Ever search for something online and find 3-5 returns of basically the same information for each company?
It can happen to you. [Read more…] about Recognize Your Uniqueness So Others Will
content marketing
How Often Do You Update?
When was the last time you updated your company website? Today? Last week? Last month? Last year? I’m hoping it was no later than last week, but a recent report suggests otherwise. SiteKreator’s Small Business Usage Study found that 54% of small businesses update their websites less than once per month.
Why it Matters: Content Is Still King. [Read more…] about How Often Do You Update?
How Online Content Grows Wings
Exact Target reports that Twitter users are more likely to post regularly to blogs, more likely to post product and service reviews, and more likely to share coupons on coupon sites. We’re also more likely to write articles, post videos, contribute to wiki’s, and comment on other people’s blogs. This rings true for me, because as a Twitter user, I like to find interesting or educational tidbits that I can share with my readers. [Read more…] about How Online Content Grows Wings
Are You Paying For Great Content?
Do you write your own Web site and blog content? Your own articles? If you are paying to have your content written, consider the source.
There’s an old saying that still holds true – you get what you pay for. If you purchase from freelance writing boards and only offer low-ball pay, you may end up with regurgitated content that was previously written for someone else, or student work.
Not that you can’t find good writers on a freelance job board, of course you can. But some writers who are willing to work for less may not believe your project is worth their best effort. If you do hire off of a job board, offer a decent rate of pay for the job to be done. This benefits everyone and gets you closer to the writer who knows what good content is worth and is willing to do a great job if paid fairly. This is a business.
Where Are Keywords Most Effective? PT 5
I gave away a little of today’s post in my last one when I addressed how to use keywords. Remember, I asked you if you could:
Use them effectively in your H1, or header title.
Use them in your H2, or header for a bullet or numbered list.
Use them in the body of your short, opening paragraph.
That’s a start. Choosing one keyword, and using it like I showed you in my last post is very important. Using too many keywords can often take away from the quality writing you want to share with your readers. That one primary keyword should be used as described above, and it should be used in the opening lines of text under your title.
More Keyword Effectiveness
Another important placement of your primary keyword is in the anchor text of a link. Here’s why:
The anchor text, or the different colored wording used when linking, provided the links connect (and you must always check), adds good authority.
Anchor text used for linking outbound to another, possibly higher ranking site, may naturally turn into an inbound link once a relationship between authors is established. Keyword-rich anchor text coming in on an inbound link is good for authority.
Anchor text using effective keywords for your internal linking between pages of your website is also good for your reader, and by default, you.
Posting comments on relevant blogs and forums will also bring links in from other sites, so you want to include good keyword-rich anchor text when you leave them.
You’re not completely limited to one keyword for all your content. If used too frequently, you can actually hurt your site, not help it. Shoot for using your primary keyword naturally 2-3 times on a page in the places we’ve talked about. Then, go back and see if another word or phrase that you’ve researched can be used as a subordinate, worked into the text of your content. Don’t use it more than a few times.
It’s imperative that you write for your readership; your potential customers, your existing customers, and others, such as information gatherers and peers in your business to business relationships. If you can do this fluidly, and maintain the quality of your content, you’ve got the basics of a recipe for success.
One more thing as I wrap up this series. Be a good steward of your site. Make sure to reply to comments and return links to readers who have helped you link. It’s not going to hurt your company to complement or agree with a competitor’s comments or product lines, and doing so can actually be helpful for more than just linking. Once relationships are built, and that takes some time, you may very well find yourself in a situation where you may be offered extra work. Sometimes a company finds it better to send extra work to someone they trust than to risk turning down work with no alternative for their customer. That could only be possible with effective link strategies.
We’d love to hear from you. Be sure to leave your comments or questions with a link to your company along with your name below. Here’s to your small business success!
I gave away a little of today’s post in my last one, where I addressed how to use keywords. Remember, I asked you if
you could:
- Use them effectively in your H1, or header title.
- Use them in your H2, or header for a bullet or numbered list.
- Use them in the body of your short, opening paragraph.
That’s a start. Choosing one keyword, and using it like I showed you in Part 4 is very important. Using too many keywords can often take away from the quality writing you want to share with your readers. That one primary keyword should be used as described above, and it should be used in the opening lines of text under your title. [Read more…] about Where Are Keywords Most Effective? PT 5
Link Strategies Will Improve Rank Issues
Sharing links is a pretty common way to show interesting, fun, or informative sites to friends, associates. We don’t usually think about how that helps the website we link to, we just do it. Some research on a site we’ve been slowly upgrading revealed another common situation. The website wasn’t ranking.
As I shared what I had learned with the small business owner, I realized that all my words were falling on deaf ears. It can be hard to wrap your head around what it takes to be found online.
I wanted him to know that smart linking strategies can offset costs associated with marketing a company. Yes, you can, and should, hire a company to help you build links, but you can do some of it yourself and increase results while saving some bucks.