It’s best to use methods that have proven themselves many times. Of course, you can rely on momentary inspiration, dazzle or a rush of ingenuity, but if you want to achieve consistently good results, bet on what just works.

Persuasion in sales copywriting boils down to the use of proven principles. Copywriters who are convincing know how to appeal to specific human desires and needs. Their understanding and ability to use this in the texts will allow you to increase the effectiveness of your messages, i.e. the strength of their persuasion. But what are the rules of knowledge? Let me explain!

People value what is not enough

This rule says that people are more willing to buy a product that is (or will be soon) short of. This means that the value of a given item increases as its availability decreases. Some products are bought because of their usability, appearance or capabilities, and others because of their uniqueness.

Sales copywriting uses this dependence for a long time and in various forms. See how you can increase the value of your product or service in the eyes of customers, guided by the principle of shortage.

A. Quantity
“Limited Edition”, “Collector’s Edition” – these are messages whose limitation refers to quantity. They work great in B2C sales. It is used by footwear and clothing brands, producing children’s toys and many others.

Example:
“Only 200 pairs of limited edition XYZ fluorescent shoes will go on sale on Friday!”

B. Time
In the context of this limit, products are sold within a specified time frame. This can be seen great on the online course market. The authors, long before opening sales, intensively promote their product, then opening its sale for only a few days or a week. Time pressure makes people make purchasing decisions faster – they are aware that the offer is not eternal.

What do these messages look like? Maybe you associate mailings like:
“Last 2 hours! We are closing the sale of the XYZ course in a moment ”

C. Threat
If you do not take specific action, the existing privilege or convenience will disappear. This method may be associated with a shortage of time, but here it is about permanently depriving the recipient of a specific opportunity – this is the basis of the message, not the deadline. See:

“The plan to close the local confectionery factory is due to the low number of visitors. So take your toddler there or lose this opportunity! “

D. Targeting
The product or service is directed to a selected, specific group of customers. These may be people who have previously bought a specific item and now you would like to sell them something else. It is worth pointing out that the offer is only available to them because, for example, they have fulfilled certain conditions.

“How is your new coffee machine working? Because as one of the few customers you bought it online from us, you can get coffee capsules 50% cheaper! “

E. Invitation
The service is available only to people who will be invited, e.g. by one of the current users. This not only builds the impression of inaccessibility and exclusivity, but also increases curiosesity.

“Our new functionality is currently only available in beta. You must receive an invitation with a link to access it. “

From a psychological point of view, the shortage principle used in sales copywriting is effective because it is based on the loss of some opportunity and fear of regret.

If a product is available all the time, the customer feels confident and at ease – he knows that he can buy it at any time. He has the freedom to choose whether he will do it now or in a week. However, when you suddenly limit its availability, the customer loses this opportunity and reacts against this change by buying a product.

At the same time, people have a strong fear of regret, that is, they are afraid that if they do not buy the product now, when they have the opportunity, then they will regret it. If this fear is strong enough, it is easier for them to spend money – they treat this investment as a form of security.

Traps

When using the principle of shortage in your copywriting, remember to do it properly. If you want it to work in favor of your offer, you must use it in a thoughtful way. Below are three basic rules that you need to keep in mind.

– Deficiency should not be the main advantage / value of the offer – it’s just an add-on that strengthens the basic message,
– If you produce something massively and at the same time try to support sales, e.g. with the slogan “limited collection”, do not count on spectacular effects. Similarly with discounts: if the same “Last sale days” banners have been hanging from store display cabinets for several weeks, people will quickly stop believing in this sale. Your message must be consistent with what you really do,
– Not every product / service can or should be promoted with the support of the shortage principle. The sales model for everyone, without any quantitative or temporal restrictions is also appropriate. Which path you choose depends on the overall brand strategy and the campaign.

Sales copywriting often raises sympathy

We buy more willingly than those we like. Among other things, this is why well-known actors, singers and popular Youtubers appear so often in commercials. People are more likely to follow the directions of the people they identify with, who are familiar, have similar views or are a role model or authority for them.

How can a copywriter use the crush principle as a form of persuasion? After all, he does not meet his recipients face to face. Only words are available. Or maybe a word?

Usually, sales texts focus immediately on the benefits of purchasing a given product or service. However, if you want to arouse sympathy at the beginning, you can start the content with a skillfully written compliment. See an example:

“If you work remotely, you know perfectly well that it doesn’t mean all day in bed with a laptop on your lap. If you work effectively, you probably already have a great time management or avoid distractions. To make 100% remote work you need to solve only one problem … “

Such an introduction shows that you understand the situation of the recipient, identify with him and at the same time appreciate how much he has achieved on his own. In this way, as a copywriter, you will find a common language with the reader from the very beginning, thanks to which he will be more eager to find out what you have to say to him.

The principle of sympathy, like any technique, must be used skillfully. Its foundation is proper knowledge of the recipient – his needs, everyday life and expectations. It will be difficult for you to create an effective text if you set too broad a target group. The narrower it gets, the easier it will be to personalize your message.

Write also about the disadvantages

Copywriters very often focus only on the benefits and benefits of the products or services they describe. They try to show them in superlatives, which often creates a seemingly unreal image of the offer. Because are there ideal things? They may exist, but people rarely believe in them – especially when they have to buy something.

Much faster and easier you will gain the trust of the recipient and arouse credibility when you also write about the disadvantages of your product or service. In this way you can also position it for specific clients.

Someone is looking for the cheapest solution and you offer it, but at the same time there is a doubt about quality? Explain to the customer what the lower price is for.

“Our product is cheaper because we gave up several functions almost unused by customers, and instead we focused on refining key functionalities. Thanks to this we have obtained optimal quality in relation to the price. “

Why is such a description more effective? Because it contains a logical explanation and at the same time an assurance that the basic functionalities (i.e., most likely the reason why the customer wants to buy it when it comes to the bottom price shelf) will work flawlessly.

Show the specifics

By accessing websites you can find many terms saying:

“You will achieve success with us”
“We respond quickly to any requests”

Do you know what connects them? That they actually say nothing and do not inform about anything. Because what does “success” or “quickly ” mean? Probably something different for everyone. General statements and assurances do not sound credible and poorly sell, because the recipient does not see in them specific values for themselves and their business.

By adding specific information, you can easily increase the persuasive power of your messages:

“With us you will increase your revenue by up to 30% in 6 months”
“We respond to all requests within 24 hours”

Do you see the difference? Which message would inspire your trust faster? Similarly with the customer – specific information increases the credibility of the content.

Rely on authority

Do you remember that people are more eager to buy from the ones they like? But not only from them. They value and are ready to succumb to the suggestions of those whom they consider to be experts in a given industry.

Therefore, use authority as an argument. Include in your texts expert statements (e.g. scientists in a given field), links to research or statistics. Make sure that the information you provide is well-founded.

Remember that the authority you refer to is to be an authority primarily for the recipients, it does not necessarily have to be for you. Ads very often use images of teenage stars to promote cosmetics for young girls. Of course, actresses usually have no idea if the compositions of these products are good and they themselves, e.g. pleasant to use, because they do not use them.

However, the involvement of female fans is so great that it is enough to remove their pretty face with a given cosmetic and a short description to convince the girls to buy. This is an excellent way to show how persuasive authority can be, even unjustified.

Summary

The above techniques will help you relatively easily increase the effectiveness of your sales copywriting. You don’t have to use all of them – at first, get to know your target group well, then think about which methods will be most effective in your case. Often more is not better.

When should you position the page yourself?

Website positioning is not an easy task. It requires constant monitoring and analysis of conducted activities, as well as adaptation to changing Google algorithms. The difficulty of this task means that many companies (even those micro) decide to cooperate with SEO agencies. However, there are also some daredevils who want to position their website on their own. This can be tempted when:

– you have a lot of free time – positioning requires not only knowledge but also large resources of free time; this is often a full-time job, so if you want to combine it with acquiring and servicing clients, marketing and accounting, then you have to focus on failure;
– you have a limited SEO budget – the salary of a good SEO specialist may be too high for many companies (especially those entering the market); so if you don’t have the right budget, you can implement the first SEO activities yourself; this will reduce the cost of doing business while not losing visibility in the search engine;
– you are passionate about SEO and want to develop your knowledge and test in practice; in this situation, working on SEO of your own site is a great idea;
– you can afford to use the trial and error method – without extensive knowledge of SEO, and yet wanting to position the site yourself, you need to prepare for mishaps (including financial); often part of the budget is lost on independent positioning; errors can also lead to a decrease in the position of the page in the search engine, a decrease in website traffic, and thus a decrease in sales.

Where to start positioning the page?

Positioning is a complex process. That is why you should do an SEO audit of your site before you join it. Its task is to check which activities are carried out correctly and which ones should be improved or implemented additionally. The SEO audit is also intended to show whether the technical background allows smooth implementation of optimization changes.

It is worth remembering that when auditing the page, pay attention not only to technical issues, but also to the functionality of the site, visual attractiveness and other factors that can reduce the conversion rate. What should definitely be checked during the audit is:

– Website indexing – positioning cannot be discussed if the website will not be displayed in the search engine; the first step is to verify your site’s indexing; this can be done by typing in the search engine: site: domain name.com – all subpages and pages indexed in Google will appear in the results; if your site is not appearing, please send a request to have it crawled by Google Search Console; it is worth returning the indexing request if something has changed on the page;
– Metadata on the page – they determine the content of a given subpage; they are important to both Google robots and users; metadata should be on every page of the site; you should ensure that they are prepared in accordance with the guidelines, i.e. have the appropriate length and content of keywords.
– Headlines in published content – they are of key importance in positioning; headlines H1 and H2 have the greatest weight, but it is recommended to use these H3-H6.
– Page loading speed – this parameter affects not only SEO, but also the convenience of using the website; a page that is loading too long will cause the Internet user to leave it before it opens; the loading speed of the website can be checked using the free Page Speed ​​Insights tool provided by Google; if the loading speed is not satisfactory, then corrective actions, e.g. image compression, will be necessary.
– Adaptation to mobiles devices – website responsiveness is one of the basic factors affecting SEO; whether the website is responsive can be checked by performing mobiles optimization tests;
– Optimized URL – links to individual subpages should be friendly to Google’s algorithm and users; it must be unique, legible and provide information about what is actually on the site.
– Website structure – it is important that it is legible and intuitive; it should have a simple navigation system; this will help in positioning and avoid high bounce rate.
– SSL certificate – it ensures that all data sent by the website is protected; lack of encryption protocol will mean low security, worse conversions, as well as poor website credibility; certificate ownership can be checked using SSL verification tools.
– Inbound links – high quality inbound links currently count in SEO; they should not be placed on suspicious sites that may be negatively evalsuated by Google’s algorithms; the quality of incoming links can be checked through free tools available on the Internet.

What after the audit?

The next step after the audit is to prepare an SEO strategy. It is extremely important when positioning yourself. It will allow you to implement subsequent optimization changes in turn. The SEO strategy should cover the most important issues such as: keyword list, website content, link building. It’s a good idea to check how competitors that find high positions in the search engine, present their content, products, services, competition.

5 tasks that you need to do when positioning on-site

Independent positioning of the site, it is worth starting with the activities carried out on the site, i.e. on-site. Internal positioning is based on several important issues.

Keywords in positioning

The first is keywords. A lot depends on their proper selection. When choosing them, check among others do they really match the website theme, are they useful, what is their competitiveness. The selected keywords should be grouped so that they coincide with subsequent stages of the sales funnel. Thanks to this it will be possible to reach customers at every stage of purchase.

Many people positioning the site independently, choose keywords based on experience in the industry. This is a good solution if you want to create a wide list of phrases. Searching for keywords is good if you pay attention to long-tail phrases, those related to keywords (creating the so-called thematic contexts), informational key phrases (answering the users question), commercial key phrases (containing the brand name).

Content in positioning

The content posted on the site is very important. When preparing those to help in SEO, you should pay attention to both their attractiveness, as well as editing and appearance. The texts published on the website must be interesting, practical, written in a simple and friendly language, and above all unique – Google does not like duplication of content. The whole should be divided into logical paragraphs separated by headings H1-H6 and also have at least 3000 characters including spaces. A good recommendation is also putting on content in the material, without ornaments, not saturated with adjectives and keywords.

Graphics in positioning

The properly used multimedia will also help in positioning the website. Graphics or video are a natural complement to the texts. They visualize the described issue, they can present a product or service. However, for photos / videos to improve SEO, they need to be properly optimized. Most important is the alt attribute read by Google.

Internal linking – a must have for every website

When running a small website with services, internal linking must be carried out. To this end, while building a blog, we construct content to include keywords for which particular services are positioned. Under these keywords on the blog we put internal (intertext) links that direct to services. As a result, Google “raises” internally linked landing page positions.

Readability and intuitiveness of website in positioning

The readability and intuitiveness of the site is UX – user experience. This concept conceals the impressions and feelings of users who reach the site. The more friendly the navigation and layout are, the higher the conversions. If you want to take care of UX, positioning the page yourself, you should take care of: the structure of the website, usability, adaptation to mobiles devices, valuable content, voice search. Friendly UX, however, consists of many more factors: appearance, feelings, usability, website goals, content transparency, language used, color used.

2 tasks that you need to perform when off-site positioning

When positioning the website yourself, you cannot neglect external activities. They mainly focus on obtaining links from valuable websites and eliminating those on low-rank websites. Link building, however, is not the only task in off-side positioning.

Link Building in positioning

Link Building is one of the most important positioning pillars. The lack of incoming links is the main reason for the lack of high position in Google. Link Building in positioning is a very broad topic. The most important thing in independent positioning, however, is to place links to valuable websites. These are primarily considered to be those related to some degree to a positioned website, as well as those of high authority. It is also desirable to get dofollow links.

Linking is also important for SEO. There are several possibilities here. A link to positioning the page can be placed by linking the key phrase (exact mach) or its altered version, or a semantic keyword (partial mach). Often, zero macht linking is used, i.e. the key phrase is linked, but the word here is. You can also link the company name or paste the exact URL into the text.

Google My Business

This is a business card that largely translates into improved SEO. You have to create your business card yourself. The entire process of establishing it is 5 steps and includes providing the most important information about the company. The business card is created after data verification by Google. It is worth focusing to provide accurate data on working hours, address, products, type of business, website address. It is also advisable to place photos and opinions, i.e. social evidence.

Summary

Independent positioning of the website is a time-consuming process, difficult for many people, but possible. Using the check list above, you will perform the most important actions that will allow your website or online store to achieve a high position in Google. It is worth remembering, however, to look at each of these steps thoroughly and deepen knowledge in the field of individual elements affecting positioning. It should be realized that there is no universal recipe for website positioning. Different activities work in every situation. This is why, in many cases, achieving high positions in search engines is the result of a combination of creative approach, knowledge of the industry and experience in SEO.

PR + SEO = SEO PR

Simply put, SEO PR is a combination of search engine optimization and public relations activities, which is enriched with SERM, i.e. managing reputation in the search engine, by promoting positive materials about a selected brand and responding to negative ones.

SEO and PR combine primarily content, or content. They are needed for both activities. In order to combine SEO with PR, it is necessary to create valuable content for these two areas of marketing. It is not difficult, but requires the development of detailed guidelines and is more time-consuming than creating typical “pretzels”. The development of such content is associated with higher costs, because you need to write a virtuoso of a pen who will understand the issues of building image on the web as well as the principles of search engine optimization.

SEO PR – why is it important?

The issue of SEO PR is considered increasingly popular and important, and all because the creation of a positive image on the web is a key issue for most companies. It is supposed to bring benefits to both SEO and PR activities – the combination of these fields strengthens SEO activities and helps in positioning public relations materials.

The use of public relations in SEO pays off for every brand. Benefits will benefit both a little-known brand that just wants to promote, and a large company wanting to prevent and control image crises. SEO PR is also useful when you want to build an expert position on the market and fight for high-end clients.

How to use PR in SEO?

SEO PR often reaches for companies in a crisis situation, when, for example, a lot of negative information about the company appears on the web. In such a situation, campaigns are often one of the solutions often used, during which a number of positive image messages are published. The effect is to reduce the visibility of adverse content. However, SEO PR should be implemented in a marketing strategy in times of prosperity. It will be an effective tool that will help promote the company and its products, and at the same time build consumer confidence and e.g. an expert image. Thoughtful actions will also allow you to obtain valuable links in a natural and quite safe way, and often (importantly) free. For valuable content, the portal may agree that the press release be included for free with the link.

In summary, using public relations in SEO activities,
– A positive image of companies is created,
– Increases search engine visibility,
– Increases organic traffic on the site,
– Increases sales,
– Builds a group of new recipients.

How to make PR valuable for SEO?

SEO RP activities should be conducted in accordance with current Google recommendations and naturally fit in with strategies to build the company’s image. If you want to conduct them, remember to avoid “artificial” actions at all costs – search engine algorithms are more and more sensitive to them and capture them better. Therefore, it becomes necessary to prepare an analysis for UX and plan the creation and distribution of content. In order not to get lost in these activities, it is recommended to create an SEO PR strategy that will determine, among others target group, task calendar, topics covered by SEO PR, issues related to SEO optimization (e.g. list of dedicated keywords, content structure, structural data encouraging clicking on the message), content distribution and promotion tools.

It should be remembered that even the best prepared and implemented SEO strategy will not bring results if you do not constantly monitor and control changes. For SEO PR, good timing and upcoming trends are important. The need for quick response means, with SEO PR, it is worth combining with real time marketing. Orientation in the current situation will allow to use them in favor of the promoted brand or product. You can even use Google Trends to analyze trends.

If you want to use PR in SEO activities, you should not forget to build correct relations with the media. In an era when the Internet is saturated with content, you cannot delude yourself that you will send a low-level text to the portal with a link, and it will place and promote it. To get the press information to a widely read medium, PR should be conducted at a high level and create attractive, unique, timely, correctly substantive content, interesting from the point of view of the reader (and not the company) that you want to reach. At the same time, you cannot expect the publisher to always publish information for free with a dofollow link attached. To avoid disappointment, publication conditions should be set in advance, with links only when the article enforces it. An active link in a PR message should be an integral part of the content, e.g. redirect to content sources, examples, solutions to a given problem, etc.

Tools for SEO PRs

It is also difficult to talk about the effectiveness of SEO PR if you do not use the tools available on the market. They will help in obtaining data, monitoring effects and changes, building image in search engine. SEO PR tools that are worth paying attention to are:

– Keyword analysis applications – they will help you choose the right phrases that will be used in published PR materials; both the free Google keyword planner and free applications can be used to search for keywords;
– Network monitoring tools – their task is to inform about mentions that appear about the brand; this allows for a quick response to them, and also indicates where to place bulilding links; SEO tools can be used to monitor the network.
– Applications that monitor search results;
– Content and content publishing platforms, as well as Google Ads and Facebook As promotion tools that will increase the visibility of produced content;
– Internet forums – can be used not only for “whispers”, but also for substantive statements of the brand, in which he will give extensive statements on the topic in which he wants to specialize; in these statements, you can add a dofollow or nofollow link naturally (if possible);
– Brand ambassadors – cooperation with influencers is an increasingly popular solution; it turns out that the correct definition of its rules can have a positive image effect, as well as increase visibility in search results;
– Applications for running a virtual press office – they will enable easier management of databases of cooperating journalists and faster sending them of press releases; many platforms for running e-press offices also allow the journalists with whom they cooperate to retrieve information.

The brand’s reputation in the 21st century is the most expensive currency. Positive opinions and the image of an expert can be won even with a larger competitor that offers cheaper products / services. SEO PR will ensure both the visibility of the page in the search engine and put the brand in a good light. Importantly, thanks to activities carried out effectively, brand visibility on the web will grow rapidly, and Internet users will easily find published content even by asking Google general questions related only to the long tail of search. Entrepreneurs who wondered whether investing in SEO PR should dispel their doubts.

How to use SEO PR articles?

A. When entering the company, ask for all company publications available on the Internet. Review them for possible link placement (no matter if Dofollow or Nofollow) – and under the name (brand) put a link to the main page. At the same time, if possible, rebuild a sentence so that you can add one more link, e.g. to a category, product or service.

B. If the customer does not have a list of articles, use footprints to search for articles in the search engine, for example:
– “company xxxx”
– “about company xxxx”
– “at xxxx”
– “by xxxx”
– “by xxxx”
If you already have a list, contact the editors of these articles and try to put a link there.

C. Make sure that all new PR publications contain a minimum of 1 brand link (sporadically brand + keyword) to the homepage.

D. If possible, put several products with links to them in the article, the full name of the product may be an anchor (don’t forget about nofollow, because it may be necessary).

E. Use all possible Social Media channels to promote your brand – positioning them results in queries about the company name, brand, domain name – search results are the company’s URL and profiles. SERM is also part of PR.

F. Remember what keywords you are fighting for above all:
– name + reviews
– name + portfolio
– name + rating
Unfortunately, in the case of phrases such as “name + scammers / bankruptcy” will be a huge challenge.

G. Browse the positioned website – implement all possible extended parts to obtain “knowledge graph” – that is the box describing the company: local business, website, organization.

H. Use PBN platforms to get interesting spots for publishing articles (sometimes it’s cheaper). An interesting option is the publication of the article on portals that are in Google News – there is then a chance for a carousel with such articles to appear on brand queries.