SEO for Authors Part5: Marketing Trends to Be Aware Of

We're back with more SEO for Authors. Part 5 goes over the marketing trends you should be aware of.


- Did you know that 75% of searchers will NOT go past the first page of the search results?

- Did you know that up to 80% of searchers ignore paid ads. They go right to the organic results.

- Did you know that traffic from search engines is more likely to result in conversion?

This information is from Marketo (1) and their blog offered what marketers should be paying attention to. And, if you're an author and have a book for sale, you're a marketer . . . a book marketer.

So, let's go over the 3 tips Marketo offered:

1. Video is taking over the rankings.

Studies show that 60% of people rather watch video than read text.

Fifty-five percent of current Google search results has a minimum of one video.

That's just over half of all search results has a video embedded in the blog post or webpage.

Keep in mind that YouTube is owned by Google, so is it any wonder why this will be the case? Google is favoring video.

This is something I'm not thrilled about as I prefer text over video. But as a marketer, you have to go with the flow.

Bonus tip: Create descriptions.

Randy Fishkin (2) recommends taking advantage of ‘rich snippets’.

These are the descriptions you can give to your videos, images, and other content on most CMSs (content management systems), like WordPress.

If you’re on Blogger.com, you don’t have the option of optimizing your images or video with keywords or descriptions. There are other ‘free’ website hosting platforms that don’t have this capability also.

This is one of the HUGE benefits of using a CMS like WordPress.

What does this mean for you, the author?

If you're not using video already, start incorporating it into your blogposts and on your webpages. The sooner the better.

And, be sure to create a transcript of your video.

Along with the importance of using video for visitors to your site, Fishkin highly recommends that you provide a transcript of the videos within the blog post.

The reason for this is SEO is text oriented. This means while people love video, search engines still use text to gather information from your content.

This for me won’t be difficult as I start with an article or some form of content before I create an animation or video.

2. Google is working on voice searches.

Just like you ask Alexa or Siri questions by talking, Google intends to have voice searches.

This means it will be important to use phrases that people will be saying for searches rather than simply keywords.

Marketo suggests using long-tail-keywords, but it’d probably be a good idea to include LSI keywords (synonyms for the topic) as well. 

What does this mean for you, the author?

When writing your content think how people might actually ask a search question about your topic. Then try to write with that in mind. Use long-tail-keywords and LSI keywords to give a broader target.

3. You will need to have a 'mobile-responsive website.

A mobile-friendly or mobile-responsive website is one that can be navigated via a mobile device, like an iPhone.

This means that if someone lands on your website via their mobile devise, they will be able to get to all your pages through a visible menu. While it won’t look exactly like it will on your laptop or computer, it’s able to be navigated.

This is super-important as the results from searchers using mobile devises will take priority over desktops and laptops.

What's this mean for you, the author?

It's simple, make sure your website is mobile-responsive – Google will be more likely to use sites that are mobile-friendly than not.

If you're not sure, look up your site on your mobile phone. If it’s easy to navigate to the different pages, it’s good to go. If it’s not, then look for another theme.

Or, you can check if your site is mobile friendly by using:
https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

Now it’s on to more SEO tips from Neil Patel.

In an article over at Patel’s (3), it notes that Google makes around 500+ algorithm updates a year.

While most of these updates don’t have real significance to authors and bloggers, a couple of them do.

4. Fluff or thin content is out.

According to Search Engine Land (4), if you want to show ads or promote affiliate links on your blog post, MAKE SURE the post is full of useful and 'relevant to your site' information.

In other words, don't write a blog post just to promote an affiliate link or your product. Write an informative post for the reader and naturally add the promo if it works smoothly.

This has been done a lot in the past. Affiliate bloggers would write posts just to promote their affiliate link. The content wasn’t very helpful to the reader, but the blogger didn’t care. They simply wanted the opportunity to get a click on their link and hopefully make a sale.

Those days are over.

Google is watching and sites with 'thin content' or what I like to call ‘fluff content’ will be penalized. This means Google won't send traffic to their site.

While most, if not all, of Writers on the Move’s readers don’t use this blogging strategy, I thought I should include it . . . just in case.

5. Google boosted its 'rich snippets'.

A rich snippet or featured snippet is Google’s answer to a searcher’s query.

Supposedly this was done to eliminate linking to fluff content. In other words, Google is trying to answer the search query with what it thinks is the most relevant answer.

This often makes it unnecessary for the searcher to scroll down to look for different answers to their query. This in turn means less organic search traffic for most of us.

Below is an example of a snippet using the search query: what is a laptop:

For this one I searched for: How do fish breathe?

If you notice, Google highlights the best answer, putting it at the top of the search results and on the first SERP (search engine results page). It’s giving the searcher what it thinks is the best answer.

And often, the searcher will get what he needs from that quick snippet or click on the rich snippet link without looking at the other results.

Why I mention this is to get you to think about your blog post description. If Google happens to choose your blog post as the answer to a searcher’s query, they’ll pick up your description with it.

If you don’t use a description, they’ll most likely use the beginning of your first paragraph.

Creating an effective description can matter. It’s what will help motivate the searcher to choose your blog post to click on.

Below is an example of using descriptions from Writers on the Move (WOTM).

I input a search for “SEO and Authors”. While WOTM wasn’t on page one or two of the SERPs for that keyword, we were on page three.

Considering there were almost 15 million results, being at the very top of page 3 is darn good:

Unfortunately though, it's not good enough as most people never go past page one.

But aside from that, look at the description. It’s got the keywords in it and it gives a clear message of what the article is about.

If I didn’t include a description to optimize the post, Google would have picked up the beginning of the post:

Writers on the Move will be giving some basic tips on using SEO to get more visibility and build authority in your niche . . . and hopefully sell more books. Part 2's topic is keywords and descriptions.

Not as appealing, is it?

What's this mean for you, the author:

Simple: Adding descriptions to your blog posts matters.

6. Deep and lengthy content, that’s what Google is looking for.

It seems that blog posts under 500 words are getting poor results from search engines. Even under 1,000 words aren’t doing so well.

Studies show that Google wants well over 1,000 words, closer to 2,000. Again, it's about digging deep down into a topic.

Neil Patel noted that bloggers (content writers) are taking 1-4 hours to write just ONE blog post.

For most of us, this doesn’t make sense. We write posts to be helpful, to shed some light on a topic we think our readers are interested in or should know.

I think my average posts are somewhere between 600 and 1,000 words. And, I have no intention of upping that.

I write to get the point across and while I’d love to be in Google’s rich snippet or even on its first SERP, I don’t have the time or inclination to write just to appease the giant.

What's this mean for you, the author?

Keep in mind that Google wants in depth content. It wants content that will be of real help to your readers. So, as the article marketing king, Jeff Herring, says, go an inch wide and a mile deep when giving information.

7. Another aspect of this deep content is the use of LSI keywords.

I discussed this topic in Part 4 of the SEO for Authors Series.

Basically, it's about using words/phrases that are broader than specific keywords and longtail keywords, but are still relevant to the topic.

According to Patel, "LSI keywords add context to your content and expand its reach beyond just the original topic." (2)

How it can work to create longer blog posts is that each of the LSI keywords can be used as a subheading for your topic.

I tried this with the keyword ‘book marketing’ using LSI Keyword Generator and this is the results I got:

It does give great ideas for not only subheadings, but for topics under that keyword.

You can use the free LSI Keyword Generator to find words that will work for your topic: https://lsigraph.com/

You can read the full article on LSI Keywords at:
http://www.writersonthemove.com/2018/02/seo-for-authors-part4-lsi-keywords.html

Summing it up.

It's all about the reader experience. Google wants your blog posts to actually help, entertain, or enlighten the reader.

While I’m not going to write 2,000 words articles, unless I’m writing and that’s where it ends up, I do write for the reader.

This post is close to or around 1800 words. I didn’t do that intentionally, it’s just how it turned out to include all the information I thought would be helpful to our readers.

You need strong content - content readers will value. Content they’ll be willing to share.

TO READ ALL THE ARTICLES IN THIS SEO FOR AUTHORS SERIES, GO TO OUR WORKSHOPS PAGE:
http://www.writersonthemove.com/p/workshops.html

References:

(1) https://blog.marketo.com/2018/01/3-ways-seo-rankings-changing-2018.html

(2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXOfyii1ECY

(3) https://neilpatel.com/blog/algorithm-seo-updates/

(4) https://searchengineland.com/unconfirmed-google-algorithm-update-may-better-discounting-links-spam-268637

Other article of interest:
SEO Trends in 2018 - What the Experts Think

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author and children’s ghostwriter/ rewriter. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Writers on the Move and author online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing.

If you need help with your author platform, check out Karen's e-class through WOW:
http://www.articlewritingdoctor.com/content-marketing-tools/

3 Tips to Help Launch your Writing Career

Your story begins with an idea, an idea that has come from one of your own experiences or someone’s experience that you’ve observed. 

To write your story, you first need to do your homework: read up on writing for children, read other authors’ books in your genre, take courses, go to conferences, join a critique group, etc. Write on a regular schedule and you will learn, through trial and error, what works and what doesn’t work on your road to publication.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? 

Oh, but there’s so much more. My own writing journey is a lot like a discovery I made when I became a Girl Scout leader. I went through the training, read the manual, and prepared myself to do whatever I could for the girls in my troop. 

What I didn’t realize until later was how much the Girl Scouts would do for me! I learned many crafts and how much work goes into making lasting, worthwhile crafts. Our troop spent a lot of time outdoors, and together we acquired a lifelong knowledge of skills and a love of nature. I could go on. The same happened when I started writing: becoming a writer has done so much for me I could fill volumes. 

Here in a nutshell, are the hallmarks of what I have learned.

Tip #1: Decide Where to Begin

When the urge to write takes hold of you, take some time to decide the direction you will take. 

• Nonfiction is an excellent place to start. You can learn the ropes while finding an easier path to publication than fiction. Editors are always on the lookout for good, solid nonfiction articles.
• Fiction is a world unto itself and much needs to be learned. Resources abound in your local area and online. Take advantage of them and soon you will be on your way.
• Exploring your feelings and beliefs, I have found, goes hand-in-hand with your writing journey.

Tip #2: Decide What You Care About

Build your stories around the things you care about the most. You will be doing three things:

• Bringing out what you’re interested in passing on to the next generation.
• Giving yourself activities to share during school, library and organization visits.
• Promoting what you stand for as a person.

Here is my list of what I care about most, and how I’ve strived to incorporate the topics on my list into my stories.

• Family: Every children’s story is a family story—the type of family determined by you, the author.
• Friendship: So important in childhood, my stories reflect what being a friend means.
• Nature and the Outdoors: Much of the setting in my stories takes place outdoors. I strive to make this appear a natural, integral part without giving away my desire to spark an interest in my readers to get outside to play and explore.
• Athletics and Staying Fit: Lots of running, biking, and sports are in my stories, showing some characters as fit, while showing others struggle who are not so good at athletics.
• Music: A few references to music are made—really, snuck in.
• Hobbies: Also shown as an integral part of my stories. Learning the importance of having a hobby is a gift I received from my dad, who had several serious hobbies. I would like to pass on the place a hobby can have in a person’s life.
• These last two go without saying: Appearance and the Importance of Surrounding Oneself with Positive Friends, snuck in as part of the story.

Tip #3: Sure-Fire Ways to Become a Success

If anyone had told me how much goes into writing for children before I started, I wouldn’t have believed them. I have learned that there are certain qualities that will help you succeed:

• Desire: Essential to keep going through the ups and downs of your writing journey. I let writing go for a few years to go back to teaching. As soon as I left teaching, BOING, up popped that writing desire, a part of me that I know now will never die.
• Perseverance: An editor once told me she has observed that the way to succeed in writing is to persevere. The writers she knows who have stuck it out are the ones who get published.
• Write for Yourself while Thinking of Others: Ask yourself what your reader wants: a good mystery, a story that reflects a need, an exciting adventure. Then write that story for him or her.
• Above all: Have Fun! Have you ever heard that when you go to a party, if the hostess is having fun, the guests will have fun, too? The fun you have writing your story will electrify your readers and keep them coming back for more.

Image courtesy of: clipart-library.com/clipart/rcnrAGgLi.htm.

Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher and ICL graduate, has published over 100 articles for adults and children, and six short stories for children. Recently, she has completed her first book, a mystery/ghost story for children 7-11 years old, and is hard at work on Book Two in the series.  Follow Linda at www.lindawilsonauthor.com.

What is Writer’s Voice?

We often hear “writer’s voice” mentioned in writing craft books and courses, and are told to be true to it. However, I have found this notion confusing. What is my writer’s voice? How can I recognize it?  What do I do to use it in a consistent way? This post is for sharing with you what I’ve learned so far.

The attribute of a writers' voice is as natural as their speaking voice. It is recognizable, authentic and gives flavor to your writing. Readers pick up your distinct personality, know you are real, and speak directly to them.

How can we develop our writer’s voice?

- Use your natural pattern of word choice for each sentence.
- Write the way you speak, then revise and edit for grammar problems.

You might value family, courage, and caring for others most or you might want to write about issues of poverty, crime, or loneliness. Give yourself the freedom to express the things important to you, in your own unique way.

A writer’s voice is not style. Your voice is your own; style is much broader than voice. A writing style can be long and complex, or sparse, simple and straightforward. Style might vary according to topic.

Writer’s voice is:

•    Our author fingerprint, it makes our writing authentic. Authenticity has a great impact on our readers sensing we are real and speaking to them.
•    It distinguishes our speech from others.
•    The way we string words together shows it is uniquely mine, or yours.
•    We are the only ones that can express our thoughts the way we do.

How do we know, how do we develop our voice? 

Write, write and write more. Then follow these tips:

•    It takes a writing practice. Write something every day. Create a workable schedule for longer projects with daily commitments of a certain number of words or for a specific amount of time.
•    Write what compels and intrigues you.
•    If you write to someone who knows you well, that you trust, you will write without pretenses.
•    Your natural voice comes through when you write something you care about deeply.

Deborah Lyn Stanley is a writer, artist, and editor.  She is a retired project manager who now devotes her time to writing, art and caring for mentally impaired seniors. Deborah writes articles, essays and stories.  Visit her web-blog: My Writer's Life Blog/  
      “Write your best, in your voice, your way!”

How to Use the Power of Asking

By W. Terry Whalin

Mega-promoter P.T. Barnum said, “Without promotion, something terrible happens. Nothing.” This statement is true for promotion and marketing but it is also true for almost every aspect of the publishing business. 

If you are not tapping into the power of asking, you are not having opportunities for your writing to be published and sold.

For example, if you want more reviews on Amazon for your books, are you consistently asking people if they are willing to read your book and write a review? 

It's been proven that a steady stream of reviews on Amazon (even if your book has been out a while) helps your book to sell even more copies. I understand it is important to get over 20 Amazon reviews (if possible) and 50 reviews is another benchmark. And when it comes to these reviews, I've often found willing people—but they haven't posted their review. 

Part of the process is to return to these individuals and make sure they have the book and remind them about the review. I get the challenges in this situation. There is a lot to read and write about since new books are being released into the market every day.

If you want to do more publishing in the world of print magazines, are you creating article ideas and pitching them to editors? I'm not talking about doing it once but over and over on a regular basis. 

You need to learn how to write a query letter then write your ideas and send them out to editors. I'd love for more editors to approach me with their ideas—but that is not my reality—even though I've written for over 50 magazines. Instead I have to ask editors to write for their publication.

If you want to get a literary agent, are you crafting your proposals then consistently pitching agents? Every agent receives numerous pitches every day and you have to be part of those pitches. 

As another strategy, are you going to conferences to meet agents and editors face to face and make your pitches? As editors (and a former literary agent), we work with people that we know, like and trust. Nothing happens if you sit back and do not actively pitch editors and agent.

Are you writing a book and need someone with a high profile to write the foreword for the book? Or does your book need some endorsements? 

Readers buy books every day because of endorsements and the foreword for the book—even if behind the scenes you had to write these endorsements. You will have to ask others for these endorsements, then probably give them a deadline, follow-up and even offer to write them a “draft” endorsement for it to happen. See how you have to be actively involved in this process and be asking for something to transpire?

While we depend on email, know that email can often not deliver—so make sure your pitch is reaching the right person and they are able to read it—even with a quick follow-up call or follow-up email to see if they got it.

If you don't have enough writing work or your books aren't selling, then I encourage you to become more active in asking others to buy your book or publish your work. Every writer (including me) would love to not have to ask others and have editors and agents clamor for their writing and work. In an extreme few cases, these writers exist—but for the bulk of us, we have to continue to pitch our work, promote our writing and get in front of new audiences.

How are you using the power of asking in your writing work? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

Are you using the power of asking? Get ideas here from a prolific writer and editor.  (ClickToTweet)

References:

World of Print Magazines
http://www.right-writing.com/magazine.html

Writing a Query Letter
http://www.right-writing.com/nationals.html

Why Writers' Conferences are Important
http://www.right-writing.com/conference.html

Free list of Literary Agents
http://terrylinks.com/agents

Crafting Your Proposal
http://bookproposalsthatsell.com/

Connect with Terry Whalin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/terrywhalin

--------------
W. Terry Whalin has been an acquisitions editor at three publishers and is a former literary agent. For the last five and half years, Terry has been acquiring books for Morgan James Publishing, a New York publisher doing about 150 books a year. His contact information is on the bottom of the second page. Terry has written for more than 50 print magazine and published more than 60 books including his classic Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success. He has over 220,000 followers on Twitter and lives in Colorado.
 

Internet Distraction

I heard a quote by author Jonathan Franzen today:

"It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction."

Do you agree?

I think it's a bit strong, but there's certainly truth behind his words.

I admit I can be prone to distraction and the internet is a huge one. I sometime use a computer program to block all websites for a certain amount of time to help me focus on writing.

If you're interested, I use Stay Focussed, a Google Chrome add-on. You can also use it to block only certain websites, to block everything but certain websites, or to give yourself only 5 or 10 minutes per day on time-suckers.

When I'm suffering from writer's block, I like to work on paper. Sometimes I'll send my current document to my Kindle, where I can read it for reference if I need to but can't edit. I have to do everything by hand and though it takes longer, it often gets me unstuck.

As for being influenced by other people, other ideas, other opinions...today's constant flood of input can dilute your own style and make you doubt what is your own idea and what is not, but you can also use it to gain inspiration and deeper understanding of the human race and the world we live in. Just try to be aware of which way you're using the information overload that is the internet.

I think the most important thing is to analyze how resistant you are to internet distraction and negative influence and plan accordingly.

Melinda Brasher's most recent sale is a twist on Rumpelstiltskin, appearing in Timeless Tales. You can also find her fiction in Nous, Electric Spec, Intergalactic Medicine Show, and others. If you're dreaming about traveling to Alaska, check out her guide book, Cruising Alaska on a Budget; a Cruise and Port Guide. Visit her online at http://www.melindabrasher.com

Practice Creating Strong Story Settings with Visual Writing Prompts

Setting plays a big part in any novel or short story.

And the best way to create a strong sense of setting is to "show" your readers where your characters are living out your story.

But how do you do this?

Well, it takes practice.

Generally, you will want to weave in details about your setting within the dialogue and action provided by your characters rather than include paragraph after paragraph of description.

To do this, you'll want to use strong sensory details that bring your setting—and your entire story—to life.

Here's a way to practice creating a strong setting.

Use each of these photos, below, as visual writing prompts and describe each setting using a variety of sensory details.

In other words, describe how each scene looks, the sounds you would hear there, the smells you would smell, what things you could feel there, and even the tastes you might experience there.

It might feel awkward at first to include details for each of the five senses, but, if you keep practicing this, it will get easier.

After you've created sensory details for each of the above photos (or settings), now create some characters to live in each setting.

Next, have these characters interact through dialogue.

Also, have them take action and move through the setting for some reason important to your storyline.

If nothing else, this little exercise should help you see and understand the importance of sensory details in setting.

Try it!

Suzanne Lieurance is a full time freelance writer, the author of 35 published books (at last count) and a writing coach.

She lives and writes by the sea in Jensen Beach, Florida.

Learn more about her books and her coaching services at www.writebythesea.com and sign up for her free email, The Morning Nudge, with tips and resources for writers delivered to your mailbox every weekday morning.

Build a Successful Online Business: 5 Must-Know Steps

As an author / writer, you sell your books and/or services. This means you are in business.

You may not think of yourself as a business person or solopreneur, but you are.

So, now that you realize you are in business, how do you make your online business successful?

Below are the top 5 steps to building a successful online business.

1. You’ve got to plan your way there. And, you’ve got to have vision.

2. I’ve been talking about this one for years now. You’ve got to have a website.

3. You’ve got to build authority. People need to believe you’re the ‘go to’ person for information or engagement.

4. You’ve got to build social proof. Show others that other people see your value.

5. You need to be involved in social media.

6. Bonus Tip: Focus is key.

To read what’s involved in each step, go on over to my in-depth article at WOW! Women on Writing:

5 Steps to Building an Online Business

Please SHARE and comment when you’re there!