Each time your business decides to publish an advertisement, update / add a webpage, or any other content, it should be with the focus and mind-set to connect and engage with people. Of course, there is no foolproof method to know what will gain high SERP rankings or what will appeal to a larger mass of people. There are however, some proven best practices for copywriting, which when applied seem to increase web traffic, increase click-through rates, boost search engine rankings, and thereby increase the opportunities to turn leads to conversions. The higher a company’s SERP rankings are, the more it enhances their authority and credibility in the business environment.
- Publish quality content – brilliantly articulated and useful content would most certainly appeal to a larger ‘audience’ and would serve the purpose for which it is published. Avoid industry jargon, but rather use keywords that would be easy to ‘search’ and find.
- Ensure that the title or headline of the content is catchy and ‘alluring’. The aim of quality content should be to engage and keep the attention of the readers. In addition, since one of the top reasons for customers to buy is emotions, ensure that your content connects with them on the emotional level.
- Publish content that is relevant and useful – not just to the target audience but to a large cross-section of readers too. The content must also be relevant to the business of your company – this would serve to provide information to people about your company, while giving them something additional and worthwhile to read.
- While people may sometimes know what they want, a company that makes the effort to keep them informed and ‘educated’, tend to score higher with both existing and prospective customers. Readers should be able to see the benefit of the company’s offerings and how the company ‘stands’ in comparison to other industry players.
- While info-graphics may have caught on, brevity of content does not always work. Research proves that long form content – i.e. 300 words and more, have a better ‘hit’ and read rate, which means that such content is more engaging.
- While using keywords is quintessential to making it easy for content to be found in the crowded internet milieu, it would be prudent to make it easier. Using headings, bulleted points, sub-headings, well-spaced matter, or other such techniques, allows content to be picked up more easily and often.
- One of the other characteristic of good copywriting is that it focuses on one central topic. Enhance the topic with keywords, synonyms of those words, similar phrases, and other variations that mean the same thing. Ensure that you do not ‘over-use’ the keyword. It is always a good idea to weave the keyword into the title of the content and ensure that it appears at least once in the opening paragraph.
- Opening with a rhetorical question is a great way to arouse the curiosity of readers. It jogs their mind, and they would read on trying to seek the answer to the intriguing ‘question’ the content posed at the top. You could add also, an image that ‘speaks’ about the central theme of the content – doing so makes it easier for people to gauge the message of the content.
- Meta descriptions are a must have – they describe the content, making it easier for search engines to ‘pick’ it up when someone searches with the relevant keyword. In addition, an articulate meta description compels readers to click the content and read.
- Link social media to the content by placing their buttons in a visible place. In addition, ensure that your content has a call to action – whether it is to share, register, or some such CTA. This keeps the attention of the readers for a longer time, which is a great way to garner interest.
- It will sound pompous but is a great copywriting practice, to mention names of companies, brands, or individuals associated with your company. In addition, it would be a good idea to mention any awards or seals of approval your company may have received, that would be relevant for the target audience to know.
The job of a company and the content is to serve the customer base by listening to their opinions, understanding their needs, and fulfilling their expectations. If your company has in the past, carefully heard, and makes it a habit to do so continually, the ‘audience’ will provide you with sufficient ‘knowledge’ and insights to put together the best copywriting there is – relevant, engaging, interesting, and leading to conversions.