Google tells us to build ‘Great Content’ and now with AI and machine learning Google can understand what great content really is. Yet, in 2019, many companies pay $10 dollars per article or less. Or think that software can predict what good content is based on keyword density and other factors.
Don’t be fooled. There are no short-cuts and poor content won’t just fail to help you rank, you’ll also damage your reputation. Work with us and you’ll get content that ranks, sells, keeps people on your site and also keeps them coming back for more.
Compare us to the other agencies
When it comes to copy-writing and content work, not all agencies are the same. Here we compare what you typically get with most agencies and what you get with us.
People read on the go. They get bored easily and they have short attention spans. Yes even you.
Good photos break things up. And stop you getting bored.
Photo by Alex Michaelsen. From Unspash
Make it personal. That means about me and you.
If you make a story personal. People feel more connected to the writer.
Why? Human psychology. We’re interested in each other. We’re social animals. That’s why they say if you’re in a hostage situation you should always make it personal [ Yale University ]. Talk about you. Talk about your family. Your dog. It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s personal and true. Find shared connections and you’ll increase your chances of getting out alive because your captor will start to care. And that’s what we want our readers to do. Care.
If you think I’m just a nameless writer or corporation you’ll grow bored because there’s no personal connection. BTW, I’m not nameless - my name is Francis Scriven and if you hire Marketing365, I’ll be writing for you.
..if you’re in a hostage situation you should always make it personal. Talk about you. Talk about your family. Your dog. It doesn’t matter.
Not really relevant. Most content online is informal or semi-formal because we don’t enjoy reading essays - or the the type of language you find in essays.
Go to the business loan section of Barclays Bank and you’ll find pretty much the same type of language as you will in most articles online.
As for ‘personas’ - the idea that you must know your audience (e.g. if they’re male or female, young or old, rich or poor) and you must write for them individually. How is that even possible? By all means think about who you’re writing for but isn’t given them names like Mary from Michigan with two sons Mike and Mitch going just a bit too far?
Formatting
Formatting is really important. Here are some golden rules.
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Centred text is hard to read. Your eye naturally goes back to the same spot to start the next line. If the lines start at different places, reading is difficult.
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Break things up with pictures and bullet points. Excerpts and bolding.
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Sentences shouldn’t stretch far across the screen. We lose track of where we are if they do.
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White space helps your mind relax. We don’t like too much stuff in too little space. If in doubt, add more.
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Contrast. Designers love using gray text on white backgrounds or even gray text on grey backgrounds! It looks good at a glance. But it’s very hard to read.
And if you run a Google Lighthouse accessibility test, Google will tell you about it.
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Font-size. Use size 16 or more. Anything less can be too small and difficult to read.
Centred text. Lack of white space. Huge titles that fill the whole screen. Gray on gray letters.
Good mobile formatting
Left justified text is easy to read. Appropriate title sizes. Mobile is clearly not an after-thought.
Facts and research
Trustworthy and professional articles contain facts. Even opinion pieces use factual content to justify the opinion given.
In fact, over 90% of articles from reputable newspapers in the UK have some factual data within the article (source: total made up but that would be a great stat to illustrate the point :) ).
One reason why cheap articles look cheap is because they’re not factual in any way.
People also theorise (we’ll never really know) that having good sources helps Google to trust your article and rank it more highly [ Crazy Egg ].
But a good rule of thumb is treat Google like a human being. As machine learning and AI gets better all the time - cutting corners just becomes more difficult any way.
One reason why cheap articles look cheap is because they’re not factual in any way.
Content that sells
So far we’ve looked mainly at content that’s designed to inform, entertain and get eyeballs on your site. But what about content whose main purpose is to sell a product? Or a service?
These are our golden rules and top tips:
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Test All the good theories in the world amount to a hill of beans if you don’t test and get data. We’re big believers in A/B testing.
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Look at the home page for Elementor. It’s a huge list. It’s a myth that people don’t scroll [ UX myths ]. Sites like Booking.com also implement infinite scrolling for the same reason. The more options you show, the higher the chance of one option (or reason to buy) hitting home.
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Offer comparison tables versus your competition
They’re easy to digest and look neutral. Plus Google loves data in tables and you may end up with a featured snippet.
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Don’t ignore micro-conversions
An email sign up. Asking a question on chat. You should calculate a monetary value that includes the relationship between micro and macro conversions - because one often leads to the other. Which leads to:
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Test offline selling techniques
Like micro-conversions (again): if someone agrees to or with something small (even just saying ‘yes’ in their head) they’ve got an increased chance of agreeing to something big - like buying your product. There are also plenty of other real world techniques to try (and test and measure). Do you see what I mean? You do? Great. Read on for some more great tips.
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Use social proof
Show real people that have used your product or service like testimonials or reviews. Make sure they are real but also look real too. Only five star reviews could look fake.
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What photos should you use?
Use photos that show the benefits of your product in terms of the end product. Sometimes easier said than done. But if you’re selling ferry tickets - show people on vacation not sitting on the ferry - that’s what people are thinking of when they buy. Selling acne cream? Show the results, not the cream. Really. Cream is cream. It all looks the same.
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Don’t use models
For customer service photos, choose normal looking people. Have you ever watched a TV series where everyone is beautiful? You can’t identify with the characters, so you switch off.
And did you ask out the most beautiful girl/guy in high school? No. Of course not, you were too scared. So would you contact a stunning customer service rep? Not me.
Scientifically, we also trust people more if they look normal and natural.
Use pictures of real people that don't look like models.
Photo B
Which company would you trust more based on these customer service images?
Really. Cream is cream. It all looks the same.
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Use scarcity
We’ve also seen notifications like “only five left in stock” but special offers use the same idea too: “Book soon to save”.
You can also include scarcity just with text.
Like, did you know that we only work with a few select companies. If you’re interested in working with us, we currently have a few openings but if you aren’t quick we may have to say no.
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Don’t reduce or hide content on mobile devices
Don’t assume that mobile content should be shorter or reduced. People now read the news more on their phones than elsewhere. Why wouldn’t your visitors also read all your content on their phone?
Keep your best content above the fold. But in 2019 people scroll.
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Offer more than once chance to convert
With that in mind, if you think these ideas make sense, why not talk to us today so that we can start helping you make content that dramatically increases your sales?
I've got 20 years in the industry. I've worked for a search engine, design studios, an online magazine and a commerce awards / exhibition organisation. I also spent five years working for an e-commerce platform. I've lived and worked in the UK and San Francisco. I'm a Cambridge certificated programmer with an HND in Multimedia Design and a Bachelor's degree in Interactive Design. I'm based in York.
I have 22 years experience in the digital sphere. 17 in PPC. I started in 1997 and founded one of the biggest online travel portals in Greece. SInce then I've worked in the ferry and print businesses specialising in Google Ads. But also Bing and others. I love wringing out a profit even when it seems impossible. Over the years I've also been involved in SEO for the travel/hotels industry. I live in Crete.
SKILLS
Paid Ads (Google Ads, Bing Ads, Yandex.Direct), SEO, Web Hosting, Analytics, CRO, WordPress.
I have 16 years experience in online marketing. I have a degree in Computer Information Systems Design and a Masters in Digital Marketing from Oxford Brookes Business School. My experience comes from working in house which brings a different perspective to people with only agency experience. I live in Naxos.
SKILLS
WordPress, SEO, Conversion Rate Optimisation, Email Marketing, PPC, Copywriting, Link-Building.
We’re not young, trendy and creative. We get the job done.
We can see where your business can grow
It may be PPC. It may be local SEO. Our experience gives us insight.
We ‘re experts at finding the profititability sweet spot
When it comes to PPC, we know that spending more is not always best. We spend the right amount to make you the most money.
20+ years of experience each
Expertise comes from experience.
Phone: +30.6946.791248
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