There's no doubt. Wholesalers USA knows their customers. They've spent the time digging through log files to analyze site stats. They've spoken with customers on the phone and emailed with them. They've used client feedback to develop new products that have taken off like a rocket. Wholesalers USA understands the importance of giving the customer what s/he wants. What they needed some help with was translating that message into natural-sounding SEO copy that would deliver qualified traffic.

The Problems

According to Wholesalers USA, they've been working for years to get organic listings for two extremely important keyphrases. Unfortunately, they've had little success, their highest achievement being about page five of the Google search engine results pages (SERPs). This left them with a hefty monthly pay-per-click (PPC) spend of $4,000 on average to get the traffic they needed.

Still, the most important factor to them was not reducing that painful PPC outlay, but creating SEO copy that puts the customer first. They refused to have copy on their site that sounded choppy or forced — and I applauded them for that! At the same time, I also assured them that SEO copy could be written to meet all their goals.

Because of their extensive work to get to know their target audience, Wholesalers USA was able to tell me that 50% of their customers were heavy-duty crafters. These creative types might be purchasing mosaic glass tiles, gems, stones and other items for their crafting business or just for personal use. Regardless, we knew we were dealing with people who were focused intently on creating beauty.

The existing copy had one sole message of value. You can see the original here (PDF). Wholesalers USA wanted visitors to know they offer true wholesale prices and — unlike other companies — had no hidden charges or minimums. Because feedback told them new visitors sometimes questioned the quality of their products (due specifically to prices that were far below their competitors'), Wholesalers USA also touched on why they could sell so low.

But the two things the copy didn't take into consideration were the search engines and the creative nature of their visitors. To get high rankings for a page using particular search terms, the page has to reflect original content that is keen to the topic. To mesh with the site visitors, the copy also needs to use words like "gorgeous," "beauty," "elegant," "whimsical," "professional" and others.

The Solutions

This fix was relatively easy. I wanted to develop trust and set Wholesalers USA apart from others, so a conspicuous mention of participation in a popular TV show was included in the content. I also needed to alter the message slightly to incorporate a feeling of belonging for creative crafters. To do this, select words were used to connect with the visitors.

Because there was scant little copy on the home page, I wanted to expand the content just a bit. Adding brief descriptions for each product graphic shown was a logical choice that would be of value to customers and the engines.

All the while, the two search terms Wholesalers USA needed to rank highly for (along with other secondary terms) were incorporated into the copy to aid with rankings. The client added a new title tag to further optimize the page and continued their efforts in the way of directory submissions.

In Part Two of this series, we'll walk through every step of the rewrite in detail and also review the results, with direct feedback from Wholesalers USA.

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