FOR JEDI EYES ONLY: Our Content Standards

 

So. You think you’ve got yourself a good blog post?

 

You chose your writing style. You knocked out the first draft. You allowed it to sit for an hour or a day.

Now it’s time to edit that bad dog — ruthlessly. So that it has a fighting chance in the trenches.  Ready to go?  Let’s go, tiger.

 

CRAFT A MAGNETIC HEADER

Use the target keyphrase once, indicating relevance to search engines and stating the general topic to headers. Beyond this, the headline should be written for readers.

Assume your audience isn’t interested. Write a headline that spotlights the most compelling, most irresistible part of your content.

 

WWW. (Words that Work Well)
Over 70% of Google searches are:

You, Tips, Best, Tricks, Great, Smart, Surprising, History, Huge, Big, Critical.   

Who, what, why, where, when, how, & how to.

My Headline Triggers Curiosity

  • 9 Out of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact

  • A Brave Fan Asks Patrick Stewart a Question He Doesn’t Usually Get and Is Given a Beautiful Answer

  • His First 4 Sentences Were Interesting. The 5th Blew My Mind.

  • 13 Things You Never Knew About Tequila

  • Watch the First 54 Seconds. After That You’ll Be Hooked. I Swear.

 

My Headline Uses Numbers

  • 17 Social Media Books That Will Make You a Smarter Marketer

  • How to Increase Conversion Rates by 529%

  • 101 Ways to Write Top 10 Lists that Increase Traffic By 21%

 

My Headline Asks a Question

  • Why Do Dogs Bark at Night? 5 Dog Trainers Offer Tips for Quiet Canines.

  • Which Superhero Are You? Take this short quiz and find out….

  • How Does Social Media Affect SEO?

 

PRO TOPS:

  • Write LOTS of headlines before choosing one.
  • Write headlines that create some urgency.

 

KEEP YOUR PROMISES.

If the headline doesn’t fit the article, don’t use it or you’ll erode trust with your readers. That “ultimate guide” had better be the best. Those “5 Easy Ways” better not be complicated!

 


KEYPHRASE USE IN THE BODY TEXT

HELP PEOPLE TO FIND YOU CONTENT IN THE SEARCH ENGINES – BY THINKING ABOUT COMMON-SENSE KEYPHRASES.

We recommend including the target keyphrase in the body of the article at least twice, but not more than five times. Whenever appropriate, use the words of the target phrase together as a “bonded” phrase.

This should come naturally if the phrase is relevant to the topic. During editing, go back to make sure it’s used, but not overused.

sign-304093_640 WARNING! Don’t overdo it on the keywords. If you compromise your writing so much that it’s obvious to a reader, you’re guilty of “keyword stuffing.” Using the phrase repeatedly in unnatural ways is bad for readers and bad for rankings. This is obvious to Google, and there’s a chance that you’ll be penalized.

 


USE SUB-HEADERS

BE LOVED BY SCAN-READERS WORLDWIDE!

People tend not to read online; we tend to scan. To make your content scannable, add subheaders into the article, breaking up the article into sections. These serve as mini-headlines for subsequent paragraphs, keeping visitors moving through your content.

These subheads should be formatting using <h2> or <h3> tags, not just bolding

 


BULLET & NUMBER LISTS: BE KIND

A LIFE-JACKET FOR READERS DROWNING IN WORDS.

Lists give you a natural reason to use numbered headlines, telling readers that the article will be formatted for easy scanning. Lists articles are successful because we’re busy. They align with our psychology.

  • Use bullet lists whenever there are three or more distinct ideas in a section
  • Use numbered lists as a format for the entire article or whenever sequential ideas are presented
  • Avoid list formatting when telling stories with a narrative flow

 


BE A FANATICAL FORMATTER

WALL OF TEXT, BAD.  MIXED TYPE OF CONTENT FORMATTING, GOOD.

  • Short paragraphs
    No paragraph should be longer than four lines maximum. Use very short paragraphs of one sentence or even one word to add emphasis.
  • Bolding, Italics
    Excellent ways to add emphasis and make content more easily scanned, but don’t overdo it.
  • Personal tone
    Readers are people. Write as if you’re writing for one, specific person. From you, to her.

 


WHY ARE WE EVEN HERE? LINKS & CHEESE – THAT’S WHY.

YOUR GOAL IS TO CONVERT A READER INTO A LEAD OR A CUSTOMER.  PERIOD.

Your site is the mousetrap, your content is the cheese – If you don’t help make those connections between the cheese and the trap, you will catch fewer mice.

 

4 LINKS ALL GOOD CONTENT CONTAINS:

  • A link from each new article to an older article.
  • A link to each new article from an older article.
  • A link from every article to a product or service page.
  • A link from each article to the article of an authority or expert with supportive content (LINK MUST OPEN A NEW WINDOW).

 


QUOTES & MENTIONS

IF OPTIMISING FOR SEARCH MEANS ADDING KEYWORDS – THEN OPTIMISING FOR FOR SOCIAL MEANS ADDING PEOPLE.

There are three basic approaches to adding quotes:

  • Quote, Share and Mention
    Find a quote that supports something you’ve written. Add it to your article, citing and linking to the original (OPEN NEW WINDOW). Once the article is live, share it in social media and mention the author of the quote. Or simply send them a message letting them know you quoted them.
  • Ask for a Contributor Quote
    While writing, reach out to an expert or two (probably someone you’re already building a relationship with) and ask them if they’d like to contribute a few sentences or a paragraph. If they do, add a picture and link if possible. Once it’s live, let them know on twitter or something!
  • Use existing quotes from other article sources or press releases.
    Once it’s live, let them know.

 


CALL  TO ACTION

EVERY GREAT POST HAS A CALL TO ACTION – INVITE THE USER TO BECOME MORE ENGAGED WITH YOUR BUSINESS.

  • Leave an invitation to leave a comment.
  • Ask a question that they can answer with a comment.
  • Ask for other ideas that would complement the article.
  • Invite the reader to disagree with you.
  • Invite the reader to search for a car.
  • Invite the reader to share the article.
  • Hit a one sentence pitch to subscribe to the newsletter, (The moment they finish reading the post is the high-point of their appreciation. This is when they are most likely to subscribe).

Your ultimate goal is to start a conversation about how you can help them even more …if they become a lead – we will worship the sacred ground you walk on.

 


ALL THAT REMAINS…

We spotted that you were hungry when you started reading this article.  We know one when we see one. You’re a tiger, and you’re hungry for success.

We’re right here.  Watching you, like the Jedi council, protecting you from afar – ready to help whenever you need it.

So go forward, tiger.  Have no fear.  Go roar.  Let it loose – set that content energy free and do great things.

 

DID WE MISS SOMETHING?

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