Neil Patel, the founder of Crazyegg and KISSMetrics came to Israel, again. Neil came to lecture about growing a blog. Its a great privilege to hear someone so knowledgeable who is also still approachable and an entertaining lecturer to boot. Lets see if this post can demonstrate what I learned...
3 reasons to why a blog is good for your business.
The first advantage of a blog is the fact that you have control over the content that you publish. even if you allow guest posts on your blog and want other writers to contribute - the last choice is yours. In social media you have no control on how people react to your post or how the discussion will develop. When you have a blog, you can even close the comments option if you feel it does not fit your concept, or monitor the comment posted.
Neil's first tip regarding the content of the blog is that the content should teach! the idea is that people who read your content should get some value form it. If they learn something and can even implement what they learn - then this means your content teaches them things and they get value.
Neil also recommends stretching borderlines and being original and creative. If you have fun when you write and try new things, the results will be interesting and fun to read. If people feel they learned something, had fun doing so and got value, the chance they will convert is higher.
Guess what is the most obvious converting part of the blog?
One of the most important things is a good blog post is the header. Neil writes long posts of 2000 words , so he always ends them with a short summary and used headers in it 3-5 times. Headers help organize the text for your readers and informed them of what;s coming up. 80% of most people skim the headlines first and then decide if to read the actual content. Headlines generate interest, so you need to make them interesting. You want your readers to be curious regarding your content.
Neil's 6 tips for good headlines:
1. Use adjectives and questions to generate interest
2. Use shocking negative words
3. 65 characters is an ideal length for a header, 6 words is good - informative and not too long
4. Use numbers - uneven numbers work better. The bigger the number, the better (but remember the context when you decide on a number).
5. Avoid word play and double meanings, keep it simple and clear
6. make heading suited to the content beneath it
Here are some samples for good headers:
"eyebrows you would kill for, 7 tips to create your eyebrow design"
"5 management mistakes you make, that will kill your business (and how to avoid them)"
"101 ways to save money fr a small business"
"11 worse ways to pitch a VC (and how to fix your pitch)"
"Here is why investors will not give you money (and what to do to change that)"
"21 reasons why no one reads your press releases (and how you can fix this)"
"11 ways to dress like Natalie Portman for under $100".
Your opening paragraph should also invoke curiosity, here is an example.
Headline: "7 SEO mistakes you are probably making"
Opening paragraph: "Have you ever seen a first age ranking on Google search that has no keywords in it? Have you wondered how they do it?"
Headline: "7 ways to generate creative headings for your presentations"
Opening Paragraph: "If your presentation slides do not have interesting headings, people will assume that what you have to say is boring too. in this post you will learn tools that will help you generate interesting headlines for your PPT slides, and you can come back to this formula whenever you want to create a presentation."
3 things to avoid when writing your blog
Avoid over promotion:
People do not like self promotional content. If its too commercial they will not read and you lose credibility. List blogs are a great way to provide information for people that is organised and easy for them to absorb. Put yourself in number 2 of the list. 2 is the magic spot. If you put yourself first, you are being too pushy. If you go for place 3, people might just not read a bout you. so in this case its 2 that is the magic number.
Avoid over protectiveness:
People tend to keep all the best stuff to themselves, but blogging is about sharing your wisdom and knowledge. Its a hard decision to make - where to place your best content. Neil says that if you are just starting out and need the push from blogs that are stronger than yours, you should give them your best content. This means you cannot post it on your blog because you want to avoid double content. Guest posting and using the authority of popular blogs is a great promotional tool for you and you will get good reputation for publishing good content on such platforms. When you are stronger, you can then keep the good stuff for your own blog.
Avoid snobbery:
The web encourages the writing style to be direct and conversational. So write a lt of "you" and "I" in your content. make your readers feel like you are talking to them. Avoid being over-intelligent and keep your language simple. Dumb down your content so that the widest common denominator of people will understand (I should have written: Dumb down your content so that most people reading it will understand what they are reading:-).
Neil's 6 tips for creating a good infographic
An infographic is a visual tool to explain complex ideas, to slice and to simplify them for your audience. Its a great converting tool. Here are Neil's tips on how to best create them.
1. Keep them visual, use images not words to get your ideas across.
2. 5-6 points/ enhancements make an idea infographic - do not make them too short or too long, or the conversion rate goes down.
3. The various points should flow - create a story in your infographic
4. Keep the color scheme simple. (BTW blues convert better on Facebook, because this matches their brand)
5. do not forget to put your URL and logo at the bottom
6. put an embedding code for sharing your infographic when publishing it.
Other things that were discussed were the best time to post blogs (depending on the platform you are sharing in), how to get a guest post chance, monotization and promotion of the blog. Remember that people do not always see the first time you promote your blog on a social media platform, so do not be afraid to repeat the post 3-4 times during the 10 days after posting (then come back to it in 6 months time...fr round no. 2 of new readers). Neil also discussed the posting frequency. Although its best to post more often, if you do not have something really good to post and nothing interesting to say, then do not post!
To sum it all up
So why was it worth buying the ticket to hear Neil Patel lecture this week in Israel?
I learned why a blog is good for my business.
I learned of the importance of headlines and how to create good ones.
I learned what to avoid when writing my blog.
I got great tips for creating infographics.
To top it all off I learned about monotization and promotion.
It was great to hear Neil talk, its obvious he has fun being the marketing hackathon that he is,
I feel secure in recommending his marketing blog "Quicksprout". I am sure I will continue to learn.
Thank you Assaf Einstein for inviting Neil back to Israel.
Showing posts with label content for all. Show all posts
Showing posts with label content for all. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2015
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
The magic of small details in fruit and chocolate
I just completed a small website for a nice lady called Michaela, who has started a new business of fruit and chocolate treats. I think her products are really cool and everything is fresh. From the content side, I especially pride myself on the service pledge I worte for her. I do hope the business is a success.
Her website is http://michaelapri.com/
(in which you can see the content I wrote for the pages on the main top menu)
Enjoy the sweet thing in life...Ofra
Her website is http://michaelapri.com/
(in which you can see the content I wrote for the pages on the main top menu)
Enjoy the sweet thing in life...Ofra
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
The Basic Principles of SEO
The Basic Rules of SEO
Written by Ofra Kleinberger-Riedrich
CONTNET4ALL
The Content Guru
---------------------------------------------------
What makes SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in a nutshell is content and links. If you write good content and publish it in all the relevant online pages, creating a linking network, you will get your website promoted in the search engines in general, and Google specifically. No one knows exactly what makes Google tick (except Google programmers) but the principles of SEO are that good business drives good content, and good content drives a website higher up in the Organic
search results.
Top of the Search
Why do you want your website to be high in the search results? Because at least 85% of all web surfers start their surf in the search engine page, most notably Google. So if you want to be seen by your potential customers (I mean those that do not know your brand and are not directly looking for you) you need to be on that search page. In the world of the world wide web people have a very short time span and virtually no patience when seeking information, so if your website is not on the first page of the search results, they will not be scrolling down to the second or third pages to look for you. IF your website is not located on the first page of the search results, it virtually does not exist for your potential clientele.
Investing in organic SEO is a process, but once you have initiated this process and start getting the results you strive for, these results will also stay on the web for long periods of time, so its worth the investment. Any SEO agency that promises immediate high results it pulling your leg. Organic search results achievements take time, at least 6 months. PPC is for immediate short time effect and for times bursts (like creating a web buzz in coordination with a big exhibition presence) but PPC is a trade of its own, this article is about SEO.
On Page Optimization
Optimizing your website pages mainly means writing good content, having enough text in your various website pages that is informative, easy to read and relevant for your clients. Your website should show your potential customers that you are a professional who can provide a product or service that helps them solve a problem. Each page should contain contain regarding a particular theme, and this theme should be defined as key words. These keywords should be repeated in the text, but not too often. The idea is that the search engine will scan the c9ntent ans see if it is readable and if it is relevant to the keywords. The keywords are the tool that surfers use to search for information, so you need to think and select them in light of your customer needs. The short description (inserted in a meta tag) that appears in the search results under your URL, should contain keywords and provide your readers with the information they need in order to determine if they want to go into your website, after reviewing its description from their search (assuming you made it to the fist page). The more relevant your content to solving the problems of your customers, the higher the chance your website appears in their searches and the higher the probability that they will stay on your site and even contact you to make as purchase. IF they stay on your website, your bounce rates will be lower and this too helps boost your website in the search results.
On page optimization of content and intensifying the relevancy of your content to the services or products you provide, helps create more authority for your website. Authority means that Google sees you as an expert in your field, and thus ranks your site higher. This rank will help push your website up in the search results.
Off Page Optimization
Off page optimization mainly means creating a linking network to your website from other relevant websites and publications and creating a web buzz around your activity by promoting your website on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, You Tube etc.). You have less control regarding other publications that may publish an article about your product or service, but if you get opinion leaders to talk, tweet and blog about you – that is a big step in the right direction. If you can create a good video or image that people will talk about, it’s a great tool to create web buzz about your activities and your business website.
In the Internet the text is king. Text drives traffic to your website and into the conversion funnel within it (the funnel is the road surfers take via various pages in your website until they complete the goal you defined for them, contacting you or purchasing your product online), but one picture (with great text in its ALT tag) is worth a thousand words and a video footage (on You Tube with great promotion) is worth a thousand pictures.
Influencers, or opinion leaders are people who are known in your line of business and are considered by your potential clients as people who have something important and trustworthy to say. Your customers are influenced by them. Links from blogs belonging to influencers or from articles in meaningful web publications all help promote your website in the search engine because they indicate to the search engine that your site is a trusted source of information in your relevant and specific market. This trust is also ranked by Google. This rank will help push your website up in the search results.
More from Ofra also to be read in the blog
http://jobsearchinisrael.blogspot.com/2010/09/challenges-of-marcom-profession.html
The New and Widened Challenges of the Marcom Professional
Written by Ofra Kleinberger-Riedrich
CONTNET4ALL
The Content Guru
---------------------------------------------------
What makes SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in a nutshell is content and links. If you write good content and publish it in all the relevant online pages, creating a linking network, you will get your website promoted in the search engines in general, and Google specifically. No one knows exactly what makes Google tick (except Google programmers) but the principles of SEO are that good business drives good content, and good content drives a website higher up in the Organic
search results.
Top of the Search
Why do you want your website to be high in the search results? Because at least 85% of all web surfers start their surf in the search engine page, most notably Google. So if you want to be seen by your potential customers (I mean those that do not know your brand and are not directly looking for you) you need to be on that search page. In the world of the world wide web people have a very short time span and virtually no patience when seeking information, so if your website is not on the first page of the search results, they will not be scrolling down to the second or third pages to look for you. IF your website is not located on the first page of the search results, it virtually does not exist for your potential clientele.
Investing in organic SEO is a process, but once you have initiated this process and start getting the results you strive for, these results will also stay on the web for long periods of time, so its worth the investment. Any SEO agency that promises immediate high results it pulling your leg. Organic search results achievements take time, at least 6 months. PPC is for immediate short time effect and for times bursts (like creating a web buzz in coordination with a big exhibition presence) but PPC is a trade of its own, this article is about SEO.
The Two Main Components of SEO
SEO has two main components: “On page” and “Off page” optimization. “On page” means optimization of your website content. “Off page” means activities out of your website (with links to your website).On Page Optimization
Optimizing your website pages mainly means writing good content, having enough text in your various website pages that is informative, easy to read and relevant for your clients. Your website should show your potential customers that you are a professional who can provide a product or service that helps them solve a problem. Each page should contain contain regarding a particular theme, and this theme should be defined as key words. These keywords should be repeated in the text, but not too often. The idea is that the search engine will scan the c9ntent ans see if it is readable and if it is relevant to the keywords. The keywords are the tool that surfers use to search for information, so you need to think and select them in light of your customer needs. The short description (inserted in a meta tag) that appears in the search results under your URL, should contain keywords and provide your readers with the information they need in order to determine if they want to go into your website, after reviewing its description from their search (assuming you made it to the fist page). The more relevant your content to solving the problems of your customers, the higher the chance your website appears in their searches and the higher the probability that they will stay on your site and even contact you to make as purchase. IF they stay on your website, your bounce rates will be lower and this too helps boost your website in the search results.
On page optimization of content and intensifying the relevancy of your content to the services or products you provide, helps create more authority for your website. Authority means that Google sees you as an expert in your field, and thus ranks your site higher. This rank will help push your website up in the search results.
Off Page Optimization
Off page optimization mainly means creating a linking network to your website from other relevant websites and publications and creating a web buzz around your activity by promoting your website on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, You Tube etc.). You have less control regarding other publications that may publish an article about your product or service, but if you get opinion leaders to talk, tweet and blog about you – that is a big step in the right direction. If you can create a good video or image that people will talk about, it’s a great tool to create web buzz about your activities and your business website.
In the Internet the text is king. Text drives traffic to your website and into the conversion funnel within it (the funnel is the road surfers take via various pages in your website until they complete the goal you defined for them, contacting you or purchasing your product online), but one picture (with great text in its ALT tag) is worth a thousand words and a video footage (on You Tube with great promotion) is worth a thousand pictures.
Influencers, or opinion leaders are people who are known in your line of business and are considered by your potential clients as people who have something important and trustworthy to say. Your customers are influenced by them. Links from blogs belonging to influencers or from articles in meaningful web publications all help promote your website in the search engine because they indicate to the search engine that your site is a trusted source of information in your relevant and specific market. This trust is also ranked by Google. This rank will help push your website up in the search results.
SEO in a Nutshell
To make a long story short – if you create good relevant content on your website, including text, images and video – and if you are active in social media and publishing in various online venues relevant to your market, you should be able to put your website at the top of the search engine results, and that is SEO in a nutshell.More from Ofra also to be read in the blog
http://jobsearchinisrael.blogspot.com/2010/09/challenges-of-marcom-profession.html
The New and Widened Challenges of the Marcom Professional
Content 4@ll - Content that works
We provide complete content solutions
At Content4@ll we offer original marketing writing services about any theme and in any format, in English, Hebrew and German. We translate content while considering the cultural background of the target language. We build websites to help distribute high quality content and we promot ethem. We create complete MarCom packages for your business. Complete content solutions are what we do!
Original , interesting content of high quality is a very important part of any website, whether for SEO (search Engine Optimization) purposes or marketing objectives fr which the site is created.Qualitative content must first and foremost be relevant, attractive and trustworthy. Only high quality writing can project true professionalism and cause the surfer to remain in the site, read more and eventually also take the desired action (purchase and item on-line, register for a newsletter and more.)
Well written content or an excellent translation will contain correct language, with no spelling mistakes and will entail consideration for specific lingual and cultural expressions that are important for gaining the business targets. A website with a low level of content will not achieve the targets and objectives, for which the site was first constructed.
High quality content in different languages, without grammar errors or spelling mistakes is hard to find. Writing and translation services that are based on automatic tools do not supply the required level of content. Despite this, they remain popular for crating web content, as they provide an immediate and handy solution. Quality is compromised for speed.
Simple translation of content is not enough. One must consider the cultural background of each language and understand the needs of the target audience who speak it, all over the world.
We invite you to surf our website and review our writing samples in various subjects. We will be happy to customize content to your specific needs.
whether you require content for the Internet , brochures, presentations or writing for research or advertising - we will be honored with your order.
The purpose of this service is not to create content and link farms from out website to other sites, but rather an offer of writing high quality original content for our clients, who will then make independent use of it.
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