Llewellyn Richards, Author at Crowd Content - Blog

Content Optimization: The Red Dress Story

Llewellyn Richards — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 20:50:57 +0000

In his seminal investing book, How to Make Money in Stocks, author, money manager and founder of Investor’s Business Daily, William O’Neil, describes a situation faced by anyone who offers a product or service to the public, including publishers and stock traders, that he calls The Red Dress Story, It goes something like this:

A shopkeeper buys 50 red dresses and 50 yellow ones. One week later she is sold out of the red dresses and has sold only one of the yellow ones. How does a wise shopkeeper use this information to her advantage? She buys 100 red dresses for the next shipment, possibly increases their price and cuts the price of the yellow dresses. Buying more yellow dresses just doesn’t make sense.

Interestingly, though it might seem counter-intuitive, O’Neil recommends a similar approach when buying stocks. He recommends buying more of stocks that move in an investor’s favor, within certain limits, and selling stocks that move against them – in particular never letting any stock fall more than 8 percent below its purchase price.

So How Does This Relate to Internet Content?

Content creators can use this technique to gauge what their audience is really interested in – and tailor content specifically designed to appeal to it.

For example, if a content creator publishes a given number of pieces of content in a week, each focused on different keywords, and then examines which pieces received the most views, engagement, etc., they are receiving the most accurate, and up-to-date, information possible about what their audience is looking for.

Drop non-productive keywords, focus new content on popular keywords and test new keywords in a methodical way.

Obviously, some content may never appeal to a broad audience, but still has its place on the Internet – even then, content creators can test and optimize different versions of the same content using the red dress technique.

The most important takeaway from the story for content publishers is that they provide a valuable service to their audience. Regularly observing what content appeals to a given website’s audience not only increases traffic, but better serves it’s needs.

In fact, the more visitors a website gets, the more effectively it is serving its audience. Don’t tell customers what they want. Observe what content they engage in with their time and traffic. Build on popular keywords: constantly re-evaluate and optimize.

Changes in keywords trends is one thing that is certain.

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Boost Your SEO: Optimize Articles in Real Time

Llewellyn Richards — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 17:58:45 +0000

The World Wide Web is an incredibly dynamic place. Not only is content constantly changing, but search engine rankings and what people search are constantly changing, too.

How can developers and publishers be sure that the keywords they use to optimize content will be the ones trending in the future?

They can’t!

If you can be certain of anything, it’s that trends will continue to come and go. Content developers need to optimize content for the most active keywords at the moment the content is created.

Google’s new real-time data makes this possible. And more than possible, with the ever-increasing pace of the internet it’s necessary to create content specifically designed to appeal to potential visitors, by being relevant to what those potential visitors are already engaging with.

Real Time Trend Data Tells Content Creators Exactly What People Are Looking For

More web content is created every day than you’ve ever thought to read. And most of it is optimized to keywords, in order to make sure the right people read the content.

But lots of awesome content goes unread every day. And lots of that content is SEO optimized.

So what’s going wrong?

A lot of this SEO optimization is based on keywords that are only vague guesses at what customers may search for. And competitor businesses are probably using the exact same keywords.

It’s easy for content to become lost in the clutter.

Researching real-time search trends can give content developers insight into what potential readers and customers are looking for right now and allow them to tailor their content accordingly. This can help with choosing content subjects as well as SEO optimization.

Trends Vary Among Search Channels

Google allows you to search in a number of different channels: the Web, news, images, YouTube and others. Google Trends allows developers to analyze channels individually or in groups. Understanding trends in different channels can lead to greater insight into what potential visitors are really interested in.

A great example is Microsoft’s recent earnings release and the release of Windows 10. Microsoft released earnings on Jul 21, 2015, and as is common when companies release financial results, searches related to the Microsoft stock symbol “MSFT” increased.

Then on July 29, Microsoft launched the free Windows 10 software upgrade, and searches for the keyword “Windows 10” skyrocketed.

If you publish content related to the stock market, or content related to computers, you could potentially gain visitors using this information.

Two pieces of content, one optimized to “MSFT” and the other optimized to “Windows 10” released as the keywords broke out around each event had the potential to yield a significant number of new visitors for both types of content publishers: visitors who are actively engaged and seeking solutions, and who would otherwise be lost to competition.

Listen to what customers are asking for with real-time data from Google Trends. It has the potential to increase the number of visitors to any website and bring content developers a more thorough understanding of visitor needs.

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Long Tail Keywords: What They Are and How To Use Them

Llewellyn Richards — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 02:23:31 +0000

The phrase “the long tail” was coined in 2004 by Chris Anderson. In Wired Magazine, he wrote: “The Long Tail: Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream.”

He was referring to the demand curve explained by this infographic:

The Biggest, Yet Least Competitive Part of Search

Long tail searches work together with head searches to bring traffic to your site. For a website that follows the stock market, the search “Good Stocks” would be a top search and “Good Social Media Stocks With Profits” would be a long tail search.

There is a greater chance that someone will find your site with a longer search. Creating content that incorporates both head and long tail search keywords brings increased search engine visibility to all websites instantly.

Long tail searches feature less competition and incorporating long tail keywords into content is an inexpensive way to increase the earning potential of any business by simply better utilizing resources, which already exist.

The Internet makes many niche businesses, which were impossible due to limited demand, not only profitable and feasible, but highly desirable. Long tail items, which were too obscure to be stocked by traditional retailers find buyers on the Internet. In fact, 70% of Internet search traffic is comprised of searches, which are considered long tail.

Furthermore, the fastest growing segment of search is for longer searches. In general terms, long tail searches tend to convert to paying customers or returning visitors at a higher rate than head searches. Consumers tend to search with longer terms when they are closer to making a purchasing decision.

Think About Questions Your Customers Ask

If you offer guitar lessons in Detroit, Michigan, publishing a great website with copy describing that you offer guitar lessons, are experienced in rock and blues, are available seven days a week and have 20 years of experience will be missed by many searches unless you mention that you are located in Detroit, Michigan as well.

Most people searching for guitar lessons would specify a location. For people interested in buying insurance, the search “insurance” would be a top search, while “home insurance in Denver, Colorado” would be a related long tailed search.

Research search terms customers are using to find your website now and expand on those. Build long tailed versions of the head keywords, which bring visitors to your site. The longer and more diverse the trail of long tailed keywords that are left for potential visitors on the web, the greater the potential they will visit you site and convert to paying customers, subscribers or returning visitors.

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Twitter User Engagement Techniques to Gain Followers

Llewellyn Richards — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 00:05:38 +0000

One of the biggest differences that separates a social media account with thousands of followers from one that has a few dozen, is user engagement.

Spam has been a serious issue. New laws are continuously being introduced with the aim of reducing spam or eliminating it outright. Different than spam, though not without its similarities, are blended tweets and posts that engage users in a pleasant way, which they consent to, because it offers something of value to them.

On Twitter

There are several techniques that users on Twitter employ to gain more followers. The most important thing, at a very basic level, is to offer at least some real content. Tweet about interesting and intelligent topics. Controversy can be good, but discretion and good judgment are always advised.

One method that is commonly used to gain followers is to tweet hashtags like #FF or #PleaseFollow combined with a list of Twitter usernames. On first sight, these tweets seem very cryptic to the uninitiated. There is, however, some sense behind it all. The person sending the tweet is looking for attention and to gain followers.

The people with their names on the list have indicated publicly that they would like attention in the form of gaining more followers in their own tweets. The person sending the tweet has recognized this trait among a group of Twitter followers and has deduced that they will be agreeable to having their Twitter name in a list because it will help them gain followers.

Other Twitter users who see these lists and understand the purpose of them often re-tweet them, signaling that they too would like to gain followers.

Some Twitter users like Bobbi Dickson, @MisterSalesman, regularly tweet twenty or thirty lists in a short period. They regularly refresh the entries on the lists and expand them as they find more users. Bobbi Dickson has gained over 75,000 Twitter followers using this technique and is highly popular on the social network, with many passionate fans. Bobbi also regularly tweets and retweets about other users writing, artwork and websites.

Share Fellow Users’ Content

Another technique that Bobbi Dickson, as well as Twitter user Eric B. Thomasma, @seams16, who has over 18,000 followers, use, is choosing content by other Twitter users that they like and sharing it with their followers. Some share content by re-tweeting.

Others compose entire unique tweets and sometimes reviews and artwork celebrating the work of other Twitter users. The simple act of copying and pasting a Twitter user’s short biography and tweeting to your followers goes a very long way in expressing goodwill and gaining followers in return.

Follow Back

There are differing opinions on the subject, but following just about anyone that follows you is one of the best ways to keep a steady flow of new Twitters followers running. There are some Twitter accounts maintained by users that like to tweet about porn or drugs; the amount of necessary discretion is advised when choosing who to follow and relies on personal tastes.

But in general, if they aren’t offensive, follow them back if they follow you. If you’re Warren Buffett or Fifty Cent, this doesn’t apply to you. Everyone else, especially business owners, should follow back everyone who has taken the time to follow them. It literally takes two seconds and creates unknowable opportunities.

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3 SEO Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Website/Blog

Llewellyn Richards — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 04:56:29 +0000

Does your website have what it takes to successfully get traffic and be properly recognized by Google?

Here’s three important SEO tips from the experts to make sure you’re getting the most out of your content.

Keywords Are Important: Don’t Overdo It!

Content consumers on the Internet are savvy. So are search engines. They are able to discern if content is actually content or if it is fluff stuffed with keywords. Keywords are important.

However, they must be used sparingly and intelligently. Too many instances of a keyword on a page or blog can actually work against its page rank. Keywords perform best when included in text that answers questions and provides true value to the reader.

Vitally important is that relevant keywords are used in a natural manner that agrees with the context in which they are found. Titles, headings and metadata are perfect places to find intelligent ways to include keywords.

Search engine spiders notice keywords in these key areas. Words that describe the services offered by a business make better keywords than the business name itself and may attract potential customers from markets of which you were unaware.

Search Engines Love Text Links

Everyone loves a website that is well-designed with catchy and functional Java script. Kelcey Jones, with The Search Engine Journal, explains that the problem with Java script is that search engine spiders are unable to understand it.

If the home or landing page of a website or blog is created entirely of Java script, spiders will be unable to search your domain more deeply and leave much of your website or blog un-indexed. Make things easier for search spiders by including text links to other pages in your domain.

Backlinks, Backlinks, Backlinks!

One of the most powerful tools in the box of knowledgeable SEO professionals is the backlink. A backlink is simply a link on another website to your website. If you know another website owner who is willing to link to your site, great!

Even better is if the link is included as part of the body of original and relevant content. If you don’t don’t have contacts at other websites, don’t worry! There are still many ways to get backlinks to your site out on the web for spiders to follow and increase your page rank.

Social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, and blogging sites, such as WordPress, are the perfect place to add intelligently placed backlinks to your site.

What is particularly appealing about social media backlinks is that when other users share your content, the backlinks gets shared as well! This helps to make a website much more visible to search engines. Matt Cutts from Google reports that eventually backlinks will become less important, but for the time being, backlinks “still have many years left in them.”

By using each of these techniques consistently, as well as offering valuable and compelling content, website and blog owners can expect to see an increase in their page rankings and a healthy boost in traffic!

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