Search engine giant Google has updated its algorithm and determined that it will reward sites which provide fresh content with higher rankings. What does this mean to you? Sites which provide visitors with timely information are more likely to show up in the first page of search engine rankings.

One way you can keep your content fresh and be ranked higher on Google is by using press releases. Once written, they can be posted on your own website or submitted to distribution services. If you are posting press releases on distribution sites you will want to make sure you have a link back to your own main page to drive traffic to your website.

What kind of content can you put in a press release? You can share anything that your customers or readers will find interesting. If your company has won an award or been recognized in some way, you can include this information in your press release. If your company has conducted a survey or a study, you could release the results in a press release. A change in personnel, a product launch or a special promotion can be covered in this manner as well.

Since the goal of writing a press release is to share something newsworthy, plan to use this strategy regularly. (It is extremely frustrating for visitors to your website to click on the News page and find that the last entry was in 2007.) When done properly, issuing press releases regularly can be an effective way to drive new visitors to your website  as well as increasing the likelihood that you will achieve a higher search engine ranking.

Find out more about how press releases can help your business by calling (416) 226-8676 today.

The ranking of your business, service or product in Google’s search results is critical to your success. Toronto-based content and website copywriting expert Ray Litvak understands the art and science of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and using the right words in the right way to increase your rankings. Discover how greater exposure on Google can drive more traffic, increase leads and grow your business. Many of Ray’s clients consistently rank on Google’s first page of results and have grown their business as a result. You can do it too – and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Call Ray locally at 416-226-8676 for a free assessment of your specific needs today. You’ll be glad you did!

By now you know that you should be populating your web site with great content. This isn’t enough for marketing purposes, though, and you should consider incorporating these methods into the content strategy for your target market:

Start a Blog

A blog offers you a unique way to communicate with your customers. Written in a more conversational tone than your web copy, your blog helps you to develop a relationship with your readers. The blog is a place where you can post content which comments on newsworthy events your readers will be interested in, discuss a current promotion your business is running or share details about an award your company has received.

Article Distribution Networks

Article marketing is another effective content marketing strategy that is worth considering and is very easy to do. Have a content writer prepare articles on topics which would interest readers. At the bottom of the article, include a boiler plate statement and link to your web site or blog. Since the content on article directory sites is likely to show up at or near the top of Internet search results, you are using good content to drive traffic to your site.

Prepare a Press Release

Has your company done something newsworthy? Share it in cyberspace with a press release and make sure you submit it to press release networks so that it can be indexed by search engines. Your press release may focus on a specific event, but it will be available online forever to continue promoting your business.

Social Media Sites

If you don’t have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, get an account set up now. Your posts and tweets are a way to engage with potential and existing customers in an informal manner. Use these sites to promote and link to your content (web pages, articles, press releases) and share it with a wider audience.

Having great content is only part of the equation if you want to market it effectively. Make sure you have a plan in place to get it in front of readers to help promote your business online.

You may have heard the expression, “Content is king,” but how do you know great content when you see it? First of all, it’s not about having a content writer string a bunch of keywords together while making sure that the sentence kinda makes sense. Great content is written for humans as well as search engines, and here are some ways you can tell if what you are looking at is high quality or simply run of the (content) mill fodder.

Great Content is Informative

Great content covers the bases and has its facts straight. If it is referring to another source of information, it does so specifically. There are no third hand, once removed allegations that “someone” has made; great content has been written by someone who has done his or her homework.

Great Content can be Entertaining

Not all great content invites you to pull up a chair and put on your Thinking Cap to get its message across. If your content engages the reader by making him or her laugh (or at least smile), you are well on your way to having that person think highly of your business and what you are trying to promote. Something amusing does tend to stick in the reader’s mind once he or she has clicked away, and you definitely want your content to be noteworthy.

Great Content Provides Solutions

A person looking for information online is searching for a solution to a question or a concern that he or she is facing. Great content provides the information that the Internet user is looking for, in bite-sized servings. Give your site visitors relevant information they can use, and they are more likely to bookmark your site and look to it as the “go to” place for information.

Great content speaks to the Internet user and provides value to the reader in some manner. It needs to be prepared by an expert craftsman, and Toronto-based content and website copywriting expert Ray Litvak is well versed in how to make your content great. Contact Ray today at 416-226-8676 for a free, personalized assessment of your content needs and how to distinguish yourself from the competition through great content.

I spoke with a web designer the other day – also a friend and colleague.  After some idle chit chat, it turns out he needed help with a client: as the story goes, the client’s site design was finished and almost ready to launch, replete with Flash and other bells & whistles; the only thing missing?  Web Content…

As is the case with many web design projects, my friend had been waiting for the client’s content for weeks.  The design looked great, but with no content, resembled a Lamborghini missing Pirelli’s. If the site was to be launched, it would fall on my web design pal to develop the content; hence, the call.

The web content conundrum
Having worked with a number of web designers, I can comfortably say that many would prefer root canal to web content development, and understandably so. They are graphically inclined; pixel and picture people. 

It is only within the last few years that more stress has been placed on web content development; most likely due to the growing role it plays in Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  I can still recall a former web design colleague telling me that “no one reads online.” That said, he did tend to spend a lot of time on porn sites.

Conversely, the majority of web writers I know avoid web design and graphics; they are word people, mostly concerned with format, context, word count, and other things content and copy related.

Derek Powazek – web designer – wrote a blog a while ago titled, ”Calling All Designers: Learn to Write!”; essentially, a call to action for web designers to be responsible for creating the look and feel of a website – user interface (UI) - in addition to creating engaging web content. 

I enjoyed the blog and agree on his point that content is and should be seen as part of the user interface and overall user experience, but must disagree with Mr. Powazek on another of his points.  Putting personal interest aside, web designers should design, web writers should write.  In a perfect world, both work together to compliment unique and valuable skill sets to the betterment of the project in question.

As for my web designer friend, Ray to the Rescue.

Ray Litvak

www.writingwebwords.com

Professional web content development in Toronto