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SEO Coach

Content Writing

Content Media: The Race is On

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

When I took my first typing class, the last thing I ever thought was that I would be using the typing skills I was diligently learning for SEO Tactics. Back then, SEO had not even been created yet. Now that SEO has become a huge deal in the business world, I am very glad that I learned the skills that can allow my fingers to keep up with my thoughts as I compete for traffic in the major search engines.

This is real work that produces real results. Content Media is my chosen phrase for what we are doing. Some of the different seo tactics for using these skills include:

The list just goes on. It’s no wonder that sites are getting buried in the search engines because the search engines are changing their search strategies. Because of this, finding a true SEO professional is becoming more and more difficult. Content is “key” to this whole new era of web marketing, and a true SEO Tactic that will bring you traffic is to be able to provide a daily batch of fresh content.

The idea of having fresh daily content, however, may make some of you a bit ill. I know that many people can’t type well and that it is even more difficult to come up with new content concepts on a daily basis. I talk to different people every day and the thought of having to do all this work just to have a fighting chance seems a bit out of reach.

”Wake up! Pay attention and get creative,” some say. This is easier said then done. But, it is time to apply these SEO Tactics in a practical way where you will be able to benefit the most without having to waste your entire day writing. One area that everybody I know seems to fall short in is planning. Making a plan can help you to get ahead faster than you ever believed. Here are some tips to get you focused:

Do not attempt to do everything in a day or on your own.

  1. Don’t try and apply all the concepts at one time and don’t try to do all this work on your own.
  2. I have a routine down where I spend 15 minutes a day on Facebook and on MyBlogLog. I do as much as I can in those 15 minutes and after that time is up, I click away from those sites.
  3. Then, I spend another 20 – 30 minutes writing a blog. First, I will spend about 5 minutes looking for new articles, reading them and coming up with a plan of my own. I don’t copy these articles or use what they say in my own content, I just read up to get the creative juices flowing a bit.
  4. Then I send my blog to my friend to review and edit. In fact, this very piece you are reading was edited and spell checked in order to allow my readers to enjoy their visit as much as possible.
  5. I then have a writer that will create an article that is around 500 words long for my keyword focus. I place it on my site and submit it to over 1,000 ezine sites for backlinks.
  6. Another associate will go into directory sites and submit my titles and descriptions. Before this process got started I sat down with my writer and came up with 5 keyword titles and 10 different descriptions. My associate then randomly submits these to directory sites. Yes, directory sites still have merit, but I don’t do more then 5 per day.

Notice that in most of my steps I am relying on someone else to work with me to make these things happen. There are many other SEO Tactics that can be used and at different times I do apply them. Of course, before I complete my site, I make sure that the meta data, content, etc is all done correctly and professionally. The key here, however, is help! If you can handle these on your own without help, that is great, but most people have too many other things to do to spend their time researching, writing, editing, and submitting to different sites, yet you need this process to get traffic.

I know what you’re thinking and can almost hear the sigh already. This approach will require that you do this every day, but don’t panic just yet. In a short time, you site should be getting the kind of rankings that you desire and then it will be much easier for you to maintain them. For instance, I don’t do this routine on weekends, and at some point your site should be ranking the way you want it and this will afford you the opportunity to take a bit of time off from this routine.

If you don’t have people that you know and trust to help you in your routine, then you should seriously consider a company to handle some of these things for you. As long as you have a plan, a task list, and some kind of budget, you can find someone who will be able to follow your instructions to the letter.

Conclusion:

Writing is key for SEO Tactics, but planning is a must and understanding how to do all these effectively marks the top of the list. If you are just getting started in the world of Content Media don’t give up or get frustrated, just get help!

Content Writing: How to Hire Ghost Writers and Succeed in Keyword Ranking

Saturday, January 26th, 2008

Recently there has been a major change taking place not only in Google but in all the search engines. The search engines have 2 goals for their users. To filter out junk web sites from natural search results, and to make money on paid advertisements which are also know as sponsored links. This competition gives the search engines the power to choose how they accept sites and which they want to exclude. Though this process is not bullet proof, you will see more sites disappearing from the top 10 of the major search engines and more relevant sites appear relating to your keyword search.

Is your site appearing in these results naturally? Are you finding that no matter what you do, there is no progress for your site, though you spend hours daily trying to make this happen?

Many websites could easily climb the keyword ranks if they just apply some standard content writing to their site. After much effort and time, many site owners realize they need help in this area. These site owners have hired Ghost Writers to accomplish these tasks with some to no real success.

The frustration levels now are growing all around as people realize their need for help and yet still can’t find Ghost Writers who know any better then they do. The problem is too many people are not understanding of what the real needs are, and are hiring people without this knowledge and are once again wasting time.

Service companies offering Ghost Writers know your desires to move up in keyword ranks, but this doesn’t mean they are experts in SEO. The real needs here are some simple guidelines to follow when hiring a Ghost Writers.

Know Your Site Needs More Then Ghost Writers

The most important thing you need to understand is what your site needs more then any Ghost Writer can. If you direct these writers with a well thought out plan you will see more success with your keyword ranking.

Know Your Word Count

Your first plan is to know how many words each page of your site needs. To get the Search Engines Attention you want to have at least 300 words and not more then 500 words per page. The only time you really can use more then 500 words on a single web page is if you are offering news or press.

Make Your Point Stand Out

Each page of content by the Ghost Writers should have specific points readers can focus on. There are a few ways to do this:

  1. Use a numbered point system. Have a section of your content break down 3 or 5 important things in the format of Numeric points
  2. Bullet point your 3 or 5 things that make that page of content clear for your readers
  3. Use Sub Headings to break down your thoughts as this helps people get to the most important parts to them.

Which ever way you choose, you are structuring your content in such a way that readers can skim through your information and find what they need.

Proper Keyword or Key Phrase Placement

You do not want your pages filled with keyword or phrases randomly just to get them in your site. This only delays your keyword rankings. Instruct the Ghost Writers to dedicate each page to a specific keyword.

Now, to make this point clear not confusing, what I am saying here is you will have your basic pages of content like your home page, contact page, about us page, service page, etc. Those pages you can put in different keyword phrases in the content itself and in the meta tag areas like Meta descriptions, keywords & title of page, but only put these in if they make sense to the reader as these pages are meant to drive sales and call people to action!

Create a section on your website either via an FAQ, Information page, Blog, News or something that will allow you to have titles and descriptions that link to their own independent pages where now you can have clear content focusing on 1 keyword or phrase that make sense to the readers and tells the search engines what keyword to place you for in their rankings.

Make sure that you link the keyword at least 1 time back to your main home page, as this really helps push the search results to get people to the starting page of your site.

Only focus on 10 keywords for natural results when you first start this process. If you try for too many keywords then again you will slow down this process.

A Bit More Details on Meta Data

Make sure that your Ghost Writer includes:

  1. Meta Title: This should be the primary keyword for that page along with 1 more keyword and then the name of your company. For example this article title tag could be “Ghost Writers, Keyword Ranking: The Content Writers”.
  2. Meta Description: Your description should be compelling and to the point about what the particular page is about. A good description for this article could be “Ghost Writers, everything you need to know before you hire one. Read our step by step guide and watch your keyword rankings improve in no time at all”
  3. Meta Keywords: Research your primary and secondary keywords first so that when you hand over the details to your Ghost Writer they will know already which ones you want. Though you already know yourself you want this included on the page of content written for easy copying and pasting. The keywords for this article could be “ghost writers, ghost writer, keyword ranking”

Final Preparation and Research To Find The Best Ghost Writers

Now that you have an idea on what you should plan for in advance this will make your Ghost Writers very happy as you are providing them with great details on what you want for main site content and for keyword site content. They know now what you are expecting in return and should speed up the process to return to you the content needed.

I want to note here that you are not presenting these writers with content for your site, only a specific outline of page names, keywords and expectation. You only need now to do a bit of research to find the best writer for your business.

When searching for a Ghost Writer you are now simplifying your search for someone who can follow your instructions rather then hope they know what they are doing for improving your keyword rankings. Here is a guide to help you find the best provider for you:

  1. 1. You want to find writers who are easily accessible via Phone or Email
  2. 2. Hire only a company that gives you a clear pricing plan so you know what to expect when all the content is complete. Typically you can have them break down a per word cost to make things really simple.
  3. 3. Have them write up 1 or 2 pages before you give the complete set of pages. This way you can see how quickly they return the content, if they followed your instructions and how well written the content is.
  4. 4. Leave a little room for content that is almost what you needed but not exactly on target. Remember, you are more of an expert then they are in your industry. This is very important because many times it is just a minor change in wording or adding a simple sentence to complete your page that you requested. If this is the case then make the fix and pay them for their work.
  5. 5. For terms of payment I suggest you work this out with them in advance but never pay 100% up front. A rule of thumb in business is let them collect 25% to 50% up front. This of course depends on your experience with them in regards to time and quality. If you see they are pretty close but need to send requests back to have fixes then try for the 25%, if they are pretty much right on target then pay the higher amount up front, and then pay them the full amount once the content is complete.

For your sites success and the success of the Ghost Writers you hire, I truly hope this information serves you well.