SEO Hosting Blog

Yeah. Yeah. I already know what you’re saying.

“Why are you talking about meta tags? They don’t affect a website’s search rankings. They aren’t really important at all.”

While they don’t have an impact on where your site ranks in the search engines, meta tags (particularly description) are still important. Remember, this is what searchers see when they’re looking for your products and services. This is your first introduction to a potential buyer, and it’s your chance to convince them to come visit your website.

So, how can you write a meta description that attracts your target audience and gets people to click?

• Use keywords, but don’t focus on that—Again, placing the keywords in your meta description isn’t important for SEO purposes. Your website will rank the same whether the terms are in the description or not. However, there still is an important reason to use keywords in your description when possible.

The keywords let the searcher know that you have what they’re looking for. For example, if they Googled “Red Trek mountain bikes” and you have “Red Trek mountain bikes” in your description, it tells the searcher they need to go to your website to find what they need.

Having said that, this doesn’t mean you should stuff your meta descriptions full of keywords. It’s all about using them naturally. If you force the keywords in there, the copy will be difficult to read, and searchers won’t click.

• Use strong words—With 10 organic search results and a few paid search results on the page, why should searchers click your website over all the others? They need motivation. You need to use strong, motivating words that get people excited enough to click on your website.

Some good words to use include “discover”, “get”, “receive”, “today”, “free”, etc.

• Be clear in your description—The main purpose of the meta description is to, well, describe what your page is about. You want to attract qualified traffic that won’t bounce at absurdly high rates.

To do this, your description needs to be as accurate as possible. Don’t use gimmicks to get people to come to your website. Don’t use jargon. Don’t try to be clever. Be clear and concise. And give people a good reason to come to your website.

Take a look at your meta descriptions. Do they give searchers a reason to click on your link?

We’ve all seen them. The huge red headlines. The sales letter format. The yellow highlights. The intrusive testimonials. And the infomercial-style sales pitch. Of course, I’m talking about ugly landing pages.

A few years back, when I was an internet marketing noob, every time I saw one of these landing pages, I would shudder. I thought they looked like blatant spam, and I couldn’t believe visitors would actually do business on such a sketchy/ugly website.

But after time and time again seeing just how well some of these ugly landing pages convert, I had to realize that I was just wrong. The people designing and writing these landing pages know what they’re doing. Many of them are affiliate marketers whose entire living depends on getting the highest number of conversions possible, so you have to realize they’ve tried everything and have found these sales letter landing pages just flat out work. That’s all there is to it.

But why? Why do ugly landing pages convert so well?

1. They have no distractions—One thing you have to admit about the sales letter landing page is that it doesn’t include anything that distracts the visitor from the main message. There isn’t any navigation, and there aren’t any unnecessary graphics. As soon as someone lands on the page, there’s only one thing for them to look at, and that is the sales message.
2. They’re easy to scan—By now, you know that online readers tend to scan content rather than read it word for word. These ugly landing pages are set up perfectly to accommodate scanners. They include bolded/highlighted phrases, bullet points, subheads, and other elements that allow you to quickly scan the content without having to read everything.
3. They include frequent calls to action—Too many landing pages have a buried call to action. Web users spend 80% of their time above the fold, so most visitors don’t even notice a call to action at the end of the page. That’s why it’s important to feature the call to action prominently and to repeat it regularly so visitors always have a way to take action no matter where they are on your landing page.
4. The main message is repeated regularly—I hear a lot of copywriters complain about long, sales-y landing pages because they feel like they’re just repeating the same things over and over. And to an extent, that’s true. But it’s also smart. Your message might not stick in the consumer’s brain the first time they see it, but by driving the point home over and over, it can become clear and motivate them to take action.
5. The testimonials verify the claims—Whether you believe the testimonials or not is irrelevant. The truth is testimonials build credibility, and consumers feel like they can trust their peers. So, whenever they see testimonials that verify the claims being made on the page, they start to think “Maybe this isn’t too good to be true.”

What do you think of ugly landing pages? What are some other reasons they work so well?

A Google AdWords campaign offers many benefits. It allows you to instantly jump of the search rankings with your paid ads, and it makes it easy for you to attract quality traffic that’s likelier to convert. Of course, the first step to converting a visitor is to get them to click your ad in the first place. Sometimes, that’s harder than it might seem.

Click Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who view your ad that actually end up clicking it. In other words, if your ad gets 100 impressions (views) and 1 click, your CTR is 1%.

What can you do to get more clicks without sacrificing the quality of these clicks?

Here are 8 helpful tips for boosting your CTR.

1. Don’t use general keywords—The best way to get clicks is to be relevant to what the searcher is looking for. If you’re a window manufacturer and you use really broad keywords (e.g. “windows”), most of your impressions will come from people who aren’t looking to buy your product. Be specific (e.g. double-pane windows, energy efficient home windows, etc.) to attract searchers who are ready to buy.
2. Use specific keywords in your ad headlines—Once you’ve chosen your keywords, you need to use these phrases in your ad headlines. This reinforces that you have what the searcher is looking for, and it helps to highlight your ad, making it stand out from the crowd.
3. Always be testing—Every PPC campaign is different. The best way to figure out what gets you more quality clicks is to always be split testing. Try different tweaks to your ads to find the ad formula that gets clicked most often.
4. Focus on your differentiators—Your ad needs to highlight the things that make you different. If you offer the best price, say so in your ad. If you have free shipping, put that in your ad. Make every single word count!
5. Let customers know what’s in it for them—Never forget, your customers want to know how they’ll benefit by doing business with you. Going back to the windows example. Do your windows help lower electricity costs? Do they improve security? Boost the home’s value? Benefits should always be featured in your PPC ads.
6. Use strong, motivating words—Guaranteed. Proven. Free. New. Safe. Order now. These are just some of the powerful words and phrases you can use in your paid search ads to grab the searcher’s attention and to motivate them to click your link.
7. Try seasonal headlines—Seasonal headlines show relevance. They make customers feel like they’re getting a special deal. Even if your product isn’t seasonal, you can still market it this way. “Double-Pane Windows 4^th of July Sale. Free shipping on all orders.”
8. Ask a question—Questions are a powerful copywriting tool. For example, rather than saying “Lower your electricity bill”, you could ask “Want to lower your electricity bill?” Simply changing a statement into a question can be helpful for piquing the searcher’s interest.

What have you done to improve your CTR in AdWords? Share your best tips by leaving a comment.

Late last year, I wrote a post detailing the pages you should include on your website. The list covered the usual suspects: home, about us, products, FAQ, contact, testimonials, guarantee, and site map. Looking back on the list, I realized I left one important page off…a page that can help you drive more search engine traffic, enhance your credibility, and even earn you media coverage.

Which page am I talking about?

I’m talking about the news room. In this age of online news releases, the online news room plays an important role in media and customer relations. A strong news room let’s everyone know that your company is staying active and relevant, and it gives the media the information needed to create stories about you.

A good news room can also help you increase your website’s search rankings. By targeting specific keywords in your news releases and creating a strong internal linking structure, you can use your news to climb the search rankings while attracting quality traffic that includes buyers and media.

What needs to be in your news room?

A news room is more than just your latest press releases. It’s a comprehensive section that gives visitors all the information they want about your business. Here are some of the things you should have in your online news room.

• Press releases—It’s important to publish company news on a regular basis. This gives visitors the impression that your company is active, relevant, and moving forward. It also gives you an opportunity to target more keywords to further bolster your website’s search engine rankings. Just make sure you actually have news to share and that your press releases aren’t just advertisements.
• Company profile—Give a basic overview of your company’s history, mission statement, and outlook for the future. This is basically like an about us page, but it’s designed to give the media those little details they may need when covering your company.
• Staff bios—You don’t need bios on everyone at your company, just the key executives. You also don’t need to go into great detail in these bios. A paragraph for each key member should suffice. You can also include a headshot with each bio.
• Case studies—Case studies can offer specific details about how your products or services solve problems and benefit customers. They’re great tools for building credibility with buyers and for helping the media find unique story angles. Just make sure your case studies are straightforward and based on the facts.
• Prior media coverage—If your company has been featured on TV, a newspaper, magazine, blog, podcast, or anywhere else, try to find the source online and link to it. If you can’t find it, consider uploading it yourself as media coverage is another good tool for making your company seem more credible.

Do you have a news room on your website? What else is in it?

Press release distribution is a strategy all companies can benefit from. By writing high quality press releases, you can spread your message through the media as well as directly to potential buyers. It’s a highly effective way to build brand awareness, position yourself as a thought leader, and to attract more sales.

However, many companies don’t issue press releases on a consistent basis. Why? They say they don’t have any news to report.

I disagree. More times than not, there’s something going on at your company that’s worth talking about. There’s always a story to be told. You just have to find an interesting angle to capture the attention of your readers.

Here are 10 situations when your company should issue a press release.

1. Your company is launching a new product—8 out of every 10 products launched in the United States will fail. When you’re launching a new product, the odds are stacked against you. You need to do everything you can to spread the word and generate interest in your new product. Press release distribution can help.
2. You’re releasing the results of a new study—Case studies and other research make for great press release fodder. Just make sure your results are accurate and unbiased. In other words, don’t use them as a thinly-veiled advertisement.
3. Your business has ties to a current event—Is there a popular news story that you can tie your business to? If so, you need to act fast while it’s still relevant and send out a press release detailing your ties to this story.
4. You wish to comment on industry trends—Are things changing in your industry? Do you have predictions (based on facts…don’t make a fool of yourself) of where the industry is headed? Position yourself as an industry expert by commenting on the latest trends.
5. You’ve received an award or certification—Awards and certifications enhance your credibility, and they are good topics for press releases. Share your successes with the world!
6. Your company is growing—Growth shows that your company is healthy and thriving. Whether you’re hiring more employees, adding new services, or moving into a new, bigger building, your growth makes for a great story.
7. You’re involved with a charitable cause—Consumers and reporters love to hear about brands aligning themselves with charities. It humanizes your company, and it’s always a good way to generate positive publicity.
8. You’re offering something free—Do you have a new eBook or whitepaper you’re offering for free? Maybe you’re offering a free trial of your services. Write a press release about these freebies to generate more interest in your company.
9. You have strange news to share—News of the weird is always a good way to get press coverage. Like when Burger King launched the world’s most expensive hamburger. It was a gimmick and strange, but it got a lot of media attention.
10. Your employees have an interesting story—Are your employees involved in any after-work charitable causes? Do they have inspirational stories and unique backgrounds? Your employees can prove to be interesting topics for news coverage.

What are some other good topics for press releases? Share your best ideas by leaving a comment.