Rewrite Your Website Copy For Google
This post isn’t specifically about Maryland Search Engine Optimization
If there is any constant in my dealings with Maryland Small Business owners when they hire me to get their company website to rank higher in Google it’s that they don’t get the concept of sales copy:
They *think* they know what they want the website to say… they *think* they should make thier website look like the print ads they run.
The web is a different animal, you do NOT write your copy for humans! Not until AFTER you get the site to Rank In Google: What good does a pretty website do your company if it’s buried on the twefth page of Google results?
How often do YOU click next, next, next to find what YOUR searching for?
If you’re not on the first page of search engine results, the prospective client/ customer is going to think this: “if Google didn’t think enough of your company to list you in the top ten, why should they think enough of you?”
Wrong advice for writing ad copy
There is an online local business directory who shall remain nameless on this post who offered what I consider less than beneficial advice as to what a small business owner should do. The advice offered here beats a blank, I mean it is meant to counsel an small business owner in “do it yourself SEO” or DYI sales copywriting.
Ego can get small business owners in trouble.
Now as an advertising agency, which is what I am, if I wanted you, as a small business advertiser, to sign with me, to contract with me… and I wanted to close that sale at all costs (even if I sold you something that I knew damn well and good was not likely to do you any good)… I’d appeal to your Ego.
Everybody likes to hear their own name being spoken. Everybody wants others to hold them in high esteem. You prospective customer on the other hand could care less about who you are or what the name of your company is.
Below is from a “What to put on the description of your business so Google will rank you” how to section of a major online local business directory.
I’m of the opinion that
This is NOT the way to get on the front page of Google for your local area
Here goes:
- Your company’s name should appear 3 – 4 times within the description. This helps optimise your listing for search engines and increases the chances that potential customers will find your business.
- It should also refer specifically to your business’ key product or service offerings.
- The description must also be informative enough that people are attracted deeper into your company’s listing, mentioning things like how long your business has been in operation.
- The length of your business’ description should be between 50 and 200 words.
Example: Joe’s Plumbing Tools
Joe’s Plumbing Tools has been a recognized name in the Chicago plumbing industry for over 20 years. Joe’s Plumbing Tools carry a range of plumbing tools to suit every plumbing task great or small. The Joe’s Plumbing Tools range includes industry renowned plumbing tools from leading manufacturers including Pump ‘n’ Save and Drillz. Joe’s Plumbing Tools supply a range of pumps, fittings, hydraulic wrenches and pipes to suit every budget.
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My take on what’s offered above:
The second, third and fourth suggestions are fine, the first one is way, way off the mark.
The first 255 characters are important, very important. You’ve GOT to say what it is you are offering (keyword(s) and WHERE you are offering it!
What you’re pitching and Where you’re pitching it at.
And you should say that in the OPENING LINE of text
If you open with “welcome to my website”, you just wasted 21 characters of the most valuable real estate on your company website!
Geography Matters
Where are you offering this wonderful widget or product or service? Don’t assume Google will know where your business operates. You’ve got to say where your service is available, and say it in the first 100 characters. Notice I didn’t say words, I said “characters”, that includes the spaces between the characters.
Why do I say this? Think about what you’re writing as if you were some average Joe looking to find something near there home. They type in X into Google. Google then returns the top ranked page for X.
But it’s X in Oklahoma, and Joe lives in Frederick Maryland (second largest city in Maryland, next to Baltimore, Frederick is a suburb of Washington D.C.)
Let’s say you need your rain gutters repaired, who ya gonna call?
Old school way of finding a gutter repair guy was the Yellow Pages. Not much information offered about the veracity of, reputation of, credibility of that roof repair firm can be garnered from the Yellow Pages listings. What you do see is who has spent the most money paying for the biggest, slickest Yellow Page ad.
You’d rather learn more about what ever company you give your hard earned bucks to before you open your wallet or make your credit card balance even bigger than it already is.
So you look up gutter repair on the search engines, you Google gutter repair. What does Google return?
- 3 sponsored links right at the top
- 3 organic listings, these are who rank highest
- 2 video listings
- 3 Local Business Listings
- 6 more organic listings
So there is a total of 16 listings (of all types) for gutter repair but only 3 of them are for “local to you” gutter repair. That’s not particularly useful, what do yo do now? You search smarter. You add the geographic area you need said service in to the keyword phrase “gutter repair”.
You live in Frederick, Maryland right? So you type ”gutter repair Frederick Maryland” into Google. Before Google returned 1,240,000 individual web pages all purporting to be about gutter repair. You narrowed that down a lot by adding “Frederick, Maryland” to “gutter repair Frederick Maryland”. That’s whittled the number of choices down from over a million to 47,400!
Roughly half the search results Google returns on this query are still not local companies, the directories or nationwide service chains are still dominating the listings, effectively crowding a smaller contractor from even having a chance at competing.
If you were a gutter repair contractor and wanted a sh0t at getting this average Joe’s business… the best chance you have is to:
- Get a web page
- Get that web page to even get into Google’s index at all
- Get that web page to rank somewhere near the first page of search results
- Get a Free Google local business listing
And here’s the best part… make sure your listing shows up in the top 3 local search results within Google Local Business Listings
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| From Maryland Search Engine Optimization |
How do you do that?
Two choices:
- Learn how to do what I do (local SEO)
- Hire an SEO professional
David Bruce Jr of Frederick Web Promotions located in Frederick, Maryland and The Apex Predator of Maryland Search Engine Optimization Look for the Do It Yourself SEO on Frederick Web Promotions
240 315-1515
davidbrucejr@frederickwebpromotions.com
Technorati Tags: Maryland Search Engine Optimization
Technorati Tags: Maryland Internet Advertising
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