Effective Web Content, Blogging and SEO – How to Put It All Together

Ever tried to build IKEA furniture and failed miserably?

A chest of drawers or the PAX wardrobe, perhaps?

How about the divorce maker? Yes, the famed storage unit from hell.

Don’t you hate how things appear simple at first?

But then no part seems to fit?

Arrrgh, the frustration.

Well, getting your content marketing machine to work is a lot like that.

People at the back…

Hands up if you want to generate leads like Christmas came early.

I see a good number of hands.

The solution is simple.

Don’t underestimate the power of blogging, effective web content, and SEO.

Or simply put, content marketing.

We are in a new era of online marketing.

Where old lead generation methods no longer work.

People (read: prospective customers) want objectivity now more than ever.

No, scratch that.

They crave your POV, not some ad circus that’d drive the Grinch mad.

Your audience wants informational content first and the pitch (if any) later.

This, my friend, is one of the joys of working with a tech-savvy-ish shopper.

And they are in no hurry; they’ll buy when they feel ready.

When they feel they know and trust you.

Hence, content marketing, which, if you are wondering, has a lot to do with:

• blogging,
• effective web content,
• SEO,
• email newsletters,
• social media,
• and a few other things we won’t mention here today.

Content marketing is basically providing information to market your business users need to solve a problem.

And when they’ve had their fill of the right information, they will buy whatever you’re selling.

The whole point of content marketing isn’t to sell directly.

But to stimulate interest in what you offer. You know, indirectly.

You’d think it’s obvious, this content marketing business.

But it’s not, especially for newbies testing the waters.

So…

How do you oil your content marketing machinery to win big business?

How do you put it all together this blogging, website content, and SEO stuff?

Let us begin with some quality content, shall we?

Creating Effective Web Content

Whether yours is a one-pager or mammoth website, your first selling point is the quality of your web content.

You are a professional.

You provide high-quality products and services, right?

Your web content should not indicate otherwise.

The content you post shouldn’t be your Achilles’ heel.

Can’t write without kittens dying?

Get a head start with professional web content writing.

You want high conversion rates, don’t you?

Invest money and time in your content.

Don’t stop where the web content tips in today’s post end. Take action.

That aside, how good are you at writing great SEO content?

If you’re new, which is cool by the way, you want to learn a few things on:

• How to Create Captivating Headlines
• Using subheadings to break down your content into sections
• Using bulleted lists (like this one) to highlight points and draw attention
• SEO keyword research. And how to avoid over-optimization, you crazy keyword addict, or Google will hang you out to dry for keyword stuffing. Damn, a sentence full of keywords, which is exactly what I’m talking about.
• How to Link Building Like The Last Ninja Alive
• The Call to Action (CTA)
• Starting with your conclusion. Why the last becomes the first
• Being objective as opposed to overly promotional

You draw closer to your goals when your content is:

• Objective since you remove all ‘marketese’ or ‘salesy’ web content. In other words, don’t force content or products down anyone’s throat. Provide useful information instead and trust your leads to make the right decision.
  
• Concise because you keep things short and sweet. Honestly, this is often easier said than done. I know this from first-hand experience. I love writing tons of words to express my ideas. You can’t blame me. I read authors who say ‘thou needst hark to the rhythm of thy soul,’ so yeah 😀
  
• Easy to scan since you use captivating headlines, boldface, varied text colors, bulleted lists, etc., to improve readability.
  
• Well SEO-optimized to rank first in Google and other search engines

The above changes improve your website content 10X no matter your level of experience.

What if you run a blog as well?

Blogging (and How to Get Good at It)

The fact that you have a blog is encouraging.

It means, among other things, you are committed to the webpreneur lifestyle.

You really want to make ends meet as an online entrepreneur.

But, at times, you are scared senseless when things don’t work out.

This said…

Owning a blog, running one, and becoming good at it are three different animals.

The web content tips we saw above also apply to blogging.

Still, there are a few extras to keep in mind.

Quickly before that, here are some blogging stats you might find interesting:

• Google loves blogs, especially WordPress blogs, which, quite coincidentally, are easy to optimize with SEO plugins.
• 60% of businesses have a blog. Left in the dust? Talk to me.
• 71% of blogs report better visibility compared to standalone websites.
• 77% of internet users read blogs. And you thought reading is dead.
• Over 300 million people read a blog every month. This includes members of your target audience.
• Your blog is the unknown barrier standing between you and higher conversion rates.

Source: http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/research

With that off my chest, here are extra blogging tips as promised.

Decide on a posting schedule that works for your target audience

This is the biggest difference between blogging and website content.

Although it’s ill-advised, you can go long periods without updating website pages.

Woe unto you if you do the same with a blog.

You have to keep things fresh with a blog.

That’s right.

Posting lots of content regularly bears the sweetest of fruits in terms of traffic and engagement.

On the other hand, infrequent, unplanned, and “whenever-I-feel-like-it” posts don’t work.

That said, remember too much isn’t necessarily fruitful if it’s AI slop or low-quality content.

For best results, create a schedule, so readers know when to expect more of your awesome content.

It’s the simple things that matter. Yep, like a simple posting schedule.

Rule of thumb: Once or twice per week/month is perfect for beginners.

A daily posting schedule is something I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole, but that’s me.

And who knows? I might change my stance in the future.

Besides, you might have the budget and a team of dedicated writers to pull it off.

Add me to your team of content writers.

Brainstorm blog ideas

You can write about anything under the sun.

You can blog about your area of expertise or a passion.

Or research so much about a topic, become an SME, and then write about it.

This means taking a topic, dismantling it, and sharing your perspective.

Sounds easy if you ask me.

Wrong.

It takes time and some tact.

Think of 10 blog ideas and throw them away.

Say huwhat?

Yes, then think of 10 more and throw them away as well.

You have to dig deep to come up with brilliant ideas for your audience.

SEO keyword tools might help, but you have to start somewhere. Right?

If you keep looking, you become an idea-generating machine.

Some ideas will come to you as you research totally unrelated topics.

Others will pop up in your head in the bathroom.

Keep your ideas in a to-do list on your phone, computer, or notebook.

Apps like Notepad and Evernote help if you can’t get to a pen and paper.

Never trust your brain to remember content ideas.

You will surely, before the sun rises from the East the next morning, forget.

Remain consistent

Fall in love with your online business and posting schedule.

Why?

Because you want readers (and prospects) to see commitment and consistency.

You might fail at this when you start, but the plan is to fail until you get it right.

Keep going, keep doing it.

Keep sticking it to the schedule until something gives. Yes, pun intended.

Don’t assume no one reads your blog, or nobody notices when you miss your dates.

If you promise a post every Wednesday or Sunday, keep your damn word.

This is a note to self.

The key is to stick to a consistent schedule, so readers expect your writing on a specific day.

Also, and this is important, a schedule forces you to get things done.

Without one, you will be all over the place.

Stumbling about like a bad dancer who can’t find a rhythm.

All over the dance floor, breaking a sweat without a date to show for it.

I digress.

I try my best to post regularly on this blog.

I also send out a free newsletter that’s christened “The Vista Post”.

Good thing this title isn’t official. Not yet.

I’m hoping for something better like those poor kids in Stranger Things.

Something with a little pizzazz, so send in your suggestions 😀

The Mega Boom Pownewsletter perhaps? Because it packs a punch? God no.

Moving on shamelessly…

Reply to comments

I think you will agree that nothing says go away louder than ignored comments.

Or don’t you love it when someone replies to your comment on their post?

If someone asks a question or congratulates you in the comment section, show up and reply.

You never know where your next client comes from. Plus, you earn bonus points for being awesome.

If you really need motivation to show up, just know the comment section is a rich source of content ideas. Remember our “brainstorm ideas” point above?

But what if no one is commenting? Does this mean nobody is reading your articles?

The most self-defeating assumption you can make is that no one gives a hoot about your blog.

You are wrong to think nobody is reading your content.

Absolutely wrong.

Out of eight billion people on our lovely planet, you are bound to meet your tribe in no time.

By tribe, I mean people interested in what you offer. Your target audience, baby.

You need a little more patience. And perhaps some keyword research.

That, plus you can use your analytics reports to understand what readers want.

700 words or more, or whatever

Keep your website pages short (about 300 – 500 words).

But take your blog posts to any length you want.

This is the common advice we love to peddle online.

But who cares about word count? Certainly not Google.

And certainly not people who want more of your content.

Don’t get your panties in a bunch over word count.

Google doesn’t care if one word is all you need to cover a topic.

Or 10k words.

In my experience, the longer the content, the better.

It means you took the time to research the topic.

It also means your content is more valuable.

Well, sort of.

Let’s say 70 – 30 because some folks can write thousands of words of crap.

Secondly, longer content offers more real estate to add SEO keywords.

Allowing you to mix primary, secondary, and long-tail keywords naturally.

You know, to hit the ideal keyword density (KD), which sits at about 2.5% to 5.0%.

Don’t worry about this too much either.

Just write for people, and not search engines.

Then…

Spice up your blog posts with:

• Subheadings (relevant and informational)
• Bulleted lists
• SEO optimized images
• Short paragraphs
• Links to relevant internal and external resources
• Charts, infographics, quotes
• Videos
• Audio
• And so on

Just don’t overdo it or you risk breaking the user experience.

Promote and repeat

The mere mention of blog marketing throws beginners into a fit.

I just finished writing the best article. You mean I must market it as well?

Yes.

You need as many people as possible to find your post.

Are you starting and on a tight budget?

Use content marketing and social media to spread your message.

Compared to paid ads, content is cost-effective marketing for your business.

If you have some marketing money set aside, it doesn’t hurt to invest in content.

Hire a content writer and reap amazing rewards (in terms of traffic and revenue) for years.

Finally, do it over and over and over again.

Use your blog to educate, inspire, and finally stimulate interest in your offer.

Promote your content on social media like Madmen (God I loved that show).

Just don’t spam or troll.

This is the end of the blogging section for now.

Do you feel like I left something out?

Let me know in the comments or get in touch here.

Read more about blogging by Darren Rowse, blogger extraordinaire.

SEO – Search Engine Optimization like a Ninja

Yeah, ninjas are overrated and “ninja” is a largely misused word.

Who cares if you’re a ninja? Or Chris Tucker?

This is an odd comparison. Hehe.

But do ninjas do SEO? Or love WordPress?

And what does being a ninja have to do with content marketing?

It’s simple.

As a content ninja, like yours truly, you know ranking well in Google is all action.

Not empty talk.

But lots of white-knuckled, focused determination to win.

You know, Sisu.

And lots of keyword research and writing and cussing and rewriting and cussing some more.

You know the drill. Or perhaps not.

The point is…

Although high-quality content boosts brand authority, you can’t ignore SEO as a traffic generation tool.

And the fact that SEO is easy and cost-effective makes things more lucrative.

So how do you write good SEO content to rank on Google?

This here is the short, kick-ass answer:

• Create quality content without duplication. This is a big NO.
• Use captivating headings.
• Use your keywords (the terms prospects use to find you in Google) in your content, including headings and subheadings.
• Adding subheadings is also good for readability. In WordPress, don’t just boldyour subheadings. Select “heading2,” “heading3″ and so on inside the post editor. Leave “heading1” for titles.
• Break your SEO content into short paragraphs. Makes it easy to read.
• Include your keywords naturally in your SEO content at a density of 2.5%. That’s about twelve (12) keywords per 500 words. Use keyword variations liberally.
• Use your primary keyword in the introduction and conclusion.
• Link to other great and relevant (and high-authority) blogs and websites.
• Optimize all your images and add alt attributes.

Do this consistently for your web content and blog posts.

SEO takes time, but when it works, the effect snowballs.

That’s how you put it all together.

I have to run for now, but I’ll be sharing more tips later.

So join the free newsletter to stay in the loop.

Over to you:

Figure out where you’re falling behind.

This post offers a few basic tips to create effective web content.

See you around.