Authority Website Launch, What You Need To Know

I launched my first Authority Website in March 2000.

I did not know it was an authority website.

We called them Portals back then. The term “authority website” had not been invented yet.

This first authority site was in a home improvements niche. (more on that later)

I don’t tell you this, to impress you.

I tell you, because I want to establish my “authority” as someone who has built and sold a number of Authority sites.

Authority Site Content Creation, What You Need To Know

Special Note:

This post is longer than most. It is tempting to skim – I do that all the time! However on this occasion, if you really want to create an authority site, this could turn out to be the best post you will ever read on the subject.

We plan to make this post available as a PDF Report. There is an option to register for that later in this article, along with a number of other options to fast track your authority website development.

4 Things You Must Understand Before We Start.

#1: Focus is critical

When it comes to getting an authority website of the ground, there are a relatively small number of things that really matter.

Get those right and your chances of building an authority site multiply!

You see, with Authority Websites, as in life itself, the the 80/20 rule applies!

[approximately 80% of results come from 20% of activity.]

#2: Invest in Authority Website training

You investment could just be your time but funds permitting, I would encourage you to purchase online training /  join an authority website mastermind.

Many people who create an authority website are looking to initially replace or match their current monthly income. Still others are looking for a six figure income and a 7 figure exit.

Whatever your ambitions, you will at least need to invest the time to acquire the necessary skills.

Creating an authority website is not a get rich quick scheme. It is more of a Get Rich in 12 – 24 months scheme, provided you put in the effort.

For people serious about building an Authority Website, I recommend you invest in training.

-> Here is the only one we recommend.

It is by far the best course I know on selecting niches, selecting keywords, attracting back links and SEO. It contains over 120 step-by-step training videos.

#3: Start now, get perfect later!

As you will see, I am a bit of a perfectionist. I will revise and edit a post multiple times before pressing publish.

However, if you are new to Authority Websites, my sincere advice is: get started now, get perfect later.

We will cover this in more detail later, when we discuss scaling content publication and the pros and cons of hiring writers.

#4: It takes dedication!

Despite some 20 years passing since my first Authority Website, the fundamentals have not changed!

To create an Authority Website requires either:

=> extreme dedication as a content creator.

OR

=> significant investment in content creation.

Or in some cases, both!

Assuming you don’t have significant funds to invest right now, there are two things you need to know:

1. Be prepared to create and publish content for many months before seeing any significant rewards.
2. Only the best content (writing, videos, graphics) will do. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can rattle of a blog post in 30 minutes and expect to see huge success. Truth is, it takes many hours, even days and sometimes weeks to write a stellar blog post that is linked to and shared.

I am told the average novel of 90000 words takes 180 days (6 months) to write, assuming you write 500 words per day.

I know some of you are saying “but I can write more than 500 words per day”.

Perhaps you can. My point is, “can you write 500 words of exceptional content every day?”

One of my favorite books on writing is “First you write a sentence“. The author Joe Moran had a remarkable way with words as you can see in the first paragraph of the book.

The bit about deleting it and starting all over, resonates with me. I do that a lot.

What is an Authority Website?

In simple terms, an authority blog or website is a popular online place where people go to for information on a particular niche or topic.

Creating an Authority Website, remains one of the best and least expensive ways to create a six figure income.

How Do I Make Money With An Authority Website?

There are numerous ways you can earn money with an authority website.

However the four main activities are:

1. Consultancy  or business services revenues – my friend Clinton Lee is an example of this.
2. Lead Generation (this is what I did)
3. Launch an Information website and follow that up with your own range of information products. My Son Joshua Dunlop and his site Expert Photography is an example of this.
4. Promote or sell other people’s products as an affiliate. (this is primarily how this website generates income)

The fourth option is by far the most popular and the easiest to implement for most Authority Website developers.

For starters, the offers you promote, will in most cases already have a high converting sales pages that you can send traffic to. Having a sales page that converts is essential.  If you decide to go the affiliate route, make sure to find out the EPC (earnings per click) of the offer you plan to promote before agreeing to promote.

Option four can also be combined with option three. For example, as an Amazon Affiliate in addition to selling your own products.

The Good News About Launching An Authority Website Today

There is less competition than you think.

Not everyone will agree with me on this, but bear me out.

Off the people who launch an authority site, only a small percentage actually stick with it and bring their dream to a reality.

I don’t say this to discourage you, I say it, because the truth is that most people are lazy and are not prepared to do the work necessary to make their website a success.

In particular, as I mentioned earlier, they are not prepared to create and publish top quality content, month after month and they give up before the big pay day!

Remember:

Many website owners start out strong and full of optimism, but give up a few months later.

Optimism is good, but optimism combined with resilience, realism and determination is what you need to succeed in life and business.

Check out Jim Collins book Good To Great and in particular the Stockdale Paradox for a better understanding of why you need more than a positive outlook and optimism to succeed.

16 Things You Can Do To Turn An Ordinary Blog Into An Authority Website

No1: Select a Profitable Niche For Your Authority Website

Many Authority Website experts will encourage you to use ahrefs or SEMRush to find that magical niche with lots of traffic and low competition.

It is reasonable advice, but it should not be your only consideration.

You should also select a niche for which you have some passion and knowledge.

A competitive niche, that interests you and inspires you, is a better choice than a niche with lower competition. (that doesn’t interest you)

After all, if you are going to spend a lot of time building your very own Authority Website, your chances of success is greater if you are writing about something you have a passion for.

It may not feel like it right now, but there will come days when you won’t feel like writing. If you are passionate about the subject and the niche there will be fewer of those days. Picking the wrong niche for you will feel like pushing water up a hill.

Want some ideas about selecting a niche?

Check out this post by our friend Pat Flynn — Tips to Help You Pick a Niche

One “old school” way that I use to find niche ideas is to review the magazine rack in a large newsstand. Publishers spend a lot of money researching demand before publishing a magazine and the chances are high that if there is a magazine for the niche it is profitable and worth investigating.

Authority Website Success Story

Wirecutter (A website that focuses on electronics, home goods and tools reviews) is often mentioned as an Authority Website success story.

The Wirecutter was founded by Brian Lam in 2011 and purchased by The New York Times Company in 2016 for about $30 million. In the five years from its launch in 2011 to 2016, the company generated an amazing $150 million in revenue from affiliate programs.

But lets be honest, the chances of you and I creating another WIRECUTTER is not that great.

For starters a website like Wirecutter requires a significant investment (as off 2018 they had 100 employees).

This is why I also recommend you select a NICHE or sub-niche within a larger niche as your target market/audience. (rather than have too broad an approach)

No2: Find the perfect Domain Name for your Authority Site

Assuming you are starting from scratch.

You should try to secure a .com or at a stretch, a country domain extension such as .au or .co.uk

The most important thing is to get started.

Many people spend far too long trying to find the perfect domain, rather than get started. Lets face it, Wirecutter would not have been the obvious name to choose if your target market is electronics, home goods and tools reviews. (and it didn’t hold them back)

That said, if you can find a keyword rich domain that suits your niche, then so much the better.

Quick Domain Selecting Tip:

Try adding words like Tips, Hacks and Facts to a keyword.

This often results in a brand-able domain name.

For example: Entrepreneurshipfacts.com

As I write: AuthorityWebsiteFacts is available as a .com

If your niche was “Authority Website” that may be the domain for you.

Interestingly, according to ahrefs.com “Authority Websites” registers a Keyword difficulty of 52 (out of 100) which means it is a Hard Keyword to rank for – despite that fact its Global search volume is indicated at only 260

In above example I was surprised that all the extensions for FunFactsToShare including the important .com are currently available.

At ahrefs.com FunFactsToShare registers a Keyword difficulty of 31 (out of 100) which means it is a hard keyword to rank for – with a Global search volume is indicated at 2100 per month.

FunFactsToShare is a good example of a Key Phrase that in theory looks good. It is brand-able, great for social media, great for shares and with some content marketing likely to produce a lot of traffic.

However, there is an important question you need to ask….

Can you make money in this niche?

Traffic that you can’t monetize, is almost worthless.

Less traffic in the right niche will financially out perform high levels of traffic in the wrong niche. [That is not to say, that large volumes of traffic can’t be monetized.]

Two more ideas on selecting a Domain Name…

=> Think outside the box

Take for example Retireat21.com – a site that originally targeted the Young Entrepreneur niche and was founded by Michael Dunlop (who also founded this website). Michael sold Retireat21 some years ago – one of several authority website exits for him.

“Retire At 21” may not automatically make you think Young Entrepreneur, but it does make people curious and turned out to be an almost perfect domain for the young entrepreneur niche, ranking No1 in Google for “young entrepreneur” at one time.

=> Buy an existing domain

When Joshua Dunlop entered the photography niche he bought ExpertPhotography.com for $2000 from a domain investor. A significant investment at the time, that turned out to be one of the best business decisions he every made.

Sedo.com claim to have the best domains for the brightest of ideas. I have used them several times to buy domains. I have also sold domains using their brokers.

No3: SEO and keyword research

When it comes to SEO and keyword research we recommend using SEMRush

As mentioned earlier, don’t build your authority site around a random topic that you have no interest in, just because there appears to be little competition. (there are usually good reasons for low competition)

Important!

=> You should define your audience therefore your target keywords.

=> Once you define which your keywords, you need to divide them into 3 different groups.

• Easy to rank keywords
• Keywords you may rank for with some effort.
• Keywords you cannot rank for (at least at the beginning)

I would recommend you start with easy to rank keywords. This will bring some immediate traffic to your site although there will not be much volume. Think of it as getting your website warmed up with the search engines.

A bit later (3 – 6 months) you can focus on keywords that are a bit more challenging to rank for. This will bring a larger audience.

Later still, especially after you have built up some back links, you can target more difficult keywords that can bring the most volume of visitors to your site.

The above is a suggestion, not a rule. You can target keywords of any difficulty at any time.

However, I have found that using this approach to start with will give you some early wins and encouragement, which is essential.

More SEO Posts You Should Read

=> 10 SEO Blog Post Publishing Steps that Most Bloggers Forget

=> 25 Best SEO Tools For Successful Blogging

=> Link Building – Without The SEO Risks

No 4: Publish quality content

WordPress claims that 409 million people view more than 20 billion pages each month.

With that amount of new content published each month, whatever you write, needs to stand out!

Website visitors will quickly leave your page if you fail to engage them, or get their attention.

I find, the more quality content you publish, the more authority you have.

In particular, the more content you publish around a topic, the bigger the topical cluster you create and the more likely the search engines will take you seriously.

If you have a small website with a section about “beach decor” you can only cover a relatively limited amount of topics like “beach decor ideas” and “bedroom beach decor”. However, if you have a larger site you can approach the same topic from many different angles. Examples: “Christmas beach decor”, “vintage beach decor” or “rustic beach decor”.

It is my experience that the more content you create around the long tail variations of your main keyword, the more authoritative your website has for your short tail keyword.

Every post you write in your blog should be reliable, easy to understand, and shareable. When people read your posts they should not be bored. Your expertise and experience should shine through.

Quality content comes in many different formats.  Use blog posts, tutorials, videos, podcasts, reports, resource pages, reviews and listicles to demonstrate your expertise. The more versatility there is in the types of your content you produce, the more likely you will become an authority.

=> Tips for bloggers who think they can’t write.

How many words should an Authority Blog post have?

The more the better, but there is a caveat.

The content must be engaging, entertaining and educational (the 3 E’s)

If it is none of those, don’t bother.

There are two other things you should consider…

1) Websites like Facebook and Instagram have reduced the attention span of visitors.

2) Most people are visiting your site using a mobile device.

If you have a long post (2000 words plus) the chances are high, that most people will scan it first, read the headlines etc and only then decide if it is worth taking the time to read the complete article.

If I am pushed to quote a number, I usually say 1500 words although personally I aim for between 2000 and 2500 words and the occasional mega post, like this one – which ranks well for “write a best seller”

It is my experience that the longer the article, the more chance there is of it ranking highly. There will however be exceptions, especially for review sites and travel lists.

I am told that posts with more than 2000 words receive the most social shares.

Also, the average word length for an article found in the first 5 positions in Google is approximately 1800 words.

That said, one of our highest earning blog posts has just over 1200 words in it.

Occasionally, I think we should add to it, but you know what they say, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

What about hiring content creators for your Authority Site?

With most start up authority sites, you will initially do the bulk of the writing and content creation yourself. Eventually, with some success you may wish to consider hiring content creators.

This is something we have done ourselves in the past, with mixed success. Here is one of the better writers we hired.

Finding good writers who can write in your preferred voice is more difficult than most people appreciate. It is also more expensive than most people realise.

Sure there are writers who will do 5 blog posts for $100 – but most, if not all, are rubbish, often created using article spinner software. Article spinning often results in articles which are hard or even impossible to read. It creates a terrible reader experience and you should not do it.

It is my experience, that the least you can pay for a somewhat decent article (that you will almost certainly have to tweak yourself) is $60.

In reality, for a high quality writer you will need to pay$200 – $500 for the longer, better researched posts.

Not everyone agrees with me on this, but that is my experience.

In my experience, it is better to pay $2000 for 10 outstanding articles that fully engage your readers, than to spend $2000 for 40 or more articles that bore your readers and don’t get read.

That said, there are some other alternatives you can consider… especially is you are implementing a “start now, get perfect later” strategy.

Again with some caveats.

Content creation on a budget

“I’m a start up Barry, I can afford $250 + per article”

I hear you. You are not alone. There are other alternatives, but as I said, they come with a caveat or two.

If your budget is small you can try FIVERR – (1000 word articles for $10). They do however offer a more expensive verified Pro service.

Arguably a better budget alternative is TEXTBROKER – they offer 4 Star Writers from 2.7 cents per word. On the few occasions I have used services like this, I have found they work best for Listicles aka “list posts” rather than in-depth articles that require a lot of research. However do be prepared to do some tweaking and editing yourself, before publishing.

Although, of course if you are implementing the Start Now, Get Perfect Later rule in order to scale as fast as possible, I accept there may be merit in getting the content out there and seeing what traction you get.

A 60,000 word website – a reasonable initial goal for an authority website requires 40 articles assuming an average article length of 1500 words.

TestBroker have a nifty tool that allows you to calculate the  cost of hiring a writer. In the example below you can hire a 4 Star writer to complete a 2500 word article for $67.90

If you want a 5 Star writer, that would increase to $180.40.

Budget permitting, you can also consider the Textbroker Managed Service which allows you to outsource your entire content project for as little as $2,500.

Content I Do Not Publish On My Authority Website

As a quick example of the type of content I will not publish, today I received a guest post submission for another website I manage. (in the catering niche)

The title of the article was: “Your Cheat Sheet for Putting up a Café”

Now, you might think that sounds interesting and would be full of interesting content?

It wasn’t!

It was bland and generic content. [e.g. do research, build a business plan, choose a location blah, blah]

It was quite easy to reject simple because it didn’t pass my first test for content I publish which is:

“Will this content be of value to my reader” or “will my reader thank me for this content?”

No reader thanks you for BORING BLAND content.

Despite what some Authority Website Gurus tell you, it is better to publish less high quality content than numerous bland and uninteresting articles that no one reads.

One more Tip…

To start with at least, most authority site owners will be working from home. This can present challenges and it is therefore essential you create a home office that inspires your creativity, especially when in comes to writing content.

This blog post will help: Work From Home – How to Have a Healthy and Productive Home Office

No5: Improve website design – Get a Premium Theme

An authority site doesn’t have to look fancy.

However, if your website has an unprofessional look, people will not stay around. Your site should be an easy to use website that provides a great user experience.

Top Tip:

Invest in a premium theme that presents your brand in the best possible light.

Free themes are great for starting out but most cannot be properly customized.

Remember that saying: First impressions count!

Recommended Article: 15 Best Practices for Responsible Responsive Web Design

No6 Branding Your Website 

Some of these things are more important than others.

For example having a memorable logo is more important than sorting out your favicon.

Back in 2000 I paid $500 to have this logo created. I am not suggesting it has passed the test of time but I do consider it one of the best logos I have had created. It was brand-able, worked well on t-shirts, polo-shirts etc and the logo helped set my site aside as an authority website.

You should also secure all the main social media channels for your brand. (LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter at a minimum) Namecheckr.com is great for checking if if your brand name is available for a particular social media channel.

You should link to all your social media accounts from your your website and vice versa.

Anytime you publish a new piece of content, syndicate your content on all of these social platforms. If you have time and resources, spend some time each week responding to people’s questions and interacting on these social accounts.

Special Note: Don’t buy social signals.

[Social signals refer to a webpage’s collective shares, likes and overall social media visibility as perceived by search engines.]

Google is skilled in understanding if a site has authority or just faking it. Fake it till make it doesn’t apply here.

Use memorable color schemes on your site that represent your overall brand image. This will help when your website becomes the authority website in your niche, people will recognize it from its look.

If you have a local business site it is always a good idea to register with local directory sites like Yellow Pages and Yelp.

No7 Host case studies & market leading researches

This is the fast track to building an authority site. It requires time and investment, but it is one of the best ways to stand out from your competition and be recognized as an Authority.

When you provide well researched information people will talk about your research. They will link to your site, and share your content on social media.

I am not going into huge detail here, but Item 4 above – “publish only quality content”, applies!

No8 Publish Expert Round Up posts

An expert roundup post is a blog post that features contributions from multiple experts.

Typically, you the host blogger will raise a question or topic for discussion with various experts who in turn  share their insights.

The great thing about this is that the guests will usually link to your round up article and share on social media.

People like to get flattered, and earn backlinks most of the time.

Although a roundup post can take quite a lot of effort, it can create massive exposure for your site that validates your website and builds brand awareness.

No9 Contribute as a Guest Blogger

This is a popular way to get backlinks for your website

Guest blogging on high authority websites is very effective for building your authority and growing your readership.

To implement guest posting as a way of establishing authority, you need to find authority sites in your niche. You can make Google search by using Google’s advanced search operators, and/or use SEO tools like SEMRUSH.

Alternatively, you can simply search the names of Influencers in your niche and contact them. Keep in mind, that when you are just starting out, there will not be many people who are willing to provide you a guest posting opportunity. In that case you should write the article in advance (google docs is good for this) and circulate to several Influencers and see who is first to say yes. Of course your writing better stand out!

How To Request A Guest Post Proposal On An Authority Website

If you hope to have any chance of having your request for a guest post accepted, please take the time to write a detailed email explaining why I should consider you. That includes examples of previous writing and a “pitch” for why your idea for a blog post will be of value to me.

Below is an example of someone who has the kind of approach I prefer.

I particularly liked the “How You Can Benefit” approach.

 What You Should NOT DO When Requesting A Guest Post On An Authority Website

I get a lot of requests for guest posts, sometimes more than 100 per week.

Some ask if they can pay to have a guest post published (see below)

We don’t accept payment for guest posts and it is my experience that few Authority Websites will allow you to buy a link on their website or submit a guest post for payment.

There are two reasons for this:

1) Google does not like it and lets face it, we don’t want to get the wrong side of Google.

2) As an authority website owner, your first question should always be, does this content add value to my website and readers? If it does not, then you shouldn’t publish it (no matter how attractive the payment is). Likewise, if the content is good and adds value, you will be happy to publish for free.

Don’t believe everything a Guest Writer says…

Many guest post writers will tell us how much experience they have and how great their writing is. (not)

Many use a cookie cutter / template approach. Many don’t even give examples of their previous writing. See example below:

No 10 Post content to forums

But don’t spam!

Answer questions on websites like Quora. Feel free to link to your own website in answers but appreciate that in most instances and link you get will be NOFOLLOW. Remember you are not there to spam, you are there to add value and help people.

That is how you become an authority.

Here are some of the reasons why you should post on forums and Q&A sites like Quora.

a) People on those platforms are actively seeking solutions to their problems. (Additionally often their question will give you an idea for a future article)

b) They are looking for expert advice.

If you can spend even a small time every week consistently, responding to other people’s questions, you will establish authority.

If you provide genuinely helpful responses you can refer people to your site and have referral traffic from those platforms.

However, the real benefit doesn’t come from the referral traffic you will get, but rather the user signals those sites pass to Google.

Go to Reddit, and find subreddits related to your niche. Interact with other people, and respond to their questions. Without spamming, leave a link to a relevant page in the discussion. Most forums are very sensitive to spam, and if you don’t provide any value but appear to only do self promotion, you will find yourself kicked off the site.

No 11 Create a valuable report and give it away for free

I am not talking about a lead magnet.

We are talking something like this guide from my friend Clinton Lee (Expert on UK Business Brokers)

This is something that is genuinely free. There is no requirement to provide an email address and anyone can share this document without any edits or changes.

As you can imagine, it gets shared and attracts a lot of visitors and potential clients to Clinton and his business.

This particular guide is slightly tongue in cheek, which in this instance adds to the “share-ability”.

What can you give away, that visitors would appreciate and share?

No 12 Implement Social Media Marketing

Social media provides abundant opportunities to connect with other people, and influencers within your niche. This means you can easily exchange knowledge with a broad audience, and engage with that audience further. It is also one of the best shortcuts promoting expert knowledge.

Search engines use social signals and other user behavioral metrics to determine the relevance of a page to a search query, with the main idea here being the more content is shared, liked, commented on, the higher its quality, value, relevance, and, therefore, ranking in SERPs.

You can check domain & social username availability across multiple networks use namecheckr

No 13 Host an Online Conference or Sponsor an Event

My first authority website was in an home improvement niche – focused on sun-rooms, conservatories and garden-rooms.

As our authority grew we got many media mentions and also ended up being a Key Sponsor of a competition to select the Best Conservatory / Sun-room installation.

This proved a great way to connect with leading industry players. It was also a great way to find more customers for my online lead generation service.

Interestingly, one of the people I connected with, ended up leading the team that bought my entire suite of Home Improvement Authority Sites in 2006.

No 14 Develop and Host a Podcast

There is no rule that says quality content should only consist of text and images.

You can use podcasting to open the gates of whole new opportunities for your site. A podcast will allow you to reach a whole new sub-set of your market that prefers to connect with your brand via audio.

Inviting experts from your niche to be your guests.  This can quickly set you up as an authority in your niche.

You can also be a guest on other people’s podcasts. This podcast exposure will help you build your authority, since the podcasts will often link to your website and social media profiles.

No 15 Highlight Your Testimonials

It should go without saying that your website should include social proof – this takes many forms but the two most people will be familiar with are:

a) Displaying customer testimonials

b) Details of where your content has been mentioned / quoted.

You have probably seen many websites share the information of where their content is published or where their names are mentioned. It can also be in the form of customer testimonials showing what other people said about that specific product or service.

What are these websites trying to achieve by sharing this information publicly?

They want to manage audience’s perception by telling they are a respected brand of the community, therefore you should also trust them. This is also called social proof and it will help establish your site authority.

Encourage your readers and buyers to give you a testimonial by making it easy for them. Have a specific form on your website where readers can give feedback / supply testimonials.

Notes:

• On the form give people opportunity to attach a photo of themselves (a personal photo with a testimonial is even more powerful)
• Ask questions that encourages (directs) the reader to give the kind of reply you want. For example: What was your biggest fear before purchasing our product? Did it come true, and if not, what happened instead?
• Two other questions that often get great answers are: What, specifically, was your favorite part of our product, and why? AND If you were to recommend this product to your best friend, what would you say?

No 16 Learn from other authority sites

Note, I said learn from other authority websites – not copy them!

Inspiration is all around.

Many the time, another authority website (both in my own niches and un-related niches) has giving me inspiration for something to implement on my own website. Often it is a tweak on their approach, rarely is it the exact same thing.

When comparing other authority websites, I note their web design, writing style, content length and depth, and even where they host their website in order to learn how they organize everything.

Go to Wayback Machine, and check how their site looked a year or maybe 5 years ago. Check individual articles, amount of links and social signals their content has pulled. Success leaves clues. You will find great points to utilize for your site if you study other successful sites.

BONUS…

Interview With An Authority Website Owner

Not all Authority Websites get huge quantities of traffic.

There are plenty of successful Authority Websites that don’t get millions of visitors per month or even 100k’s of visitors per month, yet they make their owners a large income.

For these sites, it is not the amount of traffic they get that matters, but the quality of traffic that matters.

One such site is UK Business Brokers which was founded by my good friend Clinton Lee.

If you where to do a UK search for “Business Brokers” and related terms you would find that Clinton and his website frequently occupy the top organic positions with articles such as: Business Broker: 10 Facts You MUST Know Before Engaging One!

As you can imagine, this gives Clinton and his business a significant competitive advantage in a very competitive marketplace.

Fortunately for us, Clinton has agreed to answer some questions on his strategy for creating Authority Websites. (Clinton has created Authority Websites several times before, selling some of them for significant amounts)

I think some of his answers may surprise you.

I am not saying, do as Clinton does, rather I am saying there is more than one way to create an Authority Website

Question 1: When deciding to create an authority website (or indeed any website) what do you consider the most important factors to consider?

Answer:

=> What questions is our content answering?

=> What problems are we solving?

=> What information would help the public?

=> What material is likely to seen as useful enough to get bookmarked / shared?

Answer these questions and variations of these questions and the SEO will almost take care of itself.

To know the mindset of the customer, and therefore the questions and concerns they have, takes experience in the field and speaking with a lot of customers. That’s phase one. Then it’s about also providing answers to the questions on topics that the customers don’t know they don’t know i.e. the information for the public – sharing insights, stats, case studies, white papers. It’s a continuous process and I posted two new articles on UK Business Brokers just in the last week.

Question 2: How much time do you spend on SEO?

Answer: Not that much actually. People I know in the industry sometimes ask me to write an article for them and I do so. This is usually on a topic I’m very familiar with so it doesn’t take long to knock out 1,500 or 2,000 words. I rarely hunt for guest post opportunities but will contact the webmaster if I find a particularly good site in my niche. Once they check me out they are usually happy to accept an article. I do perhaps half a dozen such articles in the year. Sometimes they link back to me and sometimes they DON’T! But even the latter is fine. I don’t chase follow links or links above the fold or any of the other SEO “principles”.

I’m happy if they either link to me or mention my full name, or both. I have on occasion sought a directory link if it’s particularly relevant, or included a link to my site in profiles I have elsewhere. I’m fortunate in that I’ve been quoted in lots of places from Forbes in the US to The Times in the UK. Get enough good content out there and getting “quoted” sort of just happens.

Question 3: How much time and effort do you put into Link Building.

Answer: To establish the site initially, about 100 – 200 hours in the first year. After that it’s a lot less. But then I do a lot of posting in many forums, on Reddit, in LinkedIn and often drop a link to a page of mine where I’ve answered a specific question …so that’s link building I suppose and if you count that, probably a few hours every week!

Question 4: I notice you have a number of related websites. (I suppose sub-niche websites) – is there a particular strategy in doing that?

Answer: LOL, I wish I could say that it’s some master plan! Or some clever link juice channeling strategy! But it’s simply the way things developed. UK Business Brokers is an information site, each post / article is carefully thought out. But I wanted a place where I could post quick snippets about interesting articles I’ve found elsewhere so I started resources.theexitfirm.co.uk.

Then I wanted to create a directory of all the business brokers in the UK – there seemed to be a desperate need for that information, but none of my existing sites were the right “feel” for it, so I started https://itabb.org/uk/directory .

Separate to all those, I’ve got a huge scraping operation currently going; I’m collecting data from all the businesses-for-sale marketplaces. I’m crawling daily and collecting massive amounts of information on what’s happening in the market. There’s much intelligence to be extracted from this, but where am I going to post it? I feel a new site coming on! You heard it here first.

Question 5: If you were starting over, what might you do differently?

Answer: Hire someone to do all the tech stuff, the background stuff on the website – design, creating the images and shrinking them, development work like creating and managing forms, keeping the site secure, blocking spam, tracking and banning bots, taking backups – all the boring stuff.

Thank you Clinton. We recognize that many website owners are secretive about their strategy and reluctant to share information like this. Your generous spirit is appreciated!

Ready to fast track your authority website development?

=> To receive an advance copy of Authority Website Confidential (our new Authority Website publication) – Register Here

=> To get authority website coaching with Barry Dunlop – request 1-1 or group coaching here

=> Do you have an authority website to sell – Claim Your Free Website Valuation & Exit Strategy Today

The only Authority Site online training we recommend

Do you dream of having a blog or website that produces 4, 5 or even a 6 figure income every month?

Are you prepared to make a modest investment in your own future?

Then The Authority Site System [TASS] from Authority Hacker is for you.

It is arguably the best training of its kind, available in the world right now.

Here’s what’s included in The Authority Site System:

• 120+ step-by-step training videos
• More than 70,000 words of written content and tutorials
• A clear and detailed lesson plan to follow
• ‘Done for you’ copy/paste templates
• A full-length case study of how they build a new authority site
• A bustling Facebook support group full of savvy online marketers
• A direct way to get your questions answered by the Authority Hacker team.

Get started with a FREE Introductory Webinar.

Even if your funds don’t allow you to make the investment in paid training right now, this webinar will educate, inspire and motivate you to make your own authority website a reality.

Watch it while you still can!

Author Bio:
Barry Dunlop is a lifelong Entrepreneur, Sales Turnaround Expert and publisher of the The Sales Turnaround Report. To request your free copy CLICK HERE. You can also connect with Barry on LinkedIn

Helping entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and make a positive change in the world.

 

The post Authority Website Launch, What You Need To Know appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

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15 Success Habits You Should Implement For The Best Life Ever

The success habits of high achievers fascinates me.

How is it, that some people achieve incredible success, while others do not?

Especially when many of these successful people come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A conclusion I made early on, is that success is not accidental!

Success leaves clues. 

There are things you can do and success habits you can adopt which will make achievement of your life goals more likely.

15 Success Habits You Need To Start Implementing Today

Your actions become your habits, your habits become your values and your values become your destiny.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

#1 They see failure as a stepping stone to success

Strictly speaking, this is an ATTITUDE rather than a habit.

Everyone fails.

Successful people see failure as an opportunity to learn.

Take Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon.com.

Amazon was not always the huge success it is today and a long the way made some ‘wrong turns’ aka ‘learning experiences’. Examples include Amazon Auctions, Amazon zShops and more recently the Fire Phone.

But Jeff Bezos did not let these ‘failures’ define him. In referring to failed projects Bezos told the Business Insider Ignition conference in December 2014 that “I’ve made billions of dollars of failures at Amazon.com. Literally billions.”

Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Failure is only failure if you believe it is

#2 Success Habit – Successful People Get Up Early

You have heard this one before!

Almost all successful people start the day early.

When you get up early, you’re more likely to feel in charge of your day as opposed to struggling against the clock.

Chief among the success habits of high achievers are morning rituals.

What is a morning ritual?

It can be as simple as having a 15 min walk outside, drinking a cup of bulletproof coffee, or spending an entire hour practicing morning meditation.

It really depends on what would make your day better if you practiced it.

If you have never tried morning meditation, I highly recommend it.

Meditation is a practice where you are training your attention and awareness by using certain techniques. The ultimate purpose of meditation is to become mentally calm and emotionally stable.

If you have the space go outside into nature, walk barefoot on the cool grass, then begin your meditation in nature.

Not a morning person?

Start with a small step and get up 15 mins earlier. It is remarkable how much more space, getting up 15 minutes earlier makes to your mornings. It takes the rush out of your day and gives you more control.

Recommended Read: Zen: The Art of Simple Living

Getting up 15 minutes earlier is just one of the tips recommended. Others tips include:

Organizing your desk, lining up your shoes when you take them off and savouring the morning air.

The truly successful person has a balanced life that makes time not only for work but for play. Getting up 15 minutes earlier gets this process started.

The 50/30/10/10 Rule for How to Wake Up Earlier and Work on Your Dream

#3 Success Habit – Successful people are continuous learners

Committing to the habit of a life of continuous learning is one of then most empowering rituals that you can adopt. A university or college degree is not the end of your education, just a step towards wisdom and mastery.

You learn best by reading heaps and writing heaps, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.

~ Stephen King

But it is not simply through reading that we continue our education. Podcasts, Audible, Masterminds and walking in nature is where I have has some of my biggest breakthroughs and learning experiences.

Make continuous learning part of your success habits.

#4 Success Habit – Eat a Balanced Diet

A healthy, balanced diet is essential because your body needs proper nutrition to function effectively. If you ignore the good nutrition you are unlikely to achieve any significant success in your life – at least not in the long term! Without proper nutrition your body is more vulnerable to infection, disease, exhaustion and poor performance.

I am not going to tell you what should eat. However, as many of our readers are entrepreneurs, I recommend they read: The Entrepreneurial Diet

Some tips:

=> Remove sugar and processed food from your diet.

=> Re-populate your gut with healthy bacteria.

=> Eat diverse organic fruits and vegetables.

=> Good days begin with a healthy breakfast.

Another fact you should be aware of is that while the brain represents just 2% of a person’s total body weight, it accounts for 20% of the body’s energy use and thinking does use energy! Unlike any other part of the body, the brain runs exclusively on the sugar glucose, and strenuous cognitive activities require more glucose than simple ones.

Special Note: This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition

#5 Success Habit – Make Exercise a Priority

Walk 10,000 steps a day!

Exercise has endless benefits, and this may be why so many successful people have it on their daily ritual list.

Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson and Mark Cuban all agree that making exercise a priority is a key habit for success.

Richard Branson. “I seriously doubt that I would have been as successful in my career (and happy in my personal life) if I hadn’t always placed importance on my health and fitness,” explains the serial entrepreneur in a recent blog. Branson says he likes to play tennis, go biking, run and kite surf.

Working out not only benefits for your body, it also benefits your mind. This is because exercise improves cognitive functioning.

Part of the reason exercise enhances cognition has to do with blood flow. Research shows that when we exercise, blood pressure and blood flow increase everywhere in the body, including the brain. More blood means more energy and oxygen, which makes our brain perform better.

What type of exercises you should I do?

That depends on the individual – but most people will advocate Aerobic exercise (also known as cardio) over anaerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise helps keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy. Try brisk walking, swimming, running, or cycling.

Examples of anaerobic exercise include heavy weight training and High-Intensity interval training.

Of course an exercise regime that includes both types of exercise is ideal.

3 Exercises That Will Make You a Better Entrepreneur

=> Running

=> Do Burpees

=> Stretch

#6 – Success Habit – Get Enough Sleep

It is shocking how many people wear hours of sleep deprivation like a medal of honor.

Seriously there are people who believe the less time spent sleeping, the more productive they are.

According to the Harvard Healthy Sleep, a lack of sleep reduces attention and motivation which makes it harder to obtain new information. Sleep also plays a major role in consolidating new memories, allowing you to later recall that information.

Getting a good amount of sleep leads to greater creativity. Creativity is the secret sauce of all top entrepreneurs, writers and  leaders.

You will read about exceptions, but don’t let that mislead you…

=> Nikola Tesla famously survived on a famous 1.5-2 hours of sleep per night, from about midnight to 2AM.

=> Leonardo Da Vinci followed a sleeping pattern that is starting to gain a little traction these days called “the Uberman sleep cycle”. (This involves a schedule of 20-minute cat naps every four hours)

But these individuals are the exceptions, not the rule. You will almost certainly require more. Getting enough sleep is also good for the immune system. The less sleep you get the more susceptible you are to colds and flu. Some people get by on 6 hrs sleep a night, others will need 8 hrs.

Healthy Sleep Tips

• Stick to a sleep schedule of the same bedtime and wake up time, even on the weekends.
• Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual. (meditation, a relaxing non-caffeinated tea)
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and heavy meals in the evening.
• Exercise daily.
• Evaluate your room. (If your bedroom is too warm it may be more difficult to get to sleep)
• Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.

Discover the benefit of Power Naps.

A power nap can boost your memory, cognitive skills, creativity, and energy level

A lot of people complain of feeling tired, especially early afternoon. This can be avoided by skipping heavy lunches but if you do feel tired then a 5 – 20 minute power nap works wonders for many people. Speaking personally, I find 5 minutes shut eye beats a strong coffee. Give it a try.

#7 Make It A Habit To Feel Comfortable Saying No

If you want to get more of the important things done – you need to say NO more often.

Especially to energy sapping acquaintances…

Most of us, especially in friendships, hate to offend.

But the truth is that true friends understand and respect your position and priorities.

Billionaire Warren Buffett, is quoted as saying…

“The difference between successful people and really successful people,” he says, “is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

#8 Success Habit – Set Goals and Make Them Happen

There is almost no successful person who doesn’t set goals.

Successful entrepreneurs, top-level athletes, and achievers in all fields set goals. Setting goals gives you long-term perspective and short term motivation. It allows you to organize your time and resources so that you can make the most out of your life.

Start with drawing up your “big picture” of what you want to achieve in your life (say within the next 5 years). Then, you will break this big goal down into progressively smaller targets you need to hit. You should have a specific plan for the next five years, next year, next month and so on.

It was the legendary Zig Ziglar who first introduced me to the power of goal setting.

You can download a PDF explaining the Ziglar process at the link below…

The Seven Steps of Goal Setting – Zig Ziglar (7 Steps to Success)

1) State the Goal.

2) Set a Deadline.

3) Identify the Obstacles.

4) Identify the People, Groups, and Organizations that Can Assist.

5) List the Benefits of Achieving the Goal.

6) List the Skills You Need to Acquire to Attain the Goal.

7) Develop a Plan.

A Personal Note:

As important as goal setting is it is my experience that it is FOCUS and INTENTION which ultimately produces the best results.

When Bill Gates first met Warren Buffett, the host, Gates’ mother, asked everyone around the table to share the single most important factor to their success. Gates and Buffett both gave the same one-word answer: “Focus.”

What you focus on is what you get!

Successful people are focused on the income they desire and they constantly repeat over and over in their minds the positive outcome they wish to achieve.

Here is another great quote attributed to Bill Gates that is well worth remembering…

Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.

In other words, we overestimate the change that will occur in the short term and underestimate the change that will occur in the long term.

This is why it is important to set precise goals, deadlines, and amounts for the things you want to achieve. By doing so, you’ll know exactly how and when you’ve reached your goal. Goals without deadlines are just dreams.

#9 Success Habit – Take Responsibility For The Outcome

The key characteristic of all successful people is taking responsibility for their lives. Unlike most people, they never play the victim role. If something doesn’t work out, they don’t blame others for it.

They learn the lesson and move on quickly. In case of having an unsatisfactory result, they spend their energy thinking “How can I make this work?” or “What can I learn from this?”. They don’t live in the past or make excuses why they aren’t where they should be.

Related: Successful entrepreneurs think differently- they approach problems, fear and failure differently to the ‘normal’ person.

#10 Success Habit – Be Disciplined

Self-discipline discipline is a strong trait that can be developed with consistent use. If you have ever worked from your home, or without supervision, you should know the importance of self-discipline. We humans have limited willpower, and tend to do whatever is comfortable for us.

Contrary to popular belief, self-discipline is not being tough on yourself or living a restrictive, and limited lifestyle. It does however need to be combined with structure to create the outcome you desire.

Structure + Discipline = FREEDOM

Structure is what you have to do AND when you have to do it. Discipline is  focusing on what you need to get done. Ultimately, structure and discipline combined is the habit is what sets you free.

Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.

– Thomas J. Watson

#11 Success Habit – Make It Happen!

There are three types of people:

Those who make things happen, Those who watch things happen, and Those who wonder what happened.

Successful people are people who make things happen. They are the proactive ones.  They don’t just expect good things to happen for them. They accept that they alone are responsible for their lives.

Far too many people think or hope that  good fortune will come their way, with out any action on their part. Apart from the few who win the lottery that is not a strategy that works.

The main thing that sets apart those who make things happen from those who let things happen is how they respond to problems and challenges. Those who make things happen look for solutions. Those who let things happen COMPLAIN.

One of the best examples of this is how Richard Branson came to start an airline…

In the early 80’s Richard Branson was traveling Puerto Rico to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) when his flight was canceled, leaving him and hundreds of other passengers stranded.

Branson however didn’t moan about his situation – he looked for a solution and made things happen.

He figured out how much it would cost to charter a plane to BVI and how much it would cost each passenger if the expense were shared. And then he went for it, walking up and down the aisles of the grounded airplane selling tickets. On a simple chalkboard he wrote, “$39 one way to BVI.”

And so Virgin Atlantic was born!

Successful individuals have a mindset which turns every problem into an opportunity. They are in the business of making good things happen!

#12 Success Habit – Take Action Consistently

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act, but a habit

Actions speak louder than words.

You could have the greatest idea ever but if you don’t take action it is going to always remain, just an idea.

Discussion and planning have their place but it is important to spend the majority of your time DOING. Action is the key.

Take action consistently. Very few things especially in business work first time. Errors will be made, lessons will be learned. That is why the habit of consistent action is so essential for business and personal success.

#13 Success Habit – Know The Value Of Time.

Time is free, but its priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.

~ Harvey MacKay

From the moment we were born, our expiration clock started ticking. Every day we are one day closer to our last. I am not telling it to make you feel bad, rather I want you to understand that we have only limited days to see in this world.

In days gone by, medieval philosophers & theologians (the writers of their day) had skulls on their desks. This was to remind them of their short life on Earth and to keep them mindful of their mortality. The theory being that this thought would inspire them to spend their time on earth wisely.

I appreciate that may appear somewhat morbid but it is a powerful reminder of just how important time is.

Time can’t be replaced, once it is used up, it is gone forever!

As one of my mentors reminded me recently…

“Barry, manage your time at least as well as you manage your money”

Lots of people wait around “for the right time”. People don’t know that there is no such thing as a right time. Time is never right nor wrong. The only negative factor of time is that you can lose it and the only positive factor of time is that you can seize it.

~ C. JoyBell C

People who get big things done, do less of the small things!

#14 Success Habit – Delay Instant Gratification

Live within your means…

One common mistake that startup entrepreneurs make, is that they reward themselves before they have earned the reward.

They get that flashy car, take exotic vacations and purchase homes they can’t really afford.

Successful entrepreneurs and successful people generally understand that true wealth and success is created my compounding their efforts and avoiding the temptation of instant gratification.

Warren Buffett in particular is famous for living what many would consider a fairly frugal life.

The Marshmallow Experiment

A Stanford professor named Walter Mischel did a study on delayed gratification 1972. During his research, Mischel and his team examined hundreds of children, most of them 5 years old.

He discovered what is now considered to be one of the most important factors for success in health, work and life.

The experiment started by bringing each child into a separate room, sitting them in a chair, and placing a marshmallow in front of them on the table.

At this point, every child was offered a deal.

The researcher told the child that he was leaving the room to come back again later. When he returned if he found that the child hadn’t eaten the marshmallow, the child would receive a second marshmallow. If, however, the child decides to eat the first marshmallow before the researcher returns, then the child will not get a second marshmallow.

The offer was simple: either have one treat now, or wait to have two treats later.

Researcher came back to the room 15 minutes later.

The footage of the children waiting alone in the room was quite entertaining. As you would expect some children jumped up and ate the first marshmallow as soon as the researcher had closed the door.

Others waited a few minutes in their chairs, and finally gave in since they couldn’t resist the temptation. Only a few children could manage to wait the entire time.

Interesting you might say. However the really fascinating part was when they did a follow up with these children many years later when the children had grown up.

What they have found was really surprising.

The children who had delayed gratification, ended up having better SAT scores, lower levels of addiction problems, lower likelihood of depression, better social skills, and generally  better scores in a range of other life indicators.

In other words, these series of experiments showed that the ability to delay gratification was crucial to lifelong success.

And if you look around, you will see this principle playing out everywhere.

If you delay the gratification of watching TV, and work on your business plan now, then you will progress your business idea.. Similarly, if you delay the gratification of buying desserts at the store, then you will eat healthier when you get home. There are countless more examples of course.

I will remind you of the famous saying of Jim Rohn:

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.

The above studies make one thing clear.

If you want to succeed in life you will need to avoid the temptation of instant gratification. Far better to be patient and do what is right for your long term goals.

#15 Success Habit – Be an avid reader

Related to #3 Successful people are continuous learners.

Reading is the most common practice of highly successful people.

When most people graduate college, they think they are finished being a students.

Successful people are lifelong learners. They are constantly trying out new things and having new experiences.

What is more, they are not afraid to fail when they try new things.

We have mentioned Warren Buffett many times in this post – he is after all one of the most financially successful people on the planet and his success habits are well documented.

For example, did you know that Warren Buffett invests an average of 6 hours a day reading multiple newspapers, and corporate reports?

When asked once about the key to success, Warren Buffett pointed to a stack of books and said:

Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.

The more you read, the easier it becomes to retain new information.

Recommended:

=> How to Think Like Warren Buffett

=> 10 Reasons Why People Who Read A Lot Are More Likely To Be Successful

I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business. I do it because I like this kind of life.

~ Warren Buffett

Related:

Success habits of highly successful people…

=> 50 Great Thoughts on Success

=> 50 Wise Thoughts on Business

Like this article? Please consider sharing on Facebook, & Twitter

Author Bio:
Barry Dunlop is a lifelong Entrepreneur, Business Coach and Sales Turnaround Expert who is passionate about helping business owners grow their businesses and make a positive difference in the world. You can contact Barry HERE or connect with Barry on LinkedIn

The post 15 Success Habits You Should Implement For The Best Life Ever appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

from 15 Success Habits You Should Implement For The Best Life Ever

14 Things Great Content Writers Do That Average Writers Do Not

No one said becoming a great content writer would be easy!

Your writing is not getting the attention you had hoped for.

You are getting discouraged. You are considering giving up.

This is the dilemma every content writer faces.

Some days the words flow easily. Other days it is a struggle.

You question the process. What are you to do?

There is a solution…

Discover how the best content writers create informative, entertaining and engaging content that readers love to read and share.

14 of the most important skills the average writer needs to develop in order to become a great content writer

#1 The Best Writers Deliver Actionable Content

It was Seth Godin who said…

“Why waste a sentence saying nothing?”

If only more content writers understood that!

Too many so called content writers are paid by the word rather than the quality of their article. This is why there is so much nonsensical content that is “wordy” and mind numbing.

Even good writers (yours truly included) sometimes make the mistake of “rambling” and not being on message.

Actionable content is content that is easy to implement. It is content that readers find educational, relevant, entertaining and unique. One of the best examples of this is ‘how-to’ posts.

In the case of a Blog having actionable content will give your visitors a reason to subscribe to your email list. Actionable content will inspire readers to bookmark your page and return.

In the case of an eCommerce store actionable content persuades the reader to buy your product.

#2 Great Content Writers are Great Storytellers

Who doesn’t love a good story?

Storytelling has helped brands around the world communicate with their customers and improve brand loyalty.

But don’t confuse a good story with fiction.

In my opinion the best stories are TRUE.

As content writers one of the best places to demonstrate this is the About Us page.

Take for example this page on the Warby Parker website:

The Three Essentials of Story Telling for Business…

=> Define Your Audience

Create a customer avatar or detailed profile of your ideal customer.

What matters to them? What are their values?

=> Set your intentions

What’s your purpose in telling a story?

=> Tell people your why

When you explain your ‘why’, you’re sharing your values and beliefs.

Recommended: The 12 Secrets To Influencing With Story (FREE report)

#3 Use Short Words, Short Sentences and Short Paragraphs.

We live in an era of limited attention span.

With some much content available to read it is natural for readers to skim your content first to determine if it is worth their while to read the whole article.

Using short paragraphs along with appropriate and engaging headings makes it easier for a reader to initially skim.

The same applies to sentences. Two sentences is almost always better than one long sentence.

If a sentence is longer than it would be comfortable for you to speak, then it’s probably too long.

Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. Get to the point without wasting words.

#4 Do Extensive Keyword Research

Keyword research is the bread and butter for any content marketing campaign. Only when you choose the right keywords you can reach the right people.

Our favorite keyword tool is provided by SEMrush.

Their Keyword Tool allows you to track long-tail keywords, which represents about 70% of all search traffic. 

But not all traffic and keywords are equal…

Let’s say you have an eCommerce store selling TV’s.

In this instance, when a web visitor searches for a particular model number of TV or a product review of that TV there is a good chance they are active BUYERS looking to purchase right now! These are top level keywords that demonstrate buying intent and are the most valuable keywords.

But these are not the only keywords you can focus on. There are secondary keywords that demonstrate a more general interest. In these instances, there is a good chance that the potential buyer is still in the research stage and not yet decided on brand or model.

These are still valuable keywords – but not quite as valuable as the top level keywords.

And finally, there are the broader types of keywords. These keywords often bring the most traffic, but it is traffic that is less targeted.

Going back to the eCommerce store example.

Here they are:

• Hot traffic: Has buying intent (for example: “XYZ brand TV best price”)
• Warm traffic: Considering to buy (for example: “XYZ brand TV review”)
• Cold traffic: No buying intent (for example: “How does a TV work?” or even just plain “TV“)

Assuming you have a marketing funnel you will treat the traffic from these keywords differently.

For example the hot traffic could got to a product description page that lists the features and benefits along with a Buy Now Button while the colder traffic may be offered the opportunity to join your mailing list with the offer of a Newsletter, Lead Magnet or PDF Report. This colder traffic can then be “warmed up” over the coming months with free information and offers.

Below we have an example of Hot Traffic you will see a search for an LG TV.

Clearly anyone who searches for “LG oled55b9pla best price” is likely to be a buyer and therefore a valuable search term that a content writer will want to target.

A search term like [Product + Model Number + best price] is a transactional keyword.

Transactional keywords are keywords or keyword phrases potential customers will use to find the services or product they are looking to buy. In the case of an eCommerce site you will want to add content (blog posts and article descriptions) that target these Transactional keywords.

#5 Great Content Writers Create A Marketing Funnel

Bringing the visitors to your website is an important step.

However, It’s only one piece of the equation.

Too many writers have no real plan once they have visitors on their website.

Sure, they “hope” the visitor will take action but “hope” is not a plan!

When it comes to pure lead generation, Landing Page software from companies like Clickfunnels and Instapage do a great job of getting visitors to take action, but what if they are not appropriate for your product or service?

You can’t leave the fate of our business to chance.

You need a solid plan that will convert those visitors into revenue and profit!

This starts with understanding why people are visiting our website in the first place.

If your content writing is providing the information your visitor wanted then you are well on the way to building rapport and trust with that visitor.

In some instances the next step will be for the visitor to opt-in to a mailing list while at other times it will be more appropriate to take them to a sales page.

The point is to have a plan. If you are doing your job right, you will be providing a lot of easy to understand information, which naturally warms the visitor up for the next step.

Related:

=> Learn How To Create a Sales Funnel (Pinterest collection of of sales funnels that you can swipe and use for your own business)

=> Check Out The No Leakage Rule (step 5 of guide on how to make money online)

Remember, all the best businesses start with solving a problem!

#6 Great Content Writers Stay On Topic

A lot of writers, myself included, will on occasion, go “off topic”.

Just because something is mildly related to the topic you are writing about does not mean you need to include it in your article.

The best way to keep ON TOPIC is to do an outline before you start.

What is the main point you want to make? What do you need to say to support that point?

If it doesn’t make your message clearer, keep it out!

Keep your content fluent, concise and straight to the point at all times.

Remove any redundant words or sentences from your content.

Redundancy not only lowers the user experience but harms your SEO rankings. Google can algorithmically detect how relevant your content is by using certain data points together with your headlines and user engagement metrics.

#7 Establish Credibility

To come across as a credible writer and an expert there are a few basic rules you should always follow:

=> When you provide information that includes numbers, and statistical data…

Always refer to the original source by linking to it.

=> If you make a claim (quote a report for example)

Again, link to that resource or supporting material.

Too many writers regurgitate thoughts and ideas as though it was their own. I have seen this with my own writing, people copy it but don’t link to the source.

Failing to give credit when your write damages your credibility not only with the reader but with the search engines.

=> Cut back on the hyperbole.

There is enough hot air and inflated egos on the internet already. It might get you noticed but in the long run it is a fail.

=> Use testimonials.

Feedback from happy customers is one of the best selling tools you can use.

=> Be honest

Yes, this is stating the obvious, but far too many writers elaborate on their success and some even tell outright lies.

=> Show, don’t tell.

Will a video or a graphic communicate your message better than the written word? If it will, then use it! Today content marketing is not just about writing good copy, it is about demonstrating  your offering – and the more modalities you use the better.

Of course as you improve upon your writing skills you will also improve upon your credibility.

#8 Write In A Conversational Manner

If you want to build credibility and trust with your audience, you need to write in a conversational tone.

In other words, “write as you talk”.

Conversational writing is writing that sounds more like a conversation between two people.

Often, sentences will start with pronouns and end with verbs. They may even begin with “and,” “but,” and “yet.”

Remember in school being told no sentence should ever start with “and”? Forget that rule!

In short conversational writing often breaks the rules of grammar – but despite that this type of writing is becoming increasingly popular.

#9 Use Appropriate Tonality

When we talk with people in real life, we use tone of voice, facial expressions and body language to  communicate.

But when you write words on a screen or paper, unless the reader is aware of your tonality it is easy to be misunderstood.

Sure, you can use emojis, but as a professional content writer I try to avoid that.

So, how do you create the right tone for you and your brand?

Here are a few things to consider:

=> Make sure you understand your audience and how they relate to your business. 

Audience surveys and questionnaires are a good way to do that.

When you write, address their concerns and worries. Speak their language.

Ask yourself this: If I was the readers position, what would I want to know?

My obligation as a content writer is to help my reader, no matter if they are a potential customer or someone just researching.

=> Be respectful of the opinion of others

Not everyone is going to agree with what you write. This is especially the case if you are involved in political content writing.

Their will be haters. Don’t let it get to you.

The “tone” you set should always be respectful. But of course this is just my opinion!

=> Encourage and Inspire

As a Blogger that targets the make money online niche and entrepreneurs generally I strive to strike a tone that offers encouragement and inspires.

But even out side that niche there are plenty of areas in which you can encourage and inspire. As an example, if your in the travel niche then there are plenty of ways your writing can inspire readers to take the vacation of a lifetime.

Very few writers become successful by discouraging and demotivating their readers.

#10 Ask Questions

I often use questions to start an article.

Asking questions improves engagement, arises curiosity, and encourages thinking.

To become a great content writer you need to encourage a dialogue with your reader.

If your content only has statements, and a one way flow of information, readers will not be engaging with our content.

Using questions pulls your reader in.

Not only that, asking questions, makes your writing more conversational. [#7 above]

But becoming a successful content writer is not just about asking your readers questions. There are also questions you should ask yourself before writing any article.

Recommended: Ann Gynn has written a particularly good article on Questions Every Writer Should Be Asking Themselves over at the Content Marketing Institute.

I especially like how Ann started her article by saying: I don’t want you to read this:

#11 Write Using An Active Voice

Active voice means that a sentence has a subject that acts upon its verb. Passive voice means that a subject is a recipient of a verb’s action. You may have learned that the passive voice is weak and incorrect, but it isn’t that simple.

A quick example of an active voice:

I am drinking coffee.

A quick example of an passive voice:

Coffee is being drunk by me.

When you write using the “active voice” it is easier to understand. Using active voice keeps your content more concise and straightforward.

Keep in mind, many of your readers speak English as a second language. To understand a passive sentence requires a higher level of reading skills.

The active voice conveys a strong, clearer tone while generally speaking the passive voice is subtler and weaker.

#12 Use Multimedia

Articles that consist of blocks of text without any multimedia is a big turn off. Add images, add video, use diagrams!

Content with images are more likely to get more shares and engagement. However, do take the time to source images that genuinely complement your article. Stock images are fine but make sure they are on topic and if necessary purchase the image rather that relying on “free” images.

#13 Proofread Your Copy

Triple check your spelling and grammar.

It is easy to miss an error, I do it all the time.

Reading content out loud is one of the best ways to spot errors.

Or ask a friend or partner to read your copy.

Not only may they spot an error but they may also point out room for improvement.

I regularly find grammatical errors in blog posts I first published a year or more ago.

That is why as boring as it may appear you should read that article you are just about to publish, one more time!

Our Contact Us page has an option to select “Website Error or Bug” and from time to time some kindly folks take the time to point out spelling mistakes etc. I don’t see many blogs doing this. It is something I recommend.

Related: 15 Editing & Proofreading Tips Every Blogger Should Know

#14 Make Sure Your Introduction Grabs The Readers Attention

I have deliberately left what I consider the most important part of a great content writer to the end;

THE BEST CONTENT WRITERS ARE EXPERTS IN WRITING INTRODUCTIONS WHICH PERSUADE THEIR READERS TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE.

Remember what we said earlier about readers attention spans getting shorter while at the same time there is more information being shared?

Frankly if you are no prepared to take the time to research and produce an article of outstanding quality you shouldn’t be a content writer.

In the world of sales there an acronym with the initials: AIDA

AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.

The same can easily be applied to article writing. If you don’t get the readers ATTENTION with a strong INTRODUCTION, you will never create the interest to read the rest of your article. This in turn means you will not create any desire on the part of the reader to take action.

Related:

=> How To Write An Irresistible Intro To Your Blog Post

=> Convert Your Skimming Visitors to Addicted Blog Readers

BONUS:

Content marketing and being a content writer is not a new idea. It is just an Internet Age term for business writers and copywriters.

The Internet Age has made the need for such writers even greater.

Which of course raises a question that I am asked a lot…

How Do I Get Started As A Content Writer

My usual rather flippant answer is… with a lot of practice!

But if I want to be more practical I would say that the best writers of any type (fiction, non-fiction and content) do one thing in particular…

They Write Every Day.

Even if you only write a single paragraph, consistently writing something will make you a better writer. Writing is like a muscle, you have to exercise it regularly to develop and keep it in shape.

So set aside some time each day, even if only just 15 minutes to start with — to write.

Becoming a great content writer does not happen by accident, it requires a plan!

Many writers, myself included, find that writing early in the morning works best. Between 6 am and 8am is some of my most productive writing time. I often accomplish 50 – 70% of my daily writing target in that period.

For you it may be different and of course if you are being employed to write you will be expected to write more than a couple of hours per day! In time, each of us find our own natural writing rhythm.

Right now the most important thing to do is to get started and develop that writing habit.

Perhaps the greatest reward for a successful content writer who is also a blogger, is that is you choose the correct evergreen topic you can write a blog post that quite literally pay you for years. Many of our most successful blog posts still produce significant income years later!

That is why despite the attractions of eCommerce and selling a physical product here at IncomeDiary we have stuck with publishing articles that answer the type of questions fellow bloggers and entrepreneurs are likely to ask.

Related Articles:

17 Writing Tips For Bloggers Who Think They Can’t Write!

And for a contrarian view on the writing every day, you may enjoy this post by Cal Newport

Author Bio:
Barry Dunlop is a lifelong Entrepreneur, Business Coach and Sales Turnaround Expert who is passionate about helping business owners to grow their businesses and make a positive difference in the world. You can contact Barry HERE or connect with Barry on LinkedIn

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