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When it comes to e-commerce, the time-tested cliché is, "Content
is king." In this case, the cliché is correct.
Content
For the purpose of this article, content is defined as pages of
text on your site. Content is often broken down into two
categories, primary pages and information pages. Primary pages
are the core of a site, to wit, the home, FAQ, site map, about
us, contact us and service or product pages. Information pages
are additional pages that support the primary pages, explain
your service or product and answer questions. Primary pages
convert visitors while information pages generate traffic.
Primary Pages
Preparing content for your primary pages must be done carefully.
You should have a list of keywords you want to highlight for
each page. Using these keywords, content should be written
clearly and concisely. Do not sacrifice the flow of your text in
an effort to maximize the placement of keywords. While this
common mistake can lead to quicker search engine rankings, it
can damage your conversion rates and give visitors the wrong
impression of your business. Traffic is useless if it can't be
converted to money. Focus on converting the visitor into a
customer.
Information Pages
Information pages serve a number of functions. First, they
explain and support your primary pages. Second, they build
credibility by providing evidence of your extensive knowledge
and expertise. Unlike primary pages, information pages can be
written with more of an eye to keyword manipulation.
Information pages also form a critical platform for promoting
your site. The pages should be written in such a way as to be
easily converted into articles. The articles should be submitted
to directories for publication with a byline including a link to
your site. As the articles are published, the byline will
dramatically increase the link count of your site. The higher
the number of links to your site, the higher you move in the
rankings.
Information Page Subjects
If information pages are so important, how do you come up with
topics? There are three methods.
The first step is to review your product or service. Pages
should be created providing explanations for the most simple to
complex elements of whatever you are promoting. Make sure to
cover basic items. For a real estate agent site, topics should
include 1) how to buy a house, 2) how the process works from
beginning to end; 3) how escrow works and so forth. Never assume
your prospect understands some element of your product or
service. Once these pages are created, the site should be
significantly bigger and, thus, more attractive to search
engines.
The next step is to review the results of the keyword research
conducted when you decided to build a site. Looking down the
list of keywords, focus on keywords with less than 1,000
searches a month. Every one of these keywords is a potential
topic. Because there are few monthly searches, competition for
rankings under each keyword phrase is probably low. As you site
gains links, the various information pages will move up into top
rankings. If you have 50 information pages each producing 100
clicks a month, they will produce 5,000 free clicks a month.
Assume a conversion rate of 1/100 and you have 50 sales. As more
pages are added, the figures will continue to rise.
Finally, forums are an excellent place to find topics. Forums
are sites where people gather to discuss issues related to a
particular subject. The discussions typically start when someone
posts a question. Each question is a potential topic for a page
on your site. Make sure to focus on posts with lots of replies,
as the number of replies reflects the amount of interest in the
topic. To find relevant forums, simply search for "forum +
subject" on any search engine.
In Closing
Google, Yahoo and MSN frequently change the algorithms each uses
to produce rankings. Such changes can blow holes in search
engine optimization strategies. Continually adding relevant
content to your site is just about the only method to smoothly
ride these fluctuations. After all, content is king.
About the author:
Halstatt Pires is with the Internet marketing firm - MarketingTitan.com -
an Internet marketing company in San Diego, which offers online
database solutions through BusinessCreatorPro.com for ecommerce.
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