Tag: seo writing

5 Reasons SEO Still Matters in Business

September 25, 2014

Why SEO Still MAttersMany clients come to us for assistance with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on their websites and shared content. But why do successful businesses need SEO? Here are five reasons SEO matters:

1. Your competitors are benefiting from SEO

Unless you’re in a highly political and controversial business, it’s not to your advantage to keep low profile on the web. Your competition is using SEO to get to customers before you do. A quick Google search on the nature of your business (e.g., photography in New York City) will display competitors who are using SEO the right way (which is why they are at the top of the search results). Keep up and maintain your authority as a leader in your field/industry.

2.  Customers are just one click away (and usually via a Google link)

You do it several times a day: Google a service from your mobile device, and call the first number that pops up…unless you prefer Yahoo or Bing, in which case, please accept our compliments for being unconventional. Your potential buyer is looking for you in the same fashion. Help them find you quick and easy.

3. SEO happens, whether you want it or not

The web already knows something about your business (or, if you registered your company an hour ago, the web will know about it fifteen minutes from now). Unless you have a clear, deliberate SEO strategy in place, Google will make assumptions about your website that may be arbitrary or even incorrect.

That information will be accidental and rarely useful to your prospective customer. With SEO, you can help your customers to find the unique brand of happiness that only you can offer them by making sure Google has accurate info about your business and your site.

4. SEO saves money and grows your business

If your digital footprint expands over time, so will your customer base – ultimately leading to business growth. Do the SEO the right way, and you’ll be able to forget about sales teams and cold calling. You’ll be too busy answering calls and emails from prospective customers!

5. SEO makes you a VIP

Imagine telling your Chief Marketing Officer you found a way to increase sales and reduce cost using SEO instead of expensive print, radio or legacy sales tactics. In many cases, the money saved more than pays for the SEO efforts or campaigns put in place. You are the expert in your field. Make it known. Do the SEO.

To find out more about SEO and what we can offer you and your business, contact Van West Media today.

Van West Media is a full service design, support, and consulting agency, offering comprehensive Internet marketing solutions for small to mid-size businesses.

Getting the Most From Your SEO Writer

January 5, 2012

No doubt, content marketing should be on the mind of anyone with a website. It’s what builds links and reputability, but as any small business should know, it takes time. Fortunately there are content writers who can do this tedious task for you. The only investment you need to make is the one that ensures they’re doing a great job. To save you even more time, I’m going to show you how that’s done.

1. Know and teach them the difference between traditional vs. SEO writing

Observe your writer’s style. If the person is not a trained SEO, it is likely they’ll need some help learning SEO style. One difference between traditional writing and SEO writing is that it should be short and concise. Important information should be placed at the beginning of the article so that readers can get the details fast, without having to scroll down. Another good way of getting to the point quick is by creating lists. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from blogs, it’s that people love lists because they’re easy to skim and choose the select information they care about.

2. Find a keyword method

There are several ways to have content writers plug keywords into a piece. You can give them a list of keywords, ask them to write on a particular topic or create guidelines. Though it’s done, keyword lists can be pretty daunting. Instead, a list of topics may be more natural for your writer to follow. Keywords will naturally flow if the topic is specific and concentrated. You can also create guidelines that specify recommended terms. For example, if the writer is to include the word soap, he should only use the branded phrase “Dove soap” instead. These guidelines provide the right amount of limitations without stifling creativity.

3. Make sure they know more about SEO than how to write about it

SEO is confusing for beginners to understand and nothing is more frustrating than doing a task and not knowing why you’re doing it. If your content writer is new to SEO writing, explain the basics. You can mention that SEO writing is made to build incoming links from other websites. The more links you have, the more reputable your site, the higher you appear on search engines. Also stress that while keywords are important, quality content is what drives people to link to a site.

4. Include them on your analytics reports

A traffic report is like a performance review for an SEO writer. Important metrics you’ll want to point out are referral traffic, referral keywords and frequently searched terms. By doing this, your writer will understand what is and isn’t working for them and adjust accordingly.