Category Archives: copywriting

How To Write Compelling Optimized Web Copy – Part 5

“Headlines matter now more than
they ever did”

Let’s recap what you’ve learned about what’s involved in writing optimized web copy that gets readers to act:

You know why it’s important to know your target market like the back of your hand.
You’ve learned why you must research and using the right keywords and phrases, so you can include them in the right places on your web pages.
And last week, I discussed the different types of research that will make the difference between a useless website, (is as useful as a paperweight), or one that attracts visitors and converts them to paying clients.

But I bet you’re thinking … you haven’t written a single word of web copy yet.

Well, today in Part 5 of How to Write Optimized Web Content…

You’re going to start by learning how writing powerful headlines will give your web visitors a reason to keep reading.

From Seth Godin’s blog…

“Headlines provoke and introduce. They cajole and they position.”

“No headline = no communication.”

Just in case you don’t know Seth Godin – he’s a highly respected marketing guru and a best-selling author, so he knows his stuff.

The purpose of a headline on a web page (and every page needs a headline) is to immediately tell the reader they’re in the right place to get the help they want, so they’ll stay on your site.

There are many proven “formulas” to write engaging headlines such as:

“How to…”
Showing a big benefit
Ask a provoking question
Make a promise
“Secrets of…”
(There are a ton more, but I’m not getting into it today)

And no matter which one you end up using, your headline needs to get the reader’s attention in about 3 seconds or less.

Also try to write headlines that are clear, concise, unique, and include specifics if possible.

Since Google looks at the copy in your main headlines to tell them what the page is about, each page headline should also include the primary keyword phrase you came up with in your keyword research.

Personally, I write 15-20 possible headlines. Some will be good – some will be bad, and everything in between.

Then I’ll send them to people that fit the target market, and ask them to tell me which ones get their attention the fastest. (That’s my own marketing survey).

After deciding on the best one for the main headline, I’ll use the others as subheadings later, when I write the actual copy.

Coming up with a great headline for your web pages that will attract search engine visitors, and compel them to continue reading isn’t an option …

Great headlines are crucial! (That is, if you want more leads and customers).

And just like the other basics I’ve shared, it takes time and work. It’s not too often a great headline just jumps out of the blue, without any thought.

Just like any other profession or trade, practice and preparation is the key to success.

If you’ve been reading my previous posts about writing compelling and optimized web copy, by now you should start to realize how much time and effort truly goes into it.

So, unless you’re willing to spend your valuable time learning the ropes so you can write web that works, you may want to consider hiring a professional copywriter to get the job done right.

By the way…That would be me. : – )

Any comments or questions?

To get more information about finding good keywords, SEO, the benefits of powerful copy, about this post, web/online advice, or about my direct response web copywriting services, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140.

In case you missed the first two parts of this series, here are the links.

Till next week then…

What are your thoughts?

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

How To Write Compelling Optimized Web Copy – Part 4

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Last week, we talked about the backbone of successful, optimized web copy: Researching for the right keywords.

Today’s in Part 4 of How to Write Optimized Web Content…

I’m going to explain why I spend the time to research and learn about your product or service – before I write a single line of web copy.
.

How does your product or service
benefit your prospects and customers?
.

It’s ironic how often most people can’t answer that simple question.

Or… maybe it’s not really that simple?

Regardless – this question must be answered before you or I can write web copy that attracts prospects to your website, and then compels them to contact you instead of your competition.

And this is where hiring a professional web copywriter can make the difference between night and day…

I’m sure you already know this, but to be most effective, each of your web pages should be optimized for only one primary product, using the keywords that you’ve already researched.

So here’s what I do next.

Once the product or service is determined, I spend my time to research the specific product. I’ll learn all about it including:

Product details
Why people use it
How people use it
The benefits they will get from using it
The industry jargon (words) your prospects may use to search for it
Who else provides your product
• How your product is different from your competitor’s
• And more…

To get this crucial information, I often look at websites, magazines, books, and sometimes even do my own surveys.

As I research, I take notes…

It usually involves several hours of research – but this is part of what takes to write a compelling and effective web page.

Or… your web page will sit there like a bump on a log – in the middle of nowhere.

Only then can you even think about starting to write web copy that rocks.

A friendly reminder – Write the copy for your readers first, and for search engines second.

In summary…Even if you think you know your product – research it anyway – and think about all the different things I look for.

I’ll betcha’ learn something new!

In case you missed the first two parts of this series, here are the links.

Till next week then…

What are your thoughts?

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

How To Write Compelling Optimized Web Copy – Part 3 of 7

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Last week, you learned why it’s so important to know who your target market is and what they’re looking for.

Now we’re gonna talk about…

Keywords: The backbone of your web strategy

You can help propel your site to the top of the search engine rankings … if you include the right keywords and keyword phrases … in the right places on your website.

But … If you don’t know what keywords to use, use the wrong keywords, use your keywords over and over in your copy, or just neglect to use them at all… then you might as well kiss any chance of a successful website goodbye.

Simply put – keywords and keyword phrases are the words Internet users type into the search engines to find your web site.

The search engine results pages (SERP) that Google, Bing, Yahoo, and even YouTube display are based on those keywords.

And they’re the ones that decide which sites to display (or not), and the order they are displayed, based on the the keywords in your:

Headlines
Subheads
The body copy
Page Title Tag
Description meta tag text
And hyperlink or anchor text

Granted, keywords are only one part of the complex formulas search engines use to figure which sites to display, but they are vital to your website getting found.

If you do like many people, and just whip up a website without any regard to how your prospects will find it using keywords, you might as well give your money to charity.

You must spend the time or pay a professional to research keywords and keyword phrases that will attract the search engines and the people searching for your product or service.

You can find the best keyword phrases for each of your web pages using free keyword research tools such as:

And as I mentioned earlier, make sure you use them the title bar, page headlines, link copy, and sprinkled throughout the body copy.

IMPORTANT — Write the copy for your readers first, and for search engines second. (Remember last week’s post about knowing your specific market?)

No doubt about it… Writing compelling copy for people and search engines is a delicate balance (not to mention much harder, and takes more time) but it’s worth the expense.

In summary…search engine optimization (SEO) and keywords is a specialized (and crucial) niche within then website industry, and many so-called SEO experts often providing inaccurate information.

So be careful. Most times, clear, concise and consistent application of SEO and keyword basics end up working better than “expert” advice.

In case you missed the first two parts of this series, here are the links.

Till next week then…

What are your thoughts?

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

How To Write Compelling SEO Web Copy – Part 2 of 7

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If you want search engines like Google and Bing to send more visitors to your website, there are only two primary ways to get them to pay any attention to you.

You either need to pay for Pay-Per-Click ads, or you must optimize your website’s copy and content specifically for them. (Or both)

I’m going to talk about writing optimized web copy.

Last week, you learned why a great web copywriter is crucial to your success – because it attracts people who are searching for your product or service.

Step 1 – “Behind-the-scenes” look into writing effective optimized web copy

And it’s not what you probably think…

The first thing you need to do – even before you write a single word – is to know who your target market is.

For example:

Who will be searching for your product?
Why they are searching for it?
What will they use it for?
Are they looking for information, or are they ready to buy now?

Knowing the answers to these questions will make it easier to write copy that’s focused on them, using the terminology they use. Basically creating a “personna”, a virtual visitor, if you will.

(Of course, this particular information is the key to the success of all your marketing communications and techniques.)

But it involves spending time researching and thinking about them, and how your product or service relates to solving their problems.

Knowledge is power, especially when you have it and your competitors are just guessing.

Personally, I spend an hour or two, maybe three researching, and giving thought to who will be searching, so I can figure out how to best give web visitors exactly what they’re looking for.

Next week, I’ll provide you Step 2 in this mini-series from a professional web copywriter.

Till next week then…

What are your thoughts?

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

7 steps to search engine optimized web copy that sells

7 Replies

Are you one of the thousands of New Hampshire business owners disappointed by the dismal number of qualified leads and sales your website generates?

If you are, I got news for you… You’re not alone!

Let’s see if we can figure out why.

From my experience, one big (ahem – huge) reason that most websites don’t perform is because there’s no good, compelling web copy to persuade readers to read more and take the whatever action you want them to.

And if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When most businesses hire someone to develop and design a website, they don’t put a priority on search engine optimized copy that’s also laser-focused on the reader.

Instead, web designers usually use a company brochure for the copy they put on your site. But on the Internet, knowing what to say and how to present your sales message is important to your site’s success.

Why is this? There are several common reasons, but it usually boils down to keeping the price as low as possible by not hiring a good web copywriter, the designer being lazy, or just not understanding how important compelling web copy really is to get good results.

Why do you need a good web copywriter?

If you want your website to attract and persuade prospects, then optimized and compelling web copy is not only important, but it’s crucial! (Assuming you want your website to produce results)

Good web copy that sucks prospects in like a vacuum cleaner is going to cost you up-front, but they’re worth every penny. And because it’s a lot of work and takes a lot more time than you think, not many people can write good web copy.

The irony here is that lousy or no web copy could can cost you a small fortune. (and you’ll know if your copy sucks, because nobody ever calls you after looking at your website) Namely from lost opportunities and sales, which you’ll never ever realize.
.

Great web copy doesn’t grow on trees

You see, in a nutshell, the purpose of compelling web copy is:

• To help get your website found by search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo)
• Then to get your prospects attention once they’re on your web site, so they’ll keep reading
• Show them they are in the right place, and how your company can help them
• Build trust, and give them a reason to do business with you
• And finally… tell them what to do next

Quite frankly, most people think they can write for the web well (and a few can), but the truth is – most can’t.

That’s why some people write persuasive web copy for a living, and most others don’t. because they’re better at writing great web copy than everyone else.

So starting next week, I’m going to tell you about Step 1 from a “behind-the-scenes” look into the world of web and SEO copywriting from an insider’s perspective. And I’ll show you all the work that’s necessary to write effective web copy that will accomplish all the things in the list above.

What do you think?

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

Part 15 of 15… Marketing and advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 14 of 15… Marketing and advertising power tips for NH small business owners

1 Reply

Let’s discuss Part 14 of the 15 Profitable Marketing Power Tips you should use in every marketing or advertising technique you use to promote your business.

If you own or manage a business, and are responsible for generating new prospects and clients with advertising, then you can use this technique to increase response to any of your sales copy.

Let’s face it. There just aren’t too many of us who like to listen to people talk about themselves. (except for the ones doing the talking, of course)

How often does this happen to you?

You’re at a networking event, and some guy in a suit comes up to you and introduces himself.

The next thing you know, he starts rambling on and on and on about himself, how wonderful he is, and how he’s the best thing since sliced bread – but do you really care about how great he is?

Personally, when that happens to me, I just wanna throw up.

But that’s just me. And you probably want to know what it’s got to do with marketing, anyway.

What would have happened if instead of him talking about his greatness for five minutes, he would have asked you some questions about yourself, your business, and what kind of business problems you faced? How would you feel then?

Maybe like he was more interested in you and how he could help you, than in himself?

Hmmm… Novel idea, huh?

Let me ask you this…

Have you ever read an ad or a website that did the same exact thing… “we do this”, or I’ve been there and done that”, or we’re the best”?

Of course you have – most of ’em are! Unfortunately, that’s what most people write… about themselves, not what will get results.

But what they should be saying … is about you … and how they can help you.

You’ve heard it before – “What’s in it for me!” or WIIFM.

That’s what people care about – themselves – not you. People are inherently selfish and are usually motivated by their own needs and wants.

Profitable Marketing Power Tip #14:

Every word in all of your marketing copy should speak directly to your prospect and their problems, and how you can solve them.

So after you write sales copy, go through it and look for the words I, we, ours, and us. Then rewrite those sentences using “good words” like you, yours, and you’ll. You should be using the “good words” about three times to every time you use a “bad word”.

Your marketing copy will be smokin’ hot, (see how I used it), because your prospects will be reading about themselves, not you.

Do you agree?

To check out the previous tips you may have missed, the links are below:

Part 1 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 2 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 3 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 4 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 5 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 6 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 7 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 8 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 9 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 10 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 11 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 12 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 13 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

Part 13 of 15… Marketing and advertising power tips for NH small business owners

1 Reply

Today is Part 13 of the 15 Profitable Marketing Power Tips you should use in every marketing or advertising technique you use to promote your business.

If you own or manage a business, and are responsible for generating new prospects and clients with advertising, then this tip will help you increase response to your sales copy, no matter what media you use..

Almost everyone knows what a guarantee or warranty is.

Basically, if you buy something from me, and it fails to work like I promised, I’ll fix it for free.

Of course, some guarantees are better than others.

Some really suck, making you pay all the shipping costs… and some are great, even sending you pre-paid boxes to mail off the defective merchandise back.

But I’m surprised how many business owners don’t even mention their guarantees in their sales copy.

I don’t understand why – because mentioning your guarantee can be a very useful and compelling reason why your prospect would buy from you, instead of your competitors.

Your guarantee can be the tipping point in their decision to buy.

And if you take away any risk of losing money by offering and conveying a great warranty, you remove a huge obstacle from their buying decision.

For example: Have you ever read a letter that includes a guarantee something like this?

“If you’re not happy with the results you get from this product in 30 days, we’ll refund every penny you paid including shipping, and you can even keep what’s left for your trouble”

Come on now… If you are interested in this particular product, you can’t lose if you buy it! They take all the risk out of your purchase.

Profitable Marketing Power Tip #13:

A good guarantee carries a ton of power in any sales message, because it takes away the risk of purchasing your products.

So make sure to provide a great warranty (but not so crazy that it sounds too good to be true), and make sure you tell the world about it in every sales message you write.

Do you agree?

To check out the previous tips you may have missed, the links are below:

Part 1 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 2 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 3 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 4 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 5 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 6 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 7 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 8 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 9 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 10 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 11 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 12 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

Part 10 of 15… marketing and advertising power tips for NH small business owners

2 Replies

Today is Part 10 of the 15 Profitable Marketing Power Tips you should use in every marketing or advertising technique you use to promote your business.

Quick question for you… Do you want your prospects read your sales copy?

If your sales copy reads like a complicated legal brief, uses big, complex words, or doesn’ t directly relate to your reader on a personal level… they probably won’t.

They’re more likely to completely ignore it, and you’ll lose any chance to make a sale.

Profitable Marketing Power Tip #10:

You gotta remember that it’s people who read your sales letters, ads, and web copy – not robots or businesses.

Every time you write any marketing copy… whether it’s your company brochure, a sales letter, websites, emails, or whatever…

Make sure the sales copy is written with some personality.

You want it to sound like you wrote it specifically for the reader, using short and simple language. A trick I sometimes use is to pretend like I’m talking one-on-one with a friend over a beer.

It forces me to talk to him in a way he can easily understand. That, in turn, helps me write copy that sounds simple, but still clearly communicates the message I want to convey.

Most people don’t like it when you talk over their heads, but many still write and even talk using language that sounds impressive, but turns off their audience, because they don’t understand it.

Do you agree?

To check out the previous tips you may have missed, the links are below:

Part 1 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 2 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 3 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 4 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 5 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 6 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 7 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 8 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 9 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

15 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners… Part 9

6 Replies

Today is Part 9 of the 15 Profitable Marketing Power Tips you should use in every marketing or advertising technique you use to promote your business.

Did you know that you can get higher response when you include exact numbers in sales copy and headlines, as opposed to using rounded off numbers?

“It’s true”… according to well known copywriters such as Clayton Makepeace and Bob Bly.

But when people write sales or ad copy and headlines, they usually don’t know the numbers, or they’re plain lazy, so they just round off, or use numbers that sound impressive, but aren’t accurate.

And what happens?

Often they don’t sound true, and the copy sounds weak and kind of wimpy.

Profitable Marketing Power Tip #9:

Use actual specifics in all sales copy and headlines.

It will make your copy and headlines much more powerful, plus it will sound more believable to your readers.

This will boost your response rate.

Here’s an example:

Bad – How Mike C. from ABC Company saved thousands over a year’s time simply by changing his company’s health insurance plan.

Good – How Mike C. from ABC Company saved $3,142.00 in 9 short months simply by changing his company’s health insurance plan.

See the difference?

Do you agree?

To check out the previous tips you may have missed, the links are below:

Part 1 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 2 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 3 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 4 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 5 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 6 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 7 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

Part 8 marketing & advertising power tips for NH small business owners

If you want help with your marketing strategy, writing effective sales copy, have any comments, or have a marketing project you’d like help with, e-mail me or call me at 603-686-5140

And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.

To your marketing success!

Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter

Sales Copy and Marketing Advice That Sells

Direct Response Marketing & Copywriting for New Hampshire Businesses

Category Archives: copywriting

How To Write Compelling Optimized Web Copy – Part 5

“Headlines matter now more than
they ever did”

How To Write Compelling Optimized Web Copy – Part 4

How does your product or service
benefit your prospects and customers?
.

How To Write Compelling Optimized Web Copy – Part 3 of 7

Keywords: The backbone of your web strategy

How To Write Compelling SEO Web Copy – Part 2 of 7