The Human Approach to Site Optimization

by Scott T. Smith

Most people online today continue to use search engines to find what they are looking for, as well as follow links from sites they trust. Let's discuss this "trust" from the standpoint of positioning your Web business.

When you have generated traffic to your site, you need to give people what they are really looking for. In particular, you must deliver genuine answers and real benefits through your site copywriting.

This is a big stumbling block for those who use doorway pages to maximize their search engine positioning - without taking into account their human visitors.

You know clearly focused keywording throughout your site is fundamental to successful search engine positioning. So how do you write the words on your page to accent your site theme for the search engines, and more importantly, serve your customers?

Go Belly to Belly

A key marketing thought to consider is that a few hundred well-satisfied customers can feed you, clothe you, and take care of you into your ripe old age.

These "customers for life" will only be yours if you and your Web site are personal service oriented. It's a powerful way to separate yourself from your competitors who think automation is the only answer for Web success.

Here are 10 key questions to help you with this approach. The answers you generate will inform your Web site writing.

Your Product/Service

2. Your products and services: please list two short key phrases that describe exactly what you supply.

3. What's your single, most marketable, unique, competitive edge? This is your essential Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

4. Describe your product/service in detail.

A. List seven features that jump out at you:
(A feature is a fact about a product or service, such as "wash cold, hang dry", or "made in Morocco". Features demonstrate how things are created, delivered and maintained.)

B. List seven enormous benefits your products/services give your site visitors.
(A benefit is anything that will make someone's life better, easier or more productive by using your product or service.)

5. Which product/service is your "best of the best" - your #1 most popular, profitable or marketable offering?

Your Site Visitor

seven. List seven unique and interesting facts you really want site visitors to know about you and the products/services you provide...

8. List at least seven of the most commonly asked questions about your products/services, as well as the answers you give...

9. List at least seven of the most common misconceptions your site visitors have about your offerings...

10. What are the 3 specific things your target market most wants to know about or looks for in your product/service?...

The Wrap Up: Integrating Customer and Search Engine Needs

Here's how to use this information to please both site visitors and search engines:

B. Research the words people actually use when they look through a search engine to find what you offer.

C. Take the #1 word you find on GoTo. Wherever it makes sense (and without becoming obnoxious), substitute this keyword for similiar words and phrasing within your site writing. Ideally you should try to achieve a three to seven percent ratio of your keyword to the other words on your page.

D. Re-optimize your pages around this single keyword, then hand-register these newly written pages with the major search engines.

This is the "human approach" to site optimization. It's not scientific but it's fast, and can free up your time to move onto the other aspects of your Web business.