 SEO
Copywriting Makeover: Good Rankings but No Sales Part 2 of 2
By
Karon
Thackston © 2004-2005
In
Part 1 of this
article series, we looked at a local home security site that had fairly good
rankings but whose conversion rate was lacking. (You can see the original
copy here:
http://www.copywritingcourse.com/topsecurity-original.pdf.)
Here in the conclusion, you'll see how several changes helped maintain this
company's good rankings while improving their site's lead generation
abilities.
The Rewrite
My first thought with the rewrite was to stop making "trust and urgency"
the undertones and instead make them the obvious focal points of the copy.
As usual, I started with the headline. The previous headline was:
When every second counts, turn to Top Security, Inc. who has been securing
Orlando / Central Florida homes and businesses for 689,453,910 seconds.
I wanted something more direct so I changed the headline to:
Top Security, Inc. of Orlando
Security Systems From a Trusted Neighbor
This included one of their keyphrases and also made it perfectly clear this
company was local and trustworthy.
For the introductory paragraph, I wanted to get the visitor's attention and
hold it long enough to make a point: That security is something you need
to think about now, not later. I opened with the following:
"If only I'd called you sooner." "I never thought this could happen to me."
These are just a few of the many comments we have heard from our customers
in Orlando. Security systems suddenly became a top priority for them, but
not until after they'd experienced a frightening break-in or a devastating
fire. After these disasters, our Orlando neighbors were convinced that burglar
alarm and security issues should be a forethought, not an afterthought.
The copy does not beat the visitors
over the head with the fact that they could be hurt, face losses, or experience
some other frightening situation. It simply plants a seed of "what if" and
moves on.
This section of the copy also lends support to the keyphrases Top Security
wanted to rank highly for. Because "Orlando Security Systems" can be an awkward
phrase to repeat, I split it up in several instances to help the flow of
the copy stay natural.
The remainder of the page speaks to the facts that Top Security is local,
has longevity in the community, is right around the corner, and offers several
other benefits national security companies simply can't (or won't). Benefit
after benefit is listed and explained in order to drive home the fact that
a local company can - and will - provide exceptional service. You can see
the current version here:
http://www.copywritingcourse.com/topsecurity-current.pdf.
All throughout these sections of the copy, keyphrases are reinforced in the
copy. When applicable, keyphrases are used in bold phrases or others that
include special formatting. However, I never forced keyphrases someplace
they didn't fit just for the sake of doing it. Keyphrase placement has to
meld with the copy, not overpower it.
The call-to-action for the home page was simple. It asked three questions
dealing with the biggest complaints about home security that users or potential
users have regarding dependability, false alarms, and price.
The Results
The high rankings Top Security had prior to the SEO copywriting makeover
were retained for most terms and even increased for a few others. While that's
great, what's more important is that lead generations from the site increased,
which gave Top Security, Inc. a broader customer base and the potential to
make more sales they previously would not have been able to make.
It just goes to show that, even if your site has high positioning, copywriting
can play an incredibly important role in bringing growth to your business.
After all, what's the point of having good rankings if you have no sales?
About the Author:
| Karon Thackston
is a veteran copywriting pro who specializes in SEO copy. If your copy isn't
getting results, let Karon teach you how to write SEO copy that impresses
the engines and your visitors at
http://www.copywritingcourse.com.
Be sure to check out Karon's latest ebook "How To Increase Keyword Saturation
(Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)" at
http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword. |
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