I’m sure you’ll agree…
There are way too many bloggers out there who publish blog after blog, with the hopes of pulling torrents of traffic in order to win the rat race of ranking highly on the web.
They *think* that publishing new content frequently will make their clients stick to their blog like super glue and earn them a top slot on SERPs.
If only it were that easy.
Around 2 million blog posts are created every day. But how many actually rank high on the SERPS? How many are powerful enough to engage their audiences and make them subscribe?
Not many!
So if you’re serious about creating and publishing high-quality, engaging and entertaining marketing blogs that your clients will actually read, you’ll need to get acquainted with the SEO copywriting hacks that industry leaders use to write their marketing blogs.
I’m sure you’re already wondering, ‘Okay, smart guy. Where do I find these magical copywriting hacks?’
Well, the answer is down below where I’ve outlined five simple SEO copywriting hacks that almost guarantee high search engine rankings and a diverse readership for every marketing blog you publish.
Hack #1: Take advantage of the APP intro formula
Let’s kickstart our list of SEO copywriting hacks with the amazing APP intro formula.
APP stands for ‘Agree’, ‘Promise’ and ‘Preview’.
Let’s break down each word in this acronym.
Agree: If you want to your SEO copy to rank higher on the web, you’ll need to make your visitors agree with you.
In other words, start your SEO copy’s introduction with something that visitors to your site will agree with.
This will help you set up a connection with them.
Here’s an example:
This is something that will win you the approval of most avid readers of your content.
Now that you’ve got your visitors to agree with you, it’s time to make them a promise.
Promise: Here, you’ll need to promise your visitors a solution for the problem they are facing.
Here’s an example of how:
Now that you’ve promised your visitors a solution, it’s time to show them a preview of that solution.
Preview: Here, you need to show your visitors what your SEO copy is going to offer them.
So, there you have it – a perfect APP intro method that will make visitors swarm to your blog, and contain information that Google spiders will find credible and worth ranking.
Hack # 2: Add ‘Bucket Brigades’ into your blogs
So here’s the deal…
The more time someone spends reading your blog, the better your site will rank on SERPs and the better the odds will be of a conversion. But making people spend more time on your site reading your marketing blogs is no mean feat!
So how do you make both skimmers and more serious readers fall in love with your blog and spend actual time reading it?
Here’s the answer: you need to make your marketing blogs both readable and scannable in equal measures.
You can do this the smart way by adding ‘Bucket Brigades’ to your blogs.
Bucket brigades are short phrases that act as conversational points to your SEO copy. They add a curiosity quotient to your content, making your readers want to read more and spend more time on your site.
Let me show you using an example:
The phrase ‘Here’s the proof’ acts as the bucket brigade. Now, this particular bucket brigade makes visitors wonder what’s going to come next. But the objective behind any bucket brigade is to keep your visitors engaged with your blog for as long as humanly possible.
There is no strict rule of thumb to developing bucket brigades, and you can easily coin a few phrases that you believe will work well for your site then pepper them into your SEO copy.
In case you’re looking for a couple of ready-made ones, here’s are a few classics:
- Here’s the deal!
- Let us spill the beans here…
- What’s the bottom line?
- Here’s the kicker…
- We’re sure you’re wondering…
- It gets worse/better…
Now that you know how to make your SEO copy more readable, it’s time to move on to the next hack on the list.
Hack # 3: Write an action-orientated title and meta description
You may be surprised when I tell you there are many marketing blogs that rank higher on SERPs but don’t really attract torrents of traffic.
This is because these blogs usually make the mistake of not having an action-oriented title and meta description.
Remember, though no longer a critical ranking factor, your blog’s meta description and title can fundamentally influence the number of clicks received through SERPs.
Use action-oriented verbs in your title and meta description to encourage your visitors to take action. Amalgamate your title and description with keywords that your readers actually search for. But don’t stuff too many keywords into it, or you might end up having your site penalized by Google for spamming.
Aim to start your descriptions with action verbs such as ‘download’, ‘learn’ or ‘discover’, and follow them up with your blog’s value proposition. Let your readers know why they should click on your link and read your content.
If you are able to do this effectively, you can expect to get more traffic, more clicks, and more conversions.
Hack #4: Create attention-grabbing headlines
It’s no secret that sites like BuzzFeed and ViralNova are wildly popular.
This is because they use fun, and attention-grabbing headlines for clickbait. Their headlines offer an emotional promise. They hook, they entertain and, above all, they spark curiosity.
I’m sure you’re wondering why it’s so important to create headlines that are attention-grabbing and click-worthy.
Here’s the deal: Moz reveals that 8 out of 10 people read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the entire article on average. Additionally, tests also reveal that traffic to content at a site can widely vary depending on the quality of the headline.
It’s not rocket science to see why you must aim to create headlines that tantalize readers in such a way so that they can’t help but click to see what’s on the other side.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Make sure that your headlines are unique and pique curiosity
- Always lead with lists and numbers
- Highlight the value of clicking through
- Use emotionally compelling language
- Keep your headlines under 70 characters
- Don’t forget to add SEO keywords to your headlines.
Remember, you’ll need to break conventions to create headlines that can grab more views and get you more more clicks.
Image Source: Buzzfeed
Hack #5: Highlight your value proposition in subheadings
Now that you know how to create interesting headlines, you’re ready to move onto the next step.
It’s one thing to get someone to read your blog post because of the catchy headline, and quite another to get them to continue reading it past the first paragraph.
If you’re serious about making your clients take the time to read your marketing blogs, you’ll need to complement your headlines with engaging subheadings.
Authoritative and interesting subheadings help make your article readable, and keep your readers engaged and entertained.
Highlight the value proposition of your content in your subheadings. Don’t forget to tie them back to your headline.
Check out this example below to see what makes a good subheading:
By making your subheads useful, short and specific, you’ll lure more traffic and help readers navigate your content more quickly without losing their focus.
Wrapping up
These are easily some of the most powerful SEO copywriting hacks out there… and now it’s over to you.
Try incorporating a few (or all!) of them into your marketing blogs to create content your clients will love and, better yet, actually read.
Let me know how you go, and which tips have been an eye-opener for you in the comments section.
Best of luck!
Guest Author: George Georgiev is a full stack developer, owns a web design agency and blogs about web hosting and digital marketing. Follow him at Facebook & Quora.