The best place to put seo copy on your web page

It seems like a funny question to me, but it gets asked a lot. "Where should the SEO copy go on my Web page?" That question gets asked so much because there are several pieces of out-of-date information, rumors and myths with regard to text placement, when writing SEO copy. For instance, many absolutely swear that the copy has to be as high up on the page as possible for the search engines to find it. Not true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page. Others say all your text has to be in one block. Also not true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page. Other statements I've heard regarding text placement include: · Your headline must appear at the very top of the page. · Copy placed inside tables throws the search engines off. · Copy must be positioned above the fold to be found by the spiders. None of these are true. The spiders will find the text regardless of where it is on your page. (Or did I already say that… twice?) This is true in 99.9% of the cases, with only some very rare exceptions. So where is the best place to put SEO copy on your Web page? Wherever it makes sense to the site visitor! Spiders will find your text regardless of where it falls on the page. Want proof? Here's a test. Go to Google and type in any working URL. When the result comes up for that site, click on: "Show Google's Cache of…" In the box that appears at the top of the next page, click on this option: "This cached page may reference images which are no longer available. Click here for the cached text only." What do you see? You see exactly what the search engine sees. If the text appears in this text-only cache, that means Google's spider can read it and index it. Put Copy Where It Is Most Beneficial to Your Visitors Since the engines will find your text regardless of where it falls on the page, your focus should be placed on the site visitor. This is where your focus should always be. The people who have the money come first; the search engines come second. :) If it makes sense for your visitors to see your headline as the first thing on the page, then put it first. If a graphic design element makes more sense, then put that first. If you use photos or other images, include captions so your visitors understand what these photos mean and how they relate to the sales message. If you have an ecommerce site, create pages for each category of products you offer in order to help guide the visitors' steps. Then add short copy segments that quickly describe what is offered for each specific product. Even though the copy is scattered all about the page, the engines WILL find it. When it comes to copy placement on your Web pages, don't agonize over what the engines want you to do. Give 100% of your consideration to what would be most useful for your visitors and place your copy in those areas. The spiders will find it with no trouble at all.

The new secrets to copywriting that sells

Anyone who has worked with me over the past 25 years knows that my mantra has always been “benefits, benefits, benefits.” Benefit headlines … benefit copy … benefit subheads … benefit captions … anything to hammer home the customer benefits. Benefits are still a vital key, but today, copywriting needs much more than just benefits. To sell the most, copywriting needs to connect at a much deeper and more dramatic level than ever before. There are 6 main reasons why. I call them The New Secrets to Copywriting That Sells. 1. The “Yahoogle” effect Thanks to mega search engines like Yahoo and Google, tons of information on just about any topic, product or service is literally at your fingertips … for free. Here’s what that means to your marketing: • Internet search engine rankings for your business/product/service are vital. Most people search on the internet for things they are interested in. • People won’t pay for information they can get online for free. You can’t succeed selling generic basic plain vanilla information any more. • You can’t get away with outrageous claims. Everything you say can be checked out in an instant. • Many people comparison shop on the internet before making any purchase. Solutions: • Use search engine optimization (SEO) to get your website ranked high. • Most businesses will have to use Pay-Per-Click advertising for their best keywords and phrases. • Copywriting must uncover and feature the unique advantages and superiority of whatever is being sold. • Your offering must be extremely differentiated from the competition – or else you’ll end up having to compete on low prices alone. • You must make it clear – very quickly – that you are providing something they can’t find elsewhere online for free. 2. Advertising Overload Filter In today’s hectic, media-frenzied world, people are bombarded by hundreds or even thousands of advertising messages every single day. Therefore, to maintain their sanity, most people have become more immune to advertising. They can’t possibly devote their full attention to every message they receive, so they’ve learned to “scan” and “filter” the messages they receive in a matter of a split-second or two. So, to succeed today – marketing must cut through the “advertising filter” and get attention and interest from target prospects. Solutions: • Don’t send out “advertising.” Instead – send out valuable helpful information. Make it something that will obviously benefit your prospect just by reading it. Weave your sales pitch into this helpful information. • Make your marketing look and sound valuable. • Use specific numbers. • Make a great offer. You can “buy” a new customer this way and profit from their Lifetime Value (LV). • Consider a free offer to get prospects/customers into your marketing funnel. • Be outrageous, crazy, unique – if appropriate. • Be personal, corny, homey – if appropriate. 3. Super SKEPTICISM You may be the most honest person in the world. Your company may be the most honest in the world. But all your potential customer knows is there are a lot of dishonest people out there. Internet scams, ID theft, companies going bankrupt, and credit card fraud are all in the headlines almost daily. And many people simply disregard claims that sound “too good to be true” today more than ever. To succeed today, you need to add heavy credibility to your marketing. This will reduce the risk or fear people may have about doing business with you. Solutions: • Show the number of years you’ve been in business, membership in trade organizations, awards won, etc. • Offer a free sample or free trial. • Offer a risk-free, money-back guarantee. • Sign your name to the ad or sales letter. • Use a photo of the person writing, product photo, business photo, employees photo. • Use customer testimonials extensively. • Use case studies. • Use lots of specifics. • List your physical address, phone, fax, email and business hours. • Have an “expert” be your spokesperson. • Acknowledge any doubts or “sneaking suspicions” your prospect may already have, and give them valuable, factual information to support your product/service. • Don’t make claims that could sound “too good to be true” – even if they are true. 4. The Entertain-Game Society Today, entertainment is everything. Even hard news websites are full of flash, video, audio, surveys, contests, games, etc. So, use this new environment in your marketing as an advantage. Look for ways to entertain and get prospects involved with your marketing promotions. Solutions: • This can include new uses of traditional “action” devices like stickers, rub-offs and inserts. • Personal stories/testimonials in your promotion are entertaining and engage people on a personal level. • Surveys with results • Self-tests with answers • Trivia • Celebrity spokesperson • Games • Streaming audio and video • Humor – if appropriate 5. The Right Now Factor The days of “please allow 6-8 weeks for shipping” are dead and gone … just like any company who still thinks anything close to that kind of policy is ok. More than anything else, the internet has conditioned consumers to expect everything instantly. Instant ordering … instant payment … instant confirmation … and, in many cases, instant downloading of product. Solution: If you are going to grab the attention of today’s consumers, you must let them know you can satisfy their needs IMMEDIATELY. Play up how fast they will get their product, premium or first issue. 6. The Bonding Factor We all want a hero, a guru, someone we can relate to, and someone we feel has our best interests at heart, right? Today’s consumer is very jaded, skeptical and frustrated with the lack of love and bonding in his life, whether consciously or subconsciously. Today, you need to be seen as a guide and friend first, and a helpful confidant second. If you even smell like just a greedy salesperson, you will lose your advantage. Solution: Be likeable, friendly, personal, passionate, unique and different. Be authentic – a person and company that your prospect can genuinely bond with.

Making it easy for customers to choose you

© 2006, All Rights Reserved Isn't it frustrating? All you need is a new computer desk (or whatever you may be currently shopping for), but you can't make a decision you're comfortable with. It shouldn't be this hard, should it? What's holding you back? Probably lack of information. Here's something every web site owner should know. When visitors come to your site, they are looking for a reason to buy from you. Think that's stating the obvious? You'd be surprised! I come across countless sites every day that do everything but give the visitor a reason to buy, subscribe, click, call or otherwise take action. It's a fatal mistake in any business, but it's especially damaging for web-based companies. Let's continue with our example of buying a computer desk. You start with the big three office-supply stores. You click the "office furniture" link, and you're faced with a barrage of links to pages about lamps, printer stands, bookshelves and more. Then you get to the desksputer desks, desk collections, metal desks, workstations… geez! There are lots of links, but no information. Finally, after drudging through pages of links, you find some actual copy that describes a desk you think you might want. You look over the features. You write down the price. You gather the shipping or delivery information. Great! Now, on to the next site. When you arrive, everything looks almost the same except the logo. Same navigation, same links, same inventory, same prices. The shipping amount is the same, and the delivery policy is identical to the site you just came from. As you click from site to site, it's like dйjа vu. How are you supposed to make a decision to buy when all your options are equal? What will be the determining factor between site A and site B? If you're feeling frustrated just reading this scenario, imagine how your site visitors feel. When they come to your site, they are looking for a clear reason to buy from you instead of all the other sites. Do you give them a reason? Do you give them several reasons? If all factors are equal - even if all factors are similar - your visitors will find it difficult to make a decision. When they start guessing at which site would be best to buy from, you start losing business. Maybe they'll choose you, maybe they won't. There is a way to ensure you are chosen over your competition. You have to clearly point out how you are different or better than every other option available. MarketingExperiments recently published their findings in regards to differentiating your company from others. They reported that most companies - when asked what their most unique aspect was - answered, "Our great customer service." I have bad news for you. That won't cut it. Why? Because, in most cases, when customers are visiting sites to gather information and make purchasing decisions, they won't come in contact with your customer service department. It would be a nonissue until something went wrong. Also, since most businesses are claiming excellent customer service, it's an overused promise that has begun to carry less and less weight. You need something solid. You need something that is persuasive. If I were standing in front of you and told you that I was considering buying my desk from you or from Vendor Z, what would you say to convince me to buy from you? Here are some things to consider when trying to discover ways to differentiate yourself from other businesses. · Offer free shipping (on all orders or on orders over a certain amount) · Increase your inventory · Decrease your inventory and only carry specialty items · Lower your prices · Raise your prices (works well for premium goods & services) · Increase your area of expertise (for service-based businesses) · Specialize or narrow your niche · Achieve ratings or rankings from well-known associations or organizations · Apply for a patent · Win awards · Offer a customer loyalty program Conduct an online survey of your visitors to ask what they want. (SurveyMonkey is great for this.) Look back over your complaints and other feedback for ideas about how to set yourself apart. Email existing customers (if you have their permission to do so) and ask them why they chose you. Whatever you do, don't stay in a position where you are exactly the same as (or highly similar to) your competition. The chances are far too great you'll get lost in the crowd.