Blogfeeder - The Copywriting and Marketing Blog from Wordfeeder.com

Lawncare Professional Asks How to Search Engine Optimize His Website

I may or may not have mentioned that Wordfeeder Copywriting has a new online business discussion forum. Right now we have very few members, but I'm hoping that with the addition of some great information, that will change.

I got a question today from a new member, Mike of 4 Seasons Lawn Care in Whitehouse Station, NJ. Mike writes:

Hi.  I have a lawn care business, and I'd like to see if I can get my website to actually bring in some new business.  My initial approach to the website was that it would look good to have a website address on my business card, but the site wouldn't probably be a big factor in recruiting new business.

I'm thinking if I could get my company to come up in a google search, I might have better visibility to prospects. 

Can anyone shed some light on how I can do this?

Read my response to his question by clicking the link below.

http://biz-feeder.com/forum2/index.php?topic=98.msg105#msg105

Wordfeeder Copywriting Can Search Engine Optimize Your Website! We use organic methods such as constant content addition, keyword-rich copy and linking strategies, and inbound keyword links.

For more info, contact dina@wordfeeder.com.

Where Should Your Blog be Hosted?

Recently I've made some conclusions about Typepad blogs and search engine rank. Here's the story. For a while, some copywriting clients of mine wanted to know whether it was better to have a Wordpress blog as opposed to a Typepad or Blogspot blog. I really couldn't answer this, so I decided to do a little experiment by having BOTH types of blogs as part of my website management plan.

While you'll never hear me singing Blogspot's praises (just too many freakin' spams on those things - I guess Google doesn't monitor their blog spam traffic or however that works)... I have to say there is a distinct search engine advantage to having this blog.

My website uses a keyword that is hugely competitive. I mean, it is freakin' standing room only, elbow to elbow in the world of copywriting. It's like uh, it's like being trapped in the mosh pit of a Pearl Jam concert circa 1997 (am I dating myself here?) Basically, as far as keeping good SE rank, I feel like I need to be pumping out copywriting-related content on a daily basis, just to claw my way in the direction of the top of the heap.

The advantage is:

When I post on THIS (my Typepad) blog (which is NOT hosted on the same server as my Wordfeeder.com site - this blog lives on the TYPEPAD server)... and then I KEYWORD LINK from THIS blog to the Wordfeeder.com website...

THAT is when I manage to bump my SE rank a few notches and land myself on page 1 for my search term.

When I DON'T do that, I fall to page 2 or 3. And trust me, I'm publishing new pages to my site like a good little website marketer should... I'm frantically adding keyword links to those articles... AND I now have the aforementioned Wordpress blog, which lives ON my Wordfeeder.com server but for some reason it doesn't seem to impact my rank very greatly, or so it would appear not to.

(Now, if you're going for a less saturated term, like "spelunking in New Hampshire" it may take you a fraction of the time and effort that it takes me to be found for my key term. So you may not even have to worry about where your blog is hosted - but I do. Gotta stay on my game, you know.)

That said, I'm returning to regular posting on THIS blog, which is hosted on Typepad... and after a couple of days of fastidious keyword-linking, I'm going to check back on how the rank thing is going and then give you the deets on that. Assuming you care, which who knows... maybe nobody reads this blog now, since I've been out of commish for so long!

Dina at Wordfeeder Copywriting

Email us for a copywriting or website project quote today! Dina@Wordfeeder.com

Sneaky Trick from the Copywriting Bag O' Goodies

I Googled someone the other day and found myself confused at the sheer volume of websites where they appeared. Mind you, exposure like this can only be good for your business, HOWEVER, there is one small issue.

The problem comes when people try to find a website associated with your name - YOUR website - but all they can come up with is a horrifically long list of everyone else's website but yours.

How do you resolve this? You've got to be strategic about linking your own name back to your website.

The concept is pretty simple. Think of your name as a keyword. Every time you include it in a link, and point that back to your website, like this: Dina Giolitto, give yourself a point toward good Google rank for your name.

Article marketers have made this easy to accomplish. They link the "by line" of the articles you submit back to your author account on their sites.

However, if they wanted to be REALLY nice, they'd link your name back to YOUR SITE. But face it, no one is that generous, so here's what you have to do. Take back the power of your own name.

Start creating an article archive on your own website. The articles should be original works that you wrote yourself (or paid a ghostwriter to write on your behalf). At the top of the article, you MUST create a live link of your name that goes to your website. Then, keep on adding articles each month. You can go with 1 or 2 per month, in addition to the scraps you throw to the article directories... but why do that when you can shoot for high volume and ass-kicking page rank for your market niche?

So that's the secret reason why other websites are coming up for a Google search on your name sooner than your own website is. They have more pages linked to your name than you do. Fix it.

Another foolproof solution is to link your name in the copyright line on every page so that it "points" to the homepage of your website. Every single page that you publish, whether it's an article, product page, sales letter, service page or what-have-you, counts toward the total number of pages with your name linked on them.

Hope this makes sense. Now what are you doing still reading? It's time to start writing and linking!

- Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Congratulations on Your Keyword Rank

Tonight I am pleased to report that another one of my copywriting and marketing clients has risen to Page 1 and 2 of Google for her chosen keyword search terms. (I'm going to respect her privacy as my customer and not reveal her name - but I felt the news was worth sharing.)

You're probably thinking, whoop-dee-doo, what's this got to do with me?

Well, if you sell or plan to sell on the web, it has everything to do with you.

As soon as I get into a comfortable groove of working with new copywriting clients, I offer them tips on how to choose keyword search terms. Then I tell them EXACTLY where and how often to include them so as to leverage their power for attracting website visitors who already want what they're selling.

I'll repeat that.

Keywords help you attract visitors who already want what you're selling.

People who don't know how to optimize their websites inevitably become frustrated with their marketing help. Their copy might be lit up like the Fourth of July and springing off the page, but still they're not bringing in new clientele. They end up thinking that website marketing is silly, pointless, and a complete waste of time and money.

That's because they don't know how to search engine optimize.

I'm shocked that the vast majority of people don't know about this. And I'm grateful for the kind folks who have shared their knowledge with me so that I in turn can write website copy that goes the extra mile using effective keyword strategies.

Congratulations again to my client who jumped from page 7 to page 1 for her industry term this week! I am always pleased when people take my advice seriously and are diligent in putting it to work.

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Are you looking for the linking opp?

Do you self-manage a blog on the web? If so, you may have a few interesting tidbits in the sidebar of your blog. Links to this and that, resources, friends, and that sort of thing.

Linking to others is great. It's all part of the "shared community" blogosphere thing. Helps keep your online relations friendly.

However, I do want to point out something. If you're linking to your own material, i.e. articles that YOU wrote, you should really link to YOUR OWN WEBSITE.

Case in point: a few clients of mine recently decided to add links to their blogs which go to their articles on IdeaMarketers.com.

This would be okay if the links were from a single post - perhaps a friendly "shout out" to IdeaMarketers.com for all the great service they provide.

However, if they're permanent links, i.e. in the sidebar, they should point to your own stuff. YOUR website. And there should be keywords in the titles of those articles - keywords that you want people to "ding" on and follow to your main website.

Google knows ALL the keyword links that point from "other sites" (and if your blog is hosted on Typepad, then that counts as an "other site") back to yours. It "counts" all those keyword links. Later, when outsiders type your keywords into Google, if you have a lot of link love, you pop up on page 1, 2, or hopefully somewhere in the top ten.

So it makes sense to link strategically whenever possible.

You need much more link love than the big websites out there. So DO remember to link "in" from the outside. This is your goal - ALWAYS look for the linking opp in everything you do online.

The Big Daddy Websites are always giving you pats on the back for linking to your stuff on THEIR websites, because THEY KNOW THE SECRET. When you keyword-link to them, they go higher on the search engines.

And now you know the secret too. So the next step is to use the information. In fact - this is not a request. THIS IS AN ORDER.

1. Get your website together - organize it, make it beautiful, keep adding articles

2. Keyword-link to those articles from your blog and other places.

Okay?

Thanks!

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing (note the keyword link)

The Google Keyword Tool

The first thing you should do before you build a website: keyword research!

Here's a tool that Google has thoughtfully provided to help you along in your mission:

Google's Keyword Tool

Find out what people are searching for and then make sure you have that in your keyword copy, links and meta-tags - on EVERY page of your website!

Dina at Wordfeeder.com - Marketing and Copywriting for the Masses

 

Too Many Ideas?

The other day, my copywriting and marketing client said to me something like:

"My problem is that I have too many ideas. So if I toss one at you, and you don't think it'll work for the website, feel free to just say, 'Sorry, (name of client), but we can't do that.'"

What do you think my response was to that?

(Okay, I'll tell you.)

This is the web. There is unlimited opportunity to get your content out there.  If you think you have *too many* ideas, you are mistaken.

• The articles section of your website is neverending.
• The chance to develop whatever topic you'd like on your blog, is infinite.
• If you want to publish a story or take a new audience angle on your website, but you don't feel that it's a fit for your current theme, publish it somewhere else.
• You can even publish your musings, discoveries, advice, reviews, etc... on other people's blogs that feature your name and bio - your very own author column!

There is an entire planet of people with an internet connection eagerly awaiting your "ideas." It is not only desirable for you to share these ideas as a way to grow your reputation, but you must do it simply to get clicks coming into your website. The web needs your content.

More places to slip those "misfit" ideas:

Future issues of your ezine or email newsletter
Other people's email newsletters (arrange an "article swap" with your pals)
Web 2.0 Hot Spots such as Squidoo (here's a cool one I created for Ann Zuccardy the shortbread lady)
News sites where you can publish your own PR

The thing that stops people from leveraging the power of the World Wide Web is NOT that they have too many ideas. It's that they don't know how to properly manage the ideas they DO have.

I'll give you an example from one of my recent projects - Web Content Awareness Day.

A couple of people asked me "when I needed the articles by" for this event, and after a few of them went tardy with their submissions, they again asked, "Do you still need an article?"

Don't ask me if I need an article. Just write one and hand it to me. What's the worst that can happen... I say no, thank you? Well, now you have an article that you didn't have before. USE IT. Send it out to your mailing list.

If you are:

a. creative/full of ideas, and
b. on the web

...then if you have an article turning about in your brainy little noggin, write it, save it... and when the opportunity comes (for example, WCAD), take it. Open your file, pull out the goods, and pass it on so the world can get to know you and your ideas. This is how to drive business on the web.

If the content fails to get used in the place where you expected it to, use it somewhere else. Submit it to a couple of places.

I can tell just by doing a simple project where I collect a handful of expert articles from people and publish them in my newsletter, who out of my colleagues has the "web mentality" and who is stuck in the creativity-stifling corporate world mindset where there can possibly be such a thing as "too many ideas."

If you are a creative person trying to make it on the web, the best thing you can do for yourself is to get organized. For some, that may mean applying some self-discipline. For others, maybe it means hiring a virtual assistant or copywriting and marketing pro to help you get it together.

Whoever is reading this, here's what I want you to do. Think back to the last piece of content you wrote that you felt was "unused, unloved," didn't get the attention you thought it deserved, or simply needs something minor to be called complete (say, a rousing title, an ending, whatever). Take a fresh pair of eyes to it. Find a home for it. Copy, paste, and click PUBLISH.

It's not that complicated. Really.

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Happy Web Content Awareness Day!

Well, it's here - the moment you've all been waiting for. I know you felt it... creeping down the stairs in your footie pajamas at 4 am... hoping to get a glimpse of the Man With the White Beard. Oh wait - wrong holiday.

For those just tuning in, my name is Dina Giolitto and I run Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing. Last year, I created a new holiday - Web Content Awareness Day - "dedicated to all those who create content for this great Web of ours!"

In 2007 we continue the WCAD tradition. This year's theme was "An Information Celebration Taking Place in Your Email Inbox."

I emailed a total of TEN articles containing information you NEED to know if you plan to grow a successful business online.

I also royally hooked my list up with trusted experts who can help them build and maintain a quality website that gets them targeted traffic and sales.

 

Topics we covered in the mailings:

Web Design
Copywriting
Article Marketing
Ezines
Podcasting
Public Relations

If you missed all the fun, have no fear. You can tune in to the FINAL ezine issue and free copywriting giveaway that I JUST sent out to my WCAD readers:

http://webcontentawarenessday.com/ezine-wcadgiveaway.htm

ALL of the articles are accessible via that link, and you really do not want to miss all that we reveal!

If you like what I sent out during WCAD, maybe you will find my copywriting and marketing ezine useful as well! Sign up - click the link.

Design Your Website to Naturally Attract HOT Prospects

Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing is releasing another special report. I'm not sure if I should give this one away at the Big Finale of Web Content Awareness Day, or stick with the one I planned to originally offer (from the summer).

This one is a very insightful peek into how copywriting and website navigation will naturally help you to attract sales. Yes, simply by designing your website in the "correct" way, you will begin to garner search engine results that bring HOT, not warm but HOT prospects who then become your immediate customers.

To receive your free copy of this report (or maybe the other one - like I said, can't figure out which one to send), sign up for the Web Content Awareness Day mailing list if you haven't already. "The Day" will be here sooner than you think, on February 9th.

Wahoo!

Keyword Links Vs. "Click Here"

Keywords, or "click here," that is the question. I don't think I've come across a web copy job yet where this dilemma doesn't hang in the air. If you say, "Visit our copy shop for great offers on top quality information products," and you keyword-link the phrase "copy shop," then you're broadcasting to Ye Olde Search Engine Bot to list your site in the Grand Poobah Index of web content. So clearly, this is a good thing.

But on the other hand, suppose your visitors are about as web-savvy as my grandma, and don't know that if they click copy shop, they'll be whisked away to peruse the fantastic assortment of copywriting tutorials and related materials in your virtual store. For those people, you sort of DO need to say, "Click here." But where you get them to click by including the call to action, you lose out on the SE power of the keyword phrase "copy shop" by NOT linking it.

So, what do you do? I have the urge to reconstruct the sentence and include not one, but TWO links, so that it looks like this:

"Visit our copy shop for great offers on top quality information products. Click here and you'll be transported there immediately."

But then you're looking at an entire extra sentence of copy bloat that you didn't really need. And if you cram it all together like so...

Click here to visit our copy shop for great offers on top quality information products.

...then you're looking at a couple of "too close for comfort" links. I think. I do occasionally double-link in this manner. It depends on what else is on the page and how link-crowded things are looking.

I think the safest bet is to alternate between giving the command, "click here," and playing the search engine game with keyword links.

Is it me, or am I babbling an awful lot lately?

Heck, if Dina at Wordfeeder.com doesn't analyze your linking strategy, who will?