If you pay any attention to the digital world, you’ve heard the phrase “content is king” way too many times. Yes, with algorithm updates like Panda, Fresh, Penguin, Penguin 2.0, Google rewards high quality content more than ever before.
But how do you translate that content into what really matters – customers paying to use your products and services?
Techniques You can Use to Maximize the Power of Your SEO Content
You certainly can’t control what your website’s visitors do after they consume your content, but you can make it easier for them to take your desired action, which ultimately boosts your profits. Take a look at how you can use content to skyrocket your sales:
- Know how to give your audience what it wants. You can attract your audience’s attention by developing SEO content that generates controversy by taking an unusual angle on a traditional subject. However, that method is hit-and-miss. Instead research your audience, and know what questions they want answered.
If you have a customer service team, or if you interact with customers directly, then you probably hear many of the same questions over and over again. If you operate in a competitive industry, the FAQs on other websites may make good blog post titles. You can also check your social media profiles to see what people talk about the most, and the more you educate them on the subject, the more they get to know, like, and trust you. Ultimately, this positions you as the best resource to purchase from.
- It’s all about the headline. To get people to read your content, you have to have an incredible headline. Think about it – when you search Google, what do you notice first in the listings? First you notice that very large headline, and second you read a bit of the meta description.
Professional SEO content developers keep “swipe files,” which are basically cheat sheets of all the most effective headlines they’ve used in the past. If you’re not a pro headline writer, you can always go with time-tested winners that begin with “How-To” and list posts “7 Tips To…” These headlines are known to convert at a decent rate.
The headline for this article uses the “How-To” title, but it also uses that word “skyrocket.” I could have used “increase” instead, but which word makes more of an impact on you – “skyrocket” or “increase?”
- Writing for web readers. Some people tend to minimize the skill it takes to write for the web. Yes, the language is informal in nature, but at the same time, writing well to get your visitors to take your desired action is quite an art form.
It’s important to have an attractive headline at the top of every page, and then subsequently engaging sub-headers throughout the copy. Any information contained in bullets should also be very valuable to the user.
Why? Because people on the web skip over most words and only pay attention to the part’s that are most interesting. So, you set up your writing for people who read that way.
Another technique is to use single-sentence paragraphs all by themselves – it helps direct reader attention to very important points.
- Conversational language. Every copywriter who is of any stature recommends you write in casual language, avoiding jargon. Bob Bly, America’s foremost direct response copywriter for both print and the web, says so himself.
Further, this extends to every type of audience you write for – even big-time CEOs and technical masterminds.
Why? Because business, and especially so in today’s society, is all about getting straight to the point. People don’t want to figure out what your jargon means, and neither do they care how smart you are.
To get and keep people’s attention, you have to be clear, concise, down-to-earth, and straight-to-the-point.
KISS, “Keep It Simple Stupid” is a more important skill to SEO content writers than almost any other type of professional.
- Depth. Now at first, this point will appear to conflict with the previous point, but hear me out on this one. The previous point was to keep it conversational, but at the same time you want to make your SEO content deep.
The typical post/web page is somewhere around 500 words. If you’re browsing through 500-word web pages all day long, which of them do you remember? None! You’ve been looking at the same thing all day long, so nothing stands out.
On the Dan’s SEO Copywriting Blog, many of our posts push 1,000 words, and rarely do they ever stay at 500. Writing longer in-depth posts is a great way to capture people’s attention and educate them, which helps them know, like, and trust you.
And, I don’t fall into the trap of writing just to get more words on the page. Every word counts and is designed to offer value to the reader of the post.
- Calls-to-action. If you don’t tell people what to do when they reach your website, they won’t do it. By telling people what to do, they’re not guaranteed to take the action, but it’s much more likely.
However, a compelling call-to-action doesn’t just tell people to “buy now.” Instead, it offers a benefit, combined with requesting the user take the action now. Instead of “buy now,” say “buy now to get 50% off.” That’s much more attractive to your site’s visitors.
Also important is the placement of the call-to-action. If you place it too early in your copy, people won’t understand the true value your services offer, so they’ll become confused and not take the action. Clearly communicate the value you offer and the problems you solve for them, and then make the call-to-action. That approach to writing SEO content will make your conversions explode.
- Regular updating. In addition to making your SEO content interesting, it’s also important to publish regularly. 1 blog post per week is the bare minimum you should aim for. Ideally, this number is 2-3 times per week.
You might be somewhat concerned that you’ll run out of ideas. At times, ideas will be hard to come by, but if you really keep your eyes and ears open, you’ll find plenty to write about. Just like with headlines, pro SEO content writers keep a swipe file of ideas and sources of ideas that make it easy to find more ideas to write about.
Follow These Steps for Producing Compelling SEO Content that Converts
If you haven’t already realized it, developing powerful SEO content is a process that requires the skills of a professional. It’s hard work, and the amount of digital content created each day is skyrocketing.
One SEO guru I knew once said, “The quality of your content determines the quality of the customer you attract.” How true!
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