IS KING CONTENT
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO WRITING WEBSITE CONTENT THAT SELLS
GROW YOUR AUDIENCE LEARN SEO STRATEGIES CONVERT SALES
LAURA BRIGGS
v Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix How to Use This Book ................................. xii PART I Prepare, Plan, and Write CHAPTER 1 Website Writing 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 How Do You Know You Need a Website? 4 Top Reasons to Create a Website 5 Why Is Website Optimization So Important? .............. 7 The Power of Conversation in Website Content ............ 9 Infusing the Art of Storytelling into Your Website Copy .... 12 Chapter 1 Action Steps & Takeaways .................... 13 Contents
CONTENT IS KING vi Contents CHAPTER 2 Website Basics and How to Write Them . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 How Does Design Impact My Site Pages? ........................ 15 What Is the Ideal Website Structure? ............................ 17 Design or Write First? ........................................ 20 Website Content Types: A Basic Overview ....................... 20 Creating Your Website Roadmap ............................... 28 Chapter 2 Action Steps & Takeaways 29 CHAPTER 3 Defining Your Unique Value Proposition . . . . . . . . . . . 31 What’s in a UVP? ............................................. 32 What’s Your UVP: Whom Do You Serve? ........................ 33 How to Define and Use Audience Personas ...................... 41 How to Learn More about Your Target Audience Through Social Media ....................................... 43 Chapter 3 Action Steps & Takeaways 45 CHAPTER 4 Writing Copy: Best Practices and Brand Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 General Copywriting Principles for Your Entire Website .......... 47 Creating Brand Editorial Guidelines ............................ 53 Editorial Guidelines Example ................................... 54 Chapter 4 Action Steps & Takeaways 60 CHAPTER 5 Understanding Your Buyer’s Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Mapping a Buyer’s Journey ..................................... 61 Create a Visual Map of Your Buyer’s Journey .................... 64 How to Understand Customer Movement Through Funnels ....... 65 Chapter 5 Action Steps & Takeaways ........................... 67 CHAPTER 6 Outlining and Drafting Your Website Copy . . . . . . . . 69 Creating Your Website Content Writing Process 69 Template for Building Website Page Content .................... 70
CONTENT IS KING Contents vii How to Outline a Website Content Page 73 Chapter 6 Action Steps & Takeaways ........................... 81 PART II Content Marketing Strategy CHAPTER 7 SEO: Optimizing Website Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 The Value of SEO Traffic 86 What Influences SEO? ........................................ 87 SEO and Keyword Basics ...................................... 91 How Much Should SEO Influence Your Content? ................ 95 Tools for Keywords and SEO .................................. 96 Backlinks and Off-Page SEO ................................... 99 Chapter 7 Action Steps & Takeaways 102 CHAPTER 8 From Website to Content Marketing Strategy . . . 103 What Is Content Marketing Strategy? .......................... 103 Creating Your Content Strategy ............................... 106 How to Determine and Allocate Resources for Your Content Marketing Strategy ............................ 109 Chapter 8 Action Steps & Takeaways 111 CHAPTER 9 Blogging Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Is Blogging Dead? ........................................... 114 What Is a Blogging Strategy? .................................. 114 How to Create an Editorial Calendar ........................... 117 How to Create Great Headlines and Titles for Blogs .............. 121 Linking Basics .............................................. 125 Chapter 9 Action Steps & Takeaways 126 CHAPTER 10 Advanced Blogging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Building Core and Additional Content on Your Blog ............. 127 Max Out Your Content Ideas ................................. 130
CONTENT IS KING viii Contents Organizing and Planning 133 Generic vs. Specific .......................................... 134 How to Think Like a Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Videocasting, Podcasting, and Blogging: How to Repurpose Content .................................. 137 Understanding Bounce Rate ................................... 138 Using Analytics to Improve Content 139 Chapter 10 Action Steps & Takeaways ......................... 140 CHAPTER 11 Marketing Outreach: Other Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Sales Copy .................................................. 142 Landing Pages and Lead Magnets .............................. 145 Case Studies ................................................. 151 Chapter 11 Action Steps & Takeaways 153 CHAPTER 12 Outsourcing: Hiring Other Professionals . . . . . . . . 155 To Outsource or Keep In-House? .............................. 155 Do You Really Need Outside Writers? .......................... 157 Avoid Mistakes in Outsourcing Content ........................ 159 Hiring Freelance Writers: What to Expect ...................... 162 Hiring a Content Strategist or a Content Writer: What to Know ... 164 How to Evaluate Freelance Writing Samples 168 Chapter 12 Action Steps & Takeaways ......................... 169 Final Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Three Essential Tips to Keep in Mind as You Write .............. 171 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Content is king. We’re living in a digital age that produces more words and published website pages each day than any person could hope to read. The indexed web contains over 5.99 billion pages of material and content. Over 91 percent of B2B marketers rely on content marketing to reach customers, and 86 percent of B2C businesses think content marketing is a key strategy to reach business goals. Clearly, website copywriting is important, but most businesses and their freelance writers take their best guess rather than relying on proven strategies.
Even as website copywriting grows, many website creators and content marketers are stuck on how to start the process and on writing meaningful content that draws in search engine traffic and creates an instant connection with readers.
ix
Introduction
Too many businesses don’t have a defined strategy for writing and posting on their websites. Too many new freelance writers don’t understand how to map out content for a variety of clients. This book, chock-full of information about aligning content production with best practices, will help both business owners and freelance writers unlock opportunities and revenue.
Content Is King: The Complete Guide to Writing Web Content That Sells helps solopreneurs, those new to content marketing, and freelance content writers uncover the secrets of writing compelling, search-engine-friendly content. As a freelance writer, I quickly learned I couldn’t rely on companies giving me fully scoped briefs to create their website content or blogs for them. Many of them had no clue how to get started, pick topics, or feel confident that they had covered all their bases.
Since 2012, I’ve helped over 400 business owners craft their website copy and content marketing strategies to reach and connect with their ideal audience. From solopreneurs to Fortune 500 companies, every business needs a content marketing strategy and website copy plan. This book is designed to help you cut through the noise and rely on strategies that capture and share your unique voice with current and prospective readers and followers. Having seen where most businesses and freelance writers get stuck, I know what it takes to write outstanding website content that reaches both readers and search engines.
You know you need standout content. While plenty of blogs out there cover the general process of creating content, there’s no go-to guide to help freelance writers, journalists, or business owners understand what makes writing for the web different.
This book is a proven path and soup-to-nuts explanation of the most common website pages needed today and how to approach each one for maximum return on content investment.
This book is for:
Students and professionals looking to improve their digital marketing and content writing knowledge
In-house and freelance marketing experts looking to help companies create their websites
CONTENT IS KING x Introduction
Solopreneurs, tech companies, and small business owners who want to launch a company but are stumped on how to tell their story
Freelance writers or journalists looking to branch out into a new service offering
Here’s what you’ll find in this book to help you with your content writing journey. I encourage you to read it from beginning to end so that you create a holistic and meaningful website writing strategy, but I also share this here in case you’re looking to navigate to something specific. This book is made up of two distinct parts. The goal of the first six chapters is to help you get the basic pages of your website up. Following that, in Chapters 7 through 12, you’ll learn how to develop a content marketing strategy using your existing website as the base. If that second part feels overwhelming, focus on completing the website for now and come back to the other ideas later. Each chapter ends with a short list of concrete takeaways and action steps from the chapter.
In Part I, you will learn:
Why you need a website and the importance of storytelling
Basic website architecture, essential website pages, and a bit about site design
How to create and refine your company’s unique value proposition, so you can connect with readers quickly and authentically
Best practices of writing copy and creating editorial brand guidelines
The journey your potential buyer takes on the way to becoming your client or customer
How to outline and draft copy for your site
Then, in Part II, we’ll cover:
Search engine optimization (SEO), which is how you’ll help readers find your website
How to build a content market strategy from your new website
The basics of blogging as part of your content marketing strategy
More complex blogging techniques that connect with readers
CONTENT IS KING Introduction xi
Landing pages, sales pages, and case studies, which encourage your audience to take action
When and how to outsource the writing of your website content
How to Use This Book
As I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to read this entire book from start to finish, even if you’re planning to outsource your content writing projects to an in-house employee or a freelance writer. This book is designed to teach you what you need to know to either write your website copy yourself or to hand it over to an expert with the knowledge you need to guide and review their work. Part I will help you plan and build a basic website. When you’re ready to create a content marketing strategy in connection with your site, use Part II.
The prospect of writing a website can be overwhelming, but here’s an example of how you can break down what you learn in this book to get your website copy written and published in just four weeks:
Week 1: Define your purpose, discover mistakes, define your brand story overall, understand how design influences copy, discover your customer’s unique voice, and learn examples of brand values companies can use.
Week 2: Determine your brand voice, editorial guidelines, and UVP. Create your website roadmap.
Week 3: Outline and draft your website content.
Week 4: Edit your content, and determine your content strategy for future content.
The need for content is high and is only expected to continue growing in coming years. Having a website is key for any new or established business to reach customers, many of whom begin their search from a device in their pocket. This book will provide the tools you need to outline and draft your own website copy that connects with readers and allows you to grow your business.
CONTENT IS KING xii Introduction
PART I
CUT THROUGH THE NOISE AND CRAFT WEB CONTENT THAT SELLS
Over 76% of US adults shop online. With an inundation of ads and options at their disposal, website content has the power to turn even the most casual spectator into a faithful customer. Unlike other digital marketing strategies, web editorial gives you the opportunity to speak directly to your audience. By establishing your Unique Value Proposition, Content is King guides you toward uncovering your brand identity, determining the distinct needs of your clientele, and identifying what sets you apart from the competition, so you can reach your intended clientele and build your brand with authenticity.
This soup-to-nuts guide offers a proven path to a highly-converting website using branding strategies that put your mission at the forefront. Curate your holistic blogging and marketing approach, enhance your buyer’s journey, and establish a reliable website that’s guaranteed to transform first-time browsers into long-time customers.
DISCOVER:
How to define your Unique Value Proposition to connect with readers authentically
Search Engine Optimization tactics for increased traffic and maximum returns
The key content pages a website requires to thrive
Landing pages, sales pages, and case studies that encourage your audience to take action
Break the mold and craft copy that stands out with Content is King!
A self-made freelancer with over a decade of experience, LAURA BRIGGS advises fellow independent workers how to build a profitable business from the ground up. Considered one of the top freelancing coaches today, Laura has published multiple books, has delivered three TEDx talks, manages a highly successful freelance writing enterprise, and founded the nonprofit Operation Freelance, providing military spouses with free training to start and grow their own business as digital freelancers.
ISBN-13: 978-1-64201-117-3
$24.99 US Small Business / Entrepreneurship
Cover design by Andrew Welyczko entrepreneur.com/books
