Wondering if SEO copywriting was a smart strategy for your business? Learn about the seven steps to SEO copywriting success - and discover how to make small changes that can gain big ranking (and revenue) results! Originally presented at SES Chicago 2009. Learn more at SEOCopywriting.com or contact Heather Lloyd-Martin at heather [at] seocopywriting.com

3. Why care about content?

4. The Importance of SEO Content Keyphrase research Quality content Quality incoming links SEO sweet spot

5. The importance of SEO content How the text is written can have a tremendous impact on search positions and conversions It’s not enough to “just have content,” or “stick keyphrases in copy.”

7. Step #1-Who Are You?

8. How well should you know your target audience?

9. Write for the right audience How can you write effective copy if you don’t know who you’re writing it for...? Consider: - Who is your target audience (hint: it’s not “everyone.”) - Do you have multiple target audiences? - How old is your typical buyer/reader? - What level of education have they reached? - What are their average income levels? - What benefits are important to them? - What are their hopes, fears and desires?

11. Step #2: WIIFM?

12. How to show WIIFM - What are the benefits of working with you - and why are those benefits important to your target audience? - What specific objections do you have to overcome? - What is your competition doing and how do you position your company within your local or national marketplace? - What tone and feel should you use to resonate with your audience? How you say what you say is extremely important

13. Does this make you want to whip out your credit card?

14. Let’s compare: Quicken

15. Mint.com

16. Step #3: Be a content psychic

17. Want to get inside your customer’s heads? Keyphrase research helps you understand what information people are searching for and what questions they have.

18. Look for opportunities to build out new, unique content

20. Use Twitter for Content Marketing Ideas

21. Articles become part of resource center. New articles - with product links - featured in monthly newsletter - driving traffic back to the site

22. Step #4: Free yourself from “fake rules”

23. Party like it’s 1999... but don’t optimize your site that way

26. Step #5: Make your Titles sizzle off the SERP

27. Think of Titles like headlines

29. Step #6: Control what you can control

30. Beware the Website mullet Check for outdated copy. Worst offenders: - Press pages - Conference/events pages - Product pages - Old articles that are obviously outdated Set up an editorial plan to update the “old” copy.

32. Step #7: Follow the SEO copywriting checklist

34. SEOcopywriting.com Heather Lloyd-Martin [email_address] Twitter: http://twitter.com/heatherlloyd