Copywriting

The Effective Use Of Keywords

In general, you've got 8 seconds to persuade a visitors to take action on your site. Effective copywriting will not only help your web site rank higher in the search engines, but at the same time be informative and interesting to the reader. Getting a visitor to your site is half the battle, and keeping them there is just as important. Your content drives user action, conversions, sales, and customer retention. Content that is good for visitors, is also good for search engines.

Varying Keywords

Changes to the algorithms that some search engines employ (predominantly Google) mean that a varied use of keywords is good. Instead of using one or two of your most important key phrases or words throughout your text, we like to use sensible alternatives. It is also important not to overdo the number of times you include a certain keyword. Search engines view this as keyword cramming, or spamming, and penalize a site accordingly. Additionally, the text will also read as though it is forced; a big negative in the eyes of your visitors.

Know Your Visitors

The language conveyed on your website should match the required language your visitors. This is not only true with regards to differences in wording and spelling but also demography. If a website is aimed at novices or complete beginners then the language used on that site should be simple without being patronizing. It should not include the unadulterated use of technical jargon without an explanation. In contrast, a site that provides technical knowledge for technically savvy people can be more complex. It can include widely recognized jargon and technical terms.

Use Format Styles

Visitors have a tendency to scan information on web pages and look for the relevant information. As such, we like to make use of formatting styles.

* Headings and subheadings allow visitors to quickly find the sections that interest them, and they also break the text down into sizeable chunks.

* Bold important words or phrases but don’t overdo it. Too much highlighted text appears messy and is counter productive.

* Links also stand out. Most websites include links in a different color text and underlined. Ensure that the linking text is relevant and useful to provide visitors with another method to find relevant information.

* Other formatting methods that can provide value include numbered and unnumbered lists, underlined words, quotes, and more.

Search engines are also known to offer extra weight to keywords that are included in properly formatted headings and subheadings. This is also true, although to a lesser extent, of formatted text.

The bottom line is content counts, and it is critical for visitors and search engines to be concise and persuasive.