A guide to interesting writing
Hello. Is it that time again? Man, where do our lives go? So what is it that we are covering this week? Ohhhh, right. Adding voice to your content. Let me see, I have some stuff around here to help me with this lesson. Where is it……ahh here we are. *Coughs*. All right, time to get this article rolling.
Let us start with an assumption. You need to write content for your site and that content needs to be, well, good. I am assuming this based off of our last conversation. Why does this content need to be good? Because of Pandas, Penguins, and Hummingbirds ohhh my. Google has released a slew of algorithm changes since 2010, all them concentrating better on what your site says. Simply searching for Google Hummingbird generates tens of thousands of articles, all of which are gonna tell you how to write content, thus leaving you amiss on where to start. What’s that you say? No, no, no I’m different from them, I promise. You see, I employ Camus tactic of talking to audience, as was done in The Fall. Also. I am going to concentrate on making you a better writer instead of gaming the system.
If you recall from the last time we meet I did a pretty decent job bashing keyword use. The reason for doing this might have been a bit vague, so let’s clear that up. To start, keywords are a necessary beast. Google needs to know what it is that your business does. To that point, Google no longer wishes to be beaten over the head with these keywords. Instead, they wish you to speak around the topic after an initial mentioning of the keyword. Speak up! I cannot hear what you are saying. Hmmmm, yes, I did skip over that. Keywords are terms that one uses to search for ones product. Say you sell hotdogs in Denver. When I type “Hotdogs in Denver” into Google, the first thing to appear (Billy’s Gourmet Hotdogs) has done the best job of placing the phrase “Hotdogs in Denver” into their site so that Google understands it. This DOES NOT mean that they said Hotdogs in Denver all over the site at every possible turn. Instead, what they have done is brilliantly written about their business as it RELATES to hotdogs. They have, in a real sense, spoken around their business and what it does. It is this style of relevant content that makes Google happy (and we all want to make Google happy)
How do you do this? With passion. Also, by disguising keywords. How do you do that? Well, first, you settle down. I’m getting there. Next, you explain your business the way a fan of your business would in a conversation. If I ask a fan of Billy’s Hotdogs about Billy’s Hotdogs they are going to gush about the all beef dogs, the fresh buns, and wonderful toppings. Then you might say, “That sounds awesome, where is it?” to which they might reply “it on Colfax and Pearl Street next to the Stop and Shop. It has a great big hotdog on the roof, you cannot miss it.” Getting to the point here, do not just create content. Create an explanation of the content. Write like you would if you were trying to get people excited to go to your business. Do this with voice.
Outside of this entire article being an example of how one interjects voice, I will also show you ways to do this inside of the context of your website. To start, write down a conversation about your business. Make it exciting, but more importantly, make it realistic. I would even suggest having and recording conversations with co-workers, friends and family about your business then trimming those down to the best parts and using them.
Second, make sure to have 2 sets of keywords that you use twice per page of content. Meaning, use the words Denver Hotdogs in two different ways per page. Again, make sure to use them organically and to use many words around them that explain what the keyword is all about. To give an example, “Billy’s Hotdogs in Denver isn’t just a ballpark dog, it’s a gourmet experience that is to be savored like one would and any delicacy. Make your trip to our Colfax location more than lunch, make it an outing to be special as it will be a hotdog experience beyond anything you have had before.” I just dropped our key word “Hotdog’s in Denver” but I also put words to the hotdogs that make them exciting, fun, and enjoyable. Notice how I also gave location (be it vague) in form of “our Colfax location.” It is this kind of small tidbit that the Google Bots (those little spiders that crawl through your site to judge you content) crave.
Last, make it fun to read by using language in a way that is unique to you and your business. What do I mean by this? Let me quote the immortal Ray Bradbury’s Zen and the Art of Writing:
“And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right.”
In other words. Write every word as if is the best word you have ever used. One learns how to do this by writing. A lot.
I want to thank you reader and end today’s lesson by saying the following. The more that you write, the better you will write. By this, I do not mean to write wholly new content for your site 10 times and pick the best one. By this I mean, try to write the best content you can the first time every time, then edit it 10 times. See the difference? If not, come on by next week as I will be covering the revision process as a way to update your content to, you guessed it, make Google happy.
Have a great day.