Content Matters

The Internet is a wide and wild place.  As with any other raw landscape, you don’t want to get lost – and it’s easy to do so.

As a site owner, your job is to keep your visitors from getting lost in the wild.  You want to keep them on your site, where the content is reliable and accurate.  If they go elsewhere, they may get lost in a sea of misinformation.

That’s not to say that you should never link to outside sources.  You should do just that, but not unless you’re sure of the veracity of the information on the other sites.

Whenever possible, the better bet is to keep people on your site.  Keep ‘em in your part of the web, so to speak.

Here’s how to do it in 4 simple steps: [Read more...]

There’s something exciting about knowing a stranger has come to your blog, isn’t there? Someone has found your words so compelling that you were worth a visit.  At least, that’s how I feel about it – and I’ve been blogging for awhile.

That elation, however, dies away once you look at the number of people who read a single page and leave.  A little piece of me feels like it’s an indictment of my knowledge, my writing style, the solutions I offer.

A visit wasted, a potential client gone forever.

Thankfully, there are a few key ways to keep people on your site longer. [Read more...]

You get one sentence to snag your reader.  One.

Squander it and they move on.

And just like playing Monopoly, different locations in that critical sentence command higher rent.

The first six or eight words are priceless. If they don’t intrigue or explain, your reader may never get deeper to find what you have to say.

Pack that first sentence with powerful, pointed words that promise what’s to come.

Opportunities wasted

Let’s look at some opening lines that  put a pup tent on the Boardwalk space in a blog.

• There are several different approaches to dealing ….
• From the questions I answer from clients in my office….
• Last year, a potential client called me….
• Under certain circumstances a creditor may…
• For along time in the United States, we have recognized that…
• There are many issues to consider when thinking about bankruptcy..

Isolated, none of those opening command attention or compel you to read on.  [ I took these from early blogging efforts of mine and from my friends at Bankruptcy Law Network. ]

These tepid lines mimic the classic fairy tale opening, “Once upon a time there was….”  You get few clues about what’s to follow or why you should care.  That may work for a bed time story, but not for a blog post in an era of websurfing.

Practice intrigue

I like these opening sentences.

• The secret to settling debt with your creditors is assure finality.
• Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.  (gotta find out what that has to do with bankruptcy.)
• Albert Einstein famously defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results
• It’s not the foreclosing creditor that really threaten California homeowners.
• Can you afford to cram down a mortgage when cram down is permitted?

Each raises a question or challenges you to find the connection with the promised topic.

Lead with your conclusion

Use those precious first words in your first sentence for an executive summary of what you have to say.  Circle back later in the post to tell us the story that illustrates your proposition or the context in which your conclusion is important.

• Emotions, not reasons, keep people from filing bankruptcy and starting fresh.
• If you’re paying minimum payments on credit card debt and have nothing saved for retirement, you are my favorite candidate for bankruptcy.
• The bankruptcy trustee can sell assets you no longer own under his avoiding powers for the benefit of creditors.
• That’s right:  the self employed should forget the quarterly income tax deposit.

Treasure that high rent, high return space at the beginning of your post.  Pack it with punchy, active words and strong conclusions.  Capture the reader, then tell your story.

Cathy’s Corner

Since I’m catching both ends of this double header this week while Jay figures out how to become a Californian, rather than suggest new topics, I propose that you return to material you’ve written before and rework it to strengthen your opening sentences.  Take heart: editing is a skill as well as writing.  It gets better with practice.

Image courtesy of .A.A.

A year ago, we launched Content Matters as a way of getting quality content creation tips out of our heads and into yours. We’ve got too many ideas and not enough hours in the day to set them to paper, and this seemed the best way of giving you the tools to pick up where we left off.

I’m proud to say that you’ve done some amazing things. At the same time, some of you are still looking at a blank page. You tell me you’ve got lots of things to say, but feel a need to cover the basics first. And you’re put off by the notion of writing the same old, same old that’s been done a million times before.

I get that.

[Read more...]

You’ve written a dynamite post.

Your reader has scarfed up every word, right down to the final point.

They savored your point of view and your impressive command of your subject.

And you abandoned them.

Left them hanging.

Wondering if you were a one-trick pony.

Because the foot of the post was a dead end.

You walked off and left them.  You provided no navigational suggestions about what they might read next.

Is that any way to treat a reader? [Read more...]

I am a huge fan of Rush Limbaugh.  If you’re smart, you’re a huge fan as well.

Wait, before you start spewing epithets and throwing rocks.  I promise it’s not what it seems.

You see, Rush Limbaugh is quite possibly the smartest marketer alive. Not because he’s correct or out of his mind (I am not going to render an opinion either way), but because he knows the fine art of making the sale.

If you hadn’t noticed, ole Rush makes his living alienating 95% of America.  He takes a stand against drugs and then is revealed to have a problem with medications.  He calls women vile names.  He stands on his pulpit and shakes his fist at all who dare oppose his scripted point of view.

Yes, I said his “scripted” point of view.  You don’t really think he’s serious about all this, do you?

If you are, take some time to watch the episode of Family Guy where he and Brian strike up a friendship.  Yes, that’s Rush’s voice on the episode. Making fun of himself and tipping his hand.

Rush has discovered that he can make a healthy living off 5% of the total US population.  In fact, his net worth is estimated at $300 million and his annual salary is north of $40 million.  All from just a handful of people in relation to the population of the entire world.

Here’s his trick.

[Read more...]

You’ve been slaving away at a blog post for the past week, nervously putting the pieces together. Now your masterpiece is complete, and you’re ready to unveil it to the world.

Drum roll, followed by a resounding thud. No traffic bump, no comments … nothing.

So what did you do wrong? [Read more...]

What can the Mistress of American Manners teach us about guest posting?

Guest posting is all the rage these days, not only as a worthy addition to your SEO arsenal but more importantly as a way of getting more exposure by virtue of another blog’s readership.

In case you don’t know, here’s how it works. You approach another blogger and ask if they would allow you to write an article for their site. The other blogger agrees, and you write something awesome.

That’s easier said than done, of course. You’ve got to forge relationships with other bloggers, write something useful for their audience, and bring your A-Game. Beyond that, there are some rules of the road. [Read more...]

The hardest part about content creation is finding a solid topic to write about.  You dilly-dally, putting off writing waiting for something better, or let the search freeze your effort on the spot.

There’s a secret here.

Everything has already been written about.  Get comfortable with that idea.

You are unlikely to have a genuinely new idea.  So what?

[Read more...]

Imagine being solidly at the top of the search engines for every major and minor search term in your area.  Due to the way Google ranks site, you could actually be the top two spots.

That means if someone does a search, you’re getting the call.  Hands down, you win at the search engine game.

Must be nice to have that position, right?  What would you do with it?

First, you’d probably start firing the bad clients and refusing new ones you didn’t like.  You fees would rise, to be sure – once you can pick and choose, you can command a higher fee.

With more money coming in, you’d be able to afford a few things for yourself as well.  A good vacation, maybe upgrade the car or the kitchen.

Feels good, right? [Read more...]