writing for web: 7 tips for getting read and shared
DESCRIPTION
How to write for the web, with tips including formatting, images, headlines, words and keyphrasesTRANSCRIPT
Writing for the Web7 Tips for Getting Read and Shared
Andy Crestodina@crestodina
CONTENTversus
CONTENT MARKETING
Traffic
The Funnel
How content works…
Your website is the mousetrap,
Your content is the cheese…
- Barry Feldman
TOPICS
1. Keywords2. Q&A Sites3. Listening
Sources of Topics
Finding Topics: Google Suggest
source: http://keywordtool.io
Keyword
Planner
#convcon @crestodina
Finding Topics: Analytics Queries
Finding Topics: Listening
1. Sales Team2. Customer Service Team3. Client Stories
Your Outbox is filled with blog posts…
HEADLINES
Curiosity Gap and Sharing
Headlines: Emotions Get SharedContent that evokes specific emotions is more likely to be shared…
source: What makes online content go viral?
source: OK Dork / Co-Schedule
Average EMV Score for Headlines Based on Shares
Use Numbers
source: Conductor: 5 Data Insights Into the Headlines Readers Click
Headline Preferences by Gender
The Serial Position EffectReaders have higher attention and retention for items at the beginning and end of lists
• Make a promise
• Trigger Curiosity
• Use Numbers
• Ask a Question
• Use Power Words
source: How to Write a Headline That Won’t Get Ignored: 7-Point Checklist
Great Headlines…
Write at least 3 before choosing one!
FORMATTING
Readers Aren’t Reading
source: How Little to Users Read? NN Group
Users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely.
Format for Readers Scanners
source: 5 Easy Tips to Improve Every Blog Design
• Header and Subheaders
• Bullet Lists and Numbered Lists
• Bolding and Italics
• Internal Links
Types of Formatting
“Short paragraphs get read.Long paragraphs get skimmed.Really long paragraphs get skipped.”
Jason Fried
white space is good
Internal Linking
Opportunities!
WORDS
“Copy is never written.Copy is assembled.”
Eugene Schwartz
• More formal
• Longer (polysyllabic)
• Fancy, proper
Examples
acquire, transmit,
construct, resist,
deposit, imitate,
determined
Latinate Words
Anglo-Saxon Words
• Less formal
• Short (often
monosyllabic)
• Forceful, direct
Examples
get, send, build, stop,
put, mock, set
Word Choice: Short, Simple
Success rates after rewriting a health care site for an 8th grade level readability…
source: NN Group, Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience
1 in 10 Americans think HTML is an STD
source: LA Times
Words that get clicked in Google
Words that get clicked in Google1.How to
2.[List-related numbers]
3.Free
4.You
5.Tips
6.Blog post
7.Why
8.Best
9.Tricks
10.Great
source: 131 Words, Orbit Media
Words that appear in viral posts
1.Smart
2.Surprising
3.Science
4.History
5.Hacks (hacking, hackers, etc.)
6.Huge / Big
7.Critical
source: 131 Words, Orbit Media
Negative words that get shared
1.Kill
2.Fear
3.Dark
4.Bleeding
5.War
source: 131 Words, Orbit Media
Top retweeted words1. You
2. Twitter
3. Please
4. Retweet
5. Post
6. Blog
7. Social
8. Free
9. Media
10. Help
source: 131 Words, Orbit Media
Words that get people to open emails
1. Urgent
2. Breaking
3. Important
4. Alert
source: 131 Words, Orbit Media
Words that trigger buying behavior
1. You
2. Free
3. Because
4. Instantly
5. New
source: 131 Words, Orbit Media
IMAGES
source: Social Bakers, March 2014
source: Twitter Media Blog, March 2014
Percent Change in Retweets
What Media Are Bloggers Adding?
source: Survey of 1000+ Bloggers, Orbit Media
MISSION
source: Joe Pulizzi
source: Joe Pulizzi
source: Joe Pulizzi
source: Joe Pulizzi
“Welcome to Inc.com, the place where entrepreneurs and business owners can find useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration for running and growing their businesses.”
“Welcome to Inc.com, the place where entrepreneurs and business owners can find useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration for running and growing their businesses.”
“Welcome to Inc.com, the place where entrepreneurs and business owners can find useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration for running and growing their businesses.”
“Welcome to Inc.com, the place where entrepreneurs and business owners can find useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration for running and growing their businesses.”
“Welcome to Inc.com, the place where entrepreneurs and business owners can find useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration for running and growing their businesses.”
[our company] is where[our audience] gets [what information] that offers[what benefit]
These might help…
Link Popularity &
Google Rankings
links are credibility
more links = more credibility
links from credible sites =
much more credibility
many outgoing links =
less credibility per link
It’s good when the link text
Includes the target keyword.
but if all the links include the
target keyword, that’s bad.
Link Popularity / Domain Authority
20 40 60 80Domain Authority
Co
mp
etit
iven
ess
#unfair
INDICATE
THE RELEVANCE
On-Page SEO
1. Once at the beginning of the title <title>
2. Once in the first header <h1>
3. Four to six times in the body of the page
Indicate the Relevance…
1. Title: Once in the beginning
…and it’s the link in Google search results!
It appears above the address bar in your browser…
<title>Home</title><title>Home</title>
2. Header: once, anywhere
3. Body: 4 - 6 Times
Don’t be too
aggressive!
This stuff works…
The Spike and the Long Tail
Initial spike from email marketing and social promotion(one week)
20 to 40 visits per dayfrom organic search(months or years)
Where there’s traffic, there’s hope...