Free Keyword Research Tool - Keyword Opportunity EmailEmail The other week I wrote about SERP Click Through Rates. This isn’t really useful on it’s own though. To give any meaningful insight, it needs to be combined with keyword volume (usually from the Google KWR Tool) and your current rank for the keyword. I know that rankings are a bad measurement as they are so variable – depending on personalization, location, Google testing new algorithms, etc. I’ve created a keyword research and opportunity tool. As you can see in the screen shot below, the ‘Opportunity’ tab shows your current rank, the monthly search volume and how much traffic you can gain by grabbing a number one spot. This is a screenshot of the ‘Opportunity’ tab. To make this more useful (and persuasive), I created a second version of the tool. **None of the data in the spreadsheet is real 1. 2. 3. **If you’re going to use ecom data from GA, you’ll need to remove the [brackets] from the keywords exported from the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. 4. 5. Now export all the data. 6.
The Content Strategist’s Reading List - Brain Traffic Break out your reading lists, content strategists. You’re going to want to add these titles to your to-read pile. I recently asked Twitter, “What books should be on a content strategist’s bookshelf?” But, who are we kidding—I already own a lot of these, and my Amazon cart was soon sagging under the weight of the rest of them. I’m so grateful to everyone who contributed—folks had terrific suggestions that included content strategy classics, hot-off-the-presses works, and a solid set of inspiring works that have shaped perspectives and purpose. And so, presented here in alphabetical order, is this crowd-sourced list of books every content strategist should have on their bookshelves—or Kindle—or phone—or whatever. This is by no means a complete list, but it’s a good start. The content strategist’s reading list Accessibility for Everyone by Laura Kalbag Audience, Relevance, and Search: Targeting Web Audiences with Relevant Content by James Mathewson, Frank Donatone, and Cynthia Fishel By
The Issues In Content Marketing Today: We Ask the Experts With Content Marketing being on every digital marketer’s lips at the moment, it’s time to really sink our teeth into the subject. As businesses all over the world begin to invest larger sums of money into this burgeoning marketing form, we thought why not ask the leading voices on the subject a question or two? So we did, and here’s what we found out. In one form or another Content Marketing has been around for a relatively long time. However, it’s only really been in the past couple of years that companies and businesses have started to take this form of marketing much more seriously, especially in the world of SEO. With this in mind, we wanted to know what the big issues are surrounding Content Marketing. Ann Handley Ann is CCO of MarketingProfs and co-author of Content Rules, a best -selling book on Content Marketing. Joe Pulizzi Joe is the founder of Content Marketing Institute, and author of Managing Content Marketing and Get Content Get Customers. Ann Smarty Simon Penson Kelvin Newman
Content Strategy starter kit for beginners | Firehead You may have spotted that we’ve been writing rather a lot lately about content strategy. That’s because it’s a natural progression for web-savvy technical communicators, as well as a growth area for employment. So, although the information is accumulating quickly, we’ve compiled a Content Strategy Starter Kit to get you quickly up to speed. What is Content Strategy? Content strategy is a tough thing to define, even among leading exponents. 10 Players The first gathering of around 20 ‘content strategists’ was held on 19 March 2009 ahead of the IA Summit in Memphis. Kristina Halvorson – @halvorsonRahel Bailie – @rahelabKaren McGrane – @karenmcgraneJeff MacIntyre – @jeffmacintyreKenneth Yau – @logorrhoeaElisabeth McGuane – @emcguaneClare O’Brien – @clareobJoe Pulizzi – @juntajoeMelissa Rach – @melissarachRachel Lovinger – @rlovinger 10 Books We’ve linked to Amazon.co.uk for consistency but if you’re shopping from another Euro zone, well, you know what to do… 10 Blogs 10 Social Media Hangouts
16 Free Tools That Make Content Creation Way Easier Creating content isn't always a walk in the park. (In fact, it can sometimes feel more like a sprint in a swamp.) While other parts of business and marketing are becoming increasingly automated, content creation is still a very manual job. Automation hasn't yet replaced what we do (thank goodness). That being said, there are plenty of tools out there to make creating content much easier. Click here to download our full collection of content creation templates for blog posts, ebooks, infographics, and more. Below, you'll find a list of 28 fantastic tools and resources to help you research, write, edit, and design content more easily. Let's get started. 28 Free Tools & Resources to Make Content Creation Easier For Researchers 1) Google Drive Research Tool Google recently added a tool to Drive that allows you to conduct Google searches without ever leaving your Drive window. 2) Site:search This is a handy Google hack I use every day. 3) Google Webmaster Tools Doing SEO and keyword research?
Building Your Content Promotion Strategy I know. You’ve already been beaten to death with the news content marketing is on the rise. There’s no stopping this hockey stick. Marketers and business owners have hopped onto the content marketing train and there are more blog posts, infographics, eBooks, resource guides and other content marketing goodies than ever before. But now that you’re spending valuable time churning out unique content, what’s your content promotion strategy once it’s out there? Once you’ve hit publish, what are you doing with that content? Confirm the Content Is Properly Optimized Should SEO have been a priority before you ever hit publish? We’ll give you a redo. Is your title descriptive and optimized for users? Get a handle on these things before you start pushing the piece out and you’ll have a lot less to clean up later. Share the Content via Your Social Networks Once you’re confident your post is up to par: Tweet it. Use common sense. Don’t be lazy. Get crafty using Facebook’s features and functions.
Same same but different: reflections of a copywriter-turned-UX-writer — Greta van der Merwe “So, how did you get into UX writing?” is a common question… among UX writers. You’d think that we would know the way, because, here we are! But nah. There seems to be no clear, direct path into the field. It’s been almost a year now, and I thought I’d reflect on how my practices have changed from writing copy for ads to writing copy for products. Butchering vs Garnishing The limited space on a user interface doesn’t exactly leave much room for any extra adverbs. Even though ‘cutting copy’ had always been a part of my process, as a copywriter I’d still try to get to the smartest or wittiest way to say something. To really butcher copy, you need to keep chopping away and discard the unusable bits until you end up with a practical, actionable (consumable?) What’s changed in my practice is now, instead of asking myself if people will get my copy, I ask whether they can use it. Showing vs Revealing This is probably my favourite thing that’s changed since switching roles. Don’t get me wrong.
Developing a content marketing strategy - without creating any content | Outbrain partner zone | The Guardian This is not another article about content marketing. It's not intended to convince readers that content marketing can help differentiate them from their competitors, showcase thought leadership, drive traffic, or engage their customers. A quick Google search of the phrase 'content marketing for small businesses' yields more than 200m search results, meaning that there are already plenty of people out there talking about these things (and probably trying to sell small businesses something in the process). So who is this article for? Anyone who's convinced, but not sure how they can make it work for their business. It's for anyone who's ever wondered whether it's possible to have a content marketing strategy without creating any content. While the short answer to this is no, there is good news. That said, content creation still needs to play a role in your strategy. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
10 Great Content-Filled Content Strategy Blogs : Media Catherine Ventura is a New York based social media content strategist. She writes about social media engagement and social media "voice" in her blog, Venn Diagrams, and in the Huffington Post. In previous incarnations she was a film and video pro, a screenwriter, and a copywriter, all of which has contributed to her love of well-crafted, engaging content. A List Apart An online “magazine” with contributions from smart people who are thinking hard about content. Brain Traffic Great insight from Web Content Strategists Kristina Halvorson and company delivered in a friendly, palatable way. Conversation Agent Brand Strategist Valeria Maltoni discusses great strategy and great content (with an emphasis on Social Media), while gently reminding us that it’s a two-way street. Eat Media Witty, irreverent but passionate posts about content from a writerly perspective from Ian Alexander and team. Notes on Content Scatter/Gather Web Content Strategy Winning Content
75 Resources for Writing Incredible Copy that Converts Writing great copy is one of the most useful skills a marketer can develop. After all, copy is a key element of successful internet marketing across the board, from emails with sky-high open rates to blog posts that get shared hundreds or even thousands of times. Masterful copywriting plays a big part in the difference between a website that converts like crazy and one that simply falls flat, failing to engage potential customers. Case in point: in Conversion Rate Expert’s redesign of the Crazy Egg website, copy had a big role in growing the site’s conversion rate by 363%. This resource guide provides links that will give you a strong foundation for writing great web copy. E-books, Articles, Infographics, and Guides to Get You Started with Web Copywriting 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 20 Killer Web Copywriting Tips – Internalize these 20 web copywriting tips and you’ll be well on your way to writing great copy for your website. 7. 9. 10. 11. Must-Read Books on Direct Response Marketing and Copywriting
Cheatsheet: #HOWTO Pick a Worthy Blog for Your Guest Article A few months ago we did a Twitter chat on how to evaluate a blog before guest blogging. There have been many questions about the same issue again and again since then. Since I think a picture is worth thousands of words (and it’s also easy to spread among your team members), here’s an easy infographic on how to choose a blog for guest contributing: {Click to enlarge} Notes: Tools mentioned on the infographic are reviewed here.You can see records of each member of MyBlogGuest by clicking number link below his photo If you enjoyed this article, Get email updates (It’s Free) Ann Smarty Founder at MyBlogGuest Ann Smarty is the founder of MyBlogGuest. Latest posts by Ann Smarty (see all)
5 principles for effective experience content - Optimal Workshop When we think of a product redesign, our minds tend to focus on aspects of visual design. New colors, bold typography, a more minimalist design. While starting with design can feel exciting, we also have to ask ourselves what content lives in that design. What story are we telling? What information do our users need? How are we helping them to complete the task at hand? Content is a critical, though often overlooked, part of the user experience. Here are five content principles you can abide by to make sure you’re better serving your users. Content should be clear and concise. Content should speak the user’s language in familiar words, phrases, and concepts. Example: Shopify’s content guidelines specifically instruct their writers to write for a grade 7 reading level and to avoid technical jargon. Content should be easy to find and interact with. Airbnb’s homepage nails findability. Content should be meaningful. Good content says the right things at the right time. Content should be useful.