Different people have different reactions to white labeling, however, it has definitely earned its place in the online business world.

What is White Labeling?

A white label provider is a company that sells its services or products to its customers, which they can in turn sell to their own customers under their own brand.

In effect, white labeling, also known as white label branding, is where a service or product is created by one company and sold by another company who makes it appear as their own.

Why Do Most Businesses Use White Label Products & Services?

Many people choose to use white label services and products due to time and funding restraints.

White labeling is especially useful for entrepreneurs and individuals who are looking to get started with their own online business, but lack the manpower to run a full business by themselves.

One example of this would be a writer who decides to rebrand a white label web design business.

This is a great set up for the writer as they are actually outsourcing the web design work, and are just filling the content writing needs on their own. In the end, it appears as though they are running a full scale business, which they kind of are, while they eliminate the need for them to manage every single task.

What are the Pros & Cons of White Labeling?

As with any good idea, white labeling has its pros and cons. On one hand, the product has already been created, which saves a good deal of time and money. In addition, the white label company doesn’t have to worry about finding the most effective way to market their products and services either.

White Labeling Pros

• White label businesses do not have to worry about branding and marketing their own products.
• Being a white label company can open you up to amazing clients that you would have otherwise never found.
• As a white label company, you get to focus on what your passion really is. You get to work on what you’re good at instead of focusing on things that you have little experience with.

White Labeling Cons

• With a white label company, it’s easy to lose control of the project. Those who are selling and marketing the product can tell the company what they want, when they want it, and so forth, which can drastically narrow the freedoms.
• You don’t get the credit you deserve. You can tell anyone about the work you do behind the scenes because that is how you sell your product or services, however, you also don’t get any of the credit on a job well done either.

So, there are some definite strong points to going into the white label industry, as well as some downers.

The key is having the creativity to utilize this market area to your advantage.

White label companies are not just limited to content, but practically any product or service that you can imagine. Many companies do white label Crowd Content’s content writing services, so be sure to consider if they could add value for your clients.

The post Introduction to the World of White Labeling appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

However, for those who are in charge of deciding the direction of their online marketing efforts and those who work in the industry of providing suitable content materials, it is somewhat essential to know the differences.

That is not to mention, with the wealth of conflicting information available online, it’s hard to know just what to believe when you CAN find a clear answer.

Here’s what you need to know about content marketing and content marketing strategy.

The Definitions

After sifting through countless definitions, which all had their own take on the terms, here are the most relevant explanations for practitioners.

For content marketer Amanda Maksymiw, the definition of “Content Marketing” is as follows:

“Content marketing is the process of developing and sharing relevant, valuable, and engaging content to target audience with the goal of acquiring new customers or increasing business from existing customers.”

On the other hand, a “Content Marketing Strategy” is a bit different.

“A content marketing strategy can leverage all story channels (print, online, in-person, mobile, social, etc.), be employed at any and all stages of the buying process, from attention-oriented strategies to retention and loyalty strategies, and include multiple buying groups.” – The Content Marketing Institute

To further explain the subtle differences here, author of the book The Elements of Content Strategy, Erin Kissane has a wonderful analogy.

“Content strategy is to copywriting as information architecture is to design.”

Or as the Content Marketing Institute’s Ahava Liebtag’s understanding of the definitions infer – Content marketing is about building relationships, while content marketing strategy is more about repeatable frameworks.

What is Content Marketing?

Now that you can clearly define content marketing, let’s delve a bit deeper so we can better see how it affects marketers and content providers.

This is probably the part that most of us are familiar with, the common elements of content marketing – blogs, social media, visual content, eBooks, webinars and so forth. In fact, a content marketing team can easily consist of multiple people performing specific jobs.

For example:

• A Blogger Who is Responsible for
  • Writing appropriate blog posts
  • Providing feedback for contributors
  • Editing other writers
  • Optimizing content for SEO
  • Analyzing blog performance
  • Increasing subscribers and reach

• A Social Media Manager Who is Responsible for
  • Building and managing social media profiles
  • Creating appropriate, share-worthy content
  • Listening and engaging with industry-appropriate customers and leaders
  • Running and tracking promotional campaigns
  • Driving traffic

In essence, content marketing is much more closely related to building meaningful relationships with consumers and industry leaders through the use of various content forms.

What is a Content Marketing Strategy?

A content marketing strategy, or content strategy, is not restrained to online content alone. Content strategy is the development, use and governance of usable content across an entire organization.

A content strategy is basically more focused on designing the end-users’ entire experience, the informational architecture available to them and the content’s utility.

The biggest benefit of having a content strategy is organizing the use of content throughout the entire organization to determine who is in charge of what content forms, how do they all fit together, what is the purpose of various content forms, and overall strategy for content.

To see what other experts have to say on the subject of content marketing vs. content strategy, click here.

As startups, small business owners and content providers it is important that we familiarize ourselves with every aspect of the content marketing industry and how it applies to us. Knowing these subtle differences can help us in both directing our marketing efforts and providing the appropriate content for the job.

For more information, head on over to the Crowd Content resources for content marketing.

The post What You Need To Know: Content Marketing and Content Marketing Strategy appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

As many internet users will attest, nothing turns a good website bad like limited readability and poor grammar.

Here are the top 5 grammar mistakes that content writers make.

1. Changes in Tense

Whatever tense you start writing with should be the tense you keep throughout the entire piece. It’s sometimes necessary to change tense in order to show changes in time, but unnecessary shifts are just confusing.

INCORRECT: When I get up in the morning, I always drank coffee before work.

CORRECT: When I get up in the morning, I always drink coffee before work.

2. Subject & Verb Agreement

It’s important to remember that the verb of a sentence MUST always agree with the subject.

If you have a subject that is plural, then you must have a verb that is plural. Likewise, for singular and first person subjects, the verbs must be singular and first person.

INCORRECT: I cannot stand to walk barefoot and have dirt stuck to my feet.

CORRECT: I cannot stand to walk barefoot and have dirt sticking to my feet.

3. Dangling Modifiers

A modifier is a phrase, word or clause that describes something else. When the subject being modified is missing from the sentence, it can often lead the sentence to have an unintended meaning.

In some cases, the modifier is misplaced. This happens when the subject and modifier are not together.

INCORRECT: “The girl was consoled by the nurse who had just taken an overdose of sleeping pills.” – The Writing Center

CORRECT: The girl who had just taken an overdose of sleeping pills was consoled by the nurse.

4. Possessives Mistakes

We typically use an apostrophe or apostrophe+s in order to show possession, however, misused apostrophes are a frequent mistake that content writers make. The point of possessives is to illustrate ownership, and the rules are actually pretty simple.

• Plural Noun = Add Apostrophe After “s”
• Singular Noun Ending in S = Add Apostrophe After “s”
• Singular Noun = Add Apostrophe+s

INCORRECT: “Eating an apple a day will keep the doctor away” is nothing but an old wive’s tale.

CORRECT: “Eating an apple a day will keep the doctor away” is nothing but an old wives’ tale.

5. Passive Voice

The absolute worst, and most common, grammar mistake made by content writers is writing in a ‘passive voice.’

In the English language, the majority of sentences are active i.e. there is a subject doing the action.

However, a passive sentence is where a subject has an action done it to. Passive sentences usually occur when the object is at the beginning, instead of the end.

INCORRECT: The oven should be cleaned every month.

CORRECT: You should clean the oven every month.

Avoid These Common Grammar Mistakes

As a freelance writer, these top 5 grammar mistakes are enough to turn any client away from your work.

No matter how great your grammar, style and word usage skills are, it never hurts for a content writer to review the rules of grammar.

If you’re ready for a review or have a few things that you’re interested in looking up, head on over to the Crowd Content University and look around.

If you’d prefer to hire a professional content writer for your website, be sure to get in touch with us.

What are some common mistakes you see? Let me know in the comments section below.

The post The Top 5 Grammar Mistakes That Content Writers Make appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

In fact, while longer and more in-depth content performs better from a SEO perspective, the truth is that people typically only skim the headlines and headers.

Since the headline you choose may be your only chance to impress a perspective reader, it is actually one of the most crucial parts of your writing.

Yet, what constitutes an amazing and spectacular headline that generates traffic?

Knowing What Types of Content Perform Best

While you may wonder what the type of content has to do with writing amazing headline, the fact is that some types of content undoubtedly perform better than others and it shows with the headlines.

When the headline contains something that indicates what type of content the reader can expect, you can expect readers to click-through more and share via social media more often.

Some of the most popular content types have headlines that include a reference to the content type:

• Pictures
• Quotes
• Facts
• Tips
• Habits
• Mistakes

Some headline examples using content types include:

• 10 Pictures that Will Make You Cry
• 5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Dogs
• The Most Common Habits of Successful People

Using the Best Performing Formats

There are some formats that consistently perform better than others. Readers are often looking for specific information (such as a How-To article) and prefer to have the information they consume broken down into easily digestible bites (such as a List).

As we have discussed before, many people are simply looking for answers to common questions.

Post format types that can be contained within in the headline include:

• List
• How To
• Quiz
• Question (What, Which, When, Why)
• Curated Posts
• FAQ
• SlideShare Post
• Infographic Post

Using Uncommon, Emotional & Powerful Headline Words

Anyone who is already using the CoSchedule Headline Analyzer is familiar with using words that are common, uncommon, emotional and powerful. However, if you’ve never used it before, then let me explain…

A traffic-generating and sharable headline should contain 10 words or less (or 56 characters or less), and contain a good balance of common, uncommon, emotional and power words.

The recommended balance consists of:

• 20%-30% Common Words
• 10%-20% Uncommon Words
• 10%-15% Emotional Words
• At Least 1 Power Word

Create Your Own Viral Headlines

With these few tips, you can easily work your way towards creating traffic-driving headlines that get results. However, it is important to remember that some headline types can become overused and less appealing to readers. It is always best to figure out what your audience prefers and connects with.

The post The Ultimate How-To Guide for Creating Awesome Headlines appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

One of the biggest benefits that forums and Q&A sites offer is the ability to generate a high amount of site traffic.

1. People Google Questions, Not Just Keywords

One of the reasons that these types of sites are generating more traffic is because of the rising trend of Googling questions.

While the questions do still contain keywords on the same topic, search volumes for generic primary keywords are seeing a slight decrease.

In fact, it’s becoming more and more commonplace for people to simply type the question into Google, than to use primary keywords and sift through the results looking for the content that they want. While you could create a specific piece of content to address each question, often users will do this for you if they create a thread on your forum.

2. Questions Include Long Tail Keywords

Another benefit that forms and Q&A sites both offer is the ability to easily incorporate longtail keywords.

Whereas, with blogging alone, it is often hard to incorporate long tail keywords that are you trying to target.

With questions, answers and forums, it is easy to incorporate three and four keyword phrases that are very specific to your market. This is because, in most cases, “natural” questions already contain long tail keywords.

3. Provide Genuine, Relative and Authoritative Answers

Whether you build your own forum or Q&A site, or use someone else’s, you can still leverage a great deal of traffic through this medium.

There are many resources that can help you learn How to Increase Website Traffic. However, it is important that you do not spam the sites as your posts and links will most likely get deleted.

Yet, when you provide genuine, relative and authoritative answers, you’ll find that people are following back to your website.

4. Boosts a Website’s SEO

When you’re leveraging the power of forums and Q&A websites, there are definitely some SEO advantages to be had.

For starters, these sites create the perfect storm for generating a diverse array of back links for your website. In fact, in order to make a link campaign look natural it is important to have back links from a variety of sources (forums, blogs, news sites, social bookmarks, static sites, etc.).

In addition, as a result of the variety of links, Google and people alike will find your site more authoritative and genuine.

5. Builds Trust

Here’s where the part about not spamming Q&A sites or forums comes into play.

People have quickly become very savvy when it comes to spam. If you’re leaving low quality answers, lots of links to your site, and constantly promoting your own products or services, then people will quickly be turned off.

However, when you take a more non-promotional route, and provide relevant and authoritative answers, people are more likely to look to you as an authority in your niche.

In fact, this is also a great opportunity for you to boost your thought leadership in order to set your site (and services or products) apart from the crowd.

These are only a few of the ways that forums and Q&A sites can be leveraged to generate site traffic.

Whether you build one on your own domain or simply use a popular site such as Quora, when used correctly these sites can offer massive benefits for both SEO and site traffic.

Do you know of any other benefits of Q&A sites and forums? Let me know in the comments section below.

The post 5 Reasons Forums and QA Sites Can Generate Site Traffic appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

That is not to mention the fact that search engine algorithms are constantly being updated, and what was true just weeks ago may now be outdated.

As 2016 is now well under way, there are a few things all SEO content writers and strategists should definitely be focusing on for this year’s SEO strategy.

1. Site Speed

Did you know that 40% of consumers will bounce off of a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load? Site speed has been an official ranking signal for Google since 2010, and it shows.

Most websites that enjoy top Google SERP rankings have a page load speed of less than 2 seconds.

If your concerned about your site’s loading speed, you can check your site and get helpful suggestions for improvement by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

2. In-Depth, Comprehensive Topical Content

Google’s Hummingbird Algorithm update entirely changed the way Google search engines look at content. Where it used to determine the topic of content by keywords alone, it can now understand the topic.

Now, when we type in a question such as, “Who played in Spiderman 3”, Google understands that we are looking for actors in the movie Spiderman 3 and provides us with an answer.

Need more convincing? Check out what the SEO experts at Moz have to say on the topic.

3. Long-Form Content

Gone are the days when 200-300 words of content constituted a good length. Now, the average Google first page result has approximately 1,890 words.

Numerous studies now show that pages with long-form content tend to rank significantly better than others.

There could be many reasons behind this: it generates more social media shares, it’s a preference of Google’s, it boosts topical relevancy or it just shows that site owners prefer to publish excellent content.

Whatever the reason, Google search results rank long-form content higher than short-form content.

Crowd Content writers are often utilized for their ability to write in-depth, search engine optimized, comprehensive articles that Google loves.

4. Bounce Rates

While you may not have thought about it before, other than to sigh over the amount of lost traffic, bounce rates may be having a major impact on your website ranking.

When your visitors are bouncing off of your website like kids on a pogo stick, Google seems to take this as a clear message that people do not like your content or it is not relevant for the keyword searched for.

While Google has denied that bounce rate is a determining factor in website rankings in the past, recent studies show a strong correlation.

5. Backlinks

While you may have heard that backlinks are no longer important, this is simply not true. The truth is that they are still VERY important, however, they are being measured a bit differently than they have been in the past.

In a recent study performed by Backlinko, they found that not only was there a strong correlation between backlinks and page rank, but also between unique referring domains.

In other words, it’s better to have backlinks from a wide variety of domains, instead of just a few.

“In fact, the number of unique referring domains was the strongest correlation in our entire study.”

– Brian Dean, Backlinko

In addition, the same study also found that a site’s link authority is strongly correlated to higher rankings. You can improve your site’s link authority using the Moz Open Site Explorer.

Regardless of your 2016 SEO strategy, these 5 things could ultimately be the difference between success and failure for your website.

The ultimate takeaway from the constantly updated algorithms of Google and other search engines is that quality is the ultimate driving factor.

Please use the comments section below to let me know if you have any other tips and tricks or general remarks on the topic.

The post 5 Things That Really Matter for SEO in 2016 appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Technology and search engines are constantly being updated and upgraded, which means you need to stay up-to-date too!

Here are five of the most important SEO and web marketing trends for 2016 that every business should be aware of.

1. Mobile Optimization Can Make or Break your Website

More internet-friendly devices than ever before are now browsing the web. From smart watches to laptops, 15% of all global traffic is now from mobile devices. In fact, mobile optimization is quickly becoming the norm, instead of the exception.

In addition, this year’s Google search algorithm update has provided a major boost for mobile-friendly websites.

With the growing trend of using mobile devices to search the web, Google has made it easier to find mobile optimized websites. So, Google is now using mobile friendliness as a determining factor in search results ranking.

If that doesn’t convince you, here are some more stats.

2. Local SEO is Even More Important

Local SEO has been gaining ground steadily ever since Google released the Pigeon update. In turn, more and more marketers and businesses are beginning to focus on local SEO.

This is why it is extremely important that you incorporate location specific keywords and tailor your content to your local, target audience in 2016.

In fact, many Crowd Content clients turn to their freelancers to write local landing pages for franchise locations all across the country, or around the world. They do this to boost their SEO value and see positive results.

3. Videos Are Essential

You have probably already heard about the great benefits of using videos to engage your audience, but did you know that videos make up about 62% of all universal Google searches?

In fact, compared to plain text content, videos have 50 times more organic page ranks.

If that isn’t enough to convince you, video searches also have a 41% higher click-through rate.

4. Social Content is Becoming More and More Important

Even though Google’s search algorithms are top secret, they have shared that social media content is becoming more important than it once was.

Currently, about 76% of Internet marketers are already using social media to support their SEO efforts.

Many brands are already seeing that their social media profiles are having an impact on search results.

See for yourself! Google search “Designhill” and see what the top listings are (hint: mostly social profiles). This is common with many businesses now.

5. Keywords Aren’t What They Once Were

As Google’s search algorithms have grown smarter, keywords have steadily declined in importance. While it is still absolutely necessary that they be included, Google can now interpret the meaning of content better by using semantics.

Search engines are now smart enough to consider the other words that would typically be found in addition to the keyword, as well as authoritative signals that might be included.

With the constantly evolving world of search engine algorithms and improved technology, 2016 marks the year of some major changes in the way we market and optimize content.

Make sure that your website is following the latest trends in order to enjoy the benefits of higher search engine rankings.

The post What Are the 5 Most Important SEO Trends This Year? appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Not to worry, in these 5 easy steps we will share how you can start an online community and get it off the ground in no time.

1. Appealing to User Self-Interests

Do not make the mistake of focusing on yourself or your business too much. Members who are there for their own reasons are what drives a successful online community. Create a community environment that caters to your users’ self-interests.

A great way to cater to your users’ interests is to crowd source.

• Use the power of the collective to provide insight, share ideas and solve issues.
• Proactively invite your customer base to weigh in on important issues that your company has been struggling with and see what solutions they have to offer.

2. Sustaining Momentum

An online community without much activity will die quickly.

• Consider how you might recruit more members or guarantee more of their time.
• Plan the first couple of weeks of community activity to ensure that activity is consistent and steadily increases.

One of the most highly recommended methods is to develop a champion program, or a program that rewards expert contributors for their contributions to the community.

• Add some leaderboards, gratification features and showcase the most valuable members.
• You may even consider including reputation data to show other members how trustworthy and credible comments are.

You may also be interested in:

• How to Keep a Forum Extremely Active—Engagement Tips from 5 Pros
• How to Keep Your Online Community Active [VIDEO]
• 5 Ways to Keep Your Online Community Active [SLIDESHARE]

3. Developing a Group of Core Members

One of the most important tasks you will face is developing a group of core members to start your online community off. You may contact a few long time, loyal clients or send out an email newsletter to your mailing list.

If you ensure that the community embodies something that they are invested in, then by the time you launch you will already have a dedicated group of members who cannot wait to begin using it. It also helps to involve company employees and reward customers for their contributions.

You may also be interested in reading:

• How I Built an Online Community From 0 to 1500+ Members | Moz
• How to Grow and Manage an Engaged Online Community | Social Media Examiner

4. Getting Members to Keep Returning

It is easier than not to get a member to visit one time. However, it is much harder to get them to visit a 2nd time or even more. What could you ask them to do on the first visit that would ensure they return?

• Ensure that you have provided relevant and compelling content from professional content writers, and made the community easy to find.
• Ensure that the community contributes to the overall customer experience, as well as keeping content fresh and interesting.
• In addition, you should offer a warm welcome and exclusive content offers.

5. Timed Release of Website Elements

With a new online community website, you may have to resist the urge to have the website completely built before opening the doors. In fact, the timed release of certain website elements could be very beneficial.

If you have a community website with many unused features, it could make your website look quiet. Holding back certain elements of your website will help to keep activity concentrated in certain areas and create a more active-looking website.

If you’re looking for inspiration, you may like:

• Top-Tier Community Websites for Design Inspiration
• Community Sites 2015 | The Webby Awards
• The 7 Key Features of an Online Community

Following these 5 steps will help you create a successful and active online community website. However, it is important to bear in mind that ‘Rome was not built in a day.’

By timing the release of certain website elements and ensuring that a systematic formula is followed, you can guarantee a successful online community is created.

The post How to Start a Successful Online Community in 5 Steps appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

While we may know the impact of social signals, it seems harder than ever to create unique content that will be retweeted, shared, liked and circulated throughout the social media world.

The only question that remains is: What is social content and how do I get it?

What Is Social Content?

Social SEO content is unique content that is both appealing to search engines and promotes socialization.

Whether it be in the form of commenting on blog posts, sharing content via social media or gathering information through surveys, creating unique and informative content that promotes socialization is key to becoming a credible industry leader that consumers trust in any niche.

How Do You Create Social SEO Content?

There is no cut and dry solution for creating engaging social content. In fact, there are numerous options available depending on your goals, purpose and outlet.

For Engaging SEO Content:

• Research Keywords – You cannot find and appeal to your target audience if you don’t know what they are searching for.
• Provide Valuable But Simple Solutions – People surfing the web rarely read anything from start to finish. Instead, they skim the headlines and headings in order to find the most relevant and valuable information.
• Be Empathetic – Appealing to your target audiences’ emotions and being empathetic with their plight is one of the most tried and true methods for gaining the attention and trust of your audience.
• Start The Conversation – Engaging SEO content is never simply read and forgot, instead it is one of the most powerful conversation starters available that can be utilized across blogs, social media, backlinks and more.

To Increase Shares & Comments:

• Post The 1st Comment – People are more likely to act if they are not the first one to do so. Being the first to comment is more likely to incite responses and inspire others to share their thoughts.
• Respond To Comments – Engage readers by responding to their comments. This helps them associate an identity with the content creator and brings the author to life.
• Create Surveys – As one of the most direct ways to engage your audience, conducting surveys initiates a direct conversation and provides tangible results.

With social SEO content that is appealing to both search engines and engaging to your audience base, anyone can become a trusted and reliable leader in their niche.

The post Social Content: What It Is and How to Master It appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.

Creating a brilliant, search engine optimized e-commerce store with product descriptions that drive sales requires a unique synchronization of SEO expertise and writing skill that select few product description writers have managed to master.

How do the experts do it?

1. Create Unique SEO Content Using Reviews

Customers are savvier and more intelligent shoppers than ever before. As such, one of the biggest factors in deciding whether or not to buy a product is the experiences of other shoppers.

Not only can you use customer reviews (instead of sales material or case studies) to create unique and valuable product descriptions that appeal to your target market, but you can also encourage consumers to leave product reviews that would continually generate unique content.

2. Category Descriptions Are Essential

Just as brick and mortar stores are organized into different departments and sections, your online store should also be organized according to category. Category descriptions not only provide search engines with keyword-rich SEO content, but they also allow consumers to easily find what they need or browse in areas that interest them.

Unlike product descriptions, category descriptions’ main purpose is to guide and inform consumers. They should not be promotional or include any sales pitches.

While word count may vary, on average they tend to be between 100 and 200 words depending on the products.

3. Use Product SKU Longtail Keywords

You may already know that longtail keywords are essential in SEO content, however, you may not have considered the importance of including product SKUs in long tail descriptions.

SKU numbers represent a specific product, as such they can also act as a highly targeted keyword in order to drive quality traffic.

In addition to this, longtail SKU keywords can also help smaller businesses compete against the biggest leaders in e-commerce and potentially even find their listings on the same search results pages as their industry leaders.

While there is no simple formula for creating the perfect e-commerce store, it is possible to create SEO content and product descriptions that appeal to both search engines and consumers.

With a skilled writer that can create enticing content and the right SEO formula, you can create brilliant SEO product descriptions that put your business in the running with the top industry leaders in your niche.

The post 3 Things You Need to Know to Create Brilliant SEO Product Descriptions appeared first on Crowd Content - Blog.