Does Your SEO Copy Need a Makeover?
So, I have a question for you…
Do you like your existing web copy?
I don’t mean “how well is it doing in the engines,” or “how much time/energy/stress did it take you to write it in the first place.” I asked, “Do you like it?”
If your answer was, “I don’t,” you’re not alone. A large number of B2B and B2C companies are looking at their SEO copy and budgeting for change. They want to toss out the old, come up with a brand new customer persona strategy and tweak the tone and feel.
In short, they want a SEO copy makeover.
I love this trend. I applaud it. And it makes perfect sense. The last two years were rough on almost every company out there. The companies that survived may have “done without” for two years or more, paying down debt and building up cash reserves. Sure, the site needed help – but that wasn’t a high priority. Instead, they needed to hunker down and take care of business.
Now, companies are spending money again. They are looking at their corporate sites and realizing, “This site is holding us back from making more money.” They may be seeing an uptick in new customers – and they realize that changing their copy can increase their sales/leads even more.
Does this sound like your company? Here’s what you can do:
- Admit that there’s a problem, and share your concern with all interested parties. Get people talking. You may not be able to solve your problem in-house, but you can at least get everyone (marketing, IT, branding, PPC) on the same page. Together, you can take the next step, which is…
- Decide what you don’t like about your current content. Is it invisible in the search engines? Does the copy bore you? Has your customer profile changed – and your Web copy needs to change with it? Start making a list of concerns and priorities.
- Check your analytics. Figure out what is working – and what’s not. Are people leaving your site as fast as they enter? Are certain blog posts boring your readers? Add your findings to the “concerns and priorities” list.
- Talk to your customers and ask what they want to see. Do customers miss your long-forgotten blog? Do you hear comments like, “I tried to find this information on your site, but I couldn’t.” Gather their feedback and see how you can mesh their ideas with your makeover strategy.
- Review your competition. If you haven’t checked out your competition, now is a great time. Are they on Twitter? How is their writing style different from yours – and do you like it? What benefits are they promoting? You never want to copy your competition, but you can gain some pretty great ideas.
- Consider working with a consultant (or another outsider) to help. When you’re “too close” to something, it’s awfully hard to think out of the box. A consultant (or even an in-house team member from another department) can see your project with fresh eyes, develop solutions and streamline the process.
Finally, know the most important part of your “makeover” is implementation. A consultant can create a 20-page customer persona document – but if you don’t write the content, your current situation won’t change.
There are lots of ways your company can accomplish this, from complete outsourcing – to having someone set an editorial calendar and keeping the work in-house. The important thing is to be able to benefit from your SEO copy makeover – and finally have a site you want to have.
Hi Heather,
Loved the post! The problem as I see it: Too many people focused on web design/re-design and not enough on web copy. Ironically, it’s the web copy and content that drives traffic and conversions. Just my 2 cents.
Best,
Ray
Thanks, Ray! Glad you liked the post. :)
Hi Heather,
Additional things to consider. I view growing my website like putting money in the bank, (a good bank), where it is safe, secure, and pays me interest on my deposit. Not just interest, but compound interest. So my return grows all the time. There were three different writers for my site including me. The pages with the highest traffic and the highest conversion rates were written by the writer I paid the most. The investment has been outstanding. I paid her and the interest keeps mounting. The other pages ….meh, not as much investment, not as much return either. The ‘free’ pages…well. I am not going to say which ones I did, but if anyone reads the whole site – they would tell the difference.
Heather – if this part below is not appropriate for the scope of this blog – please feel free to edit or delete.
So what can people expect in price ranges for SEO copy writing? I see ranges from scary low on up. My best pages were about $200 a piece. The mediocre pages were around $100 a page.
Although my writing has improved, its nowhere near the quality of the person who make the best pages.
Thanks.
Ken
Ken, hi! Thanks for your insight from the “other side of the table.” You’re absolutely right in that you do get what you pay for in terms of SEO copywriting, as you might expect with any profession. If this helps at all, Heather wrote a post specifically addressing what SEO copywriters can expect to earn, depending upon their experience: How to make money as an SEO copywriter | SEO Copywriting http://bit.ly/ginUnv You’ll find that it can range from $50 to $1,500/page — it’s really up to you to decide the level of expertise you need, and what you’re willing to pay for. A talented SEO Copywriter can pay their way many times over, as you noted. Thanks again for your comments :)
Hey, Ken-
It’s soooo true: You get what you pay for (as folks who paid for content mill writing have figured out.) Certainly, I have known some great “diamond in the rough” writers who didn’t charge what they should. At the same time, writers with experience charge more because they get results. They can provide it. They hit their deadlines and turn in copy that sings. And to your point, they are the ones who often get better conversion rates/rankings, too.
LOVE your compound interest analogy. Thank you! :)
I just want to second what Ray mentioned. Too often a redesign trumps copy revision when it comes to website redo’s.
this is a great attack plan for companies in getting this essential task going!
Sarah, you are so right about this, ah, challenge! It can be difficult to get your copy “heard” when the website re-design gets underway…Glad to hear that you found this a great “attack plan” ==> love that fighting spirit! :-)