Essential, you say? Yup – you read me right. Essential. That is the beauty of being a content writer here at Riddle Me Write. We take your brief, that is, what you want us to write about. You give us a few important things like words, links, and photos to include, and then boom!
We smith words fold keywords into a gripping article of content for your website, attracting readers (traffic) and engaging them in such a way that rather than flitting about from flower to flower in the manner of undecided bees, they stay and linger…and then spread the good news.
It just makes sense. E-sense.
The wonderful science of SEO
This isn’t boring. I promise. The internet has exploded. Think of it as a volcanic eruption. When it happens, it is quick and intense, and everything is consumed in its path. The lava, the ash, the heat sucks up and envelopes everything in, immortalising it forever in the hardened, blackened rock of the aftermath.
So much drama. Your website is in there. It can just as easily be swallowed up and lost forever if not for SEO. Explained in layman’s terms; Search Engine Optimisation is the formula (or process) used to get nothing but the best from
- your website’s technical configuration (the way it’s set up)
- the relevance of your content (what it’s about)
- and link popularity (the number of incoming links that point to your website)
All the better for finding your web page, making it more relevant and popular for “user search queries” (like popping up in pole position when you search for something).
Oh, and by the way – the “e” from essential is for electronic. Given that the world is now your oyster (thank you Google), and it’s impossible for the guys in Alaska to see your shop window sign. So now we do everything electronically and online.
Your clientele is no longer restricted to the locals down the pub. Your clientele is now anyone who is looking for what you have to offer. Literally anyone. Anyone, anywhere. This brings me neatly to my next point.
The wonderful wizard of SERP
Unlike the magic required in wizardry, SERP is basically the world’s largest popularity contest, but for websites. But, like in wizardry, SERP magic can happen with basic knowledge and skill, and then obviously correct application.
Let me explain. SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. It makes sense that smart people out there have names for these things, but seriously, who knew? Okay, so in a nutshell, this is the page that pops up after you’ve typed a question into any search engine like Google, Yahoo, etc.
The bottom line is this; excellent content writing (from us skilled professionals here at RMW) should be getting your website to show on the first SERP. The first prize is the pole position of the first SERP, but any position on the first SERP will do.
Why is this important?
- People are lazy and impatient (sorry, people, truth talk here). This means that they want answers, and they want them now! None of this having to scratch around in heaps of information trying to find the relevant answer.
- People don’t always know what the answer is. Our job is to make sure your website gives it to them. Much like the tail wagging the dog. Don’t tell them I said that.
- Online trends are forever changing, you know? Storms at sea. We want to make sure that your boat (website) rides them out for as long as possible
The goal is to have your website pop up in response to their query. That is the first step. Let’s be honest, most of us will go to the first site that pops up, trusting that if it’s in that position, it’s because it deserves it.
So, we’re prepared to invest our time in it. But there is nothing more frustrating than a website that makes you work to find the answer you’re looking for. I mean, how difficult can it be to give me what I’m looking for straight away?
If you do, then you’ve earned my interest. You’re showing me that you’re not here to clickbait me and waste my time, which means I’m now willing to give you a shot and will probably stick around a bit longer to hear the rest of what you have to say.
And now that you have my attention, it would be in your best interest if you engaged and gave me information in palatable bites. That way, I am not bored, overwhelmed, or choking to death.
Keywords: some kind of wonderful
Now that you know what SEO and SERPS are all about let’s get back to keywords. They basically tell the search engine what the content of your website page is. And they’re not just limited to actual words but can also be whole phrases or terms that the user types to find what they’re looking for.
Imagine trying to find specific needles in a ridiculously large haystack. Rather than going about it the old-fashioned way, like sifting through the stack yourself, a search engine does it for you!
All you have to do is “say the word”, and all the relevant, eager little needles jump up out of the haystack with shouts of “ME, ME, pick ME”. Closer to the mark is the Matrix vibes of bold glowing numbers becoming more prominent than others in an eternal, moving flow of numbers.
You get the drift. Another thing you need to know is that the relevancy of your keywords directly affects your website’s popularity ranking. This is essential for marketing your business through your website.
Keywords are your bottom line. Keywords are the veritable trail of sweets into the woods. Only with a happy ending. Nobody gets shoved into an oven. In fact, I’m going to list the many aspects of the happy ending you get when using keywords.
These help you as the owner of your website to:
- Find out what the language is of your target market, and then speak it.
- Create new and useful content for your specific targeted audience. We want to stay on target, people!
- Communicate with the various search engines that your webpage is a relevant match to a question or query.
- Improve your website’s ranking by helping the search engine understand what your content is about.
- Ooh! Get your content seen by the right people at the right time.
- Get more qualified traffic to your webpage
- A note on that: qualified web traffic are those people who have already shown interest in your products and are therefore potential clients.
- Increase the amount of time your potential clients spend on your page.
- Increase conversions to your website by helping those potential clients find your webpage rather than your that of your sworn enemies!
- A note on that: the conversion action is counted when someone clicks on the link to your webpage (because of a keyword) and then actually does something that benefits your business, like
- Buying a service or product
- Sending you an email about your services or product
- Calling your business about your services or product
Those are some major benefits of essential keywords.
Keyword research: the importance of doing your homework
Keyword research matters for SEO. Why? Because it helps you, dear client, to understand how your target audience might describe your product or service and look for it. We’ve all done it!
Haven’t you ever searched for something on the web, having forgotten the name, but typing some ambiguous description, giving Google little to almost absolutely no idea of what you’re talking about? Like this:
“Metal thing that is used by Hikers”
You can literally hear the audible sigh of Google’s frustration. Like, “What do you take me for? I’m not a magician. What are you trying to say? I can’t read your mind (just yet).”.
So then Google tries to help you out with suggestions like:
- Images for metal thing that is used by hikers
- Hiking equipment – Wikipedia
- The Hiker’s dictionary: Glossary of most important hiking tools
- Or with the “People Also Ask” section it gives you a whole bunch of leading questions
Eventually, with a little help from keyword phrases and motherly prompting from Google, you manage to find out that the name of the metal thing hikers used that you specifically are interested in is…a carabiner.
BOOM! Now that you have the word, you can go and search for the best carabiners money can buy, and the most relevant web page is going to be the one holding down pole on the SERP.
Google flips its hair with a smug, “You’re welcome”.
Keyword research can also show you how your potential clients ask for more information on your product or service when they’re using a search engine. And finally, when you’re loaded with all these words and phrases you’re able to come up with new content for your webpage.
Which we will gladly write for you. Of course. In fact, we’ll write your content in such a way that your content will match the searching person’s intent, and even answer the questions they have or didn’t even know they have.
RMW writer graciously exits left with Elvis Presley-esque, “Thank you. Thank you very much.”.