How To Write Your Website Content

Writing Text For The Search Engines And Customers

Many of my clients struggle with this one, and I will try and explain it in laymans terms.

You need content in the form of written text for the search engines to index your website pages and rank them.  Each page on your website can rank on it’s OWN in the search engines.

Google Loves Large Informative Pages Full Of Informative, text, video and images

(Incidently Your Clients And Visitors Will Also Love You For It, Write To Empower Them To Make A Decision On Your Product / Services Based On What Your Words On Your Page Tells Them.)

A page is defined as any article roughly 750 + words. Ideally you want a page to consist out of 750 – 1900 words (2017 Studies shows that the top 5 websites have average 1900 words on the page) for best chances of ranking but 750 – 1200 words will do.  If you give me less than 750 words on a page then you lessen your chance of ranking.

A keyword phrase is defined as 3 or more words grouped together as entered as search in the search engines.  “technology” is not a keyword phrase, “Samsung s6 phone technology” is a keyword phrase.

Let Your Website Be Your Silent Salesman! Let Your Words Do The Talking!

Take Note!
Do Not Write For The Search Engines, Write For Your Visitors And Customers As If You Are Explaining Your Products And Services To Them

Now, the part that I have to explain in as simple terms as I can.  You can only optimise each page of your website for 1 – 3 keyword phrases MAXIMUM.

Ideally only 1 phrase, but 2 – 3 may work.  What is a phrase?  We talk about keyword phrases.  Keyword phrases are what people type into the search engines when they make a search. For example “apple pie recipes“.  That is a keyword phrase consisting out of 3 words.  2 words or less is normally not a keyword “phrase” and should be avoided.

Do Not Try And Rank For just one word say “apples”.  It does not work

What are your clients going to type into a search engine? When you do searches, do you look for specific things or do you just type one word keywords in like “technology” or “fruit” or “accommodation” ?  No, your searches are more specific with 2 – 5 words in them.  Same with your clients.  Do not try and rank for just one word as it is not possible.

Should you rank no 1 for “technology” what are you going to sell there?  What is someone who types in just the word “technology” looking for?  Can you say for sure and offer it to him?  You have to think what you would type into a search engine to find your own website.  Will you type in “accommodation” in Google and see what comes up or will you type “bed and breakfast accommodation cape town” in stead if that was what you were really after?

An Example

If you have a website about fruit, normally your homepage will be an introduction to all the kinds of fruit out there.

On your home page you will list and introduce all the fruits that are discussed in more detail on the other pages of your website.  You will from there have sub pages linking to the different fruits like “apples”, “pears”, “bananas” etc.

The homepage is filled with “fruit” information and when someone types in “apple pie recipes” your homepage will not show up because the homepage is not relevant to “apple pie recipes” , your homepage is about “fruit”.

Google Ranks PAGES and not WEBSITES.  Your page about “apple pie recipes” is going to rank above the rest of your website should someone search for “apple pie recipes”.

Now, on your APPLES sub page you have lots of things to talk about.  Types and varieties of apples, apple uses, apple recipes and more.  Ideally you will have dedicated sub pages for each of these.  For example on your apples page you will have introduced the different varieties that you get ex “golden delicious apples”, “granny smith apples” etc.  Each of these will warrant once again a sub page of it’s own.

In the search engines you have to keep it VERY simple. You need to keep your page (750 – 1200 words more is better) very close on topic.  “granny smith apples” differ vastly in search engine terms from “golden delicious apples”.  If you wanted to rank for each of them you would have to write a separate 750 – 1200 + word page on each topic (900 words is ideal). One page on “golden delicious apples” and another page on “granny smith apples”.

Take Note!
Do Not Write For The Search Engines, Write For Your Visitors And Customers

“apple pie recipes” is a three word keyword phrase. Your 1 – 3 keyword phrases that you want to rank for on a page must be CLOSELY related to each other.  For instance do not give me a 500 word website page and tell me you want to be #1 for “apples” + “bananas”  + “pears” + “peaches”  + “watermelons” and “litchis”, all from just the one small web page.

It does not work like that.

I know in OUR minds these are related as “fruit” but in Google (which is a computer) these are worlds apart.  You cannot rank for ONE word on a single 750 word page.  They need to be 3 or more words “keyword phrases” such as “self catering accommodation in cape town”.  And each keyword phrase should have it’s own separate page consisting of 500 – 900 + words dedicated to it.

The ideal 500 – 900 + word page will be about “apple pie recipes” + “apple pie baking” + “apple pie eating” as they all relate to “apple pies” in general.  A page with “banana split”  + “apple pie recipe” + “how to make litchi juice” is not closely related enough to rank for any of those keywords.

UNDERSTAND THIS

You need to have a 750 – 1200 + words on your page with closely related, 3 + word, keyword phrases in your text for the search engines to understand what the page is about. Ideally you should have more than 750 words but anything between 750 – 1200 words should be OK!

How Do You Need To Write Your Page?

You need 750 – 1200 words (more is better 750 words + is what I use these days, 2017 studies shows 1900 is best) with your keyword phrase that you want to rank for used in:

  • the first sentence of the first paragraph
  • in the last sentence of the first paragraph
  • 5 – 6 times throughout the rest of the text, more if you have a larger article
  • the last sentence of the last paragraph

Just write normally and explain your product / service as comprehensively as possible.  Do not try and cater for the search engines by stuffing words in the text, write as if you are writing to a friend and cater for your visitors and customers.

Take Note!
Do Not Write For The Search Engines, Write For Your Visitors And Customers

Write for your client first and foremost and the search engines will follow.

Below I am giving you 2 comprehensive ebooks on the topic of writing for your target market and making your words sell.  I was fortunate enough to happen upon this training way back in 2003 already at the start of my online career and the foundation it has laid is worth gold to me.  The principles taught is still valid more than 10 years later.

Make Your Words Sell a comprehensive guide on how to make your words sell (PDF) .  It is from the creators of the SiteBuiltIt cms platform and they promote their SiteBuiltIt software throughout, but you can just ignore that part and follow the solid and excellent information there in.

Same with Make Your Words Presell , learn the art of pre selling your customers.

I promise you, if your website content follows the principles contained in these 2 guides you will # 1 get traffic and # 2 make sales.

Remember…

Website content (the text) is just part of the success of ranking on the search engines, an even bigger part is LINKS TO YOUR WEBSITE.  If you want to rank high, you need LINKS from other websites , but good quality, on topic, engaging page content is the foundation.

Please read my page about SEO  to understand how rankings work.