Understanding the SEO writing basics: How does keyphrase-rich text help with higher rankings?
If you want to understand why keyphrase-rich writing works, you first need to understand how spidering search engines index Web sites.
Search engines spiders navigate the Web via hypertext (links), retrieving and recording text content. That means that what the searcher sees (like the text promoting your company's products) is the same data as what a spider records.
Notice that Flash doesn't appear on that list? That's because both Flash-based pages and all-graphics pages share one fatal flaw: there's no text they can index. Since there are no HTML cues that demonstrate a site's relevancy, the search engines pass it by.
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Tip: Want to tell if your site's copy is HTML or a graphic? Hit Ctrl-A to highlight the copy. Chances are, if the text doesn't highlight, it's trapped in a graphic text box.
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If you have a Flash home page (or if any of your important inner pages are in Flash), beware. Same with a graphics-based site. Sure, you can add value and include Flash and graphic elements without sabotaging your rankings. But just remember that certain design elements can have considerable search engine optimization consequences.
How does search engine optimization writing convert prospects into satisfied customers?
Having said that, consider the myriad of sites boasting Flash home pages or graphics-intense splash pages. If Flash and graphic home pages challenge the search engines, do they at least help surfers convert into spenders? Not really.
Consider this real-life example. It's morning. You're tired. You have an important meeting in 30 minutes. And you drenched your shirt with your café latte. You need a shirt, and you need it now.
Frantically, you rush to the first clothing store you see, find a salesperson and breathlessly explain your dilemma. After your verbal deluge, the salesperson ignores your questions, leads you into a back room and pops in a videotape. What's more, the videotape (which takes a long time to start) is filled with whirling graphics and images that have one thing in common - they don't answer your questions, nor get you your shirt. Frustrated, you slam out of store number one and enter store number two...
...You're greeted at the door with a helpful salesperson that listens to your needs, makes targeted suggestions and helps you reach your goals. Instead of being force-fed company-centered information that had nothing to do with you, the salesperson reassures you, "Yes, we have a shirt your size, it's on sale, and we can ring up your purchase right now."
What clothing store would you rather buy from? The company that listened to your unique needs, provided a solution and got to your big meeting on time? Or, the company that forced you to listen to their spiel before they remembered that your needs existed? A text-based home page encourages customer interaction, providing useful information and helpful benefit statements. A Flash home page provides minimal information and does not add value to most sites.
Want to convert surfers into spenders? Text is better than Flash.
According to Jakob Nielsen of Nielsen Norman Group, Flash is 99% bad (in fact, that's even the title of his October 2000 article). Nielsen states:
"Although multimedia has its role on the Web, current Flash technology tends to discourage usability for three reasons: it makes bad design more likely, it breaks with the Web's fundamental interaction style, and it consumes resources that would be better spent enhancing a site's core value."
A later study done by Jupiter Media Metrix found that only 20 percent of respondents would visit a site more often if it had more rich media components (like Flash). Furthermore, 40% of respondents would visit a site more often if the pages would load faster. This indicates that Flash is not a major factor in deciding to frequent a particular site, and in fact, heavy Flash elements may alienate shoppers due to long download times.
What did shoppers want? According to the September 2001 study, 59 percent of retail shoppers wanted more product information (and that means more text and fewer graphics). "Detailed product descriptions are a powerful means of differentiation for retail sites and require little incremental work." says Cormac Foster, Jupiter analyst.
Informative copy is key to successful conversions. Think about it. The reason people visit a product or service Web site is because they want information. They may want detailed product information before they hit the "buy now" button that clearly explains every benefit. Or, they may want precise information about your services before they contact you. The more information you provide to help your prospects make an informed decision, the less chance they will surf to your competitors.
Now, let's discover how important Danny Sullivan, search engine guru, thinks text is to a search engine optimization campaign: Interview with Danny Sullivan on SEO copywriting.