Use "Content" to please the Search Engines and YOUR Customers |
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Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Keyword Relevancy will Enrich Me.
Relevancy. What kind of a weird-o business model would use a word like that?
Answer? The kind of business that seeks to generate a profit on the Internet.
Now I’m listening.
The definition of Relevancy according to Webster’s is: “Having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue”.
So, how does “having a bearing or connection” to ANYTHING help your Internet business generate a profit?
By generating high rankings in the search engines and selling shoppers on the BENEFIT of your product.
Let’s step away for the definition of “relevancy” and talk about your web site in practical terms.
In order to generate revenue, you need a sale. In order to generate a sale, you need a customer. In order to generate a customer, you need a shopper. In order to generate a shopper…
Your website must be relevant to their needs.
First things first...
The Search Engine Myth. So many folks whine about how the search engines are standing in the way of customers and their web site.
Don’t blame them – if your store and its products don’t appear to be relevant to a customer’s search, they are just doing their job.
I have ALWAYS stated that the very best way to create a web site that ranks highly in the search engines is to offer content about your products. Now, content is a vastly overused term that has become a catch all for “information”. The truth is, the only kind of content that gets shoppers to your web site is the kind of content that is relevant to their needs.
You’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating.
What does an Internet shopper look for when they go online? They are looking for information. They are seeking a nugget or 2 of solid, tangible, applicable information that will help them justify a decision to make a purchase.
Let me just say that again.
“They are looking for information that will help them justify a decision to make a purchase”
Let’s say that you happen to have the product that they are looking for. You want that kind of customer to come to your site and buy from you. How do you do that?
By being relevant.
Am I going in circles? Okay. Let’s get down and boogey.
Search Engines Only Care About generating search results that are RELEVANT to a search.
That’s where content comes into play.
All of the gurus know this. They have said it in their e-books and courses and tele-seminars and newsletters.
They just don’t say it enough.
You need to create a web page that has Relevant Content (about your product) so that the search engines will come to the same conclusion that YOU want them to. You want them to conclude that your web page, in your web site, is all about a product that you’re selling.
How do you do that? By writing 150-300 words of customer oriented information that contains the keywords that your shopper is looking for.
This will accomplish 2 things.
More and more often, a search engine spider won’t even look at your meta tags unless you have content on that web page that is “Theme Relevant”.
“Theme Relevance” is a new paradigm in search engine algorithms. Instead of simply motoring through your web site counting how many time you use a particular word, they are now looking at all of the pages on your site and comparing them to each other.
They’re looking for a Theme - Similarities, Common Threads.
Let’s say you’re selling Air Cleaners in your Yahoo! Store. You’ve done your supply & demand research AND your keyword research and you’ve got a pretty good handle on what keywords folks are typing into the search engines to find Air Cleaners.
So, off you go to whip up your Yahoo! Store or web site. You name your URL something Relevant (like www.a1-air-clearners.com) , you plug more good keywords into your title & meta tags, and you upload some pretty pictures of Air Cleaners into your store.
Then, if a visitor arrives at your store-front they see:
“Wind God Air-Cleaner – On Sale $99.00 The is the best air cleaner on the market.”
Still waiting for the punch line?
Here’s the deal: I’m not an Air Cleaner Expert - most people are not. But I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that a search engine spider is NOT an Air Cleaner Expert either.
So, when that spider comes across that lame-o product title and product description, they figure;
"Geeze, that’s it? This site says it’s about Air Cleaners in the URL, Title & Meta Tags, but when I look at the words on the home page, there’s no proof! They must be trying to trick me! I’ll get even with them!”
And the next day you find that your Yahoo! Store is ranked 654,389 in Google when someone searches for “Air Cleaner”.
“Yeah but, I’m NOT trying to trick them!”
I know, but honestly, why would a customer, let alone a search engine spider want to come to your store if your not offering them RELEVANT information about a product that you’re trying to take their money for?
Think about that!
All you have to do is make a customer WANT to read about a product you’re offering and the SEARCH ENGINE SPIDERS will want to rank you, too!
Enough Theory. Here’s what you do.
For every product you have in your store, you must write a length of relevant ad copy that contains the keywords that your supply and demand research has directed you to use.
Meaning,
In every title of every product you have, the first few words should contain the keyword or the keyword phrase that your supply and demand research has directed you to use.
In every description of every product you have, you must include at LEAST 50 words of ad copy that conveys the BENEFITS of using or owning the product to your customer and ALSO contain your RELEVANT keywords.
Did you flunk English Comp? Okay – fine. Then, put on your customer shoes and do a little customer role-playing. Ask these questions.
Time to put my money where my mouth is.
Audrey told me to put up or shut up. She said, “Big words for you Big Guy…If you’re so smart, then do it.”
“Bring it on Baby! Gimme a product, ANY product!”
She handed me a piece of paper …
“Get to work”.
That’s why I love Audrey.
Fine.
Product Title: Printer Paper – Burlington Super White Printer Paper
Description: This Printer Paper is the perfect choice for any Business that requires high volume printing at an economical price. This Bright White Printer Paper comes in the standard size of 8.5 by 11 inches, so it will fit any standard Home Printer or Fax Machine. Burlington Printer Paper excels at holding crisp text and vibrant colors from any inkjet color or black and white printer because of it’s fine grain composition. With it’s special formulation, Burlington Bright White Printer Paper can be used safely in any plain paper fax machine – with out fear of a paper jam. This printer paper is so cost effective that you can use it to print and archive your documents, yet at 20 lbs thickness, so durable that it will stand the test of time- without discoloration. To use your all-purpose Burlington Printer Paper, simply configure your printer to the “Plain Paper” setting.
HA!
This must be pretty good paper!
Now, looking back at that product, can you guess what keywords my supply and demand researches have determined to be relevant? I’ll give you a hint – they start with a “P”.
:)
Ahhh. Here we are at the end of another long-winded newsletter. As I look back upon it, considering how much of it I should chop into bits, I’m overcome with an urge to summarize (Just so you don’t think this one was a waste of time)…
My friend, the best way to get ranked well in the search engines to write Ad titles and descriptions about your products that contain:
…from you.
Feed the spiders – educate them with relevant keywords. Help your customers to understand WHY “these ARE the Droids you’re looking for…” with benefits that contain relevant keywords.
Good Relevant Keyword Content –“Search Engine Friendly – Customer Approved”
Other things:
We’ll be starting a new newsletter series called “Diversifying your Business”. With recent world events, we’ve gotten a lot of email from customers who’ve told us that their sales are down, sometimes dramatically.
We’re not surprised. In rare circumstances, there’s nothing you can do but wait it out. But you can protect yourself, your family and your business by diversifying. It’s a key concept and proven strategy that has enabled us to keep generating the money we use to live, even when the markets get wonky.
And one of the easiest ways to add another stream of revenue to your business (besides opening up another Yahoo! Store) is through affiliate marketing.
I’m writing another review about a product that’s considered to be in the top 4 affiliate marketing systems on the Internet. (Just so you know, any product that I review – I OWN. So, it takes a little time to evaluate it. )
This product is called: ”Mini-Site Profits” by Mr. Phil Wiley. His web site is at http://www.ozemedia.com
Give me a week and I’ll post the review in the newsletter archives.
All righty then…
P.S. Just so you know, there are several resources that we've used to create the conditions on our web sites that generate good search engine rankings. By far, the most indispensable resource that we've found (besides trial and error) is a newsletter from a company called "Planet Ocean". Just about everyone I know in this business that has success with search engine rankings uses Planet Ocean's vast pool of search engine know-how to keep up to date. Do yourself a favor and sign up for their newsletter at http://www.searchenginehelp.com | |
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