23 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
23 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Whats Your First Step When Creating Copy

by serps101
18 replies
When I start to write for a website/blog I always start with keyword research and then proceed to writing my article or product description. Some of my colleagues however do the exact opposite, and really dont give to much weight to keyword research at all. They're arguing that writing to achieve higher conversion rates, are more important then the search ranking's. How do you all feel about this?
#copy #creating #step
  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    First you've got to decide whether you're writing for bots or people. I usually write for people unless I have a paid assignmet that focuses on SEO. The following applies much more to writing for people.

    Ther are several important things to cover. First find out who your target market is and write for them. If you aren't familar with your customers, get familar with them. Then you need to be familar with your product. Sprinkle your copy with benefits, then display your benefits as bullets, then more benefits in the copy itself.

    Then let your customers know the rewards for having the products. Finally, show them the downside for not having the product. Some people are motivated by rewards while others are motivated by unpleasant consequences.

    These are just a few of the basics but should get you started.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2429100].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author serps101
      Some people are motivated by rewards while others are motivated by unpleasant consequences.
      I like that.

      I have never thought of writing from that perspective. Instead of selling the reader on benefits, sell them on the consequences. "Do you really want to be stranded on a dark dreary Interstate at 2am with no one to call? That's where your AAA Membership is there to provide you safety and security"

      Something like that, lol. Great Stuff Travlinguy
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2429272].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GaryG197
    Keyword research is definitely important. It takes a while to do it thoroughly but it's definitely worth it in the long run because it helps you come up with great copy! And again it's important to have the perfect balance between putting in keywords but not completly overcrowding it because search engines don't like that.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2429360].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author romolo
      There are various things you have to think about, but one of the most important is your demographics research and constructing an Avatar, something I learned from the best copywriter alive today from a very expensive course I bought, what you have to do is find out as much as possible about the kind of audience you'll be selling to, then create the Avatar and put a face, a name, the kind of job and hobbies that person could have, so then when you write the copy do it as if you're actually talking to that person and craft your sales letter around that.
      That's one of the best tips I can give you Happy writing
      Signature

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2429516].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Collette
    Originally Posted by serps101 View Post

    When I start to write for a website/blog I always start with keyword research and then proceed to writing my article or product description. Some of my colleagues however do the exact opposite, and really dont give to much weight to keyword research at all. They're arguing that writing to achieve higher conversion rates, are more important then the search ranking's. How do you all feel about this?
    The most basic thing you have to ask is, "Why am I writing this?"

    In other words, what is your purpose for writing this piece of copy? Is it to sell something? To provide information? To lend credibility and authority to the author or site? To generate publicity? What?

    Once you know the purpose of your copy, you can begin to figure out the rest:

    - Who am I writing to?
    - What do I want them to do?
    - How can I help them to do what I want them to do?
    - How will I know they've done what I want them to do?

    Determining these things before you do keyword research will save you oodles of time. You'll be able to separate the search phrases of the 'browsers' from the 'buyers'.

    Knowing these things before you write a single word will increase your conversion rate for any piece of sales or marketing copy. You'll know exactly how to guide your reader through the copy, anticipating objections, providing assurance, and smoothly delivering them to the finish line.

    You'll also be able to calculate and track the success of each piece of copy you write.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2429754].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ASCW
    Call me crazy, but SEO and Keyword Research should not be in your copywriting vocabulary....
    Signature

    Site being revamped.

    If you want help with copy stuff, pm me.

    Cool.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2430176].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
      Originally Posted by ASCW View Post

      Call me crazy, but SEO and Keyword Research should not be in your copywriting vocabulary....

      Good call. Copywriters write for people not crawlers or bots...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2430303].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author serps101
      Originally Posted by ASCW View Post

      Call me crazy, but SEO and Keyword Research should not be in your copywriting vocabulary....
      I understand exactly what you're saying, but take this into consideration. What if your client expresses interest that their objective is to have great copy and achieve decent rankings in the search engines? Let's say they even would like for you to provide them with a list of keyword phrases that they would like for you to target.

      Would you:

      A) Turn down the job, if they persist that you write to achieve rankings for these keywords.

      B) Toss your personally beliefs to the side and just get paid.

      A lot of clients these days want to have both great copy and decent rankings in the engines for competitive keywords. Can the two really be separated as search evolves, and these engines compete to return the most relevant results to the end users?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2437254].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Andrew Gould
        Originally Posted by serps101 View Post

        I understand exactly what you’re saying, but take this into consideration. What if your client expresses interest that their objective is to have great copy and achieve decent rankings in the search engines? Let’s say they even would like for you to provide them with a list of keyword phrases that they would like for you to target.

        Would you:

        A) Turn down the job, if they persist that you write to achieve rankings for these keywords.

        B) Toss your personally beliefs to the side and just get paid.

        A lot of clients these days want to have both great copy and decent rankings in the engines for competitive keywords. Can the two really be separated as search evolves, and these engines compete to return the most relevant results to the end users?
        The sole job of your copy is to sell, not to get high search rankings.

        If you're relying on sales page SEO for traffic you need to rethink your marketing plan.

        If a client wanted SEO copy I'd try to educate them, if that failed, I'd walk.
        Signature

        Andrew Gould

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2437309].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
          A) A sales letter is frequently and effortlessly jam-packed with potent, relevant keywords, search phrases, and LSI language patterns that all but take care of on page SEO. You don't have to stuff 'em in there.

          B) A sales letter with sufficient traction in the market will typically generate tons of BACKLINKS, which are arguably more important than the onpage SEO the client thinks they're after.

          C) SEO just doesn't matter if the sales letter sucks and doesn't convert traffic into sales. You can build feeder sites for a dime a dozen. Your sales page has one job and one job only - to persuade the reader to buy today. Anything that is not in direct service of that goal is a distraction from it.

          Best,

          Brian
          Signature
          Brian McLeod
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2438036].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author serps101
          Originally Posted by Andrew Gould View Post

          If a client wanted SEO copy I'd try to educate them, if that failed, I'd walk.
          Very admirable for you not to go against your beliefs and just walk away.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2438045].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Collette
        SEO is intended to persuade robots. Sales copy is intended to persuade people.

        People have wallets and credit cards. Robots do not.

        People will buy a product or service. Robots will just look at them.

        Which would he rather have interested in his site? Non-Purchasing robots? Or Purchasing people?

        His call.

        You explain to your client that each page needs to have one primary goal. In this case, he has 2 goals - selling a product, and pleasing the search engines. He can do either one well, or both poorly. His choice. Then you help them identify which goal he'd prefer for each page.

        If he wants his site to consist of a single sales copy landing page, then you explain to him that, if he wants to convert his readers into buyers, his copy needs to focus on that objective. Anything else is a bonus.

        A better plan is for him to have a web site with multiple pages. That way, he can make one page the sales page (and the landing page for his ad words or traffic campaign), and the other pages can deal with the SEO stuff.

        Google has 2 different search 'networks': (1) a content network and, (2) a search network.

        Explain that you can write for one or the other most effectively, but not effectively for both.

        If he writes for SERPS, he's dealing with generic search terms and search engine searchers, and therefore, the content network. The copy should be optimized, but SEO-focused copy is written to convince the search engines, not buyers.

        If he's driving traffic with the intent to purchase something, he's dealing with the search network (aka AdWords). If the reader clicks on his ad, and finds himself on a landing page written for search engine robots, this person will most lkely not stick around.

        Additionally, if the content on his landing page isn't relevant to his AdWords ad, he'll pay through the nose for his clicks. If the content on his 'site' is 'thin' (i.e. single landing page) he'll pay more, too.

        Usually, when you explain how SEO and sales can't be equal goals and why, the client makes a choice.

        Also, as Brian said, well-written sales copy usually contains plenty of search engine 'meat'. But SEO cannot be the goal of sales copy. Your client needs to understand that.

        If he resists, and you still want to do the job, put your caveats in writing in your contract, make no guarantee - in writing - that the copy will succeed at either goal, get your deposit, do the job, get the balance of your money, and be on your way.

        Don't expect a glowing testimonial.


        Originally Posted by serps101 View Post

        I understand exactly what you’re saying, but take this into consideration. What if your client expresses interest that their objective is to have great copy and achieve decent rankings in the search engines? Let’s say they even would like for you to provide them with a list of keyword phrases that they would like for you to target.

        Would you:

        A) Turn down the job, if they persist that you write to achieve rankings for these keywords.

        B) Toss your personally beliefs to the side and just get paid.

        A lot of clients these days want to have both great copy and decent rankings in the engines for competitive keywords. Can the two really be separated as search evolves, and these engines compete to return the most relevant results to the end users?
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2438168].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dbarnum
    Forget all that keyword and other stuff. Focus on this:

    why would you buy what you're selling?

    Seriously.

    What one main reason would make you click and buy now, with your credit card.

    Than start with that point.

    Dig into the feeling that would make you click - -and build a story around it, insert keywords, yada, yada, yada.


    Need to really focus on that main buyer's point, though - -and start right out the gate with it - full speed ahead!


    Example: are you sick of the way other people's similar products are and want something different - -something that REALLY works? Or what?

    OK, go get 'em!
    Signature




    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2430195].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Andrew Gould
    My first step is to become as knowledgeable as possible about the product's market... I'll learn the lingo, the current fads, etc.

    Then I'll become an expert on the product... how many chapters/modules/pages, how long are the videos, how many ways does it show to do something, etc.

    And then I'll go back to the client to discuss my findings - I might have suggestions on how to improve his product or there might be things I don't understand.

    Finally, when I'm down with the market and the product, I'll create a persona of the ideal customer that I'll be writing to, e.g. sex, age, etc.
    Signature

    Andrew Gould

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2430918].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author xelatani
    I saw something here: that u have to decide if you write for bots or people. that is a good question, I wonder how the majority will respond to this question. It's a hard decision, if u write for people the bots wont find you, but if u write for bots, then the people won't find you.
    Signature
    Money for publishers - make money with your website
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2438273].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author serps101
      Originally Posted by xelatani View Post

      I saw something here: that u have to decide if you write for bots or people. that is a good question, I wonder how the majority will respond to this question. It's a hard decision, if u write for people the bots wont find you, but if u write for bots, then the people won't find you.
      Thats the dilemma that we face no matter if your just writing copy or optimizing a website for search. You almost have to pick your poison: low rankings and great copy or high rankings with poor copy.

      Collette had a good point about having two separate pages one that would rank high to bring consumers into the site, and a second (maybe directly on the product page) with great copy which would yield higher conversion rates.

      This is a great discussion guys keep it coming and thanks for contributing.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2438843].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GrantFreeman
    The target market stuff should be next, after keword stuff, IMO. If you take the time to do that (which most people don't do), half the battle is over. I'm guilty too, and took me a long time to make it a habit.

    Grant
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2440098].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mac Deyak
    Market research and creating that customer avatar, once you know who you're talking to the copy really comes naturally...

    If I'm working with a client with an existing product, then review the product and their story behind is my second step to develop their hook...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2446331].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author adamlobo1
    [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2600912].message }}

Trending Topics