Website: www.michaelsellars.com
Page Rank: 3
Google SERPs for targeted phrases: first page, positions1 to 8.
For this first case study, I thought I'd take a look at my own website. What's good for the goose...
As a freelance writer I was faced with a number of challenges when creating my website, the first being what to optimise my web content for? You see, I didn't simply want to promote myself as a copywriter but also as a ghost writer, content writer and, more generally, a pen for hire (hence my logo).
However, being based in Liverpool and recognising that the most immediate and effective source of revenue was local and regional advertising, design and marketing agencies, I initially optimised my site around the phrase 'copywriter liverpool'.
I've been very successful in this. Download the 'Evidence File' pdf at the bottom of the page for evidence relating to this and all other search-result claims.
I occupy the following positions in Google SERPs for permutations on the phrase 'copywriter liverpool':
copywriter liverpool: 1 of 111,000 results
copywriters liverpool: 1 of 62,100 results
copywriting liverpool: 1 of 71,800 results
liverpool copywriter: 2 of 107,000 results (the number 1 results is for a recruitment company)
seo copywriter liverpool: 1 of 11,600 results
The next phrase I pursued was 'content writer liverpool' and permutations thereon:
liverpool content writer: 1 of 471,000 results
content writer liverpool: 2 of 434,000 results
Next, 'freelance writing services'. Google's keyword research tool (free for all to use) had indicated that this phrase receives a fair amount of traffic each month. Here, I was looking to nail down a national keyword phrase, not just something local to Liverpool and the surrounding region.
freelance writing services: 8 of 13,500,000 results.
That's a first-page organic presence for a nationally-targeted phrase with online competition of thirteen and a half million.
So, how did I achieve all this?
Well, back-links play a relatively small, but nonetheless significant, part. I only have about 40 back-links in total. However, a handful of these come from page rank two websites and one from a page rank four website. I always aim for quality, not quantity. And I only look to acquire links from relevant websites: websites rich in content about writing, copywriting, content writing, ghost writing, proofreading etc.
I also created my own relevant back-links using a combination of article marketing and off-site blogging. The blog in question, a creative writing resource, isn't commercially related to my site, but it is thematically related. I also use Twitter to drive traffic to this offsite blog to increase it's page rank, and this page rank is then effectively 'paid forward' to www.michaelsellars.com.
The bulk of the work, however, has taken place on site.
Once I'd identified my keywords and phrases, I set about creating my content, making sure to insert said keywords and phrases at a density of about 2% to 3%. Any less is likely to be ineffective, any more and alarm bells will begin to chime at Google HQ. As you can imagine, it's a delicate balancing act. Also, where possible, I included my keywords and phrases in headings, in the first 100 words of each page, in bold or italic and as 'alt tags' for images.
But all of the above is the run-of-the-mill stuff most able SEO consultants will advise you to carry out. It doesn't quite explain the great results my website experiences in Google's search results.
The real driving force behind the success of www.michaelsellars.com is content. Lots of content. If you were to conduct a word count on my site, you'd receive a result somewhere in the region of 7,000 words and growing. And because the content is relevant to my chosen field (writing, copywriting, content writing etc), I generate a huge amount of semantically-related keywords and phrases without even really trying; they just emerge out of the content-rich soup of the website. Semantically-related keywords and phrases are playing an increasingly important role in Google's algorithm for identifying websites that are relevant to a particular search phrase. If someone Googles 'copywriter', Google won't simply list all the sites that contain the word 'copywriter' over and over, it will look for semantically-related words and phrases like 'advertising', 'writing', 'marketing' and 'promotion'. If your website is rich in relevant content, it will naturally contain all the semantically-related keywords you (and Google) need.
To ensure my website remains content-rich, I blog at least every three days. More often than not, I blog every other day. And, sometimes, I blog every day. Mostly I keep the blog posts very much 'on theme', and that theme, as you've doubtless already guessed is content, content, content. And more content. However, I'll blog about pretty much anything if I think it might be of interest to my readership, because it keeps the conversation going and commercial success online is less about salesmanship and more, much more, about taking part in the Big Conversation, making your website useful, relevant and eminently visitable.
I think the success of my own site speaks volumes when it comes to the central importance of cramming your website with fresh, original and relevant content.
If you want to find out what I can do for you, your website and your business, call me on 0790 661 2111 or join my mailing list using the opt-in form on the right for a free website content review.
For evidence pertaining to all of the above, download the Evidence File below:
Case Study One Evidence File