have had many a client who seem to think it just appears out of nowhere) you are taking your customers seriously. This could be the difference between getting sales and not getting sales, simple as that.
A final note: Check your spellings.
Online spell checker : http://www.netmechanic.com/cobrands/FutureQuest/spell_check.htm
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