~~~Writing for the Search Engines and Your Prospects~~~
What do users want?
Before every site launch and redesign, marketing and IT departments
agonize over this question. Should the copy be graphics-heavy and
light on text? Do prospects want rich media enhancements (like
Flash) and will they buy more if they are in place? What steps should
be taken to guarantee the best site experience?
These questions can be answered in one short and sweet comment: Keep
it simple.
The results from a Jupiter Media Metrix study, released in September,
point to some interesting tidbits:
* Only 20% of respondents would visit a site more often if it had rich
media enhancements.
* 40% of respondents would visit a site more often if the pages would
load faster.
* 59% of retail shoppers wanted more product information (and yes,
this means more text on the page).
What's more? According to analyst Cormac Foster, "Companies can reach
all these goals with a minimal application of technology." Whew -
what happened to the ever-famous "the more bells and whistles that we
have on our site, the more people will buy" theory?
If you're a faithful Rank Write reader, you know that we prefer
keyphrase-rich and marketing-savvy text over rich media. We've
discussed the pitfalls of Flash animation, and warned our readers that
Flash or multimedia bells and whistles can not only harm their chances
with the search engines, but they are useless to your customer. Yes,
you can use these features (if you know your users like them and you
work around any user or search engine pitfalls), but they shouldn't be
the cornerstones of your users' experience. Your prospects want
product or service knowledge, not whirling (and slow-loading)
graphics.
The statistic "59% of retail shoppers wanted more product information"
is telling. This means that almost 60% of respondents are screaming,
"We're not getting the information we need from the sites we visit" -
and this sentiment will result in lost sales. If your site provides
sketchy product information in an attempt to "get people to contact
you for more information," you are forcing your users to take another
step before they can buy from you. When it comes to conversion rates,
why tempt fate and make things more difficult for your buyers?
Think about this concept in real life: Let's say you're visiting a
retail store. The store is the latest in hip, with flashing lights
and rock videos pounding from every corner. You see a product, love
it, but have a few questions about it. You wait for a sales
person...and wait...and wait...and still your questions aren't
answered. Would you continue waiting just because the store was cool?
Would you buy the product anyway, and figure your questions weren't
important? No. Chances are, you'd leave the super-hip store without
spending a dime, figuring you can find your trinket somewhere else.
Let's bring this back to search engine optimization writing. How can
you take advantage of the latest Jupiter information and improve your
site experience (and content) right now?
1. Give your customers what they want. The reason people visit a
product or service Web site is because they want information. They
may want detailed product information, where the more they know about
the product, the more they are willing to buy. Or, they may want
precise
information about your services before they contact you. The easier
you can make it for your prospects to buy from you, the less chance
they will surf to your competitors.
"Detailed product descriptions are a powerful means of differentiation
for retail sites and require little incremental work," says Foster.
2. Rewrite your copy with well-researched keyphrases in mind. One of
the prime advantages of having more content on a page is you'll make
the search engines happy. Remember, the search engines love text -
lots of it - and will happily spider content-rich pages. Instead of
adding more content without thought to the search engines, make all
your "new" copy keyphrase rich. (If you have questions about how to
write for keyphrases, check out "How to Write a Keyphrase-Rich Home Page the Search Engines Will Love".
3. Keep your ego out of the way. Do you really care that your
competitor enjoys the latest bells and whistles on their Web page?
Why? Although their site may look like visual nirvana, that doesn't
mean that it's converting customers, ranking well on the search
engines, or offering the information their prospects need. In fact, a
slow-loading site will alienate prospects with a dial-up connection
(personally, I skip every Flash introduction I see, or immediately
surf away). Remember, you're designing your Web site for your users'
experience - not your own. When in doubt, Jupiter recommends
surveying your users before adding enhancements. This will help give
you the direction you need, while also offering a good "reality check"
on what is important to your users - and what will send them packing.
Heather
~~~Send Us Your Questions~~~
If you have questions about online copywriting or search engine optimization (or both!), just zip us an email to questions@rankwrite.com. We've had some folks ask if their question
was "too basic" to be printed - and you don't have to worry about
that! There are no "stupid" search engine optimization or copywriting
questions, so ask away!
