Manufacturers often provide copy about their products so that retailers can use it to describe those products to potential buyers. Although this copy may be useful to people who arrive at a retail website, manufacturer-created copy causes multiple duplicate content issues from a search engine optimization standpoint.

You may be asking: why should I care if duplicate content issues cause problems for the search engine spiders?

Take a look at search engines from a search engine company’s perspective (Google, Yahoo, Bing and so forth). Each of the search engines want online searchers to choose to use their services, right? To get this to happen, a search engine focuses on providing the best results for each search query; to quote the most successful of the search engine companies about one of the ways that they accomplish this: “Google tries hard to index and show pages with distinct information.”

To accomplish the goal of providing searchers with distinct information, search engine spiders may not index all pages that appear to have duplicate content – and, when a page is not indexed, it cannot be returned in response to a relevant query being typed into a search box.

In other words, un-indexed pages cannot receive ANY of the traffic generated by people using search engines to find products and services – and that’s a big problem for any company, including yours.

Here, in more detail, is why manufacturer-created copy can cause duplicate content issues for websites.

Descriptions created by manufacturers:

• Tend to be short; search engine spiders typically need at least 150 words of original copy to “get” what a page is about.
• Tend to be similar – or sometimes even identical – to other descriptions within a site; when this happens, search engine spiders may not index all of the product pages.
• Tend to be found on multiple websites; it is therefore likely that only some of the sites using this duplicate content will appear in the search engine results pages in response to relevant queries. Your competitor’s site may be presented in the search results, instead of yours.

Fortunately, The Search Guru provides SEO copywriting tips to combat the problems associated with manufacturer-generated copy.

Our SEO copywriting tips include:

• Prioritize the importance of your pages; this is especially important on a larger site. Top priority pages may include:
  - Landing pages for types of products and/or services
  - Pages featuring products and/or services with larger profit margins
  - Pages featuring products and/or services that form the core of your current sales strategy

• Create original content for as many of your pages as possible, in the order of their importance.
• Optimize the content to help the search engine spiders understand the theme of a page/site, so that YOUR pages can effectively be returned in response to relevant search queries.

Continue to watch The Search Guru blog for more SEO copywriting tips and much more.

When was the last time that you conducted keyword research on your site? If the answer is a year – or more – then it’s definitely time to repeat the process. First, rerun all the keyphrases that you’ve been using. (The Search Guru provides links to terrific free keyword research tool options.)

What changes do you notice in your keyword research results? Why do you think those changes are occurring? What do they mean to your business?

For example, perhaps you’ve been featuring the luxury version of your product, because keyword research had previously indicated that there was significant interest in that product line. Perhaps, in today’s more uncertain economy, fewer people are searching for the luxury version of your product – but there is much stronger search traffic now on another product line of yours. How will this change your business – and search – strategies?

If you decide to change the focus of your product promotion, you’ll need to do more than just switch out keywords in your web page content.

If you’ve been touting the exclusive, prestigious nature of your luxury products, you’ll need to change the benefit statements included in your content when you start focusing on more mid-line products. Perhaps you could revise one of your main benefit statements to read this way:

Pamper yourself with the competitively-priced Product A that will make you look and feel great without putting a damper on your budget!

Or, as the economy is improving, the reverse may be true; you may notice that MORE people are wanting a luxury version of your product. So, again, when choosing keywords and revising web page content, keep that in mind.

What about local traffic? Should you be choosing keywords with a geo-targeted focus?

When you first optimized your web page content, you may not have included geo-targeted keyphrases. If your audience largely comes from specific geographical areas, though, you’ll want to revise your text to include appropriate geographical references.

Remember that Wordtracker has a question-based keyword research tool that allows you to see what questions your prospects are asking.

Use this keyword research tool to brainstorm topics for the new editorial you’ll also be adding to freshen up your site.

Watch The Search Guru blog for ways to freshen up your online reputation management strategy – and for some great technical tips, too.

This ebook is written by multiple authors associated with Wordtracker, the professional keyword research tool; a copy of this ebook was given to us for review purposes.

The sub-title of the ebook does a great job of sharing both its scope and purpose, which is to present readers with numerous ways of writing web page content to help your company:

• engage customers
• increase online traffic
• build your business

That’s pretty straightforward – and useful stuff for anyone engaged in e-commerce today.

This ebook shares why web page content is so important to your overall organic search engine optimization campaign.

The reality, as The Web Content Recipe Book points out, is that every page on your website needs to be a marketing page. You can’t predict which page a first-time site visitor will find, and he or she may only read one page before making a decision about your site. So, every page counts and should contain engaging copy that shares your expertise and/or information about your business.

In chapter 2, Rachelle Money lists 21 different types of articles that can help increase online traffic – relevant, targeted traffic – to your site.

We don’t want to give away too much information from the ebook, so we’ll just list one idea – and that’s to find out what questions your customers are asking and then provide them with the answers they need; The Search Guru recently blogged about the free keyword research tool being discussed.

What’s great about Rachelle’s ideas are that they can be used for writers of any level of experience:

• If you’re a newer writer, she is offering strategies that will help you develop your copywriting craft.
• If you’re an experienced writer, you probably fall into ruts from time to time and rely upon the same old, same old article structures. For you, this ebook can provide the rut-busting you need to return to fresh, exciting copywriting.

You won’t find an in-depth look at organic search engine optimization in this ebook, but you will find an extraordinary amount of practical information to help you connect with customers, increase online traffic and grow your business.

Be sure to also look at The Search Guru’s ebook review of Blogging for Business by Chris Garrett.

Let’s say that you sell 20 products online, with each one falling into one of two categories: Product Type A and Product Type B. You’ve created a unique page for each of your products, which is terrific, but what’s the next step?

The next step is to create a landing page for Product Type A, with links to each of the ten products in this category, and a landing page for Product Type B, with links to each of the ten products in that category.

This internal linking strategy will accomplish two goals:

• make it easier for human site visitors to find the products they need
• make it easier for the search engine spiders to index the content and return these URLs in response to relevant search queries

The goals of SEO copywriting are to draw targeted traffic to your web site and to make it easy for site visitors to make their purchases.

So, when deciding how to create a landing page for your site – let’s say for the Product Type A page, as an example – consider this basic formula:

• Organic SEO tip # 1: Use strong, category-level keyphrases about type A products in your title tag, main headlines, and text in the opening and closing paragraphs of your landing page
• Organic SEO tip # 2: Provide a compelling overview of your relevant type A products in your opening paragraph, describing general benefits to the end users
• Organic SEO tip # 3: In the middle part of the page, link to each one of the relevant type A products, providing site visitors with a brief description of the benefits of these products
• Organic SEO tip # 4: End this page with a persuasive paragraph that summarizes why site visitors need type A products now

Here are some landing page examples from The Search Guru site and from our clients:

• SEO services
• Skateboard protective gear
• Cosmetic dentistry

Contact The Search Guru for your organic landing page SEO copywriting services today!

Or, talk to us about specialized SEO copywriting training so that you can discover more about how to create a landing page for your company’s web site – or you can order the e-book that’s jam packed with SEO tips and strategies, The Search Guru’s Practical Guide to Successful Organic Search Engine Marketing.

People love to give gifts! A comprehensive study, Gifting Report 2006 , indicated that the average gift-giver spends nearly $2,000 annually on gifts. Sure, holiday gift giving accounts for a significant portion of that – with about 60 percent of those funds going to Christmas presents, Hanukkah gifts and so forth. But, that means that 40 percent of gift-giving purchases – for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and the like – occur throughout the calendar year.

What does that mean to you and your SEO copywriting?

You should be choosing keywords for gift giving and creating benefit statements that help the gift giver select the best possible presents for their loved ones all year long.

The 2006 Gifting Report provides more cues for creating the most effective SEO content.

This report profiled four main types of shoppers:

• Emotional Ethel/Ed: this kind of shopper becomes very involved in the gift buying process and spends the most; both men and woman fall into this category
• Practical Patty: this type finishes all her holiday shopping by Thanksgiving; she is very organized and she also spends more than the average on gifts
• Gift-Challenged Charlie wants to buy presents, but the process doesn’t come easily to him; he spends less than the average on gifts
• Just-in-Time Justin/Justine shops at the last minute and spends about the average on gift purchases; he or she knows what makes the best gift. About 60 % of people in this category are males and 40%, females.

What does that mean to you and your SEO copywriting?

Keep in mind these personalities when choosing keywords and crafting your SEO content. Consider writing more than one page on a category of gifts, choosing keywords and benefit statements to appeal to different categories of shoppers:

• To help the Emotional Ethels and Eds, be sure to share how happy certain gifts have made recipients and how these gifts will be appreciated and help enrich lives.
• Consider creating optimized checklists on your site to help Practical Patty make her efficient decisions.
• Just tell Gift-Challenged Charlie what the most popular gift items are this year; if you make it easy on him, he may click on more of your recommendations.
• Be ready for Just-in-Time Justine (and Justine!) with text that highlights fast last minute shipping options.

And, remember that 40% of gift giving purchases aren’t happening during the traditional holiday season! Be sure to use your SEO copywriting skills to have year-round SEO content to help shoppers find the ideal presents.

Just last week, we blogged about how important 2008 editorial calendars are for your blog – and we’re already telling you to ignore them. Here’s why: although planning and structure are important elements of your blogs, you still need to keep your blog schedule flexible so that you can:

• Report on cutting-edge news, especially if it gives you the opportunity to use your best keywords and highlight your products and services
• Create follow up posts when you discover that interest in a topic is especially high
• Take advantage of unexpected opportunities and to promote unanticipated projects or events

Advantages of providing your own spin on relevant cutting-edge news using your best keywords

Let’s say that your company sells organic fruits and vegetables and related food products without preservatives. If there is a breaking news story that shares new health benefits to eating organic blueberries, blackberries and melons, you should provide thoughtful analysis about the events that are unfolding.

When people search on keyphrases related to the story, perhaps “organic blueberries” and “health benefits,” your blog posts may appear fairly high in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

This significantly increases the changes that these potential customers will click on your web site’s links to see your products and services. Plus, a journalist might contact you, asking you to quote you as an expert on the story.

Know when to stick with your 2008 editorial calendars and when to write a breaking news post that focuses on your best keywords.

Strategically use this combination for all of your blogs!

You may be wondering why it’s so important to have editorial calendars for your blogs.

They are important because they help you provide relevant information to your clients and potential customers, right when they need it – or even just a tad before they even realize that they do!

For example, let’s say that you’re selling income tax software and your product contains cutting edge features that allow its users to take full advantage of last minute deductions. Some of your clients may not be aware of new deductions – so this topic belongs on your 2008 editorial calendars now, for filing of 2007 taxes – and again in October or November, which will give your clients time to take full advantage of these tax deductions in 2009.

Here’s how to create your 2008 editorial calendars.

Just follow these steps:

• Check out this editorial calendar template created by Andy Wibbels.
• Either personalize this calendar for your optimized blogs or use it as inspiration to create your own.
• Choose topics that reflect your best keywords and then think backwards for the most effective timetable.

Here’s an example of how to effectively schedule posts that contain your best keywords:

Let’s say that you sell two main product lines: lawnmowers and snowblowers. Obviously, your sales fluctuate by the seasons and, just like in the income tax software example above, you’ll want to determine when you should provide news for each of your core products – and then incorporate that into your 2008 editorial calendars.

Crafting an editorial calendar template creates an easy to follow formula for improved search engine results in 2008.

If you post weekly on your blog, perhaps you could rotate your best keywords, so that they’re each used once a month. If you’re going after search engine results more aggressively and have pledged to post daily, assign different business categories for each day of the week so that none of your best keywords get missed.

An editorial calendar template will help you take your search engine results to the next level.

Create yours today!

Increase targeted web site traffic by imagining yourself at the keyboards of your customers.

Let’s say that you sell shoes. You should conduct keyword research to determine if potential buyers search by:

• Brand name (Nike or Birkenstock),
• Price (affordable designer shoes),
• Demographics (shoes for teens),
• Geography (shoe stores in Michigan) and / or
• Product (athletic shoes or matching shoes and handbags).

They probably search in more than one way. When you craft your expert SEO copywriting and professional SEO strategies, keep your customers’ search strategies in the forefront of your mind.

As you increase targeted web site traffic, ensure that every web page is created to boost online conversions.

You might hear this professional SEO advice: make sure that every web page is an effective entry page to online conversions. What, though, does that mean?

Remember that, when people use search engines to find web sites, they frequently find pages other than the home page – and, if that page isn’t enticing enough, then the browser / prospective buyer will just look elsewhere. Every page that your customer might see is worth keyword research and your best SEO copywriting and professional SEO online conversions work. Have any of you had good – or bad – experiences with second or third tiered web pages? Post below.

Professional SEO techniques guide potential customers to your web site and lift you above your online competition.

Think of professional search engine optimization as a modern day version of Hansel and Gretel leaving breadcrumbs as navigational tools. There are countless web sites out there and SEO experts make the trail between your potential customer’s needs and wants and your products and services as straight and clear cut as possible. Hansel used the tools available to him – breadcrumbs and white pebbles – while we use our own sets of tools, including:

• keyword research
• SEO copywriting
• link exchange management, including one way links and foundation niche directories
• and much more

Over the next few months, we’ll take the mystery out of these tools and keep you up to date with cutting edge SEO news.

Wait a minute! How can you compare professional SEO tools to Hansel’s breadcrumbs and white pebbles?

Good question! And, really, it’s simple:

• keyword research lets us know what words potential buyers use to find your product so
• these keywords let us know which verbal breadcrumbs to place on the web;
• effective SEO copywriting lets search engines such as Google see the breadcrumbs and
• boost your rankings on the search engine results pages so that
• the breadcrumb trails are readily visible to your customers
• while link exchange management increases the places where this path can be followed.

Call us at 440-306-2418 or email us today for more information about how your potential customers can find you.