Newsletters and search engine marketing, part 2

If you want visitors to return to your site, you will have to provide them with valuable content. A newsletter helps you develop a routine for adding content to your site.

In this second part of our series on newsletters and search engine marketing, Garrett French reflects on how to build content that serves your readers and customers as well as the search engines.

See also part 1: Search engine marketing benefits of an email newsletter

Writing search engine friendly newsletter copy

Written by Pandia Guest Writer Garrett French

(October 2004) Every sentence in every article you write must exist solely to help your customers achieve a specific goal. In the case of this article every sentence exists to help you create an information resource for your industry that markets you in emails and in regular search results.

The idea behind article writing is to demonstrate what you know by giving advice on industry-related issues your readers face.

Style

Keep your articles short -- in the 400 to 600 word range. This is about all that search engine spiders typically will store when they index a page. 600 words is at the high-end of what your readers are going to make time for too.

Short paragraphs, while not necessary for search engines, are helpful to your readers, who're likely to be skimming your article rather than reading it closely. remember that reading text on a screen is quite different from reading traditional print.

Bullet points and pull quotes are other excellent ways of adding visual interest to your email newsletter while emphasizing key points.

Generating article ideas

You are convinced of the search engine optimization value that an email newsletter can give your site. Still you're wondering how you're going to come with an article idea every month (which is good) or every week (which is even better).

You probably can name five or more article ideas right now. Go ahead and write those down. For more ideas revisit your keyword list. If appropriate, work these words into your articles and article titles.

In your first newsletter express your intention to provide the latest and best information on your industry. Then ask your readers what they want to hear about. More importantly ask them what specific questions they have regarding your expertise.

Interviews, polls and questions

Readers love to see that they are being addressed directly and love to see their names in print. By answering their questions you're also sharing your unique industry knowledge and position yourself more firmly as an expert.

Their questions and requests can be the sole source of your content if you have enough readers and enough reader questions.

It's best though if you can occasionally come up with an article that breaks news or offers surprising insights of some sort.

The easiest way to create this kind of content is through visitor polls and interviews with industry leaders. Polls require some solid questions that will uncover specific trends in your industry.

For a search egine optimization newsletter I would ask questions about how people are tracking their conversions and link building practices.

I've seen some companies ask fairly controversial questions and distribute accompanying press releases (which can and should be optimized for search engines too). This generates a great deal of buzz and consequent linking.

Still Looking for More Content Building Ideas?

Take a cue from traditional marketing and get to know your clients' buy cycle, that is, the process by which they search for and find the solutions you provide.

Typically this process includes identifiable stages of research, with early searches using more problem-focused keywords and later stage searches including more solution-focused terms.

Interview your current customers. Ask how they became aware of your solution, and who makes the key decisions in their company.

This type of research is more important for higher-ticket business to business solutions, but all can benefit from a better understanding of their clients. Moreover, article targeting the various stages of the buy cycle will increase brand awareness and sales.

Next week's article will look at ideas for distributing your newsletter.

Garrett French is the Marketing and Communications Manager for MarketSmart Interactive and the Managing Editor of Search Engine Lowdown. He drives MarketSmart Interactive's web presence - and thought leadership - through search industry participation. Call 919-433-3139 or email Garrett.French @MarketSmartInteractive.com to discuss how MarketSmart Interactive can build your business.

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