Compelling Content Gets Results

60% of all organic clicks go to the organic top three search results. How do you get to the top? By writing compelling content.

When it comes to ranking high in Google search results, the most important thing you need is unique, compelling, relevant content.

“Wait! What about high-quality backlinks?” you say.

Well, you’re right. The more websites that you have linking to your webpage, the higher your ranking will be. But how do you get people to link to your website? By creating unique, compelling, relevant content that people will want to read and, ultimately, share.

61% of global Internet users research products online. (Interconnected World: Shopping and Personal Finance, 2012)

What Kind of Webpage Content Does Google Value?

Many “SEO gurus” tout that they know the “secrets” to get websites ranked high on search engines, particularly on Google.

However, Google is pretty straightforward about the qualities it values when indexing a website. Take a look at these tips straight from Google’s webmaster guidelines:

• Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines.
• Create a useful, information-rich site, and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.
• Think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it.
• Think about what makes your website unique, valuable, or engaging. Make your website stand out from others in your field.

See? There’s no secret to getting your mattress website or blog ranked high in Google search results. However, there is some hard work – and a lot of research – involved. You can’t just throw a bunch of keywords together, slap a “Top 10” title on it, and call it a blog post. You need to be deliberate about writing unique, compelling, relevant content that will appeal to your target market. (See our post on buyer personas to learn who that is.)

Content marketing generates 3 times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing, but costs 62% less. (Demand Metric)

Okay, so I need compelling mattress content in order to rank higher in Google search results. But how do I write it?

Here are 6 pro tips for writing compelling mattress content for your website or blog:

1. Choose the Right Topic

Web searchers (i.e., potential customers) don’t really want to know about your company, or even about the mattresses you’re selling. When people use a search engine, they are looking for answers. The trick here is to figure out what your ideal customer is looking for – is it how to get a better night’s sleep, what causes morning back pain, where to find the latest sleep technology – and give it to them.

When your mattress website provides the answers a consumer is searching for, that person will begin to trust you and start to view you as an expert. Now, that potential customer has just become a qualified lead. And with the right nurturing, they’ll likely soon become a paying customer in your mattress retail store. All because you provided relevant, useful information on your website.

86% of consumers stated that using a search engine allowed them to learn something new or important that helped them increase their knowledge. (Pew Research Center, Search Engine Use 2012)

2. Be Original

Google wants each search result to be unique and valuable. Therefore, it’s imperative that the mattress content you write for your website is original. Google actually punishes websites that post duplicate content by reducing its search ranking. The only way to avoid being penalized is to make sure all your mattress content is unique.

That means no copying from other mattress websites or blogs, changing a few words around, and then posting that same content to your own site. It also means stay far, far away from cheap content mills who sell the same repurposed mattress content to the website after website.

3. Write a Catchy Headline

As a general rule, 80% of people who come across your webpage or blog post will read your headline, but only 20% of those people will read the rest of your content. If you want potential customers to stick around and read what you have to say, you have to draw them in with your headline. Your headline needs to do two things:

• Give the reader an idea of what the content is about
• Create a sense of urgency or intrigue that compels the reader to keep reading

4. Make Your Content Easily Scannable

Around 79% of web users scan content instead of reading it word for word. If you want a potential customer to stay on your website, your content has to be easily scannable.

If a reader can’t glance over your page and find the information they’re looking for quickly, they’re just going to look elsewhere.

Here are some things you can do to make your mattress content more easily scannable:

• Break up your content with subheads that sum up your main points.
• Write shorter, more concise paragraphs.
• Use bulleted lists to convey important or useful information.
• Format key phrases using boldface or italics.
• Use images to break up the text and add visual intrigue to your post or webpage.

The average content length for a web page that ranks in the top 10 results for any keyword on Google has at least 2,000 words. The higher up you go on the search listings page, the more content each web page has. (QuickSprout)

5. Include a Call to Action

A call to action is a statement that encourages the reader to perform a specific action:

• Click a link
• Read our “Beducation” blog
• Download a free white paper on good sleep habits
• Call a number to speak to a mattress sales rep
• Get directions to our mattress store

Call-to-action statements are usually included at the end of a webpage or blog post. They are a simple and effective way to encourage a Web visitor to stay on your website (or put their phone in their pocket and drive to your store) instead of moving on to a competitor.

6. Write Well

Everyone can write. But not everyone can write well. If you want your mattress content to stand out from the hundreds of other mattress websites online, it has to be written well. Good writing is more than just good grammar, proper punctuation, and correct spelling. Good writing gets your point across effectively while also actively engaging the reader.

Should I Write My Own Mattress Content or Hire a Copywriter?

When it comes to writing mattress content for your website, you can either write it yourself or hire a copywriter. However, if you do decide to hire a copywriter, here’s a word of warning. Don’t fall for the content mill scam. You get what you pay for with those services. Do a little research to choose the right marketing agency for your company.

We Can’t Say It Enough: Compelling Content Gets Results

Writing unique, compelling, relevant content will help your mattress store website rank higher in Google search results. This higher ranking will bring more traffic to your website. And more traffic coming to your website means more sales leads for you to nurture, which if you do it right, will lead to more paying customers. That is the ultimate goal of a successful content marketing strategy.

If you need help writing compelling mattress content for your website or blog, the content creation and digital-marketing specialists at Studio C5 are here for you. We can help you devise a content creation strategy to drive more traffic to you website, through our all-inclusive 360 inbound marketing system.