Two New Tools When Writing Websites

Site Meter

Do you measure the visitors that land on your website or blog? There is quite a science attached to this strategy. You can learn what search terms brought them to your site, if they came from Explorer, Firefox or Safari, how long they stayed, what page they arrived on and what the last page was they visited before they left.

This information can be very valuable if you are striving to drive traffic to your site based on key word search rather than someone that knows you and knows your company name and intentially visits your site. I’m in the process of learning/understanding/utilizing this tool as I strive to drive traffic to my Policy for Social Media manual. You may already use Google Analytics but have you heard of Site Meter?

I was impressed with the level of detail the reports provide. I have added both services to my sites and look forward to comparing the results.

Link Within

Have you read a blog and at the end of the article, found several additional article titles with hyperlinks.  “If you liked this, you may also enjoy…”  Well, Link Within takes it one step further. Add the HTML code for Link within to the end of your post and it will generate additional articles titles from your blog archives, but rather than provide the list in words – you’ll see the blog recommendations in photo form. Check out the end of this post for an example.

Do You Have a Policy for Social Media?

As companies realize the value of actively participating in social media the next question after “how” is “how do I protect my company’s brand?”

Unless you are a company of One, you most likely have an associate providing content and connecting with customer/prospects via social media.

How do you make sure they say the right things?

How do you protect your brand?

A lot of companies are saying – rather than run the risk, I’ll just block social media from being available.

The problem with this is that it keeps your customers from connecting and building relationships with your associates. People buy from PEOPLE they like and trust – not corporations.

So you need to bite the bullet and allow social media access. The best way is be defining the sand box, giving clear instructions and then monitoring the actions.

Having a policy for social media is the best place to start. Clearly define the hows and how-nots so that there aren’t any grey areas.  You don’t want an employee spilling the beans of your next top secret marketing campaign and then saying “oh, I wasn’t suppose to share that on Facebook?”

I have created a policy manual – a policy for social media which includes 16 policies and the detailed procedures for each one.  You can make changes or additions, but at least you’ll have something in writing if you start with my policy for social media kit.

Check it out. For a small investment of $49.95 you’ll have peace of mind that you’ve defined the rules of social media participation.

Number One Tip for Writing Websites People Read

You can find hundreds if not thousands of articles and blog posts that offer a number of tips and techniques for writing websites, but you can forget it all and just remember this one tip:

Write the content with the reader in mind.

So lame sounding.  Right?  There’s no V8 moment here.  Except so few website writers understand the importance of putting yourself in the shoes of the reader and write using the words and phrases that will resonate with their needs.

We think:  conversion ratio

We think: search engine optimization

We think: getting on the first page of Google search results

That’s all well and good – but once the reader clicks on your website – what will keep them reading long enough to click on a button, buy a product or send you an email?

Content written with the reader in mind.

I would suggest that you look at your website content through the CRITICAL eyes of your target prospect.  Do your headlines grab their attention?

Do you talk about results?

Do you ask questions that strike a chord with the reader?

Perhaps you need a freelance web writer experienced in understanding the value of writing with the reader in mind.

The Best Landing Pages Offer Current Information

So what is the latest trend in your industry? What are people talking about? Have you discovered the value of Search Twitter’s Advance search capability?

Visit Search Twitter and click on the Advanced search button. You’ll see a form like pictured above that allows you to enter a lot or a little information:

• Key word exact or in any form
• Geographic location
• Person’s name
• Company name
• “?” to find people asking questions about a key word phrase
• “:)” or “:(” to find comments that are positive or negative about a key word phrase

I find that entering a key word phrase and the “?” provides valuable information on what people are searching for. People want to read what is current.  They want to learn more about a topic that is of interest.

By using the advanced search option on Twitter you’ll find the latest trends and topics of interest.  Use that information when writing content for your blog or when providing articles or website content that people will find of interest.

Is Your Blog Kindle Ready?

The number of handheld reading devices owned by your target prospect grows everyday.  Did you know that you can sign up with Amazon and create a Kindle-friendly blog so that people can subscribe to your blog and read it on their handheld device?

It is simple. 

• Sign into the Kindle Store on Amazon
• Sign up for the Kindle Publishing and click on Add a Blog
• Enter the feedburner URL for your blog
• Upload a header image or logo
• Include a title and description

Amazon will review your application and attach a subscription price.  My Customer Relationships blog Make or Break Moments is available for $1.99 per month. 

Do you make a fortune.  No – but if the goal is to be available to your target prospects where they are in the format they prefer – this just gives them one more option.

Mashable has a great article on publishing your blog on Kindle that you might want to check out.

Keep Reader’s Focus in Mind When Writing Websites

Have you ever thought about how the reader’s eye travels when they land on your site? Just like reading a newspaper or a magazine; there are premium spots and then there is the gutter or BELOW the fold. 

Here is an image that depicts the top four areas of your site from an article in Entrepreneur.

The biggest point to take note of when writing website content is to make sure you have a prominently displayed call to action. Each page should have a purpose.  You need to ask yourself, what do I want the reader to do on this page? 

Click on a link?

Pick up the phone?

Fill out a form?

Make a purchase?

What ever that action is – make sure you have a clear and easy to understand call to action for the reader to respond to.

E-Newsletter Writing Tips from a Newsletter Writer

Are you connecting with customers and prospects with a regular e-newsletter? Newsletter writers will tell you that to be effective, you need to provide value rather than promoting your latest product.  Here are just a few tips for writing newsletters that people read:

1. Keep it short. People aren’t going to read a long newsletter.

2.  Offer value not a sales pitch. You may have a call to action at the end, but the body of the newsletter should be informative, timely and valuable.  If it is just a sales pitch – they’ll only open it once – you want regular readers.

3.  Link within the body of the article to additional sites that add even more value – one of those might be your site, but use other resources as well.

4.  If you are writing more than one article – just include the first paragraph and then link to the “rest of the story.” Send them to your website or blog for the entire article.

5.  Headlines and subject lines are key.  There is a whole science around creating effective subject lines that get past the spam filters and then are enticing enough to be clicked on by the reader.  I would encourage you to study articles that Copyblogger has written on the subject.  Here’s an article with 13 emotion-filled headlines that work.

Looking for a newsletter writer – that is my specialty.  Here is an archive of newsletters I’ve written for my company.  Check out the writing style – if this is something you could use for your company – give me a buzz.  330-414-8792.

What are the Benefits of a Freelance Blog Writer?

You want to have a blog but just don’t have the time to write.  Or perhaps writing isn’t one of your top skills.  Have you considered hiring a freelance blog writer? 

Freelance blog writers offer the benefits of:

• Being familiar with the different style of blog writing – not the same as marketing writing
• Knowing how to incorporate key word phrases into the blog content
• Creating readable blog posts
• Understanding the value of a great headline
• Taking this task off your to-do list!

Why do you hesitate?

Most say it is because a freelance blog writer wouldn’t understand their industry or be able to write in a way that correctly projects their brand image.  In a recent article called The Ghost Speakers, blog writers from around the globe share their secrets to successfully writing for someone else.

Here’s what I tell my clients that hire my blog writing service.  I meet with my clients to discuss what topics they’ll want to cover.  They provide information for me to research.  Often my clients will send me a voice mail or email with a topic and a couple of bullet points and I take it from there.  I send the blog posts to them for approval before posting to ensure that the tone of voice is correct and that I’ve correctly depicted their viewpoints on the subject.

For less technical blogs like gardening or crafting that I also have an interest in – we discuss broad topics and I fill in the blanks. 

The benefits of a freelance blog writer speak for themselves – you are increasing your visibility on the web without the added burden of having to write a blog post each week.

Incorporating Video SEO for Your Website

Keeping with the theme of video on your website, we have an article with Dos and Don’ts from Mikal Belicove entitled  Video SEO for your website.

Don’ts and Do’s 

• Do post quality video on your website.

• Don’t post video to YouTube assuming that it will drive traffic to your site.

• Do submit to search engines both your videos and the pages on which they appear.

• Do contact your video platform provider to ensure your content is properly indexed and drives traffic back to your site rather than the platform provider’s.

• Don’t assume your video platform provider will point links from your video back to your site. Ask.

Here are more tips for video SEO from the social media giant, Mashable.

More Tips on Using Video on Your Website

So let’s stick with the same theme of adding video to your website. Once you’ve filmed the video, uploaded to the Internet and embedded into your site – how do you get an audience (besides your kids) to watch and start the process of creating a viral video?

In an article by David Carnoy entitled Taking Your Video Viral, he offers five great tips. I want to focus on tip #3:

Tap a creator with a built-in audience. If you’re a YouTube newbie, you may only get a few dozen hits (mostly from your friends). But Nalty, author of a free e-book loaded with tips, says he gets more than 40,000 views on each video. “The most important way to get organic views is to have your video uploaded by someone who has subscribers,” says Nalty, who has about 65,000 subscribers. To find these users, click on YouTube’s “Channels” tab, then choose the “Most Subscribed” link.

Why reinvent the invitation list when there are others out there already communication with thousands that will find your video of interest or of value as well.  Not just on YouTube but also think about the Twitter-People (Tweople) you follow.  Maybe send a tweet to those who also have a large following and create some buzz.

Use key words and benefits statements in your tweet and emails that advertise your latest video message.

This video shows 7 tips for making your video viral. This inappropriate thumbnail is just one of the tips he suggests – selecting a thumbnail image that will attract viewers and inspire them to click. This video itself is not inappropriate.