Free B2B Marketing Articles

B2B SEO Copywriting: Five Tips for Developing Fresh Web Copy

"Link popularity" is a hot top in search engine optimization circles these days because sites that have a high number of inbound links rank well with Google and Yahoo.

How do you know if you're lacking inbound links? One way to tell is to simply type your company name into Google and see what comes up in the listings. You can also purchase tools, such as Optilink, which query search engines for links back to your site. Your Web analytics software can also give you a list of referring sites.

How do you increase the number of inbound links? By offering fresh content that encourages other sites to link to yours. But, like many people, you may be drawing a blank on what types of content to offer. What follows are five tips for helping you brainstorm ideas for reports, articles, and other fresh content.

1. Analyze keyword phrases - Use a tool like Wordtracker or Trellian's Keyword Discovery Tool to get ideas for the types of information for which people are searching. Common search phrases I see while conducting keyword research for clients include:

What is [keyword]? ie: "What is b2b marketing?"
Differences between [keyword] and [keyword] - ie: "The difference between B2B and B2C marketing"
Tips or articles based on specific keywords - ie: "copywriting tips" or "articles about b2b copywriting"
How to's specific to your industry - ie: "copywriting how to" or "write copy that sells"

2. Write articles based on competitive search phrases - It can be difficult to rank well for competitive keywords if all you have is product or service pages. The answer is to write articles and put them on your site. Articles improve search engine ranking because they are keyword rich, they show prospects you're an expert, and they help build those important inbound links because other sites will begin to link to or reprint them. Pick two or three phrases for which you want to increase your ranking, and write three, four or five articles based on each keyword phrase. For example, using the term "email marketing," one could write the following:

"Opt-in email marketing best practices"
"Using email marketing to nurture leads"
"Six tips for building your email marketing list"
"How to promote your white papers via permission-based email marketing"
"What is customized email marketing?"
"How to calculate ROI for email marketing campaigns"

3. Use customer problems as ideas for articles or reports - If you've been in business for awhile, you've come to know the problems common to many of your customers. In fact, you probably see the same problems repeatedly and can rattle them off without even thinking about it. Quick! Write them down - you now have the basis for a "Top Ten Mistakes" report. These types of reports are easy to write and fun to read. (They also make great direct response offers.) Once your report is ready, send out an optimized press release via PR Web announcing its availability. You can also flesh out existing articles and turn them into reports, guides, or white papers.

4. View your Web analytics for content ideas - What pages are visitors downloading most frequently? Case studies? Reports? Articles? Data sheets? Brochures? Analyze your top 50 downloads for the month, quarter, or year and then brainstorm new content ideas based on your findings.

5. Conduct competitive intelligence - Know what content your competitors are offering and provide something different. Why different? Because when people are searching online, sites tend to run together and the information all begins to sound the same. Make your content stand out by ensuring it's different from what's out there. Reports should be in PDF format and designed so they are easy to read both online and on paper. (One report I downloaded was light type on a light background - I couldn't read it after I printed it out and threw it away.)

Developing high-value content will help generate quality inbound links to your site. Make a habit of consulting online search tools, your Web analytics reports, and your competitors' sites to determine the types of information for which your target audience is searching.