“How do I write my own website content?” I get asked that question a lot, because a lot of business owners want to save some money by creating their own website content. And there’s nothing wrong with saving a few bucks, right? Right! So long as the content you write also helps you improve organic search results.
First of all, the larger your website is, the better it appears to Google, Yahoo!, Bing and the other search engines. The less pages you have, the less significant they think your business is (hardly the case, but that’s the reality of it).
So, here’s what to keep in mind when you write content for your website:
Stick to one overall theme (in this example, we’ll say health and fitness). Every page should relate to the overall theme, but have it’s own reason for being.
Example fitness service oriented pages:
Zumba classes in Boston
Why Insanity works to increase your fitness level
How old do my kids need to be to start Zumba classes
Example fitness information pages:
kids fitness crisis in america
fun ideas to get your kids moving
how to get your kids to eat healthy
and so on…
Each page should have a targeted set of keywords.
Example page:
how to get your kids to eat healthy
3-5 targeted keyword phrases:
how to get your kids to eat healthy
how to get your child to eat healthy
how to get my children to eat healthy
how to get your child to eat healthy food
how to make your kids eat healthy
So, when you write the content for this web page, you’d use one of those phrases as your page title, and another as the first words of your opening paragraph. Then, you’d weave the other phrases into your content.
Sample:
Title: How to get your kids to eat healthy
1st paragraph:
How to make your kids eat healthy… That’s what every parent wants to know. But from my point of view, you really don’t want to make your kids eat healthy. You want your kids to want to eat healthy foods. That’s the real challenge. The supermarket is filled with pretty eye-catching boxes of processed junk. But all your kids see are the pretty colors and they remember the catchy jingles in the commercials. And here comes the begging, pleading, maybe even demanding for totally unhealthy sugar coated garbage! So, what’s a health conscious parent to do? No worries! You CAN get your child to eat healthy food! And I promise you, it’s not as hard as you think!
Notice what I did there? In this example, a keyword phrase is not only in the first sentence of the article, but it’s the very first set of words in the paragraph (very good for SEO). Similar phrases are woven into that same paragraph. As you write the other paragraphs to follow, you’d want to use the other keyword phrases in your list – exactly as they are.
Here’s why: Search engines are computer programs. They categorize the pages of your website based on the phrases and words found on the page, and the frequency of those phrases/words. Which phrases you use, and how many times you use them on the page will determine if your page shows up when someone types that phrase into whatever flavor of search engine you are using. That’s how to improve organic search results!
Write for your audience! Make sure you have content for the absolute beginner, who has never heard of your products or services. “What is Zumba?” And that you have separate pages for people who are quite familiar with the topic (Join our next Zumba Fitness Party, Make your next Girls Night Out a Zumba party!).
Those are my writing tips. It takes a bit of time to plan the content for your website, but when done properly it will definitely pay for itself in better organic search results. If after reading this article you feel that you need some help to get you pointed in the right direction, call us. We can write original content for you, or even create a content plan for your business. A content plan will still save you money, because we do the research for you, and hand over an outline. You can take that outline and write your own content using the keyword phrases indicated in the plan.
A couple of terms explained
- seo
- SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s the process of improving the rank of webpages in search engine results. Writing good content is a major factor of SEO, but it is not the only factor. For example, the number of incoming links you have to your website also affects its performance in search engine results. The code used to build your website can also affect it’s performance in search engine results (such as making sure to use the alt attribute in image tags). Here’s an article about SEO vs. Pay-Per-Click
- organic search results
- Organic search results are listings on search engine results pages that appear because of the web page’s relevance to the search terms entered into the search box. Unlike pa-per-click ads, you do not have to pay to be included in organic search results.