As a writer, one of the biggest challenges I have is coming up with headlines that not only pique someone’s interest, but also entices them to buy or take the action I want them to take. I’ve learned that headlines need to strike a balance between being creative and giving the reader what they want.
Your headline is your first impression and perhaps your only chance to draw readers in. Just like when you’re interviewing for a job or going on a first date, your first impression is key and can make or break things for you. Writing a headline that makes someone want to buy your product or service can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. There are three simple principles to follow in order to write a headline that converts browsers into buyers: relevance, results and powerful modifiers.
Relevance – You need to establish relevancy as soon as possible, which is why the headline is the best place to do so. You can’t assume that your readers have all the time in the world to read through your article and then decide if it’s relevant to them. Establish relevancy from the start and you’re less likely to have readers bounce from your site.
Results – Make sure youre headline is clear first and clever second. To convey to your audience that you’ll be giving them information they’re looking for, write your headline using specific keywords to establish relevancy. Next, think of a problem or a result your readers are after and make it the foundation of your headline. For instance, in my headline I start with the relevancy component (how to write a headline) and finish with the desired result (to convert browsers to buyers). Readers want to see in the headline that they’ll experience a relevant outcome or solution. This is why the “how to” model works so well. It focuses on relevancy and results in a clear and consice manner.
Powerful Modifiers - Next, you can add words to punch up your headline a little. In my headline here, I used “compelling” to modify the word “headline.” In addition, I decided to use the word “convert” because it is a powerful verb that suggests a desired action. The key to using appropriate modifiers is that they must make your relevant keywords seem more powerful.
With any headline you write, try brainstorming a few options. You might also want to consult a thesaurus like I do to find creative and powerful ways to convey relevancy and results. Do you have any SEO copywriting tricks you use to write strong headlines? Share your tips by leaving a comment.
*Photo provided by mpclemens on Flickr
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Good news! Twitter spam might boost your Google ranking! Feel free to build your spambots today and watch your Google rankings soar tomorrow. You may also want to start investing in large bags with dollar signs on them to handle your new windfall.
Now, if I were actually advocating Twitter spam, I’d probably be in a long, closed-door meeting with my boss by the time you read this. Actually, I’d like to share a recent experiment where Conceptables, a Dutch design firm, spammed Twitter with surprising SEO results to illustrate the importance of focusing on a holistic SEO campaign rather than one built on a single fad.
This experiment started as an artistic statement by the company’s owner. He grew tired of people tweeting about every detail of their lives, so he created a Twitter script that automatically tweeted “I’m breathing in,” and “I’m breathing out” with a link to the server’s website every minute. Pretty soon, he noticed that the website started ranking higher and higher in Google.
To test the hypothesis that automated tweets can influence Google searches, the company created Twitter accounts that automatically tweeted generic buzzwords like “social media” and “feedback” with links back to their site. Sure enough, their site began to rank for these words, both in Twitter search engines and in Google.
When some shady search engine marketers look at experiments like this, they see a scheme to fool Google into giving them easy rankings. These are the same people who fill our comments and forums with junk hoping for a little bit of link juice back to their site.
Unfortunately, they never find the bags and bags of cash that they’re looking for. Even if it were as easy to game the system as this Dutch experiment suggests (and other experiments have shown that it is not), search engines would quickly filter out automated tweets and penalize websites that utilize this black hat technique (see keyword stuffing, meta tags).
What the experiment does show is that tweeting the same message over and over affects Google rankings. Because Google values fresh content, the search engine does factor tweets into its algorithm. When we look at this experiment, we take away two things:
• Remember to tweet. Every tweet is being indexed and does have an effect on rankings.
• Create valuable content. Much more effective than a single tweet created by you is hundreds of tweets from a variety of sources, all pointing back to your site. If you create noteworthy content, others will find it and start tweeting about it on their own. Great content will create organic momentum through social media that can deliver the rankings you’ve been seeking all along.
For help setting up your social media strategy, contact Fathom SEO. We’ll approach your search engine marketing campaign with a holistic strategy.
Image courtesy of Terry Hart.
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Creating a visually appealing and unique web page is always a priority. After all, your web page is sometimes all a visitor has to judge you by. However, if you focus too much attention on how your page looks, you could be overlooking some important content aspects. The content on your web page is just as important, if not more important, than your web design. Well-written content can play a vital role in search engine optimization efforts by helping your keywords to rank on search engines.
When you think you’ve finished creating your website, test it on this ten minute checklist to ensure you are optimizing your content effectively.
- Is the information useful and relevant? Does it match your goals?
Believe it or not, visitors read your website’s content. They may only scan it, but if it is relevant and useful information they will be more likely to continue reading. - Is the content clear, concise and simple to read?
Most visitors to your website are busy. They don’t have the time to decipher complicated language or industry jargon. Give them the information they need in a simple and clear manner. - Is the content written professionally?
Content acts as the voice for your web page. Sounding knowledgeable and professional can help you seem reliable and trustworthy. - Are there any grammatical or spelling errors?
Grammatical and spelling errors are the easiest way to make your web page seem unprofessional. If there are too many mistakes in your content, visitors will doubt your credibility. - Is it engaging? Will it draw in your target audience?
If you write engaging content, your target audience will read it. - Is there a consistent voice throughout the entire website?
Keeping your voice consistent throughout your website is another useful way to gain the trust of your audience. - Can it be easily scanned or read by an audience?
While you may want to include descriptive content, not every visitor is going to want to be overwhelmed with information. By making your content easy to scan, visitors will be more responsive. - Is the Meta data appropriate for the web page and keywords?
Including appropriate Meta data that targets your keywords can drastically increase your page ranking on search engines. - Are there appropriate and strategically placed calls to action?
Don’t make your audience guess at their next move. Help guide them through the steps you want them to take. - Is there appropriate internal contextual linking?
Use your content to target keywords and include appropriate links. By linking keywords you can help your audience find the information they are after.
While you may not have understood the importance of effective copywriting initially, it is easy to see that not only can great content help increase your rankings, but it can directly influence a user’s experience on your website. Make a strong impression with well-written content!
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Depending on how you look at things, this week’s news that Yahoo! organic search results are now powered by Bing, could signify the death of Yahoo search, or the birth of a stronger Google competitor. Even though it’s still early in the partnership, now is the time to start figuring out the impact of this news from all angles.
What it means
The partnership itself currently does not involve paid search, but that’s expected to roll out sometime in October of this year. With this news, Bing officially powers Yahoo organic search results in the United States and Canada, with other countries soon to follow. The impact of this remains to be seen, but Bing stands to benefit a great deal.
What it means for Bing
Yahoo has loads of end user data collected about search behavior, which Bing can benefit from. End user data is one of the strongest indicators to search engines on how to perfect the algorithm and search experience, so Bing is gaining a lot of insight here that they didn’t have before. In addition, Bing could see an increase in mobile search queries since Yahoo has put a lot of effort into emerging mobile markets.
What is means for end users
People who use Yahoo for their web and mobile searches will not notice much of a difference right away. The interface on Yahoo is still the same and all the tools you’re used to are still offered. For people who like the Search Assist suggestions, related topic suggestions, site filters and more, you’ll notice those options are still available to you. The only difference you might notice in the look and feel of Yahoo is at the bottom of the search results page, written in small print it will say “Powered by Bing.”
What it means for SEO marketers
How does this affect the search engine marketing world? The news of Yahoo being powered by Bing could actually make your job a little bit easier. Now, instead of having to optimize for both Bing and Yahoo, you can focus your efforts on Bing. That being said, if you’re not sure how to optimize for Bing’s algorithm, it’s time to start doing your research. As an SEO expert, you should check out Bing Webmaster Tools and being to focus SEO efforts on Bing. Conduct some spot checks too on both Yahoo and Bing and see for yourself how it all plays out.
So what do you think the impact of this is? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
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I am proud to announce that Fathom SEO has been recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing firms in the country. Every year, Inc. recognizes the top 5,000 fastest-growing US companies, and we’ve been rated 1,387th on the 2010 list. We share this recognition with such notable alumni of the award like Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft and Oracle.
In recent years, we grew over 200 percent. Within the last year alone, we’ve:
- Added more than 20 new employees to our team. These employees have brought a range of talents to Fathom ranging from Web programming and graphic design to link building and business development.
- Created a new subsidiary focused on lead generation in a number of high potential industries.
- Shifted our energy to a Get-Convert-Measure business model. Instead of focusing exclusively on getting traffic to our clients’ websites, we now help clients optimize the online customer acquisition dollars. So far, this model has produced tremendous feedback from clients who are now clearly tracking the ROI of their SEO, PPC, email and video campaigns.
Our growth is a direct result of every Fathom employee working together to deliver measurable, sustainable results for our clients. It is truly a joy to work every day at a company filled with not only new ideas, but also people who are dedicated to helping each other succeed.
Of course, the recognition from Inc. magazine would not have been possible without the partnerships we’ve formed with our clients. Many of our partners have been with us since our inception, and we’ve been excited to watch them grow right along with us. I’d like to specifically congratulate two Fathom clients who were also named on the Inc. 5000 list – Post-Up Stand, which was number 891 on the list, and SecureState, number 550.
As a company, we’re committed to continued growth. In upcoming months, you’ll notice updated messaging on our website as well as a renewed focus on core values. Stay tuned for more information on exciting changes in the works for next year.
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