Keywords in Content, or SEO 2019 Style

As search evolves to favor natural language, is it worth your time to select and incorporate keywords in your web content? 

That question came up in a blogging presentation I lead earlier this year. My short answer ("yes") was met, surprisingly, with some resistance from other marketing folks who suggested that the returns were hard to justify. For small businesses, and particularly small local businesses with equally small marketing budgets, I understand a reluctance to spend a lot of money on keyword research. But spending more than a few minutes on it in the content development process is still important - even in 2019.

We agreed to moved the presentation along with a factual and accurate compromise of sorts - "Writing for your readers (prospects) is more important than writing for search engines."  

But this is my blog so let me be clear: yes, keywords still matter in 2019.  Small businesses can and certainly should spend the time necessary to use keywords and phrases (naturally, and helpfully) in their marketing content.

Good Business Copywriting Helps Prospects and Customers

Auto Parts Warehouse provides an excellent example of how keywords (in this case, longtail keywords) can be used in truly useful blog content. Headlines like "Where to Buy Wiper Blades" and "Grinding Noise When Braking" get the attention of humans and search engines alike.

I'm willing to bet Auto Parts Warehouse puts more than a little bit of loose change into advertising, link building and other SEO endeavors, too. But let's focus on the humble human with squeaky breaks.

"Grinding Noise When Braking" strikes the right note with said human. In fact, it's probably exactly what he typed in to search. (Hello, keywords.) And when the reader clicks on that search result, guess what happens? That human with squeaky brakes is rewarded with a legitimate article (not an ad or a screaming landing page) chock-full of helpful information. The format is important, too. The article is easy to read with very scannable subheads, sprinkled with keywords, like:

"Worn out wheel bearing"
"Faulty brake pads"
"Rusty Rotors"

See what Auto Parts Warehouse did there? It's the perfect trick, because it's not a trick. The human gets what the human wants: information on the web. The search engines reward Auto Parts Warehouse because the click delivers on those keyword promises. It meets the EAT guidelines in Google's 2018 Q3 update, providing Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. 

Creating good content that's useful and establishes your business as an authority (thereby making people want to do business with you, and refer other customers to you) isn't rocket science, but it takes a little time and planning.

If you know a blog could help grow your business, but don't have time to do it yourself, step on the brakes long enough to get in touch. I'd love to help drive your business forward.
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Want to learn more about Semantic Search? Search Engine Journal's article is a good place to start. Really big on DIY projects? You can learn how to create a natural language search for arbitrary objects with deep learning (in 5 easy steps) on Towards Data Science. Just need a copywriter who can reach your customers? I'm right here.


Photo credit: Auto Parts Warehouse blog January 24, 2019

Excellent Example from Neiman Storyboard

I appreciate writing about writing that's really worth reading. Nieman Storyboard delivers, often. I found a recent article about how to get the attention of an editor at Smithsonian magazine especially instructive.

Hope you do too!

It's hard to ignore Smithsonian's great graphics.  Cover image from the article by Katia Savchuk. 







Here's to a holiday season filled with great reading and writing.

Excellent Example: Content You Can Use from MailChimp

Kudos to MailChimp for sharing a LOT of helpful data that allows companies to realistically evaluate their email marketing results - whether they are MailChimp customers or not.

Is It About Time You Tried Email Marketing? 

The piece I'm referring to includes bounce and open rates for several dozen industries (most of which, I'm guessing, are of the B2C variety). What's more, MailChimp sorts the stats by company size and industry AND offers tips to improve your email marketing program, from message creation to timing. 


Honestly, most white papers aren't this informative, and this piece is not gated in any way - it's available to view without coughing up so much as your email address. Nice. 

By the way, it's current - the company's benchmarks were compiled in 2016 and updated in January 2017.

What Makes This an Excellent Example of Marketing Content? 

This is an excellent example because good content educates prospects -- as this does -- without a hard sales pitch. At least in the middle of the sales cycle. 

Of course a sales pitch - even a strong one - can qualify as great content, but it's all about timing. The pitch usually comes at the end of the sales cycle, or up front for a different type of product. More on that in another post. Right now it's time for us to both make good on those plans to make better use of email marketing in 2017. 
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New to email marketing and still learning the lingo? More help from those content-marketing monkeys: Soft vs. Hard Bounces and what it all means. 

Not doing email marketing yet, but think it's time to start? I can help.

Website Content and Considerations - an Excellent Example from Salesforce Partner Pardot

I agree completely with everything in an article on website lead generation that Pardot posted recently.

Completely. With everything.

So, while I don't have permission to publish it here in its entirety, I highly encourage you to read it - if you'd like to get more out of your website, that is.

Go ahead; read it. I'll wait. (You'll come back though, right?

HEY, Welcome Back!  Now that you've read the article, you know that Pardot really walks the talk when it comes to using marketing content for lead generation.

Because that was a pretty darned good example of marketing content, wasn't it? I love it when that happens.

Who Needs Content? Businesses That Need Leads

I just might make it required reading for all of my clients. At least half of my clients are small- to medium-sized businesses who believe that they're too small to follow all the "rules" of marketing and/or they just don't have time to think about marketing. OK, to be fair, they really don't have time.

But what Pardot said is exactly what I keep telling them. If you want your website to help you attract customers and increase sales, you need to:

1. KNOW your customers and what they want
2. Make sure your website helpful, from their perspective and 
3. Create content that makes buying from you (among other things) easier on them.

Good content not only helps you grow your business by generating pre-qualified leads, it also helps to maintain those customer relationships, leading to repeat and referral business. In case you're into that kind of thing... 

_ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

Need help creating content? Sharing it? Or making better use of the content you've already got?
I specialize in marketing small- to medium-size businesses. See my website for more info.

Delicious Content: Do You Know it When You See it?

I'm not a fan of fast food, but I am a content carnivore. And in that regard, Taco Bell satisfies me.

Many have recognized the company's excellent marketing content. Although Yum! brands labeled social media as a "side project" in 2007, it's done a helluva job since then. In my opinion, it's excellent because the company -

• Knows its demographic (audience/market)
• Knows itself (strengths/weaknesses)  
• Uses humor to make its case...
• ...and delivers on what it promises

Don't Over-Indulge in Content

It's fast-food marketing, folks - not rocket science. And either way, there's such a thing as "too much." Taco Bell doesn't blog at length about how its recipes were developed based on extensive anthropologic research or get overly cute by making us guess which Aztec God ate chalupas.

Taco Bell gets the message just right. It's short. It's cute. And it works, on an emotional and a practical level.

Emotional Content: It's in the Bag

While Hallmark (and lately, gum) commercials aim for our tear ducts, Taco Bell's content hits us in the emotional funny bone.  Which works, because we love to laugh almost as much as we love to eat. We especially like to feel like we're "in" on an inside joke. Taco Bell delivers, from pithy puns on sauce packets to its Secret Menu.

What Can Your Small Business Marketing Plan Steal from the Bell? 

While my local taco place serves far better food than Taco Bell, it doesn't have a Yum Brands-size  budget. Here's where social media helps level the playing field:

Twitter feeds are free. Snapchat marketing works. And if your customers love you, they'll Like (and Love, LOL, sticker and Share) along with you on your Facebook Page. Or Instagram feed. Or...whatever tool comes next.

Figure out your business niche, highlight your strengths, deliver them with personality and humor (as appropriate), and one day your customers might blog about you, too. 

Don't Forget about Operations

Taco Bell's marketing campaigns are not the most elaborate or expensive in the fast-food world, and that's OK, because what the company does works. It's clear that what you see/hear/share about the brand is well-communicated inside, to its employees, as well. The company's online survey program is - like its marketing message - interactive and responsive while being short and to the point. 

If the commercials made laugh and the sauce packets said the most adorable things but the in-store experience stunk, the marketing would fall flat. 

I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to customer service and operations. Small companies don't get to be big companies unless they have the training, systems, and operational follow-through to take care of their customers, consistently and well. 

So go on, create great content and share it with your prospects. Just don't expect them to become repeat customers unless you've got what it takes to make them happy. 

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Need help making your content a little more palatable? I can help you dish up the right message, and make sure it serves your customers. I'll also test it (and test you) to be sure your message is operationally sound.  Ready?  Get in touch. 

Words & Pictures: Excellent Examples of Highly Satisfying Content

Writing = Communication. And sometimes, a picture really is worth 1,000 words. Here's an example from Outbrain:

If you need to go get some donuts before you finish reading this, I'll understand. 

Outbrain is a well-funded content discovery firm that's really big on self-promotion. Not knocking it; just calling it as I see it. That said, I'm partial to a good case study. So, kudos to Outbrain. 

Content: Clever Counts! 

When writing online the current caution is "avoid being clever." Good advice, to an extent, as headers are heavily weighted content and clever headlines often don't have the right keywords and phrases to pull the SEO punch you need. But there's an exception (or two) to every rule, and today's EXCELLENT example comes from a (very clever) liquor store in Massachusetts. 

I completely agree with those who've said it's “the best analog Twitter feed in the world.”

There you have it - two #ExcellentExamples for the price of one! Now, enjoy those donuts or McMuffins ... but if you're reading this at work, please wash them down with a non-alcoholic beverage ;)
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Need to spice up your content? Want a white paper that's not dry as toast? I specialize in content that goes down easy.  Contact me when you're planning your next marketing communication project. 

Content Matters: Multi-channel approach Works for The Verge, and Small Business

James Bareham, Creative Director at The Verge, provides an excellent example of how content can do more than double-duty if you play your channels (and media) right. And he does.

First, he used a LinkedIn post to tell the story behind the Verge's story about Michelle Obama's mastery of social media.

That post (of course) linked to the long Verge article, with a bold, easy-to-read layout incorporating numerous short video clips. All of which work just fine on a phone screen too. Including the one of her singing to a turnip.

What Small Businesses Can Learn From All of This?

• Good content can be shared in multiple ways. In the process of creating a single piece of content, you'll usually find there is a preamble and/or a follow-up piece that can enhance the main piece of content - as Bareham's LinkedIn post neatly shows. 
• Every product has a personality. Work it! Admittedly, Mrs. Obama has a little more personality than most, but, hey, let your work inspire you. I once conducted an interview with a vehicle wrap. (Us B2B copywriters can get a little...funny. Or as I like to say, "inspired.")
• Eat to please yourself, dress to please others. OK, you got me - that's not my line; somebody else said it first. I use it to illustrate the point that no matter how good the writing and overall message, your content - the whole package - has to present itself well. And in 2016, that means the words, pictures, videos, vines, and if you've got one, a star-studded soundtrack, all have to work together. Yes of course, that sort of production is out of reach for most small businesses but at least, please, proofread and take a little time with layout, eh?

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This post is part of my slow-but-growing list of excellent examples. If you'd like to share an excellent example of business copywriting, B2B content, or journalism, please contact me here, through my website, or on Twitter. 

Excellent Examples: blogging and interviewing

In this case, I really think the headline says it all - but what the heck, I'll say some more:

If you're interviewing, blogging, or interviewing for the sake of blogging, do consider the excellent examples of Copyblogger. And if you're looking for a writer with loads of creativity (and marketability)  I highly recommend looking at Austin Kleon.

Twitter in Good Form (a SM Tip for Writers) (and another excellent example!)

Writers wanting a good example of how to use Twitter effectively need look no further than the online home of The Associated Press Stylebook.

The venerable reference Tweets as @APStylebook uses #APStyleChat to manage online discussions and to alert followers to upcoming chats.

Clean, simple, useful. Social media as it always oughta be!

Tweeting: A Modern History

But if the internet allowed for a new (twisted?) meaning of both "social" and "media," there are many who remind us that the very-pithy phrase was worth sharing long before we tweeted. One of the more astute pre-'net observations: There is no There there. And there you are.

Add Skloot to the 'Excellent Examples' List of Debut Authors

"Debut author" sounds a little bit like "overnight success." It's a label, and it doesn't say much. We must know there's a unique story behind each person we slap that label on, but slap we do.

So with due respect and admittedly not knowing her story, the label's been slapped on Rebecca Skloot. Skloot uncovered the story of Henrietta Lacks and wrote about her with integrity, determination, (a grant) and a hell of a lot of sacrifice and hard work. She ignored lots of labels along the way and cared enough to discover the unique story behind many of those labels. While reading the book, I marveled at Skloot's work at the same time I realized it paled in comparison to the amount of work Lacks did in her life. But that's just me seeing the world through my own lenses. My focus and perspective leave a lot to be desired.

Let me try again. From my writer's perspective, Skloot's account is a stellar work; it exemplifies (very) long form  journalism and historical nonfiction storytelling. Journalists, nonfiction writers, and students, please add this to your "excellent examples" list.

From my reader's perspective: damn! what a story!

 ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Skloot earns a spot next to Michael Lewis 

on my list of non-fiction, 

journalist/storytellers worth reading  -

and Henrietta Lacks' story was worth telling. 

Write On, Wordnik, Grammarsnark, Chaucer, and God

The more time I spend on Facebook, the less I like it. Yes, I know that makes me sound like a joiner - ever since its IPO, the social media behemoth has been losing fans (friends?) at an alarming rate. But after a mere three years, apparently Twitter and I are still in our honeymoon period.

There's something deliciously challenging about Twitter. The wittiest wordsmiths seem to hang out there, and they offer up their fruits in tempting bite-sized morsels, because they have to - which leaves me almost gasping for more.

I wonder if other writers feel the same?

A sampling of the morsels I haven't been able to get enough of, just recently:

Favorite words of The Week, thanks to Wordnik

Grammarsnark's bio alone is worth reading, as are most of its tweets.

Am I smitten with Twitter? You betcha. Where else can you read the tweets of God and Chaucer and learn how to rhyme like Eminem? Plus there's Twitter's inspired use of hashtags. As a journalist nothing gives me a sense of satisfaction quite like seeing so many in one place.

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Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs

It's a pangram, not a personality disorder. A pangram or "alphabet sentence" contains all the letters of the alphabet, and I've had the great pleasure of reading them while shopping for fonts lately.

The Dancing Pen Calligraphy website lists a bunch. Consider it your silly online procrastination tool of the day. (You're welcome.)

Of course I've added Pangram Developer to my list of dream writing jobs, next to Captcha Writer,  Pokemon Card Copywriter, and Bakugan Namer.

Well, that's why they're called "dream" jobs...

OK, on a slightly more serious note: smart font choices can make your website work better, your presentations more memorable, and you the envy of all your friends. Mmmm well, two out of three are proven.

~Diane Stresing