0 What Sets Good Writing Apart from Good SEO Writing?

• SEO
• by Marissa
• 03.24.2025

What is the difference between good writing and good SEO writing? In a word, keywords. Unfortunately, many writers neglect this simple fact, especially so-called "serious" writers. Yet, the fact remains—to attract organic attention, a good piece of writing must include keywords. Not merely keywords, but the right keywords. I'm reminded of the famous quote from Raymond Carver: "That's all we have, finally, the words, and they had better be the right ones, with the punctuation in the right places so that they can best say what they are meant to say." Adapted for online content, this famous writing advice is the key to SEO. To attract organic attention, all you have, finally, are keywords, used judiciously, "in the right places so that they can best say what they're meant to say." Now, to writers of the MFA ilk, this appropriation of Carver might read as heresy. I've spoken to fellow graduates of my own MFA program about SEO and some call the practice, especially the use of keywords, "manipulative." Their reasoning, I gather, is that the use of keywords is, by nature, contrary to Carver's appeal to use "the right" words. What if, the reasoning goes, a keyword turns out to be the "wrong word" for the sentence? By the mandate of SEO, the keyword must be included. The keyword is then arbitrary—not at all the "right word." In practice, this thinking is nonsense. SEO writing is a "form" of writing—a form delimited by its emphasis on keywords. From poetry to sculpture, "form"—the more or less established structure, pattern, or scheme followed in shaping an artistic work—classifies art. Form structures the creative imagination. In art, form is necessary, especially for young artists. In his poem "First You Must," Dean Young writes: “First you must build a cathedral of toothpicks. Write nothing but sonnets for a year.” Young's implication is that art is learned, and sustained, through form. The tedium of a toothpick cathedral, a year of sonnets—this is art's apprenticeship and practice. The tedium of keywords—this is the practice of good SEO writing. What separates good writing from good SEO writing, then, is not an arbitrary emphasis on keywords. In fact, the pursuit of the "right keyword," however tedious, is a form of art. When researching the right keyword, you clarify your purpose. You ask yourself: "Who is my audience?" Good writing might attract an audience but good SEO writing will attract the right type of audience. As Moz writes in its keyword research guide: "It's not always about getting visitors to your site, but about getting the right kind of visitors." Now, Moz does continue from here to describe keyword research in explicitly market-driven terms: "The usefulness of this intelligence cannot be overstated; with keyword research you can predict shifts in demand, respond to changing market conditions, and produce the products, services, and content that web searchers are actively seeking. In the history of marketing, there has never been such a low barrier to entry in understanding the motivations of consumers in virtually any niche." This is the sort of SEO speak that turns many writers away from the enterprise. Yet, this turning away is a knee-jerk reaction that has little to do with the implicit goal of any writer: to be read, widely. Yes, no matter how "serious" a writer assumes himself to be, what he really craves is readership. After all, without readers what is the use of any piece of writing (beyond an exercise in solipsism)? However, keywords are only as effective as the writing that surrounds them. Without a backbone of good writing, no piece of content—no matter how it is optimized with keywords—will perform well in the rankings. Of course, once you have created a good piece of content, optimization can only help. The key; however, is to focus on the quality of your writing before you worry too much about optimization. This advice runs counter to Moz's advice to research keywords before writing.  However, we believe the initial act of writing can, and often should, be performed without any thought of keywords. In this way, you write to your point and not to your keywords. After you have written your first draft, then perform your keyword research. In revision, you can go back, clarify, and revise certain words or phrases to match your keyword research. You can create your form. In the end, the only implicit difference between good writing and good SEO is this extra bit of work. Are you willing to perform this extra work to reach more readers? If not, you're wasting the effort you put into your writing, no matter how good it may be.   SEO Writing Professionals You Can Depend On If you're looking for an SEO company that understands how to effectively promote websites with carefully chosen keywords, we suggest contacting SEO Sparta of Bucks County, PA at 215-900-9398. We can provide a free website audit that targets all the areas where your site has room to improve.

0 Why Text-Based Content is Essential for Website Optimization

• SEO
• by Marissa
• 03.18.2025

Today we want to focus on our favorite form of content: text. Of course, a great website should contain a mix of content, both images and text. However, in reality, search engines continue to favor text-heavy sites above all others. The advantages of a text-heavy site are clear.   Load Time & Page Speed  First, in the absence of bulky images, a text-heavy site will load quickly. The SEO world knows from experience that search engines favor sites with simple codes and speedy load times. Google has even developed a tool, PageSpeed, that helps webmasters "identify ways to make your site faster..." Although load time (or page speed, to use Google-talk) is only one of over 200 ranking factors, it tends to receive a lot of attention from SEO specialists. The reason is simple: page speed not only affects your page ranking; it also influences your browser's perceptions of your site. Years ago, KISSmetrics reported that 47% of all browsers expect a page to load in two seconds or less. No doubt, in the age of mobile SEO, this number has increased. Stripping your site of all the unnecessary frills, like excessive images, can dramatically improve your site’s load time. If you do use images, make sure you optimize each image for SEO. In the end; however, for browsers and search engines alike, the appeal of a text-heavy site is clear. Text is clean, simple, and fast.   Voice Search Compatibility As the value of keyword-based optimization diminished, search engines continued to prefer "long-tail keywords," three- or four-word phrases that more accurately specify the nature of a certain search. In the distant past, a browser looking for a gray sweatshirt might have typed "gray sweatshirt." Over time, most savvy browsers learned to be more specific: "slim-fit gray sweatshirt," for example. However, today voice search is changing SEO. A voice-based search has a different goal than a traditional search. Instead of "browsing," per say, most voice searches attempt to ask a question or state a problem. Instead of revealing sites based on keywords, today's search engines attempt to answer questions and solve problems. This is most easily seen in Google's semantic search, introduced around the time of the Hummingbird algorithm, which analyzes the spoken word to attempt to discover the intent behind any given search. Naturally, a text-heavy site will be more likely to meet the demands of voice search. An image will not necessarily answer a question or solve a problem. The key is to make sure your text counts. When thinking about your content, try to answer your ideal customer's questions; try to solve a crucial problem. Answers. Solutions. This is why you built a business in the first place, right?   Mobile Compatibility  A text-heavy site will also be easily compatible on all devices, including a desktop, tablet, and most importantly, a mobile phone. In the past we’ve reported on the necessity of optimizing for mobile. Today we can safely say: of all possible search venues, mobile is the most important. Since 2014, mobile search has exceeded desktop search. This is likely due to its convenience, a fact that can be observed on any pedestrian street, and, unsettlingly, on any highway in America. One only needs to glance aside to see another person looking down at his or her phone. If convenience is the name, you want to make sure you’re playing the right game. Simply put, a text-heavy site will be much easier to read on a mobile device. Of course, we're not advocating a total disavowal of images (and other forms of content). Even text itself can be made to look like an "image." Today's programming languages are so sophisticated that a knowledgeable web developer can transform text to look like an image with simple CSS styling rules. But it is important to remember that most browsers are looking for text-based information, and the clean presentation of text is often the quickest path to a high page ranking.   Need Mobile SEO Help? Call SEO Sparta We believe that ecommerce is now a mobile game! To navigate the rules of mobile SEO, you might need to hire an SEO specialist like SEO Sparta. If you sell a high-quality product that deserves customers, you also deserve a well-optimized mobile website. Do not let the changing search landscape compromise your sales. Now, more than ever, you need the astute wisdom of a professional search engine optimization professional. SEO Sparta currently offers a free website consultation. Contact SEO Sparta today to learn how you can improve your website's mobile performance: 215-900-9398.

0 Understanding the Elements of 'Good' SEO

• SEO
• by Marissa
• 03.11.2025

"Build for users, not search engines." This popular maxim has been a guiding SEO principle for many years, and for good reason. The goal of algorithm design is to improve the specificity of search results. The goal of a good SEO firm is to deliver an optimized website with content tailored to a specific audience. When the two disciplines come together, all stakeholders benefit: the search engine, the website, and the user. The maxim is true: Good SEO is built for users. This truth, in theory, should inspire more people to use SEO, especially any online business focused on customer service. Unfortunately, SEO is often viewed as counter to the user experience. Many view SEO as a manipulation of algorithm design—a way to trick the system. Those outside the SEO community often dismiss SEO talk—algorithms, alt text, anchor text, just to name a few—as simply technobabble. For many people, SEO is sheer manipulation of code. They flip the guiding principle on its head, thinking SEO is built for search engines, not users. In our experience, this misconception is the primary reason so many websites do not take advantage of SEO. As Alex Stepman of SEO Sparta says, "You would be surprised by how many website owners dismiss SEO as a manipulative practice. They view SEO as counter to the goals of the search engines." The problem, Stepman notes, is that too many people associate modern SEO with the black hat practices of the past, like unethical coding, spammy link-building schemes, and domain jacking. In fact, when asked, "What is black hat SEO?" Google offers a definition from Webopedia: "In search engine optimization (SEO) terminology, black hat SEO refers to the use of aggressive SEO strategies, techniques and tactics that focus only on search engines and not a human audience." Black hat SEO builds for search engines, not users. This distinction is important—there is a difference between good and bad SEO.  Elsewhere, on its own page focused on SEO, Google discusses the difference between a good and bad SEO: "Deciding to hire an SEO is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time, but you can also risk damage to your site and reputation. Make sure to research the potential advantages as well as the damage that an irresponsible SEO can do to your site." Many website owners take the wrong idea from this quote, viewing SEO as an either/or proposition—improve your site and save time vs. risk damage to your site and reputation. However, when practiced ethically, good SEO is not an either/or proposition. From Google's (and other search engine's) perspective, algorithms reward organic SEO efforts. At the same time, algorithms dissuade back hat SEO practices. What Google is advising is to perform your own research to find a good SEO company that understands the value of users (customers). Ask any potential SEO: What can you do for my customers? How can you attract my unique customers? What do you know about my customers? If an SEO cannot speak to the human side of online marketing and SEO, look elsewhere. Is SEO Worth Your Money? To navigate the complex world of SEO, you might need to hire an SEO specialist like SEO Sparta. Do not let the changing algorithms compromise your sales. You need the astute wisdom of a search engine optimization professional who can help you answer the question honestly: Is SEO worth your money? Contact SEO Sparta today to learn how you can improve your website's performance: 215-900-9398.

0 Why SEO Specialists Are Essential for Your Business

• SEO
• by Marissa
• 03.03.2025

If you need a haircut, you see a hairstylist. If you feel a pain in your chest, you see a doctor. But what if you need to embed EXIF in your website's images? What do you do? We see specialists because we trust others to perform the work we cannot perform. An unfortunate truth about SEO; however, is that website owners rarely trust specialists to perform the crucial, yet often tedious, work of website optimization. In many cases, website owners simply do not perform SEO at all, and their websites languish in the rankings. Or worse, website owners pay amateurs to perform SEO, and the amateurs actually harm their website rankings. We cite the examples of a stylist and doctor to prove a point. If you're like most people, you trust your beauty and health to professionals. So why not trust your website's rankings to a professional? We cite EXIF to prove a point, too. The work of website optimization is often tedious, and the associated terminology can sometimes seem downright arcane. In reality, EXIF is a relatively simple concept: “EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) files store important data about photographs. Almost all digital cameras create these data files each time you snap a new picture. An EXIF file holds all the information about the image itself — such as the exposure level, where you took the photo, and any settings you used."   SEO Specialists Unlock the Mystery of Website Optimization The world of an SEO specialist is replete with concepts like EXIF. Robot.txt? SERPs? Website crawlers? These are just a few of the more popular SEO terms. For the layman, these terms might seem complex and mysterious. However, for the SEO specialist, these terms are old hat. Fortunately, if you're a website owner with a quality product, and you truly want your website to attract the traffic it deserves, you do not need to suffer the confusion of learning SEO. You trust your hair to a hair stylist and your health to a doctor, so why not trust your website's performance to a professional SEO specialist? If you’re a website owner in need of SEO, we suggest contacting SEO Sparta today. You can contact our Bucks County, PA office at 215-900-9398. If you're hesitant to try SEO, or are not sure where to start, we suggest reading our series of articles for website owners: How SEO Can Help You Clarify Your Business Offering How to Build an Optimized Website: Website Development Why Updating Your Website is a Key SEO Strategy Content is King – SEO Content Marketing Strategies  

0 Why Bad Links Can Spell Disaster for Your Website

• SEO
• by Marissa
• 02.24.2025

Link-building has been a hallmark of SEO since the beginning. For a search engine like Google, links between sites offer clues to the relevancy and popularity of every website. Attracting quality links from well-respected sites has traditionally been one of the best ways to improve a site's placement. Today, most well-optimized sites enjoy a variety of quality links from across the Internet. Unfortunately, link-building has been abused over the years by certain Black Hat SEO specialists. In fact, if not for link-building abuse, Google might not have ever created its Penguin algorithm. At the time, Google clarified its definition of a "bad" or "artificial" link: “Any links intended to manipulate a site’s ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme.” Many SEO specialists lamented this change. Some even wondered, "is link-building dead?" However, we here at SEO Sparta rejoiced! After all, the purpose of the algorithm, to punish those websites and SEO specialists that built bad or artificial links, could only advance the work of the legitimate SEO specialists who had played by the rules and built links based on relationships, integrity, and quality content. In our opinion, a true SEO specialist would never, ever build a "fake" link.   Understanding Fake Links "What is a fake link?" You might ask. "And how can a link be fake if it works?" Well, it's partially related to a link's traffic flow. To Google and all other search engines, a "real" link is a one-way link—a link that points directly from one site to another. In the past, Black Hat SEO specialists had created links to a site in exchange for a return link. Google delegitimized this sort of link-building, but many crafty website developers knew about this limitation and tried to bypass Google with SEO tricks. One especially destructive trick populated the Internet with loads of bad sites. Black Hat SEO specialists created multiple websites, sometimes up to ten or more, all with the same owner. These websites were built for the explicit purpose of creating links back to the primary website. With all the incoming links, the primary website leaped in its rankings. Of course, this trick did not work for long. Google launched an algorithm update to punish this sort of link scheme. With Penguin, it appeared that this type of Black Hat practice had become "old hat." As we noted above, the Penguin algorithm only helped the first-rate SEO specialists who had worked hard to create quality websites that attracted quality links. The only links that have ever truly mattered are those that arrive from relevant and high-quality sites. Links from sites that aren't relevant to your own simply confuse browsers, and can now potentially hurt your site's ranking. Has your SEO specialist removed your site’s bad links? If not, you're in trouble. Now's the time to contact a skilled SEO specialist, like SEO Sparta of Bucks County, PA. We'll not only remove the bad links, but also provide a free website audit that pinpoints all the areas where you site has room to improve.

0 The SEO Specialist: Your New Best Friend

• SEO
• by Seth Pollins
• 06.09.2022

The SEO Specialist: Your New Best Friend When first learning about SEO, many enthusiastic website owners assume that they can do the work of optimization without the help of a trained specialist. This is an admirable pursuit, and to the extent that this is possible, we support website owners in their quest to optimize their websites. In fact, we write The Organic SEO blog not merely for our peers in the SEO community but for website owners who wish to learn more about natural website optimization.  If you are a website owner, especially a new website owner, we strongly urge you to browse our blog. Learn as much about organic SEO as possible! At The Organic SEO Blog, we also value specialization. For example, this blog is supported by Alex Stepman of SEO SPARTA. Alex is a gifted SEO specialist with vast experience. However, although Alex certainly provides inspiration and ideas for The Organic SEO Blog, he understands that writing is not exactly his strength. For this reason, Alex hires a small team of professional copywriters for this blog and all of his content-driven SEO work. Of course, to Alex, it just makes sense to focus on his strengths and outsource his weaknesses to others. Now, if you own your website and feel you have the time and patience to optimize your website's structure and content--well, more power to you! We share a democratic view of optimization: SEO is a talent anyone can understand and apply. What many website owners do not understand, though, is that the work of an SEO specialist is a full-time occupation. Most of this work is about keeping up-to-date with the changes in search engine algorithms--especially Google's algorithm. To maintain a website's first-page ranking (and any website that employs an SEO specialist should maintain the first-page ranking), an SEO specialist will use his specialized knowledge of search engines, algorithms, website structure, and content to make necessary changes to a website. Changes might be a daily requirement. If you're a website owner, you likely have other problems to worry about, like the quality of your product or offering or the productivity of your employees.   Stay up to date with the search engine algorithm requirements.  "Google's algorithm evolves over time. Over the years, we've seen a few entirely new algorithms and many 'updates.' However, even as Google's experience improves, the algorithm changes might not be apparent to most browsers. For the trained SEO specialist, though, even the slightest change should be apparent." For a view of how often Google updates its algorithm, check out the fascinating Google Algorithm Change History. The site notes, "Each year Google changes its algorithm around 500-600 times." Should an SEO specialist know and understand each one of these changes? You better believe it! Suppose you're a website owner considering performing your website's SEO work (or you're considering giving your "tech guy" the SEO work). In that case, we urge you to take a moment to browse the Google Algorithm Change History. Do you understand what you're reading? If not, you're not alone! Believe me, as a copywriter, I have no idea what I'm reading on this site. Here, for example, is the entry for July 19, 2013, in full: Knowledge Graph Expansion — July 19, 2013 Seemingly overnight, queries with Knowledge Graph (KG) entries expanded by more than half (+50.4%) across the MozCast data set, with more than a quarter of all searches showing some kind of KG entry. Say what? We write The Organic SEO blog intending to simplify SEO. However, we also believe that any website owner who wishes to achieve even moderate success should consult with a qualified SEO specialist. If you wish to learn more about organic SEO from a trained SEO specialist, we urge you to contact our sponsor, SEO SPARTA.

0 How to Outperform Your Online Competitors

• SEO
• by Alex Stepman
• 02.27.2022

Creating an SEO-friendly website with relevant and quality content can transform a traditional brick-and-mortar business's earning power. Unfortunately, many business owners create websites that ignite earnings and quickly lose steam. Website owners might blame this misfortune on the changing economy, marketplace, or increased online competition. Of course, all of these factors can influence the earnings of an online business.  But why do certain websites in specific industries succeed while others fail? Many industry-specific websites, after all, look and feel similar. And many industry-specific websites have been optimized by SEO specialists to perform for a certain customer-base. If two optimized websites look and feel similar and sell similar products to similar customers, shouldn't both enjoy an equal share of the online marketplace? In theory, yes, both websites should perform equally well. But let's take a closer look at our two theoretical websites. Like snowflakes, no two websites are alike, and even the subtle differences can profoundly influence website performance. Now, to the trained eye, the reasons for success or failure are pretty evident. But for casual browsers, the difference might seem elusive. So what's going on? In the experience of Alex Stepman, an experienced organic SEO specialist, the number one reason optimized websites fail is that the website owner abandoned SEO after the website's launch. And websites that have abandoned SEO share a similar deficiency: over time, they have remained static while other websites in the same industry have evolved. This evolution can be subtle, but it is the benchmark of success. So what does this evolution look like? Well, the very definition of "evolution" is "the gradual development of something," and we're not talking about titanic shifts. Instead, it's the small changes that make a big difference. The best SEO specialists know this simple fact: a well-optimized website is a frequently-updated website. Search engine algorithms place precedence on new, relevant content. The consistent updating of a website's content is the most efficient way to maintain a competitive edge if you're competing in an industry-specific marketplace. If an SEO professional maintains your website, they will continually update your website's content. Keep in mind content is not limited to the written word; it can include graphics, like a new "About Me" tab or relevant product videos. Of course, though, relevant and well-written content is the cornerstone of a website's success. A good SEO specialist will ensure that your content is always fresh and relevant--and preferably written by a professional writer. So what do you do if you do not have an SEO specialist? Well, I think you can guess our first suggestion. Contact Alex Stepman of SEO SPARTA! Most business owners are too busy to perform the tedious work of organic SEO. Why not outsource this crucial aspect of your business? However, if you do not have the budget for an SEO specialist right now, do not despair. You might not know how to change the look and feel of your website (the graphics and navigability), but you might have the capability to make precisely the type of small changes that can keep a website relevant: you can write a daily blog! Today, most websites are equipped with an easy-to-use blog platform like WordPress (Blogger is often associated with stand-alone blogs). If you're a website owner, your daily blog might be the easiest and most cost-effective way to optimize your website with relevant content. All you need is a good idea and a good writer (if you don't have one on staff, you can certainly hire a professional copywriter for a reasonable fee). Your blog does not have to be lengthy--the point is to update daily with fresh content.

0 Content Marketing 101: The Power of Differentiation

• SEO
• by Alex Stepman
• 02.08.2022

What is the Internet? Of the infinitely possible definitions, one that speaks to connectivity and sharing rings true: The Internet is a conversation. Within this conversation, relationships blossom between people and between people and businesses. The best online businesses understand that relationships matter. Build a relationship with your customer, and you will have a customer for life. The online men's clothing company Bonobos understands this simple fact. Bonobos' pioneering approach to engagement transformed the company from a scrappy startup to an incredible asset for Walmart, which purchased Bonobos in 2017 for $310 million. Writing about this purchase for Forbes, Pamela Danziger described the acquisition as "paradigm-shifting," and not simply for the value of the brand itself. With Bonobos, Walmart also acquired significant "human capital" in Andy Dunn, Bonobos' CEO. Danziger quotes Dave Knox, the author of The High Stakes Game of Business Between Startups and Blue Chips, the "guidebook for navigating the changing business landscape," who calls Dunn "a prominent thought leader in the next generation of retail." Read: "Why Walmart-Bonobos Is A Bigger Deal Than Amazon-Whole Foods" Dunn himself described his brand as a DNVB--a digitally native vertical brand founded on the Internet and "aimed squarely at millennials and digital natives." Many DNVB brands exist--and fail. "Here is what most DNVB entrepreneurs get wrong," Dunn writes. "The world doesn't care about your DNVB if you aren't delivering a better product and service bundle than traditional competition. The world doesn't need your DNVB — unless your product as foundation is differentiated." Read: "The Book of DNVB" Dunn's story of carefully-executed differentiation should be instructive for all brands. Beyond its great-fitting pants, Bonobos has created a steady market for its clothing by selling its own unique and often quirky brand. Content Marketing 101: The Power of Differentiation Most online businesses fail at differentiation. Some businesses sell genuinely unique products but fail to market the product's uniqueness. Many businesses, of course, sell similar products but fail at differentiating other vital factors, like cost or service. A failure of differentiation is a failure of communication. If the Internet is a conversation, the businesses that fail are like boring people who avoid conversation, or worse, people who drone incessantly about "the seven things you're not supposed to talk about," like how you've slept or your day-to-day health. Ho-hum! If you own an online business and you're trying hard to create a market for your product, you might begin by asking yourself a simple question: What am I adding to the conversation? The answer to this question might be the make or break factor for your business. If you're not adding something new to the conversation, after all, why are you talking? Differentiation and SEO: Duplicate Content  In the world of SEO, one of the most egregious conversation failures is duplicate content--"substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar," according to Google. Of course, many sites necessarily use duplicate content as a business matter. In 2013, Google's head of webspam, Matt Cutts (now retired), explained that a lot of duplicate content is benign: "We do understand that lots of different places across the web do need to have various disclaimers, legal information, terms and conditions, that sort of stuff, and so it's the sort of thing where if we were to not rank that stuff well, then that would probably hurt our overall search quality..." So not all duplicate content is harmful. The problem, as Google notes, is "multiple pages [on your own site] with largely identical content," or worse, content copied and pasted from other websites. Copied content is everywhere. Many sites sell the same products with the same product descriptions without offering any additional helpful information that might inspire a sale. In these cases, differentiation is vital--especially if you're an affiliate. As Cutts explained: "Hopefully you've got a different page from all the other affiliates in the world, and hopefully you have some original content – something that distinguishes you from the fly-by-night sites that just say, 'Okay, here's a product. I got the feed and I'm gonna put these two paragraphs of text that everybody else has.' If that's the only value add you have then you should ask yourself, 'Why should my site rank higher than all these hundreds of other sites when they have the exact same content as well?'" In the end, duplicate content will harm your business. As Search Engine Land noted in its article on duplicate content and machine intelligence, the dangers of duplicate content include loss of ranking for unique pages that unintentionally compete for the same keywords; inability to rank pages in a cluster because Google chose one page as a canonical; and loss of site authority for large quantities of thin content.  In a way, then, the danger of duplicate content equates to Dunn's notion of what most entrepreneurs (and, by extension, online businesses) get wrong: a failure to differentiate. Content Marketing with SEO Sparta  If you're looking for an SEO company company that understands how to promote websites with relevant content, contact SEO Sparta in our local offices in Bucks County, PA. SEO Sparta combines traditional marketing methods and organic SEO--emphasizing natural website optimization--to design thoughtful, inspiring, and effective content marketing campaigns.  (Cover Photo Source: Merriam Webster)

0 The SEO Writer: Five Key Skills

• SEO
• by Seth Pollins
• 11.15.2021

What is the difference between a good copywriter and a good SEO writer? A good copywriter has writing talent and marketing expertise. A good copywriter creates succinct, error-free content that broadcasts a specific message to a general audience. A good SEO writer also has writing talent and marketing expertise. Yet, the SEO writer's marketing expertise includes knowledge of search engine algorithms. A good SEO writer creates succinct, error-free content that broadcasts a specific message to a specific online audience. Specificity is critical.  The distinction is like the distinction between traditional and digital marketing. Both aim to attract a specific audience. Traditional marketing broadcasts to a general audience, casting a wide net to amplify a message. Think billboards, radio ads, or newspaper circulars. Success is defined in several ways: by increasing brand awareness, improving brand image, or attracting a percentage of viewers to a product, service, or promotion. Apple's famous "Think Different" campaign, which some credit for saving the company from financial ruin, is a perfect example of how traditional marketing, when performed correctly, can make a brand "deeply recognizably." Traditional marketing focuses on macro-audiences (although the goal may be to engage only a percentage of that audience). Digital marketing, on the other hand, focuses on micro-audiences. The success of any digital marketing campaign is contingent on defining the best keywords and creating relevant, engaging content for that audience. More on keywords: How to Perform Keyword Research  Of course, the distinctions between traditional marketing and digital marketing is unimportant. The term "digital content" is a misnomer: The best content--in traditional and digital marketing--is defined by the quality of the writing itself. However, successful online writing requires a distinctive set of knowledge and skills. A copywriter may or may not understand how to effectively attract an online audience. To attract an audience online, you need an SEO writer. The SEO Writer: Five Key Skills  Researching & Effectively Using Keywords A good SEO writer can help you research and choose the best keywords for your product or service. If you are unsure how to define your product or service, keyword research can help you clarify your offering: Imagine you are Googling your product or service. What keywords would you type? A good SEO writer can use these keywords resourcefully to attract attention to your site--attention that will lead to conversions. A copywriter may overlook the details that make a piece of content work for a search engine. An SEO writer, however, writes with a keen eye on attracting an online audience. By nature, this sort of work is concise. Writing URLs and Meta Tags A page's URL (uniform resource locator) is its web address. A fully-optimized web page will include a coherent, simple URL that humans and search engines can quickly identify. Crafting a relevant URL is a deceptively simple practice perfected by SEO writers. A title tag is displayed in search results as the title of a web page. Once you click on the page, the title tag may or may not be displayed at the top of the browser (Firefox does; Chrome does not). Title tags should be hyper-specific and relevant, yet not spammy--keywords must be used judiciously. Meta tags are inserted into your web pages' "head" area and used by search engines to list your site in their indexes accurately. Every page of your website must have unique meta tags. A good SEO writer optimizes your meta tags to describe the content of your page accurately. Creating an Effective Structure Many writers are enamored with their work--to the detriment of the writing. First, a good SEO writer is a great writer, but they also understand that SEO requires structure. Good SEO writers get picky about details that other writers overlook--details that might supersede the writer's natural inclinations. A good SEO writer, for example, understands the importance of the appropriate number of words, keywords, and links as well as paragraph and article length. To view the picky side of SEO writing, read Neil Patel's article How Long Should Each Blog Post Be? A Data-Driven Answer.  Composing Effective Links The link above (for Neil Patel's article) precisely describes the nature of the link. Many copywriters create articles with arbitrary links ("click here") that have little to do with the actual content of the link. To optimize a link, a good SEO writer creates a precise description of the link's contents. Like URLs, title tags, and meta tags, this detailed description allows the search engine to understand and "index" the link. Again, an adequate link description is a deceptively simple task, yet the best SEO writers have learned the value of outbound links and how to maximize this value effectively. Choosing Images and Composing Effective Image Tags  By now, you might have noticed several themes. First, every aspect of a page needs to be optimized, from the text to the tags. Second, SEO writers are not simply adept at writing--the best SEO writers perfect writing and the technical and design aspects of SEO, including keyword research, URL and tag composition, and structure. Choosing the perfect image for your content requires an eye for design; writing the perfect description requires SEO knowledge and writing chops. In a way, image optimization synthesizes the skills of a good SEO writer. Content Marketing with SEO Sparta  SEO Sparta is an SEO company in Bucks County, PA. We understand how to promote websites with good content. To learn more about how we combine traditional marketing methods and organic SEO to design thoughtful, inspiring, and effective content marketing campaigns, call 215-900-9398.

0 Content Marketing 101: How to Discover Your Niche

• SEO
• by Seth Pollins
• 10.16.2021

Several years ago, Rand Fishkin posted a video that called for a new wave of content--10x content, as he called it: "Content that is 10 times better than the best...search results for a given keyword phrase or topic." The video, "Why Good Unique Content Needs to Die," was part of Fishkin's WhiteBoard Friday series, a sort of weekly digest for SEO professionals. Since the publication of the video, the term 10x content has become a buzzword for trendy SEO-types, what Sujan Patel, writing for Forbes, calls "a staple term used to define stand-out content within a certain industry or vertical." Creating "good, unique content" is not enough to rank. For new or smaller to medium-sized websites to rank, Fishkin believes, content writers must study the current top results. "What questions are being asked and answered by these search results?" Fishkin asks. "What sort of user experience is provided?" Fishkin's video is helpful but not necessarily prescriptive. Answering these questions will give you an idea of why a piece of content is successful (or not), but it might not help you create great content. Patel spends a great deal of space on "identifying 10x content" as well as rehashing Fishkin's "criteria for 10x content," but when he turns to actually "building" 10x content, he admits, "This is the time to start reinventing the wheel." If that sounds daunting to you, you're not alone. Content is the hardest part of SEO. It's important to note, though, that both Fishkin's and Patel's advice is not necessarily creative but technical. When Patel writes, "with so many businesses taking on the role of publisher, you need to expand into something more akin to an artist," it's clear he's not speaking from experience. "That means incorporating more visuals with your data," he writes, "more interaction, and more engagement." So more visuals with your data? Is that really what it means to reinvent the wheel--to be an artist? Discover Your Niche Is creating excellent, outstanding, 10x, or whatever you want to call it, content enough for a new or small or medium-sized website to compete in the rankings? This is the question Adam Stetzer asked on Search Engine Watch several years ago, and his answer was definitive: "The Google mantra: 'Create great content and it will earn links,' works for big business, but not for small ones." Read: "Come on, Google. Let the Little Guy Earn a Link" Stetzer focuses his discussion on high-quality, relevant links, which work as editorial votes, and are supposed to boost a website's ranking. The problem, Stetzer asserts, is that "small businesses are not going to get links just by virtue of having good content." This assertion is in contrast to Fishkin's claim about 10x content: "If you use this process or a process like this and you do this type of content auditing and you achieve this level of content quality, you have a real shot at rankings." Not really, Stetzer believes: "Google policies are seemingly oblivious to this reality: without links, small businesses get no traffic and without traffic, they get no links." In our view, both are right (and wrong). We happen to agree with Fishkin's assertion that outstanding content can boost rankings and attract traffic. But Fishkin himself makes a critical point that Stetzer overlooks: "Really, where I want folks to go is..10 times better than anything I can find in the search results today. If I don't think I can do that, then I'm not going to try and rank for those keywords. I'm just not going to pursue it. I'm going to pursue content in areas where I believe I can create something 10 times better than the best result out there." And this is a reality of a small business, which by nature is not trying to compete with a large business. A small bookseller, for example, will not try to compete head-to-head with, say, Amazon, the behemoth of online book sales. But a smaller bookseller, like Powell's Books, which originated as a neighborhood bookseller in Portland, Oregon, can undoubtedly discover success. Powell's ingenious way of marketing itself is "The World's Neighborhood Bookseller." If you Google "buy books," Powell's is not even on the first page. Yet Powell's has earned a durable success with unique branding--and, ironically, by selling its books on Amazon. Like many of the best small online businesses, Powell's success reveals an essential truth of online marketing: to compete, you must discover your niche. Stetzer's assertion then is not entirely true. He seems to imply that a smaller bookstore like Powell's should be able to compete with Amazon. He begins with an ideal scenario: "Some would say that the Internet is the great equalizer, that every business, large and small, has an equal shot at page one rankings and with that, web traffic, leads, sales, and growth." But this is not true. And that's OK. Another truth of online marketing: to compete, you must evolve. For a new or smaller business, this means answering the questions that have not yet been answered. Two Questions to Discover Your Niche It's hard to create genuinely inventive content. It's hard even to begin writing. We simplify the process to two questions. Before beginning a piece of content, ask yourself: 1. "What question am I answering?" 2. "What am I adding to the conversation?" Be unique--and specific about your offering. By paying attention to the unique specificity of your product or service, you can dramatically improve your visibility on Google. What question(s) does your product or service answer? Once you've answered these questions (for yourself), compose your answers, ideally adding something new to the conversation. Content Marketing with SEO Sparta If you're looking for an SEO company that understands how to compete with inventive content, call SEO Sparta at our Bucks County, PA, offices: 215-900-9398. SEO Sparta combines traditional marketing methods and organic SEO--with an emphasis on natural website optimization--to design thoughtful, inspiring, and effective marketing campaigns.