SEO

When scrolling through Twitter to see if there’s anyone I had to respond too, John Henshaw from Coywolf had shared something about Google allowing comments on search results.  Then Kristine Schachinger (I think it was her) linked to the webmasters post where they are indeed testing this out in a few niches.  It looks like sports results are first.

The good news is more keyboard warriors have a place to vet their opinions.  Because that is totally awesome and something we need more of, especially when others can view this and it can directly impact your business (eye roll and sarcasm).  And we have another great side effect, scammy SEO companies who will pretend this is the all new way to do SEO and will get you to the top.  It could potentially also open up the doors for affiliates to post their links or custom coupon codes that fire sales back to their accounts and directly from your trademark searches.  Same goes for influencers “use my coupon and save” directly on your own search results.

This could be done on the main URL, products URLs from your own site, over other affiliates’ sites and reviews third parties have created, etc…  Lots of bad that could happen (and will if it takes off), but this might have some value and good sides too.   I’ll get to those shortly.

This post is broken out into three parts.

1. What to expect rumor wise
2. How it could actually impact your visibility good and bad
3. What to do and to avoid, assuming this is something they keep

Very similar to when Google would show live twitter results in the top top positions or boost visibility if you had connections through circles in Google+, this is going to be a fun ride, if they keep it and push it out further.

[Read more…] about Google’s Allowing Comments on SERPs – Let The Conspiracies Begin!

Category copy is one of the trickiest pages to write.  Not only do you have to fit it into a space which has to be product focused and non competitive, but if the category has a few hundred or thousand products, you have to keep it simple, effective and most importantly all inclusive.

That means it needs to incorporate the theme of the page while not competing with product pages or sub-categories and also excite the end user without pitching yourself.  Advanced copywriters will also define how to use the page to locate the product the visitor is looking for, and that is where UX comes in.

Because this is probably the hardest type of copy to create, we’ve developed this guide on how to write category copy for SEO and to give your end user or potential customer a great experience.  This is the same exact thing I do with my employees and the clients that hire me to train their teams.

How to Write Good Category Page Copy

The most important thing when creating this type of page is to think about what it is supposed to do.

Category Copy Needs to:

• Get the user excited to purchase the product
• Help them to know you have the product they’re looking for
• Explain how to sort through the options if you have a lot of SKUs
• Make them want to engage with the page to find the product
• Click through the image or subcategory and get to conversion
• Answer questions they have about the category, not product specific
• Not take away from user experience and hide product below the fold

The last bullet point is a tricky one and if you have huge images or leaderboards, you may want to consider a new category page design.  Here’s a few ways to incorporate SEO copy into category page design wise that may help.

How to Select the Right Keywords for Category Copy

Keyword research here is tricky.  You do not want keywords relevant to a specific product, instead the category should focus on the more generic ones.  i.e. the category has multiple widgets and should answer questions about widgets and address the needs of people who want widgets.  Product pages and sub categories are where you get into specifics.

Subcategories for example could be if the widget has 8 sizes and 8 color options.  You may want to do a sub category for XL widgets and S widgets.  You could also do a sub category for blue widgets and include the 8 sizes within it.  Now you have a main category for widgets, sub categories for the main variations and then the copy on the product page is now product specific.

By doing it this way you can also build internal links upwards, horizontally and downwards to pass authority.

Are Questions and Answers Good For SEO on Category Pages

Yes, they are 100% great for this. Having a Q&A can answer questions about the category.  Examples can be if it can solve XY problem, if they are a specific color for a specific purpose or how to use it for a specific purpose.  Another one could be the effects, impacts or even proper usage and storage or care, but on a categorical basis.

By answering questions ahead of time where the products within the category are part of or are the solution, you can not only try to get the answer box at the top of the search results in Google, but you’re also giving a better user experience by answering a potential customers questions.  When you clear the confusion with solid answers, you may also have pushed them one more step to conversions and that is why question and answers or FAQs that are category specific (not product or general customer) are great for these pages.

Which Questions to Include In Category Copy

Now that you have your keyword research done and know what the goal of each question should be, you need to think about other relevant information and how to get answer boxes and other rich snippets.  Category copy should be about the entire grouping and not individual products or sub categories as mentioned above.  A good example is a question about how long it will last or if it is compatible with an XYZ.

For category copy, unless everything in the category is compatible with XYZ and everything lasts at least AB years, then that question goes into a sub category or product page because it does not address the needs of the majority and does not add value.  For sub categories where it is relevant you’re then able to say yes, each option on this page works with XYZ or is going to last for at least AB.  Remember, category copy needs to be inclusive of the category and that is where you need to draw the line.

How to Increase Conversions With Category Copy

This is the tricky and fun part.  The first thing is to understand “we, we” syndrome.  This is where you make everything about you and your store and not the customer.  “I love this”, “we have 1,000’s”, “our widgets are the best”, etc… are all “we, we” syndrome.  It’s great you feel passionate about your store, products and services, but you’re not engaging the potential customer.

Instead, look for every occurance of I, we, our, my, we’re, etc… and replace them with you, you’ll, your and other words that are about the visitor.  Next we try to get them to understand how they’ll benefit.  Situations are a perfect starting point.

If this is fashion, don’t say the dress is made of sequins and lace. Instead say something like “Enjoy the luxurious feel of the satin styles below where each one is designed with seamless stitching and lace trim that lies gently on your skin so there are no itchy side effects.  Watch as the sequins sparkle for a fun look whether it’s a cocktail party or for a formal event.”.

By mentioning how the dress will feel with the modifiers “sequins” and “lace” for dress, I was able to answer their questions about comfort and by mentioning the types of events it can be worn, I can help to get them to imagine what it’ll look like and how it can be used in multiple situations so it has a cost saving aspect as well.

Teach Visitors How to Use The Page to Find the Right Options

This is one of those things that seems like you shouldn’t have to do, but if you have a designer who went “creative” or made a mobile site for a desktop display, it is important.  The same goes if you have ever changing or multi-option sorting on the top or left side of the page.

The first thing is to avoid stating the obvious and rambling.  “So you’re looking for XYZ” or “Whether you want a X or a Y, or also want a Z”.  Instead jump right into the topic.

Blue widgets not only do A, B and C, but when combined with a red blahblahblah, you’ll be up and running in no time.

Now that you’ve said what it is for and helped to reassure they solve the issue, think about how to drive the person into the product mix.

Look below to discover the right option that meets your needs.  You can sort by size and see only x-small blue widgets or by year and model with the drop down menu to find the rare 1995 green model.

By doing the above you’ve helped the person learn to narrow down the results and you’ve given a natural tie in for internal links which can help the search engines further define what the pages on your website are about.  If the page has authority, these links may also be able to help pass some of the authority through these links.

The last step is to tell the person to click on the one they like and then teach them how to use the page.

When you find the right one, click it and simply select the color, size and quantity, then proceed through our secure checkout so you can be on your way to XYZ with no more worries.

By following the steps in this guide, you may be able to increase both your organic SEO traffic and also your conversions.  You’ll be helping to solve issues for past and future customers while also helping them to use your website, find the product and checkout quickly and easily.  If this seems complicated, you can always hire us by using the contact form here to write the copy or simply train your team for you.  Yes we train other agencies as well.

Equally as important to the keywords you research before writing your posts and the backlinks that build it’s authority is the structure and formatting of the words and the way you format them.  Quality content isn’t just something that creates conversions and causes reactions, it is also properly designed for the reader and the search engines, structured to be absorbed as well as indexed and complements the website regardless of the page it’s on.

Below you’ll find how to format and structure when doing your SEO content writing as well as the little nuances that do make a difference in your ability to have a page rank in the search engines, gain exposure and most importantly, convert into revenue and leads for your business or blog.

Here are the sections so you can more easily navigate the post.

• What is relevant wording that doesn’t compete
• How to structure for featured snippets and UX
• Ensuring it is appropriate for SEO, Social Media & UX
  • Title tags
  • OG, Twitter, Pinterest
  • Browsers
• Tone and Purpose By Page Type
  • Category
  • Product
  • Blog post
  • Homepage
  • About us
  • Locations
• Avoiding Building Competing Content

How to Create Relevant Content Based on Topics

Just because two things mean the same for us as humans does not mean they are the same for the search engines.  A good example are squat exercises and booty workouts.  Both have search volume and in our minds are similar, but they are incredibly different for a robot or spider. [Read more…] about SEO Content Writing – How to Create Copy That Ranks

Knowing how to find actual search volume and which keywords can bring you traffic when uploading YouTube videos can be tricky.  You also need to think about which keywords will convert into revenue for you and what has the best potential for making money with ads.  Luckily this is easy, when you know how to find the data before you begin the optimization of the YouTube video.

By investing a little bit ahead of time, you can properly optimize everything from the opening image that causes the most engagement based on a desired reaction, to which keywords will show volume so you can make money off of ads, as well as how to determine which combinations can make your YouTube video go viral and which can generate interest to drive sales and subscribers.

It takes between 15 minutes and an hour to set up the test and you can spend as little or as much as you want to build relevance and enough of a result to build a strong enough focus group and have a solid dataset to verify that your test is accurate.  In some cases I’ve had a video start to take off during the test.  When this happens I can normally make my money back with ads showing on it.  That’s the nice part about having an “earned views” column in the adwords interface for YouTube ads.

So here’s how to do this.

[Read more…] about How to Optimize for Traffic, Views & Keywords on YouTube with Data

Heading to Pubcon? Here’s everything you need to get the most from the show in 4 easy steps.  If you have more tips for people new to the show, or just want to give some pointers, feel free to leave a comment below.

Whose who at Pubcon

Looking to contact someone about sponsoring an event or a tradeshow booth, or maybe you’re stuck and the badge printer and they don’t have you on file, here’s the right person to contact and who can help to resolve any issues before or during the show.

• Brett Tabke – @btabke – The person in charge and founder. Contact him for sponsorships, show ideas & deals.
• Joe Laratro – @jlaratro – Have an issue with a speaker or want to pitch a session or talk about fishing, he’s ready to help.
• Melissa Fach – @SEOAware – From social media marketing & SEO to animal print décor, she’s in charge of the messaging and community.
• Jeff Randall – @jeffrandall – Although he’s mostly behind the scenes, if your booth gets lost or logistics happen, he’s your guy.

How to Choose a Session

[Read more…] about How to Do Pubcon Like a Pro!