Articles Posted in Content Development

Contrary to what you might think, Google’s ultimate goal isn’t to sabotage your website’s search engine rankings. What makes Google the powerhouse that it is rests in its desire for webmasters to create the best user experience possible. All of the recent and up-and-coming algorithm updates are structured with this objective in mind.

You have to remember that Google provides a service to the public. Whatever terms we enter into search, we expect to quickly and easily find the information that fits without having to do a lot of sifting through irrelevant or poorly written material.

While there are more components involved in a website having low search engine rankings than we can address in this one post, focusing on content provides us with a good starting point.

Putting the Microscope on “Quality”

Google looks down upon a wide range of short-cuts to get high search engine rankings. If your website contains a lot of duplicate content, for instance, it’s highly likely that this is why your site tanked after a Panda update. Some additional practices to avoid range from hiding links to keyword stuffing. Two of the biggest questions to consider that Google mentions on its quality guidelines for content are as follows:

“Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines didn’t exist?”

Because Panda penalizes sites with content that is found on multiple pages within a site or on pages from other sites, this means that you have to write your own content and make it original. If you’re asking yourself who has the time to do that, then you’re not alone. Content creation does take time and it’s not just about the actual writing. You have to evaluate who your target audience is and understand what information they need the most. A solid grip on search engine optimization (SEO) also plays a role because you need to know what keywords are pertinent to your users and what links to include. However, Panda also crushes over-optimized content, so you can’t simply write your content only with keywords and the search engines in mind.
Continue reading

Whether you’re a lawyer, mom, or SEO, or all of the above!, we all face the same problem – we have no time. Or at least, this is how most of us see it.

If you love doing something, shouldn’t you make the time for it? I know, easier said than done.
What about blogging? If you love to write, writer’s block still happens, and you may not have the time to sit at your computer for hours on end waiting for the words to come. If you hate to write, blogging can be that much harder. However, not being a writer or hating to write are not excuses for neglecting to blog if you run a business. If you’re not a writer and don’t want to blog, you may want to find someone who can write for you. Just be sure that they capture your message clearly.

So, whether you’re mostly lacking minutes or motivation, here are some tips on how to blog when there’s “no time.”

1. Don’t Make it a Chore – It’s important to write about a topic that interests you and it’s even better if it’s something you’re passionate about. Don’t think of blogging as “work” otherwise it may seem like a chore and you might be less motivated or excited to do it. If you blog with your message and target audience in mind, the topics will seem endless.

2. Don’t Always Wait for the Right Time – Write down ideas as soon as you have them. It doesn’t matter if you’re cooking or in the shower – waterproof notepads, anyone? Even if you don’t think you’ll have time to actually write about the topic, you can always come back to your notes later. Jotting down some ideas or having someone else do it for you the moment that they arise will help you remember them and can open up even more ideas.

Continue reading

For many, the process of continually writing online content for a marketing campaign can be a draining task. While creating new content that has not been on a site before, or hopefully on any other site, is vital, a writer may feel like he or she is running out of topics or creative juices. If this is happening to you, do not be afraid, you are not alone.

However, do not let yourself simply accept the idea of running out of creativity or topics. This will lead to monotony, which in turn leads to bad writing, which can negatively impact the strength of a marketing campaign. But what can you do to get yourself out of this hole or prevent yourself from getting into it in the first place?

While there are no steadfast guidelines (this can kill creativity), there are some actions that you can take to improve your drive and the overall quality of your future work.

Think of Your Passions

There is a reason for why you have gotten yourself into the position of content writer. While these can vary widely from person to person, there are often unique passions that have led you to this point. Reflect on them and consider how you can feed into them with the work you are currently doing.

Look at Your Inspirations

Who or what inspires you to think and act more creatively? If it is a writer or artist, study his or her work and consider what it sparks within your mind. How are you going to be great if you do not study greatness? Remember, great works are not meant to be simply admired, but to be emulated. Strive toward making your content into something that will inspire others. This cycle of creativity can also be a consistent example for you in future work.

Examine Your Past Mistakes

You’ve made mistakes in your past work. Admit it. But what were they? Consider errors in grammar, syntax, style, and focus. Additionally, consider what mistakes you have made in choosing topics or language when it comes to writing for your audience. Now, what led you to make those choices? Were you in a rush? Distracted? Simply unaware of what was incorrect? Do not just review these errors, remember them in whatever way helps these lessons stick with you and have them inform what you are doing now.
Continue reading

Now that you have determined who it is you are trying to reach online, the next step is creating engaging content that your audience will love to read. Unfortunately, there is no exact recipe for creating an excellent content stew, but the following tips can help the blog and web pages for your business or law firm stand out with personal, unique, and well-researched material for your target audience to consume.

1. Produce content that reflects your distinctive voice: Excellent writing has a well-defined, personalized style, so creating your own unique voice in your content can help make it enjoyable to read and share. Infusing your writing with your interests and personality will help add personal touches to your blog and cultivate your voice.
2. Conduct thorough research: Good research is essential to exceptional writing, so use research to supplement your knowledge! Be wary, however, of the sources you use as not all are created equal; therefore, consider the site’s authority and relevancy when doing your research.
3. Allow your audience to provide feedback: Giving the audience a chance to provide feedback is a great way for you to learn about your audience and what they enjoy, which will help your business or firm generate new ideas for future content.
4. Edit your content: Typos and grammatical errors can deflate extraordinary content and make it unreadable, so taking a keen eye to your work and editing appropriately will put the final touch on your online masterpiece. Be concise, make your content visually appealing (such as by adding headers or pictures), and check for grammar and spelling gaffes.

Continue reading

For those who enjoy spending time on the web or use it mostly to find answers to questions, there are endless possibilities of websites and blogs to visit, content to read, and things to learn. With the infinite Internet possibilities then, the question for businesses trying to reach readers, consumers, and potential new clients with blogs and web page content is this: “How do you keep your audience coming back for more?”

For a specific business or law firm, you would of course want to craft content that is geared towards the people you want to reach, also known as a target audience. For example, law firms would want to generate content on legal-related matters, such as new state laws or how long a person has to file a specific type of claim. As such, determining the target audience is essential in creating appropriate, engaging content.

Hitting the Bull’s-Eye
The first step to creating engaging content for law firms and businesses alike is to first determine who your target audience is, which can be done with research to learn what kind of content the audience shares and how they communicate. This will also help in selecting interesting, relevant topics that your online readers will want to consume.
Continue reading

With the sun-drenched summer season fast approaching, it is an excellent time to remind law firms across the country that the many seasons of the year present opportunities for content development and gaining legal blog (blawg) readership. Writing relevant, timely content is one of the most important things an attorney can do to create a more personal experience for website visitors and to connect with their target audience; therefore, crafting seasonal-related content can certainly increase website and blawg traffic as web users often search for various safety and prevention tips that directly correlate with a current or approaching season, holiday, or event.

The following are four tips for law firms to leverage the seasons throughout the year from winter to summer and everything in between, and also create seasonal specific content to gain readership.

1. Identify opportunities and trends. First, recognize seasons, events, and trends when creating content. For example, if you are a personal injury attorney, Christmas may call for a blawg topic related to “winter home safety” or “children’s toy recalls”, and summer may warrant a blawg on “swimming pool accident prevention” or “safe boating tips”. The key is to identify what holidays or seasons your target audience may be searching for, and write blawgs accordingly.

Continue reading

Everyone has wondered what another person was thinking at one point or another. In fact, many marketers would say this would be the Holy Grail for knowing exactly what customers want and how to provide them with it (i.e. get them to “buy” or “convert”). While neuroscience doesn’t focus on mind-reading, and marketers can dream on, it does reveal how and why parts of our brains respond or become activated by what we are doing, seeing, or feeling, among other senses and cognitive functions.

You may have heard about The Premium Experience: Neurological Engagement on Premium Websites, a report created by NeuroFocus based on the results of a study that was co-sponsored by Facebook. Devices were used to measure the brainwaves of test subjects when visiting websites to establish how they responded to websites and website ads. Maybe marketers can read minds after all…
Continue reading

Have you read the content on your website lately? Whether you’re updating your current website or building an entirely new one, you have to remember one thing: content is king.

If your content is old and outdated, it may be time for an edit or two. And if you want your website to rank well with search results, you need to have original, well-written content that accomplishes a couple of things.
Continue reading

The growth and upkeep of any legal internet marketing plan requires continuous effort. Simply having a website is not enough, but it is definitely a start! Even after your website has been created, the work is not over. One way to make sure that your search engine rankings continue to grow is to add new content to your website. However, adding fresh material to your website is a balancing act in and of itself, requiring more than just putting the content up on the site.

Think of your website as a garden. If you leave it unattended for too long, what happens? Plants start to wilt and weeds begin to take over. Don’t allow all of your hard work in developing a website go to waste. Instead, make the effort to add new content – but not just any content. Search engines respond to relevant keyword-rich, but not over-stocked, content that is fluid and has accurate optimization.
Continue reading