It would go against everything you learned about writing in school, wouldn’t it? 

You learned about using a hook, literary devices that improved the flavor of the writing, and being creative with the structure of writing, to attract and engage readers. 

But if we practice these things consistently, even if we don’t always use the same devices or vocabulary, isn’t that a practice in scientific repeatability? 

The point is, there is a science to blogging. You can call it creative writing if you want, but there’s a method to this. 

Let’s break it down to the details. 

“Teach Me How to Blog”

To talk about the science of blogging, we need to cover a few basic principles that are necessary to build and then subsequently run a successful blog. Here are some of the most important maxims relevant to blogging. 

Know Thyself and Thy Subject 

Before you can decide on the type of blog you want to run, you need to know your own strengths. 

For instance, don’t plan on writing a killer blog teaching people how to play music if you can’t do so yourself. Don’t expect to pass as a proficient collector of military history if you lack experience and education in that sphere, either. 

The best approach is a natural approach. Don’t see dollar signs and let that drive your decision making. Many markets can be lucrative but that doesn’t mean you have the experience to capitalize on them. That’s just the cold hard truth. Blogging requires experience and demonstrable proficiency. 

So to keep this as basic as possible, pick something you know a lot about. Something you can write about, and lend opinions on, in such a manner that you feel comfortable doing so. 

Know Thine Audience 

The good thing about blogging is there are no hard rules. The bad thing about blogging is there are no hard rules. 

If you want to write about digital marketing one day and fashion trends the next, no one is going to stop you.

But you will confuse search engines, you will likely confuse readers, and you will most likely not cultivate a strong brand.

The thing is, you need not only to be aware of, but respectful of, what your audience wants to read. If you get started writing op-eds on current events and pivot to recipes, you’re going to lose readers. 

Therefore you need to be sensitive to the tastes, preferences and even prejudices of your readers and honor them accordingly. Rebranding may be possible but it will cost you. 

One other aspect of knowing your audience is being aware of opportunities for material.

Say you run a cooking blog.  Maybe for the most part your readers will want recipes, but every now and then there might be an opportunity for an informative piece on the history of a specific dish or ingredient. 

Or perhaps, you can exercise some flexibility and publish about cocktails every now and again. 

My point is there’s always opportunity. While you’ll want to be consistent with the material you cover, recognize that there are always different angles you can take, and one single idea or topic can yield countless actual blog posts.

Consistency Is Key 

If you launch a domain and start a blog website and after creating the website only publish once per month, don’t expect to get anywhere, at least not fast. 

Consistency is one of the most important aspects of blogging, and if you plan to grow through social media marketing or an email list (not through SEO) you really need to give readers something to work with. 

A good rule of thumb is to publish once per week at a bare minimum. It’s better to publish twice to three times per week, and some hardcore bloggers do so every single day. 

That’s a big ask, to be fair, but if you expect growth, you need to keep readers interested. 

Of course if your goal is slow growth through evergreen copy and SEO, you can disregard the urgency to publish frequency – with the caveat that it is still better to publish frequently than to be inconsistent about the whole affair.

Data and Reference 

While it is the case that original information performs well on the internet because it is an inherent authority unto itself (if what you’re writing original, you are the source; there’s nothing else for you to cite) in all other cases, making references and including links can be a good thing, not a bad thing. 

There are some SEO experts that would tell you to eschew external links but I am not one of them. Yes, it is true that outbound links transfer authority away from your website, but this only hurts your website if you’re linking away for information that is contained in your post. 

If your outbound link only corroborates a claim you make or a figure, then the link will actually validate your extrapolation or interpretation of that data. So, ultimately, if you can corroborate what you publish with data, links to, or references of other publications, that will increase your credibility rather than harming your efforts. 

The Science of SEO

For what it’s worth, there’s a little science to SEO, too. In this respect, what I’m referencing is how to format and structure the post for best results in the search engine, or, if your post is lucky, as a part of the search generative experience (SGE). 

I’ve posted about this numerous times and it’s information that’s also readily available on the internet, so I won’t burn too much space with it here. To be as brief as possible: 

• Include the main target keywords for which you want the post to rank in the title of the post. 

• Include main target keywords in your headers as necessary.

• Try to answer questions in the headers. 

• Write using concise, short, pointed sentences where possible. 

• Write your own meta descriptions.

• Enrich images with alt text and captions that answer queries and contain target keywords. 

• Compress images so they don’t slow the post down.

• Bullet digestible information as and where possible.

This is a very high level view of how to “do SEO.” For a more detailed breakdown, see my recent post, How to Structure a Blog Post for Best SEO Results. 

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

High-quality imagery is also a must for successful blogs, and this couldn’t be about the science of blogging without addressing some aspect of the visual component of blogs. 

Here’s the deal. Your blog posts may derive the vast bulk of their value from your written word, but for better or worse, blogs are not just all about language. They are also about visuals. 

 My best advice for you is to take your own photography and make it relevant to the post. That ensures originality and you can optimize the images you like. Also, compress them before uploading to avoid slowing down your website. 

I’ve read (and heard it said) that stock photography can be used to run a successful blog, and that may be true, but my personal experience is that original images perform better, and also see a better chance of ranking independently in the “Google Image” search. 

Now, if you can’t take your own pictures, and aren’t willing to use stock photography, consider using an image generator. There are plenty of AI models out there that will do so and can make (somewhat) serviceable images for your blogs. That route is likely better than using stock photography.

The Proverbial Hook 

There’s one thing that pretty much all successful posts share in common. They attract, and then ensnare, attention.

In school, you may have learned this as a “hook” that writers use to attract attention and hold onto it. It could be an enticing opening line or a bit of bait in the first paragraph of a post that makes readers want to continue. 

It doesn’t have to be your first line, but it does need to be initial. In fact, it could be your title. You’ve heard titles called “clickbait.” Well, a good title won’t just command a click, it will deliver on the bait that it used to attract attention in the first place. 

But my point is this: good writing uses flavor and intrigue to keep readers engaged, and it starts with the strong opening salvo, whether it’s the opening line or the title. You can’t expect readers to stick around if you can’t even get their attention from the start. 

The Seasoning of Science Blogging

Now, once you’re into the meat and potatoes of your post, as we are here, it is important to remember that good writing is less often than not, formulaic. 

There is a time and place for technical writing and it is not usually blogging. Blogging can be scientific but the self-defeating realization of that is that “the science of blogging” often entails very precisely honed artistic acumen. 

My point? Use literary devices to add sweetness and savor to your diction. Personify your words till they loom larger than life. Don’t be afraid to let loose with the metaphors (similes?) till your writing seethes with motion like a boiling sea. Practice prideful pronunciation, proliferation, promulgation and proponency of your consonance. Let the liquor of language wet your lust for knowledge like the sweet nectar of revelation. Engage metonym and allusion and hyperbole and synecdoche and euphemism and juxtaposition and…polysyndeton. 

Have fun with it. There may be a “science of blogging” but it doesn’t have to be boring. 

Maybe Science Blogging Is More Art Than Science 

All in all, these are the rules according to the “science of blogging.” Know your audience, know your subject, know your own strengths as a writer, follow a few SEO best practices, and have fun writing. That’s basically what it boils down to – and remember, sometimes, science is more art than science. 

The post The Science of Blogging appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

While this particular client is not laboring under the restrictions of some of our other clients that cannot leverage paid search or social marketing to their advantage, there were unique hurdles to clear here. 

Here’s how we did it and what the aftereffects were. 

The Client and Industry

This client is one that specializes in selling high-end, luxury fashion items – notably, dresses to be used for memorable occasions like high school homecoming, cotillion, and promenade dances. 

They are expensive, unique, and subject to the whims and vagaries of the fashion market. What’s popular one season might experience an even more meteoric rise the next – or it might fall out of common parlance like a byword. 

While there might be plenty of search volume associated with a particular keyword or fashion trend, what’s in this month might be wiped off the map next – which presents unique challenges for eCommerce SEO.

The thing about SEO is that it usually takes a long time, a year or more, to start generating appreciable results. The problem there is how to identify keywords and search terms that will be popular – or are more likely to be popular – in a year’s time?

That is – how do we find the evergreen keywords? In an industry like this, there are precious few. 

Despite the lack of technical challenges in this industry, the unique circumstances surrounding the industry made it particularly difficult to settle on a coherent fashion SEO strategy. 

The two keys to success here were keyword research and the copy.

Special Considerations 

The strategy we ultimately settled on was one that was custom tailored for this client and its unique considerations. 

Namely, we bifurcated our strategy to create two main larger groups of target keywords. One large group consisted of high-volume, short-tail keywords that should in theory be evergreen – even in the fashion industry. 

The other was much more closely targeted and aligned with specific fashion trends and even fads. This approach enabled us to create a unique cultivated approach that would leverage the long-term benefits of SEO in multiple ways, despite the inherent risks associated with shifting consumer preferences. 

Here’s why. 

The one cohort of search terms and keywords was sufficiently broad that, even if and when trends shift, it will still bring them visibility for those general clusters, expressly because of their nonspecificity. 

For instance – take the keywords “prom dresses” and “evening gowns.” These two keywords are non-targeted according to trend, only according to event. This enabled us to build authority for this client for those event-related keywords without getting too specific. 

They’re also general enough that they offer us the flexibility to use those keywords in much more specific pieces that actually do follow the current trends. 

Presumably, “prom dresses” and “evening gowns” will still be in demand in five or even ten years, even when the trends shift – and this approach has enabled us to position this client with perfect precision. 

The other prong of this strategy was one that focused on much more targeted search terms – like “red prom dresses” and “Cinderella prom dresses.” It’s a lot riskier and the volume associated with these keywords could shift dramatically from month to month, but it’s a winning approach nonetheless. 

Let’s say we hit the mark and red prom dresses are popular this year (or next year). By leveraging content focusing on those keywords, the client will be perfectly positioned, and get the visibility and traffic right when they need it. 

Now let’s say that keyword flops this year and for the next few. At some point, red prom dresses will be back in – and at that point, the client will have all the authority they need, plus historical content, to compete for it.

So it’s basically a win-win, even though it’s a very long-term strategy that isn’t guaranteed to bear fruit in the short term. Either way, it worked, as substantiated by increases in organic metrics. 

The Role of Targeted and Optimized Content 

Secondary to the bifurcated keyword strategy aforementioned was the role of high-quality, engaging content in this campaign. 

Our copywriters had to take some time to get familiar with the client’s vertical and then compare notes with the copy being published by other industry competitors, especially those with high organic rankings for the desired target keywords.

From there they could back-form a content strategy that would outperform the best work of their competitors, outpacing their visibility in the search engines. 

Without giving away any secrets about the topics and trends they covered in the content stream for this campaign, suffice it to say that standard “SEO” copy would not cut it. 

This copy had to be more akin to content marketing copy that was specifically optimized not only for the user experience but also according to SEO best practices. 

Addressing popular trends in prom styles and fashion, as well as trends in dress design, as they became ascendant, was the only way to generate authority, and therefore visibility, for this client. 

Which is precisely what our copywriters did – and in time, the results showed. 

The Results 

Probably the best indicator of success for this client has been the positive movements in some of their target keywords, as you can see below. 

Many of their target keywords, as you can see, are in the page one, spot one position, which is largely the cumulative result over the better part of the last two years.

Google Search Console also tells a compelling tale. While we can’t see back all the way to the beginning of the campaign (GSC only lets you look back 16 months), you can see that there has been positive growth in both impressions and clicks over that time period, particularly in the latter few months. 

This is even more considerable when you weigh the reason for it; this is a seasonal spike directly associated with the prom-related keywords we’ve made targets for this campaign. The spike is not aberrant; it is by design. 

All of this is to suggest that, in a word, our industry-specific fashion SEO services are highly effective when paired with a unique strategy that is tailored to meet the needs of the client in question.

Industry-Focused SEO Services That Perform 

These are the sorts of results that data-driven, strategic eCommerce SEO services deliver for clients, even though in extremely competitive industries. If you’re operating in the fashion industry and are wondering how SEO services can benefit your business, get in touch with our SEO experts for more information. 

The post Fashion SEO and Organic Successes: A Case Study appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

But mostly, I’ve learned about copywriting; what works and what doesn’t work, and how to get my work to perform. The vast, overwhelming majority of my work gets posted to websites with low domain authority scores that don’t focus on the UX afforded by the blogs. 

Which means the work rests squarely on me to generate traffic for those blogs. I need to find the keywords, search terms, and topics that are associated with genuine interest, convince Google to index and rank those posts favorably, and then, to get a live reader to click on my result and actually read the post. 

Sometimes it flops. And sometimes I write a post so good it gets thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of views per month. 

Here’s just about every little thing – call them copywriting hacks, if you will – that I’ve learned about how to get content to rank and get readers to show interest in my writing. 

Forget What You’ve Heard About AI 

AI is increasingly being leveraged by digital marketers, as well as by mediocre copywriters, because it is allegedly a panacea for all of creation’s woes. 

It is not. Granted, I have used and benefited from AI in the past but I have still not encountered a model that is effective at drafting copy that will perform. 

What AI does well is formatting; you can ask it to structure a blog and it will knock it out of the park. What it fails to do is get the information right. 

The problem, so far as I can see it, has nothing to do with “tone,” or “warmth,” although those are things commonly cited as issues with AI. Quite the contrary, large language models are becoming increasingly and convincingly realistic.

The issue is that it hallucinates. I’ve asked AI some pretty basic questions and been downright alarmed at how factually inaccurate the outputs have been. 

When we’re talking in generalities, this is not a big deal notwithstanding the fact that increased reliance on the outputs of AI models is probably going to bring down the collective intelligence of our species – but once we get to specifics, the issue is much broader, and much more serious. 

See, the majority of writing I do, I do for clients in the outdoor sphere. I have to furnish real information about shooting and fishing and outdoor sports in general. I simply can’t use AI for these things because (for whatever reason) it doesn’t give me accurate answers. 

I tell you the same thing. If you want your copywriting to rise above the rest of the average results in the search engine pages, write it yourself, the old fashioned way. 

Here, let’s put it this way. If you’re reading this post because you found it in the search engine results pages, that should substantiate my cautions against AI. 

I did not use AI at all for this post; not for keyword research, not for formatting, and certainly not for generative copy. 

Yet you, dear reader, found me in the search results and presumably are reading anyway. If that is not proof of my claim, I can say no more. 

The Value of Specificity  

Suppose you want to write a blog about – copywriting hacks. 

You need to give specific, actionable advice. Don’t speak in platitudes or generalities. You want to avoid telling people things they either already know in the backs of their minds or could figure out through minimal deduction. 

For instance, I’m not here to tell you that your copy needs to be personable and should be free of grammatical errors. Perhaps you weren’t actively thinking about that but even a little bit of cogitation would have brought you to that conclusion, with no help from me or anyone, else for that matter.

Taking this a step further, you need to actually write about something people need to know about and then tell them something they don’t know. 

So, for instance, let’s just say you wanted to teach your readers how to…clean a pair of leather boots. We’ll keep this in my wheelhouse since I specialize in writing about outdoor sports. 

I could tell you to brush your boots off and store them somewhere clean and dry. That’s true but it’s also kind of common sense. That means it’s probably going to be in every other article on the same topics. 

But, did you know that you should unlace your boots and meticulously clean out the tongue, where debris can hide? 

Did you know that if your boots are wet you should never place them next to a heat source like a furnace or a fire, which will dry the leather out too aggressively, and which can cause it to crack? 

Did you know that leather periodically needs not just to be cleaned, but conditioned with an oil like neatsfoot, which fills the leather’s pores, driving out water and keeping the leather fibers supple, so they don’t warp or crack? 

And did you know that compound neatsfoot oil should be avoided because it can be damaging not to the leather, but to the threads that hold the whole boot together? 

I could go on but I think you get my point. Whatever you’re writing about, make sure you are specific and carefully detail your observations. The more thorough you are in your exposition and explanation, the better your copy will perform organically, in the wilds of the internet. 

Understand Your Audience 

I won’t harp on this one too much because it’s a generality and I told you to avoid those. I will say a few words however since it is important to know your audience even though that’s sort of common sense. 

It’s often been said that an “SEO copywriter” can write about any industry, without any specific expertise. 

That is, lamentably, and categorically, true. I can write about theoretical physics or ballet, and I can structure that article according to best-practices for content marketing or SEO. What I can’t do is pass convincingly as though I know what I’m talking about – even if my research is good. 

Let me see if I can find an example. Take the following post on fly fishing basics. Here is an excerpt from this:

“These flies can be found in any specialty store in thousands of models. Knowing the right one to buy is related to the fish you are trying to catch and the type of water you are fishing.”

There are a few issues with this. One is that the writer calls fly patterns “models.” Anyone that knows a 3 weight from 5 weight will know that that terminology is staccato and, while not technically wrong, jarringly off-putting. 

Digging further, we have:

“Fishing freshwater fly requires you standing in the water, mostly in waders casting your rod in a way that imitates a dancing fly on the surface of the water.”

I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a worse, though technically not inaccurate, categorization of fly fishing. You most certainly do not need to wade in order to fly fish, and in some instances, it might be advisable not to do so – for instance, if you want to avoid spooking wary or skittish fish. 

Secondly, the manner of your casting, and the techniques you employ while doing so, have utterly less than nothing to do with the action of the fly once it hits the water. You cast to present (or place) the fly – what you do after is what gives the fly action. 

Anyway, I don’t want to get too deep into beating up a writer I do not know and probably never will. I’m just making a very important point that I hope you understand: if you want to understand your audience, you will need to do more than 5 minutes, or even an hour, of research. 

Here, let’s take a slightly different approach with a stock image that I found:

Look closely that image, and you’ll see that the “fisherman” in it is using a massive, conventional big game reel. Those reels are reserved for fighting the biggest and strongest of fish – sturgeon, tuna, swordfish, sharks, and species like that.

I don’t know what that guy in that image is doing on that little creek, but I know what he isn’t doing: fishing. To make matters worse, he has the reel basically inverted. It’s literally upside down. That’s the icing on the cake.

So you can see, lack of authority in a vertical doesn’t just come across in copywriting. Photographers are guilty of it too, and a photograph that doesn’t understand his or her audience will take glaringly unconvincing, even cringey, photos, like the one above.

Truth is, there is no substitute for experience, and this alone is the single best way to become a good copywriter. Know what you’re talking about; that’s how you’ll know your audience. 

Don’t Get Too Hung Up on Keywords

Let me be clear: keywords are important. They are still the single most important (and primary) way that Google determines whether to index a page and where to put it. That’s just the nature of the beast. 

But if you write something so damn good that readers find it, stay on the page, and even, dare I say, link to it, Google will get a lot more flexible with what it indexes that page for and where it places it in the rankings. 

Point is, if what you write is really good, it may eventually rank for keywords that aren’t even directly present in the article – or at the very least, which don’t appear in it as an exact match. 

Don’t get me wrong. Focusing on keywords is a good way to get started and it will help you build authority. But once you have a bunch of posts ranking on a domain, you can start to lay off the SEO-stringency a little bit. Write about what you want your readers to know about and what you know will provide interested readers with value. 

If you can do that, that post will most likely get indexed, most likely be ranked favorably, and if found, will more than likely generate positive interaction metrics like a high CTR and time on page. 

Here’s another proof-is-in-the-pudding moment. You found this post in the organic search results, right? I did no keyword research for it. Let that be a lesson.

Post Structure Matters 

Keywords don’t matter that much. Post structure does. 

What I mean, specifically, is that the way your post is laid out will have two big impacts. One is on how crawlers interact with it and thereby how it gets ranked, and the second is on actual user behavior. 

In the first instance, a post that is laid out appropriately, sectioned off with headers that break up all the relevant sections, Google and other search engines will look on it more favorably than one that is just a solid wall of text. 

Granted, a solid wall of text can still rank well, if it contains good information. But if you write in stream-of-consciousness, you will be fighting against the current. 

Secondly, breaking up your post into short, digestible sections (as I have done here) and according to subtopics, readers will find the whole thing more palatable, too. The chances are that some of them only landed on your post looking for one small specific thing you were writing about and will skip reading the whole thing just to home in on what they want and read that section. 

Breaking up your posts makes them friendly to skimmers and also makes it easier for readers to find the most relevant (or just the most interesting sections). 

Pose Questions, and Answer Them, in Headers 

On the topic of post structure, the single most important piece of actionable advice I can offer is this: take advantage of headers by making them into questions, and, where possible, answers. 

For instance, let’s say I wanted to write a post about how to get an article to show up in the search results. 

My title might be something like:

• How to get your post to rank in the search results.

It’s simple, straightforward, and structured like something someone would actually type into the Google search bar. 

Then, in that same post, I might have some of the following as subheaders: 

• Insert keywords in your H2s and H3s
• Answer common questions in the headers 
• Take questions from the people also ask section 
• Skyscrape the titles of the top 5 entries in the SERPs 

In each case, the header is offering a small bit of digestible and highly actionable information. Direct and succinct, they are all perfect in their own way. 

Know What Tools to Use for Inspiration 

You can learn from what posts are performing currently in the search engine results pages, whether you wrote them or not, to make your writing better. 

Here are a few ways to gain some inspiration:

• Look at the top several posts in the search engine results pages. Look at the title, the topic, then dive into the post and see what sorts of topics they’re covering and questions they’re answering. Use that information to fill out your post. This will increase its chances of ranking well. 
• Look at the People Also Ask section of the search results. This will show you what questions you need to answer in your post. Answer as many of these as possible to increase the chances that you show up. 
• Log into Facebook or Instagram and see what posts a company you follow has created. Consider taking the subject matter of a post that got a lot of attention on social media and reconfiguring it into a blog to increase the chances that it ranks well and gets attention. If it did well on social media there’s a good chance there’s buzz on search engines surrounding the topic. 
• Use tools like “Answer the Public” and other social listening tools that will give you some insight into the sorts of topics that are trending around search terms, as well as what questions people have. 
• Look up a keyword you want to write something about, find a forum entry that’s in the search results, and reverse engineer a long-form blog post or news article about what you see people talking about in the forum. It’s effectively guaranteed to be interesting information since people are talking about it of their own free will and volition.

These are just a few of the tools that you can use to come up with questions that you can then answer in your copy surrounding a topic cluster. 

Use Facts and Figures 

I can write an article about basically anything without including any facts or figures, but the more figures you can include, the more convincing your article will be because it will be inherently substantiated by data. Just make sure you understand the implications of the data you’re publishing because, as they say, figures lie and liars figure. 

Anywhere you can get away with including data, be sure to do so. It will benefit your writing and Google will be more likely to respect your post as an authority. 

Fall-Back on Proven Post Techniques and Formats 

Sometimes, you need to write something that you expect to perform and are just fresh out of ideas and creativity. As a copywriter I can sympathize. I pride myself on interest and proficiency but I’ve still been there. 

On those days, I just use what I know works. Here are some ideas you can put into practice that don’t take too much effort. 

• Create a list of FAQs and answer them all in sequence as thoroughly as you can. This is a proven format that offers a lot of value and has a good chance of generating a lot of visibility. 
• Create a listicle of “best of” products, practices or ideas.
• Write a how-to on some process; it could be basic and high-level or highly detailed and specific. The concept is a proven performer in both cases even though specific is usually better. 
• Write a Q&A on the topic. 
• Do a review of a specific product or technique relevant to the topic. 
• Write a checklist for people looking to get started with something relevant to the topic about which you want to write. 
• Write a high-level “Everything You Need to Know About…” type of guide. 

This is of course just a short list of ideas, but they are all low-hanging fruit and proven to work by results. 

Learn from Your Past Posts 

As a copywriter, maybe you don’t spend too much time in Google Analytics or Google Search Console. Let’s change that. 

These are arguably your two best tools as a copywriter, hands down. In them, you can see which of your posts is getting visibility, what it’s ranking for, what its average position is, and how many clicks it’s getting. 

Through Google Analytics, you can glean even more information, such as the number of sessions and how long people are spending on the page. If you write for eCommerce clients, as I do, you can even see through GA4 if the blog page has any conversion value. 

If you see that a post has no sessions and no time on page, well, little explanation is needed there. For some reason or other, it flopped. I hate to be the guy to tell you this, but you’re going to have posts like this. Don’t let it discourage you. 

On the flipside, Google Analytics will also show you which of your posts are top-performers, how people are landing on those pages, and how they’re interacting with the page once they get there. 

Filter by time on page or sessions, then see which blogs have the best user engagement metrics. Those blogs are performing for some reason or other – visit them and see what you wrote about (if you can’t remember) and then structure a new blog on a totally different topic, but using the same format or technique. 

You will find that you can write more and more effective blogs down the line by learning from which of your past entries did not perform – and which did. 

Leverage the Authority of Those Previous Posts 

Here’s a quick copywriting hack, and one that I won’t beat to death. If you have a post that is performing well and are planning on writing a post for that same domain, go into that previous post and embed a link in there to your new post once you get it posted. 

That will leverage the authority of a post that is already ranking, and ranking well, to transfer some authority to the nascent post in order to give it a leg up in the world. 

Just use this copywriting hack sparingly, because you don’t want to ruin the UX of an old but good post with a bunch of outbound links to new posts that readers might not be too interested in – yet, at least. 

Be Sparing with Outbound Links 

Last but not least, here’s one more copywriting hack – not quite a copywriting technique – to apply to your articles. 

You can use outbound links to increase the credibility of your post, but be very sparing with them, especially if you’re taking ideas from the post to which you intend to link. 

Google will see that and then will sort of see your post like a copy, even though it might not be. Therefore, use outbound links as little as possible because you want your post (not some other) to be the authority. 

By the way, this does not mean not to use outbound links. Just keep them to a minimum and use only where they will make your post better and more believable. 

Want More Copywriting Hacks from Yours Truly?

There you have some of the best copywriting hacks – if I can call them that – that I’ve learned in my time as a professional copywriter. All I can tell you is I’ve leaned on all of them at some point or other and they have definitely helped me produce copy that generates sessions, time on page, and leads for my clients. They can do the same for you. 

If you’re looking for more actionable information, check out: 

• How to Get Images to Rank
• How to Write to Get Featured in a Google AI Overview
• How Do Blogs Help SEO?
• Answering User Queries for Better SEO
• How Many Blog Posts Does It Take to Get Traffic?

Alternatively, you could get in touch with one of our SEO specialists and they may be able to help you out.

The post 12 Copywriting Hacks to Improve the Performance of Your Work appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

Either that, or I read some variant of it that basically suggests SEO is not necessarily dead, but that it is fundamentally not the way it once was.

That much I agree with. SEO used to be about “appealing to search engines” just to get better rankings. The smarter Google gets, the more increasingly that is not the case.

And then there are all the articles about how it’s not worth it to pay for professional SEO services for any of various reasons; a service provider won’t understand your business, it’s too expensive, etc. Take your pick. 

There’s some merit to this, after all, digital marketing strategies like professional SEO services don’t come cheap. But at the same time they can still be worth it in 2024.

And while SEO is ever-evolving, it is certainly not dead. So here’s why professional SEO services are still worth it. 

What Professional SEO Services Entail

In a nutshell, professional SEO services increase your organic search engine rankings for key search terms associated with interest in your business, its products, and services. 

We SEO professionals perform keyword research so that we can intentionally target keywords that are associated with commercial and transactional search intent so that we get you the visibility (and the leads) that are most likely to become customers. 

That is fundamentally what SEO services do. I won’t oversell or undersell it. To be as brief as possible: SEO efforts make it easier for potential members of your target audience to find your listings in the organic search engine result pages. 

How They Do It

To keep things as simple as possible, what we do in SEO today is vastly different from what some SEO companies did 10 years ago or so. 

Back in the day, you could hide those keywords somewhere on the page and ride spam links and still get appreciable increases in the organic SERPs. Today, that’s called black hat SEO and it will earn you a harsh penalty. It’ll also tank your overall SEO “strategy,” if you can even call it that.

Nonetheless, the basic skeleton of what SEO is is basically still the same as it’s always been. Users attempt to find something using search engines, and you try to give your listings the most visibility for those queries. 

With that said, full-service SEO campaigns usually involve: 

• Link building (external and internal) to improve your on-page and off-page SEO.
• Website optimizations including the compression of images, improvement to site speed, security, and navigation that impact UX and which are central to technical SEO.
• On-page optimizations to include keyword density in page copy and meta data.
• Site audits to uncover technical issues associated with site code, links, speed, and functionality.
• Monitoring of Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and other SEO tools to keep abreast of organic fluctuations (as well as overall site health).

These efforts cumulatively help improve your overall organic online presence. With this said, the biggest component of SEO work has got to be content creation.

Why It Still Works 

A great deal of this has to do with what we call evergreen content. More than any other ranking signal (these are what search engines use to assign authority), content makes the biggest impact not only on SEO directly, but on the user experience. Reputable, high-quality content is the key component of building authority and trust with your users. 

There’s only so much you can do with sticking keywords in the page titles and meta data, or with alt text or site structure. At a certain point, you need to use actual copy to inform search engines (and users) that you are an authority in your industry. 

One way to do this is to draft useful, helpful copy for each product page that carefully and thoroughly describes what each product does and what its use cases are. Perhaps this is also an opportunity to talk about care, maintenance, or proper use in addition to product specifications. 

Another way to use content to your advantage is to blog or publish long-form, helpful CMS pages like FAQs pages. These pages can be used to answer common customer questions and offer insight into how to use and care for your products – or to publicize differentiating information. 

Back to the term I used at the outset – evergreen content. This means content that will not only be valuable on the day you publish it but long into the future. This is the content that continues to pull impressions and views years, sometimes several after it has been initially published. 

Evergreen content that ranks and gets read does probably more work for SEO than any other ranking factor, or even collective bucket of ranking signals. But producing it is hard work and time consuming. Moreover, not being aware of SEO best-practices that go into making a useful article or bit of page copy means you could do work and get no return. 

This is where a lot of the value of hiring a company to provide professional SEO services comes from. 

And yes, when you hire an agency with experience writing evergreen content, much of the results that will be generated for your campaign in terms of improved visibility and organic website traffic will eventually come from that copy years, sometimes several years down the line.

Things That Hurt Your Website (Making Professional SEO Services More Valuable)

With all of this being said, it’s worth a word (or a few) on the things that your website might currently be doing that are actively hurting its SEO, and which also contribute to the reason that professional SEO services work in 2024 – still.

• Duplicate content: Duplicate content has never been good for SEO because Google will just note that it’s duplicated and assign whatever authority is its due to the original publisher. It may not harm your website, but using duplicate copy will never cause your rankings to increase and in some instances it can hurt. An SEO audit should help uncover problems with duplicate content.

• Prolonged inactivity: Let’s say you have a blog that used to perform well, but which you haven’t touched in years and years. Making small changes to that blog, with new insights, updated information, and additional keywords, can bring it back to the tops of the SERPs. The same could apply to category and product pages, too. 

• Failing to target lucrative keywords: Google is not going to do the heavy lifting for you. Your domain authority and credibility for certain low-hanging keywords may be in place, but if those keywords and answers to related search terms don’t appear on your website (or in links pointing to it) there’s a very small chance you’ll rank for them. 

• Pages chewing up your crawl budget: Sometimes, internal pages (like internal search results pages) eat up all of your crawl budget. Pointless pages get crawled and indexed (or crawled and not indexed) and your other pages hang in limbo. An SEO agency’s experts can add certain internal pages to a “No Index” list to prevent this from happening. 

• Spam links: Low quality links hurt your website, and can actually bring its rankings down. SEO experts can see what these links are and actively disavow them, preventing them from dragging down the overall SEO value of your website. 

• Website load speeds: Large image files and other media can slow down your website load speeds, which is bad news considering that most users will bounce within three seconds. SEO experts can audit your website for performance, then make changes – such as compressing file sizes, minimizing tech debt, or implementing content delivery networks (CDNs) all of which can boost speed and performance. 

• Site structure issues: Seemingly simple site structure issues, such as 404 errors, can litter your website and harm performance. Most SEO experts will run ongoing vitals checks to make sure there are no technical issues that are destroying your overall search engine optimization. 

This is, of course, only a short list of things that can be harming your website’s SEO value, but there are others, which constitute the main reasons that professional SEO services work in 2024, and probably will for many years to come.

The post Why Professional SEO Services Work in 2024 appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

It almost feels like this was overdue. But the results, for so many in eCommerce, were disheartening. Those who may have been coasting by running with help from content mills, or worse, using AI tools, may have seen their rankings drop precipitously, and overnight. 

It almost feels like an “I told you so” moment. Over a year ago, I published “AI and SEO: What Not to Do,” as a caution to those that were hoping, with starry eyes, that AI was the answer to all their woes. 

It seemed like it, didn’t it? You could ask one of those tools to write you a completely SEO-optimized, 5000 word blog or CMS page and it would do so in about 25 seconds.

But, like so many things in life, if it seems too good to be true, it is. And it was.

So let’s unpack what this new helpful content update entailed and why and how this will affect netizens. 

Google’s Going After Spam

All in all, to summarize this as neatly as I can for anyone reading this, Google is sick and tired of low-quality content. 

What is low quality content? Consider the following. 

• Does it answer a question succinctly? 

• Does it offer data or details that might support any claims it makes?

• Is anything in the post, publication, or on the page proprietary? That is, is the information unique? 

• Does the content contain original or user-generated photos or videos?

Any content – AI-generated or otherwise – that does not accurately and succinctly answer a search query can broadly be categorized as “low-quality” or spammy. 

Also, have you ever been reading a post and thought to yourself “When is this going to get to the point?” If so, you are not alone, and have been a victim of “fluff content.” 

Fluff content contains a lot of words and is very watery with respect to information density. What information it contains might be accurate, but is likely to be unoriginal and is padded with a whole lot of text that just doesn’t need to be there. 

Moreover, this “helpful content update” has been aimed expressly at any publisher that was generating massive sums of content, at scale, simply for the purposes of ranking effectively in search engines. 

One common “trick” that is a terrible failure in Google’s eyes, is the use of a page that promises to answer a question but then goes on and on with low-quality, spammy, fluffy filler content that ultimately reiterates the question a million and one ways but never actually answers anything. 

Now, here’s something that it’s very important to define. Both humans and generative AI engines can produce low-quality content. 

With humans, it’s usually just fluffy content that doesn’t actually answer the question and is long for the sake of being long. Remember, longer is not better unless it actually answers the questions and provide information. If you can answer a search query in 300 words, you’d better do so. Making it longer is not only not better but will likely get you penalized. 

This brings us to the use of AI in content generation. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. It’s not something you should be doing. At best, you should be using those tools for research, and honestly, I personally wouldn’t even do that. The results are too unreliable to take seriously. At least Google gives you a bunch of options to sift through so you can, you know, use the brain – the way we have been doing for 200,000+ years. 

I’m sure there are SEO wizards out there that have had great success with AI. The big names all seem to have cracked the code, right? You know, Neil Patel, Matt Diggity, et al. I’m just going to be honest. I think it’s substance-less hype. 

Google has been savage with this last update and it looks like some websites have really tanked. I can’t prove this, but my guess is that no small portion of them were using AI to partially or wholly generate the information on their websites. 

In my experience – and I may not be Patel or Diggity, but I am no stranger to how SEO works – AI is not only not good for content generation, it is downright bad. Not only is it repetitive, it is clueless, frequently inaccurate, and wholly incapable of producing original, experiential content. Forget the fact that it lacks the human element. That’s not a ranking factor. But accuracy? Originality? Those sure are, and AI just can’t pull it. 

Now, there’s another layer to all of this. It has to do with AI content checkers. There are so many of them out there, and many of them are accurate, so accurate, in fact, that they sometimes flag human-written content as AI if it contains pointless, redundant, reiterative phrases. 

Which means it’s a matter of time before Google’s algorithm crawls and checks for, if not immediately strikes out, whatever it flags as AI-generated content. 

I think I’ve made my case. You need to be accurate and succinct with whatever content you publish. And, for the love of search engine optimization, stop using AI. How many cautionary tales must litter the halls of erudition and haute couture before we recognize that there are no get rich quick schemes? They just don’t work. At least not in the long run. 

A few other things go into this, by the way. In addition to cracking down on garbage quality content, Google also says that:

• Buying expired domains and reviving them with the intention of capitalizing on previous DA is now considered spam, and will incur a penalty.

• Parasite SEO, or allowing third-party websites to publish low-quality content with the intention of piggybacking off of the domain with the higher authority, is now considered spam, too.

So, now let’s get pragmatic. You have a website that tanked. What can you do now? 

Your Rankings Tanked: Now What?

As with literally everything in SEO, this is a long-term game. If your rankings dropped but you previously had good rankings, you know for certain your content is usable and not duplicate, and you don’t use AI, the best suggestion I have is to wait it out. 

I know it sounds like non-advice, and I know it’s painful to hear, but if you have good content, and previously had good rankings, you should start climbing the rankings once more. Give it like 3 months. If nothing improves by then, you can come back to the drawing board. 

Now, if you know you’re guilty, and have been using AI this whole time, or farming out content production on an industrial scale to a content mill, then don’t hide your head in the sand and hope the tribunal will pass you by. That is not going to work, not this time. 

You need to take a deep dive into your website and either completely revise or entirely replace pages, blogs, and copy anywhere and everywhere you know it was written by AI or a content mill. 

It’s a lot of work, but nothing in life that comes cheaply is worth having. Or, as Thomas Paine said, “What we obtain too cheaply we esteem too lightly. It is dearness only that gives everything its value.” I couldn’t say it better myself.

Anyway, my point is this is a lot of work, and if you tried to game or cheat the system, well, I don’t have reassuring words for you, and neither does Google via this Helpful Content Update. You’re going to have to do this the hard way, like everyone else has been doing this whole time.

The post About Google’s March Helpful Content Update appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

This is where Reputation Management SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes into play. Today we’ll delve into the significance of Reputation Management SEO and explore whether it’s a necessity for you or your business.

What is Reputation Management SEO?

Reputation Management SEO refers to the practice of strategically optimizing online content to improve or maintain the reputation of a person, brand, or business in search engine results. While distinct from other digital marketing efforts, reputation management is incredibly important. It involves monitoring, influencing, and managing how your online presence is perceived by others, with the goal of enhancing trust, credibility, and visibility.

Why is Reputation Management SEO Important?

1. First Impressions Matter: Search engine results often serve as the first point of contact between consumers and businesses. A negative search result or damaging content can tarnish your reputation before potential customers even interact with you directly. Reputation Management SEO helps ensure that your online presence accurately reflects your values, achievements, and offerings, thereby shaping positive first impressions.

2. Trust and Credibility: Trust is a cornerstone of successful relationships, whether personal or professional. Consumers are more likely to engage with businesses that they perceive as trustworthy and credible. By optimizing search engine results to showcase positive content and reviews, Reputation Management SEO helps build trust and credibility with your target audience, increasing the likelihood of conversion and retention.

3. Crisis Prevention and Mitigation: News and information spread rapidly, making reputation crises inevitable for many businesses and individuals. Reputation Management SEO enables proactive monitoring of online sentiment and rapid response to potential threats or crises. By addressing negative content promptly and effectively, you can mitigate reputational damage and maintain control over your narrative.

4. Competitive Advantage: In highly competitive industries, a strong online reputation can set you apart from competitors vying for the same audience. Reputation Management SEO allows you to leverage positive reviews, testimonials, and content to position yourself as a leader in your field. By outranking competitors in search engine results and showcasing your strengths, you can attract more customers and secure a competitive advantage.

5. Long-Term Success: Reputation is not built overnight, but rather cultivated through consistent effort and engagement. Reputation Management SEO is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring, analysis, and optimization. By investing in proactive reputation management strategies, you can safeguard your online reputation and lay the foundation for long-term success and growth.

Do You Need Reputation Management SEO?

While Reputation Management SEO offers numerous benefits, it may not be necessary for everyone. Consider the following factors to determine whether Reputation Management SEO is right for you or your business:

1. Online Presence: Do you or your business have a significant online presence? If you’re actively engaging with customers or clients online and generating content across various platforms, Reputation Management SEO can help ensure that your online reputation remains positive and influential.

2. Brand Perception: How do you want to be perceived online? If maintaining a positive brand image and reputation is important to you or your business, Reputation Management SEO can help align your online presence with your desired perception, fostering trust and loyalty among your target audience.

3. Industry and Competition: What is the competitive landscape like in your industry? If you operate in a highly competitive market where reputation plays a critical role in decision-making, Reputation Management SEO can give you a competitive edge by showcasing your strengths and mitigating risks to your reputation.

4. Risk Factors: Are there any existing or potential risks to your online reputation? If you’ve experienced negative publicity, reviews, or content in the past, or if you operate in an industry prone to reputation crises, Reputation Management SEO can help you proactively address and manage these risks to protect your brand.

5. Growth and Expansion: Are you planning to grow or expand your business in the future? If so, Reputation Management SEO can be instrumental in laying the groundwork for sustained growth by building a strong, positive online reputation that attracts new customers and opportunities.

While Reputation Management SEO offers significant benefits for individuals and businesses looking to maintain a positive online reputation, it may not be necessary for everyone. Consider your online presence, brand perception, industry dynamics, risk factors, and growth objectives to determine whether Reputation Management SEO aligns with your needs and goals. 

Ultimately, investing in proactive reputation management strategies can help safeguard your reputation, build trust with your audience, and position you for long-term success in your eCommerce category. 

The post The Importance of Reputation Management SEO appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

1. Conduct Comprehensive Keyword Research:

Keyword research lays the foundation for your eCommerce SEO strategy. The first step in any SEO campaign is to identify relevant keywords and phrases that potential customers are likely to use when searching for products in your niche. 

Utilize tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to create a list of high-volume keywords with low competition. One strategy is to focus on long-tail keywords(longer, more specific phrases) that reflect user intent and incorporate them naturally into your product descriptions, category pages, and meta tags.

2. Optimize Product Pages:

Optimizing your product pages is essential for attracting organic traffic and converting visitors into customers. Ensure each product page has a unique title tag, meta description, and URL optimized with target keywords. 

One of the best ways to optimize copy is to write compelling, informative product descriptions that highlight the features, benefits, and unique selling points of your products. You can also incorporate high-quality images and videos to enhance the user experience and encourage engagement.

3. Create SEO-Friendly URLs:

Clean and descriptive URLs not only improve user experience but also make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your eCommerce site. Opt for short, keyword-rich URLs that accurately reflect the content of the page. 

Avoid using generic identifiers or parameters in your URLs and instead include relevant keywords and product names. Additionally, utilize hyphens to separate words and make URLs more readable for both users and search engines.

4. Implement Structured Data Markup:

Structured data markup, also known as schema markup, provides search engines with additional context about the content on your eCommerce site. It basically translates an eCommerce website with a structure that is designed for search algorithms to easily process.

Implementing structured data can enhance your search engine listings with rich snippets, such as product ratings, reviews, pricing information, and availability. This not only improves visibility in search results but also increases click-through rates by providing users with valuable information upfront.

5. Optimize for Mobile Devices:

With the majority of online searches now conducted on mobile devices, optimizing your eCommerce site for mobile is a necessity. Ensure your website is mobile-responsive and provides a seamless browsing experience across all devices and screen sizes. 

Optimize page load times, simplify navigation, and prioritize mobile-friendly design elements to enhance usability and encourage conversions. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool can help you identify and address any mobile usability issues on your site.

6. Focus on User Experience (UX):

User experience plays a crucial role in both SEO and conversion rate optimization (CRO). A well-designed, user-friendly eCommerce website not only ranks higher in search engine results but also encourages visitors to explore, engage, and ultimately make a purchase. 

Streamline the checkout process, provide multiple payment options, and offer personalized product recommendations to enhance the overall shopping experience. Regularly monitor user behavior metrics, such as bounce rate, time on site, and conversion rate, to identify areas for improvement and optimize accordingly.

7. Content Marketing:

Content marketing is a powerful tool for eCommerce SEO, allowing you to attract organic traffic, build brand authority, and drive conversions. Create high-quality, informative content that addresses the needs, interests, and pain points of your target audience. 

It’s a good idea to publish blog posts, how-to guides, product tutorials, and buying guides related to your products and industry. It’s also smart to incorporate relevant keywords naturally throughout your content and promote it across various channels, including social media, email newsletters, and industry forums.

8. Optimize for Voice Search:

As the adoption of voice-enabled devices continues to rise, optimizing your eCommerce site for voice search is becoming increasingly important. Voice search queries tend to be more conversational and long-tail in nature, so focus on optimizing for natural language phrases and questions. 

Businesses should create FAQ pages, optimize for local SEO, and provide concise, informative answers to common customer queries. Additionally, similar to mobile optimization, you should ensure that your website loads quickly and is structured in a way that makes it easy for voice assistants to parse and understand.

9. Build High-Quality Backlinks:

Backlinks are a crucial ranking factor in Google’s algorithm and can significantly impact your eCommerce site’s visibility and authority. These are links from credible sources that point back to your website. 

Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your industry through guest blogging, influencer outreach, and digital PR campaigns. Create valuable, shareable content that naturally attracts backlinks from authoritative sources. Monitor your backlink profile regularly and disavow any spammy or low-quality links that could harm your site’s reputation.

10. Monitor and Analyze Performance:

Continuous monitoring and analysis are essential for optimizing your eCommerce SEO strategy and maximizing results. Use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and third-party SEO platforms to track key metrics such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rates, and revenue. 

Analyzing your data will help when it comes to Identifying trends, patterns, and areas of improvement so you can adjust your SEO tactics accordingly. Regularly audit your website for technical issues, broken links, and duplicate content. If you find any issues, implement fixes to ensure optimal performance and user experience.

Implementing effective SEO strategies is essential for the success of your eCommerce business, especially if your business is in a category restricted by Google Ads. By conducting thorough keyword research, optimizing product pages, creating SEO-friendly URLs, implementing structured data markup, and focusing on mobile optimization and user experience, you can improve your search engine rankings, drive organic traffic, and ultimately increase sales and revenue. 

By following these 10 actionable tips, you can take your eCommerce business to new heights and achieve long-term success in the digital marketplace.

The post 10 SEO Tips for Your eCommerce Business appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

Copywriting is a massive part of online marketing that cannot be overlooked. You’ll often want to utilize a team of experts that can focus on expert and meaningful copywriting. You’ll need impactful copywriting on your website, on your blog, and on your social media. Here’s why and how to do it!

Benefits of Great Copywriting For Your Blog

The first major use of copywriting for your site’s marketing is blog content. Blogs have evolved from personal diaries to powerful marketing tools that enable businesses to connect with their target audience, drive traffic to their websites, and establish themselves as authorities in their respective industries. Here’s what a great blog can do for your site.

1. Driving Traffic: One of the primary benefits of maintaining a blog is its ability to drive traffic to your website. Each new blog post presents an opportunity to attract visitors through organic search, social media shares, and referrals from other websites. When you offer useful information and genuine advice, you will boost your site’s SEO and also create an authentic space where customers can learn more about your brand, products, and services.
2. Building Brand Authority: Blogs provide a platform for businesses to showcase their expertise and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. By sharing valuable insights, industry trends, and expert opinions, businesses can position themselves as trusted authorities in their field. Over time, this helps to build credibility and trust with their audience, making it more likely for customers to choose their products or services over competitors.’ For example, if you’re a clothing brand, write articles on the latest fashion trends. Or if you sell refurbished tech, create blog posts about how to use certain products with ease.
3. Engaging with the Audience: Unlike traditional marketing channels, blogs offer a more interactive and personalized way to engage with the audience. When you create a blog, focus on your brand’s personality and story. You want to not only have authority in your space but share your voice. You can connect with potential customers by being real and authentic, allowing them into your world and to build a connection with your brand past your products. Share personal stories, insert jokes and opinions… You want your brand to really shine through.
4. Educating and Informing: On top of sharing your story, blogs serve as valuable educational resources for customers seeking information about products, services, or industry-related topics. By addressing common questions, providing how-to guides, and offering insights into emerging trends, businesses can help customers make informed purchasing decisions. Educational content also helps to build trust and credibility with the audience, positioning the business as a trusted advisor.
5. Measuring and Iterating: Blogging provides valuable insights into customer preferences, interests, and behavior through analytics tools. By tracking metrics such as page views, time on page, and conversion rates, businesses can gain valuable feedback on the effectiveness of their blog content and make data-driven decisions to optimize future posts. This iterative approach ensures that blog content remains relevant, engaging, and impactful over time.

Good blogs are essential components of effective marketing strategies in today’s digital landscape. By driving traffic, building brand authority, engaging with the audience, educating and informing customers, boosting SEO, fueling social media and email marketing, and measuring and iterating based on analytics, blogs offer a versatile and powerful platform for businesses to connect with their target audience and achieve their marketing objectives.

If you want to share your story but don’t have the time to consistently write education and informational blogs, you may need our experts! Our team of SEO writers will work with you to find out what your brand’s voice is as well as the type of content that your customerbase is searching for to get more eyes on your site.

Benefits of Great Copywriting For Your Site and Socials

On top of blog writing, copywriting should be powerful and quality across your entire site and socials. This includes your product descriptions, all across your homepage and about me, as well as any social platforms you’re using. Your copywriting should be consistent and represent your brand’s voice and story across every space.

1. First Impressions Matter: Your website is often the first point of contact between your business and potential customers. Powerful copy ensures that visitors are greeted with captivating language that immediately captures their attention and communicates your brand’s value proposition. Whether it’s a compelling headline, an enticing product description, or a persuasive call-to-action, impactful copy sets the tone for a positive user experience and encourages further exploration.
2. Building Trust and Credibility: In an era of skepticism and information overload, building trust with your audience is paramount. Powerful copy fosters trust and credibility by communicating your brand’s story, values, and unique selling points in a clear and authentic manner. By addressing customer pain points, showcasing testimonials, and providing transparent information, compelling copy instills confidence in your brand and establishes a foundation for lasting relationships with your audience.
3. Driving Conversions: Ultimately, the goal of your online presence is to convert visitors into customers or clients. Powerful copy plays a crucial role in this process by persuading visitors to take the desired action, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. By leveraging persuasive language, compelling benefits, and a sense of urgency on product pages, effective copywriting nudges visitors along the path to conversion and maximizes the return on your marketing efforts.
4. Optimizing for Search Engines: In the vast expanse of the internet, visibility is key to success. Powerful copy not only resonates with human readers but also caters to search engine algorithms, improving your website’s ranking in search results. By incorporating relevant keywords and phrases naturally into your content, compelling copy enhances your website’s discoverability and attracts organic traffic from users actively searching for products or services like yours.
5. Engaging Your Audience on Social Media: Social media platforms provide an invaluable opportunity to connect with your audience on a more personal level. Powerful copy on your social media profiles and posts captivates your followers’ attention amidst the sea of content vying for their attention. Whether it’s crafting engaging captions, sharing compelling stories, or sparking conversations, impactful copywriting drives engagement, cultivates brand loyalty, and expands your reach within your target demographic.
6. Differentiating Your Brand: Standing out from the competition is essential and powerful copy gives your brand a distinct voice and personality that sets you apart from competitors. Whether it’s injecting humor, demonstrating empathy, or showcasing expertise, compelling copywriting creates a memorable brand identity that resonates with your audience and fosters emotional connections.

Powerful copy is so important when it comes to a successful online presence, shaping perceptions, driving engagement, and ultimately, driving results. Whether it’s your website, social media profiles, or digital advertisements, compelling copywriting is essential for capturing attention, building trust, driving conversions, optimizing for search engines, engaging your audience, differentiating your brand, and adapting to evolving trends and platforms.

When you build a website, you’re often focused on the images, the UX, even the product listings. Copywriting can sometimes be forgotten in the grand scheme of things. But good copywriting can make all the difference for your marketing. Whether it’s an informational blog post, a fun social media status, or an inspiring product description, you need copywriting to find and maintain a large customerbase that trusts you and your products.

The post Why Copywriting is the Key to Good Marketing appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

Be Authentic

This is the biggest piece of advice I can give you — be authentic. Every social media post, blog entry, and advertisement has to genuine. Gamers can sniff out “cringe” and fake energy immediately and your brand will be called out. Don’t try to talk about topics you know nothing about and don’t use old, aged memes.

Instead, focus on your own strengths and create campaigns and content that uses a genuine voice and shows how you truly fit into the industry. This works whether you sell gaming PCs or jewelry — as long as you tell a real story and create authentic connections.

Learn the Demographic

The gaming industry is full of a very large fanbase and the truth is you won’t relate to everyone. It’s important to find a specific demographic within the gaming industry that will be most responsive to your brand and products. This will make it easier to create authentic and impactful campaigns and content for a certain group since you’ll understand what makes them tick.

Here’s an example from my own experience at a past gaming marketing company. A non-endemic brand focused on crptyocurrency came to us wanting to inspire awareness in the gaming industry. I presented them with a content and engagement plan focused on Dota 2. Why? Dota 2 players and esports viewers are usually older, with their own money to spend. They would be more likely to care about cryptocurrency than, say, a 14-year-old Fortnite player. Then, the experience I created involved letting Dota 2 players have a say in the results of a project, something that works for Dota 2 players since they often feel they are not listened to despite being very passionate about the scene.

Another time, a toy company came to us wanting some creative content aimed at gamers. We paired them up with a Call of Duty team to create some fun, viral video content. This made sense since Call of Duty players are often younger and we wanted to provide them with fun, genuine content that showed them the toys in action, used by pros that inspire them.

Stay Up to Date

You will need to be internet-savvy if you want to succeed at advertising in the gaming industry. This includes understanding internet culture as well as the latest video game trends. That’s because you want to create genuine content that really relates to gamers and doesn’t feel “try hard.” For example, keep track of the newest games that gamers are talking about and create content and ads based on these titles. Or check out the latest viral TikToks in the gaming community to learn what social media content will feel authentic and create connections with gamers.

Contact our social media experts to learn more about using trending topics and social media to get the most out of your advertising.

Use Alternative Platforms

Unlike more traditional industries, the largest social media platforms for gamers are a bit different. One big site that’s often looked over is Reddit. This is a site where gamers come together to discuss the latest games, memes, esports news, and controversies. You can add to the conversations in authentic ways and create content based on the discussions you see. Another important site is X (formerly known as Twitter). This is where big gaming and esports news is shared first and it has become where the community gathers to share their thoughts and stay up to date. TikTok and Instagram are also great places to share social content.

Have Fun

Lastly, just have friggin’ fun. Honestly. If you are enjoying the content you create — whether it’s fun videos of people at your company playing horror games or providing young gamers with online tournaments or just simply writing fun blog posts about the latest games — it will come across to gamers. Instead of screaming corporate, it will seem like you truly want to make gamers laugh and enjoy your content and products. Just be yourself, share your brand’s true story, and stay up to date with all things gaming and gamers.

The post Advertising in the Gaming Industry — The Importance of Authenticity appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.

The words you use on your eCommerce website have the potential to make or break a sale. In this blog, we’ll delve into the importance of writing good copy for eCommerce websites and provide some valuable tips on content writing to help you succeed.

The Power of Words in eCommerce

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of writing good copy for eCommerce, let’s take a moment to appreciate the immense influence words have in the online shopping experience. Words are not just a means of conveying information; they are tools for persuasion, connection, and trust-building.

First Impressions Matter

When a potential customer lands on your eCommerce website, they are greeted by your copy. The headlines, product descriptions, and even the calls to action are the first things they see. A well-written homepage can grab a visitor’s attention and make them stay, explore, and ultimately make a purchase.

Establishing Trust

In the absence of face-to-face interactions, words are your primary tool for building trust. Clear, concise, and authoritative copy assures customers that your business is reliable and professional.

Convincing and Persuading 

Your copy should persuade visitors to become customers. It should not just describe products, but also highlight their benefits and solve the customer’s problems. Well-crafted product descriptions can be the turning point for a potential buyer.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Good copy isn’t just for humans; it’s also vital for search engines. By incorporating relevant keywords and creating valuable, original content, you improve your website’s visibility in search results, potentially attracting more organic traffic.

User Experience

The way you present information in your eCommerce store significantly affects the user experience. Your copy should be scannable, concise, and easy to understand, helping visitors find what they need quickly.

Tips for Writing Effective eCommerce Copy

Now that we understand the importance of good copy in eCommerce, let’s explore some tips to help you write content that drives sales and enhances the customer experience.

• Know Your Audience: Before you start writing, you must have a deep understanding of your target audience. What are their needs, pain points, and desires? Tailor your copy to resonate with your ideal customers. Consider creating buyer personas to guide your writing efforts.
• Be Clear and Concise: Online shoppers are usually in a hurry. They skim through web pages looking for key information. Make your copy scannable by using bullet points, short paragraphs, and clear headings. Use concise language to convey your message.
• Highlight Benefits, Not Just Features: While it’s essential to list the features of your products, it’s equally important to emphasize how those features benefit the customer. How will this product make their life better, solve a problem, or meet a need? Paint a picture of the improved life your product offers.
• Use Persuasive Language: Incorporate persuasive elements into your copy. Words like “exclusive,” “limited time offer,” and “free” can create a sense of urgency and excitement. However, use them sparingly and honestly.
• Create Engaging Headlines: Your headlines are what capture a visitor’s attention initially. Craft headlines that are both informative and intriguing. A great headline can make a potential customer curious and encourage them to read further.
• Tell a Story: Storytelling is a powerful tool in copywriting. Use narratives to create an emotional connection with your audience. Share the story of your brand, product development, or satisfied customers. People relate to stories, and they can help build trust.
• Provide Social Proof: Include customer reviews and testimonials on your product pages. Positive feedback from other customers can significantly influence the purchasing decision. Encourage happy customers to leave reviews, and be sure to respond to negative reviews constructively.
• Address Objections: Anticipate and address potential objections or concerns that your customers might have. By proactively providing answers to common questions, you reduce the friction in the buying process.
• Create Urgency: Limited-time offers, countdowns, and the fear of missing out can be powerful motivators. If you have special promotions or sales, communicate the urgency effectively.
• A/B Testing: Don’t assume that your initial copy is perfect. A/B testing allows you to compare different versions of your content to see what works best. Test headlines, product descriptions, and calls to action to continually improve your copy.
• Focus on SEO: Optimizing your copy for search engines is crucial for driving organic traffic. Conduct keyword research to identify the terms your audience is searching for, and integrate them naturally into your content. Don’t overstuff keywords; keep the user experience in mind.
• Be Authentic: Authenticity is key in eCommerce. Be honest about your products, their benefits, and their limitations. Authenticity builds trust, and trust leads to long-term customer relationships.
• Professional Editing: Don’t underestimate the importance of professional editing and proofreading. Typos and grammatical errors can erode trust and make your brand appear unprofessional.
• Mobile Optimization: Remember that many customers shop on their mobile devices. Ensure that your copy is mobile-friendly and responsive, so it looks and reads well on all screen sizes.
• Testimonials and Trust Symbols: Including trust symbols such as security badges, industry awards, and association memberships can further enhance your credibility. Testimonials from well-known individuals or organizations can also add credibility to your brand.

In the world of eCommerce, writing good copy is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Your website’s copy plays a pivotal role in attracting, engaging, and converting visitors into customers. By understanding your audience, crafting persuasive and authentic copy, and constantly optimizing your content, you can set your eCommerce business on a path to success. 

Remember, the power of words extends beyond just describing your products – they have the potential to build trust, establish a connection, and ultimately drive sales. So, invest in the art and science of writing good copy for your eCommerce website, and let your content represent your brand to your customers.

The post The Importance of Writing Quality Copy appeared first on 1Digital® Agency.