4 Creative (and Aboveboard) Ways to Improve Your Search Engine Rankings

Promoting your content has clear short-term benefits — like attracting new readers, social shares, and comments.

But did you know it’s also a critical part of your search engine optimization strategy?

Even the best on-page SEO efforts don’t work as well if no one links to your site, so one of your biggest jobs is spreading the word out about your content.

Think of it this way:

You’ve got to attract incoming links to rank well in search engines, and no one is going to link to you if they don’t know you exist.

In this post, we’ll talk about why content promotion is important for SEO and how to create your own content promotion system.

Why is content promotion important for SEO?

After you publish a piece of content, your next goal is to get people to engage with that content.

When people like your content, they’ll share it on social media and link to it from their sites, which sends search engines a “thumbs-up” signal.

That signal says, “This is high-quality content,” and you want as many of those votes as possible.

People share content from sites they know and trust, and they often visit those sites from their favorite social media platforms and their inboxes — so that’s exactly where you want to show up.

Not sure how to get started? Try these four techniques:

1. Reach out to your network

While I wouldn’t recommend emailing bloggers and editors you don’t already have relationships with, don’t forget about touching base with your online network when you publish extra special content.

For instance, I’ve developed a relationship with writing and creativity coach Cynthia Morris over the years.

Now if I publish a piece of content that is a particularly good resource for her audience, I can show the article to Cynthia and ask her to share it via social media if she likes it.

If you already have a connection with someone, reaching out via email with a note about your content may help them find useful information to share with their audience.

2. Post compelling updates on social media

When you promote your posts to your fans and followers on the social media sites you use, complement your text with compelling images.

Need to know the optimal sizes for your social media images? Check out this frequently updated guide from Sprout Social.

It’s okay to share a link to the same piece of content multiple times on a particular social platform. Just remember to vary updates that link to the same piece of content, so they don’t look too repetitive. For example, some updates should have different text and you can experiment with adding or omitting images.

Try a scheduling tool like the one in the Rainmaker Platform to make this process easier and more efficient.

3. Write guest posts

Guest posting helps you establish connections with influencers in your field, and it can lead to new website visitors and email subscribers when it’s done correctly.

It’s also (potentially) a great content promotion tactic. But before you include a link to your own content, get approval from your host and always honor the site’s rules about links.

If you’re allowed, link to a piece of your cornerstone content in the text of your guest post or in your author bio.

To maximize engagement with a link to your site, clearly explain what people will find when they arrive on your site and how the content will benefit them.

For more information, read Henneke’s post, Unleash a Surge of Email Subscribers from Your Guest Posts with This Simple Landing Page Strategy.

4. Repurpose your content

To breathe new life into older content and help it reach a wider audience, repurpose it into different formats.

For example, you could take a podcast interview and turn it into:

• A blog post (or blog post series)
• A SlideShare presentation
• An animated video
• A series of images with quotes for Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter
• An infographic

Every time you publish a repurposed version of the original interview, you can link to the original podcast episode.

On-page and off-page SEO: a smart partnership

It’s not enough to just publish and then sit back with your feet on your desk — you’ve got to spread the word about your content and give people easy ways to access and consume it.

But don’t forget about on-page optimization. On-page and off-page SEO work together to help you rank higher in search engines.

Discover five on-page elements you need to make your content easily digestible for search engines in Copyblogger’s free ebook, How to Create Compelling Content that Ranks Well in Search Engines.

What’s your favorite way to promote your content online? Share it with us in the comments below!

The post 4 Creative (and Aboveboard) Ways to Improve Your Search Engine Rankings appeared first on Copyblogger.

from
http://feeds.copyblogger.com/~/249330464/0/copyblogger~Creative-and-Aboveboard-Ways-to-Improve-Your-Search-Engine-Rankings/

Copyblogger’s Holiday Buffet Edition

You know how holiday buffets are … you take a little bit of cheese, and then another kind of cheese, and then four more kinds of cheese, then squeeze six desserts onto the plate, and finally you take a tiny square of Jell-O because it’s basically a vegetable?

No? Just me?

ANYWAY. This week we have a little buffet assortment for you … without the Jell-O vegetables.

On Monday, Sean Jackson and Jessica Frick were nice enough to host me on the Members Only podcast, where we talked about the days when I launched my first membership community. We laughed a lot and had a great conversation about the value of just plain moving forward, even if you’re not 100 percent sure where the path will take you.

Over on The Showrunner, Jerod Morris and Jonny Nastor dug deep into creating systems for your podcast (or any other aspect of your content or business, actually). Even if you’re not a podcaster, I think you’ll find this one useful.

Monday, I also had fun sharing some of my favorite bits of bad writing advice, sourced from the community (hey, that’s you!) and our editorial team — with some suggestions for what you might try instead.

On Tuesday, we saw a classic Brian Clark post about why education works so well when we’re trying to persuade … and how to structure your content to make it easy for your reader to say “Yes.”

And don’t miss Brian’s new conversation with Darren Rowse of ProBlogger on Unemployable. You’ll hear how the entire content marketing movement truly began, where blogging is going, and why we all need to first return to the foundational element of human connection before we focus on fancy automation, strategic funnels, and conversion optimization.

Stefanie Flaxman wrapped up the week with a small but mighty fact-checking tip that, if you’re in this game long enough, is just about guaranteed to save you an annoying customer support headache at some point in your professional life.

If you’re celebrating a holiday this weekend, I wish you a very happy one, and I’ll catch you next week!

— Sonia Simone
Chief Content Officer, Rainmaker Digital

Catch up on this week’s content

---

Conventional Writing Wisdom You Can Ignore, Effective Immediately

by Sonia Simone

---

Educate to Dominate Your Competition

by Brian Clark

---

A Seemingly Minor Fact-Checking Tip that Yields Top-Notch Customer Service

by Stefanie Flaxman

---

Why Starting a Membership Site Is a Terrible Idea … Until You Just Do It

by Sean Jackson

---

Quick! What Can You Systematize Before 2017?

by Jerod Morris & Jon Nastor

---

Laura Roeder on Building a Business that Supports the Lifestyle You Love

by Brian Clark & Jerod Morris

---

Bad Writing Advice: The ‘Post Truth’ Episode

by Sonia Simone

---

How Journalist and Bestselling Author of ‘The Revenge of Analog’ David Sax Writes: Part Two

by Kelton Reid

---

Blogging is Back, with Darren Rowse

by Brian Clark

---

The post Copyblogger’s Holiday Buffet Edition appeared first on Copyblogger.

from
http://feeds.copyblogger.com/~/247668128/0/copyblogger~Copybloggers-Holiday-Buffet-Edition/

Blogging is Back, with Darren Rowse

In the beginning, there was blogging. And for businesses looking to build an audience that helped grow the bottom line, it was good.

In fact, many of the leaders in the digital marketing space started as blogs and evolved into multi-million dollar businesses. I personally have immense gratitude for what Rainmaker Digital has been able to achieve, and it all traces back to the early Copyblogger audience.

Then, around 2008, “business blogging” gave way to the term “content marketing.” Eight years later, as we wind up 2016, we’re drowning in content, and there’s no mistaking that much of it is just poorly disguised traditional marketing.

Something seems to have gotten lost along the way. The original business blogs provided valuable content, sure … but that content was delivered with perhaps the more important ingredient — a relatable and reliable human voice.

To be clear, blogging never went away. But perhaps it’s time to go back to the roots of business blogging to rediscover the foundational aspect of content that actually works as marketing, even though it doesn’t “feel” like marketing.

Tune in to listen to my conversation with the great Darren Rowse of ProBlogger. You’ll hear how the entire content marketing movement truly began, where blogging is going, and why we all need to first return to the foundational element of human connection before we focus on fancy automation, strategic funnels, and conversion optimization.

Listen to this Episode Now

The post Blogging is Back, with Darren Rowse appeared first on Copyblogger.

from
http://feeds.copyblogger.com/~/247260106/0/copyblogger~Blogging-is-Back-with-Darren-Rowse/

A Seemingly Minor Fact-Checking Tip that Yields Top-Notch Customer Service

When I was a cub copy editor, I learned a simple fact-checking technique that is still one of my favorites today.

It may seem unimportant, but if you don’t use this technique and fail to catch a certain type of mistake, you could set yourself up for extra work later.

This is one of my favorites because it demonstrates that reviewing your copy and content for accuracy goes beyond checking for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Check for day/date discrepancies

I told you it’s simple.

Whenever you see a day of the week and a date in your text, check that the day of the week matches the date mentioned.

You might write a day and date when you announce and/or discuss in-person events, webinars, or live Q&As.

Here’s how it works

Let’s say you’re inviting your email subscribers to a webinar that will be held on Wednesday, December 29, 2016. You’ve edited and proofread the content already. It looks great … except, this year Wednesday is December 28.

If you send your content with “Wednesday, December 29, 2016” in the announcement, you could leave interested webinar attendees wondering if the webinar is Wednesday, December 28 or Thursday, December 29.

Since “Wednesday, December 29, 2016” doesn’t exist, your content is unclear without this type of fact-checking and could lead to inquiries from your audience.

When you get it right before you publish, you stop questions from confused prospects before they happen.

If your copy and content is accurate, there is no room for confusion. Readers won’t have any trouble understanding your message, and you won’t have to clarify later.

You’ll avoid having to notify your audience again with the correct information.

Tools you need

Keep a calendar handy whenever you edit and proofread.

I like using a paper calendar, and I have one on my desk where I can easily see days of the week and dates for each month.

A digital calendar on your computer or phone works just as well.

The trick is to stop reading your content and check the calendar every time you get to a mention of a day of the week and a date.

Also, when you pause to verify the day/date, make sure you don’t skip the text around it. Carefully proofread the rest of the sentence too.

Bonus tip

Starting January 1, 2017, remember to write “2017” instead of “2016.”

Copy editors are like kids in a candy store during the first month of the year when they spot and correct a lot of erroneous mentions of the previous year.

Don’t give them that satisfaction.

The post A Seemingly Minor Fact-Checking Tip that Yields Top-Notch Customer Service appeared first on Copyblogger.

from
http://feeds.copyblogger.com/~/247168104/0/copyblogger~A-Seemingly-Minor-FactChecking-Tip-that-Yields-TopNotch-Customer-Service/

How Journalist and Bestselling Author of ‘The Revenge of Analog’ David Sax Writes: Part Two

The business and culture journalist and bestselling author of the recent book The Revenge of Analog, David Sax, dropped by the show to talk about the writing life, the importance of real things in a digital world, and the revenge of paper.

David is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times, The New Yorker online, and other publications.

The author’s first book, Save the Deli, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and won the James Beard Award for Writing and Literature.

His latest, The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter “… looks at the resurgence of analog goods and ideas, during a time when we assumed digital would conquer all.” It was longlisted for the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.

Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine and author of The Inevitable, said of the book, “The better digital gets, the more important analog becomes … Sax’s reporting is eye-opening and mind-changing.”

NOTE: This is the last episode of the year for us, due to the impending holiday break, but we will return with more great interviews for you in 2017. Thanks for listening!

If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews.

In Part Two of this file David Sax and I discuss:

• Why you should work regular hours, and the author’s “Cinderella Clause”
• The significance of unplugging for writers
• How to record your audiobook in the same studio as Drake
• Why the reward is the work for sustaining your writing

Listen to this Episode Now

The post How Journalist and Bestselling Author of ‘The Revenge of Analog’ David Sax Writes: Part Two appeared first on Copyblogger.

from
http://feeds.copyblogger.com/~/246740594/0/copyblogger~How-Journalist-and-Bestselling-Author-of-The-Revenge-of-Analog-David-Sax-Writes-Part-Two/

Bad Writing Advice: The ‘Post Truth’ Episode

So much bad advice …

Funny thing — you can ask for people’s favorite words of advice, and you’ll get a decent number of answers.

But ask for their favorite piece of bad advice, and you’ll really get a response. I did exactly that on Twitter, and the podcast and Copyblogger post this week are all about what I found.

It ain’t what you don’t know … it’s what you know that just ain’t so.

In this 21-minute episode, I talk about:

• Jason Miller’s smart article about why the “goldfish attention span” myth is dangerously wrong
• Why it’s a terrible idea to dumb down your content
• My suggestion — that you might find extremely dumb — for reframing a piece of content
• Publishing frequency myths and truths
• The most important thing you can learn from bad advice

Listen to this Episode Now

The post Bad Writing Advice: The ‘Post Truth’ Episode appeared first on Copyblogger.

from
http://feeds.copyblogger.com/~/246708056/0/copyblogger~Bad-Writing-Advice-The-Post-Truth-Episode/

Educate to Dominate Your Competition

First off, check out this quotation:

“It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Now, let me ask you this … How do you spark the buying process without a lot of high-pressure, high-hype selling?

You do it by getting the reader, listener, or viewer to imagine buying from you, even before you’ve presented the full offer.

Why is that important?

It’s important because once someone imagines buying from you, they’ve made a mental commitment.

The size of that commitment will depend on how well your content resonates with that particular individual, but it’s a commitment nonetheless.

And at that point, it’s a commitment voluntarily made, without any overt request on your part.

You may still be thinking, so what?

Well, we humans are funny that way. Once we commit to something, we tend to act in a consistent manner with the prior commitment.

The six psychological shortcuts of Influence

In his famous book Influence: Science and Practice, Dr. Robert Cialdini identifies six judgmental heuristics that create mental shortcuts that can drive our behavior:

1. Reciprocity
2. Social proof
3. Liking
4. Authority
5. Scarcity
6. Commitment and consistency

Note that by giving away free content, you’re invoking reciprocity, which triggers the psychological need to give something back in return.

When people share and comment on your content, you’re invoking the power of social proof.

By creating conversational content that builds rapport, you are also bringing liking into play, because people want to do business with people they like, even if another choice might be technically more appropriate.

And by taking on the role of teacher, you’re becoming an authority figure, which makes what you say more likely to be accepted and acted upon.

Then when you get someone to imagine themselves buying, you’re bringing commitment and consistency into play, and this shortcut can tip the scales in your favor.

This is why in-person sales people will constantly ask you, “If I can get this price, or this added feature, will you make the purchase?”

When you verbally commit, they know they’ve gotten one crucial step closer to the close due to the psychological principles of commitment and consistency.

Even a smaller level of mental commitment can lead to consistency when the prospect makes the commitment based on their own (seemingly) unprompted decision.

This prospect will view your eventual offer through a more positive frame than someone who sees the offer cold. As long as you deliver what your content created a desire for, you’ll sell a lot more.

Now you understand what da Vinci was saying.

When you come rushing out of the gate selling, it’s easy for people to resist. But when you establish yourself as a teacher who people have bonded with, it gets much harder to say no by the time the transaction is proposed.

Smart selling empowers people to buy

So many people equate selling with hype and shady tactics to trick people into buying. In reality, smart selling is about empowering people to make the right decision.

Oftentimes, people simply need to be thoroughly educated on the basics, which naturally reveals the ultimate benefits of doing business with you along the way.

Editor’s note: The original version of this post was published on August 25, 2009.

The post Educate to Dominate Your Competition appeared first on Copyblogger.

from
http://feeds.copyblogger.com/~/246603544/0/copyblogger~Educate-to-Dominate-Your-Competition/