From the SERP to the Shopping Cart The Best Content for Your Online Shop †Part 1

From the SERP to the Shopping Cart: The Best Content for Your Online Shop – Part 1 In this series, we look at the most important points a webmaster must consider and the impact they have in online marketing. We show you what to pay attention to at each individual contact point and consider essentials that the respective content must contain.In Part 1, we begin with the most important types of external content. SERP Snippets, Ads, Social Media and NewslettersOnline stores do not have sales assistants. Nobody greets the customers at the door, gives them detailed advice or explains the advantages and disadvantages of a product. Nobody escorts them to the checkout and afterwards thanks them for shopping online at your website. All this is part of e-commerce, and these tasks are the responsibility of the content found in and around the store.At each point of contact on the customer journey, the shop owner needs matching content that appropriately appeals to potential customers. Optimal content is also essential to accompany the customer when he or she decides to purchas e a product. But what should the content look like?In this series, we look at the most important points a webmaster must consider and the impact they have in online marketing. We show you what to pay attention to at each individual contact point and consider essentials that the respective content must contain.In Part 1, we begin with the most important types of external content.1. External Content How to Catch the Users AttentionExternal content means content not present on your own website. It serves to attract readers to your domain, to acquire customers or to generate commitment. External content should generally be written so that it attracts attention and interest or stirs the readers curiosity.Some of the most effective ways of appealing to potential users outside your website include the following:SERP SnippetsSnippets are the brief preview texts Google presents on its organic search engine result pages (SERPs). These contain a title, URL and a Meta description of a page.For online shops, theres basically two snippet options that appear in search engine results pages. They either offer their customers product pages or advice pages that enlighten them about the products benefits. Which search result the user will see depends on the initial search and optimization of each site.With Informational Search Keywords, a user should generally be directed to information pages. If the user types something like Samsung Galaxy S5 Durability, a good online store should provide a page that fully informs him or her on this topic.With Transactional Search Keywords, however, users should be provided with a page that allows actions to be completed, such as purchasing an item. With online shops, these options are usually product pages. A Transactional Search Keyword might be, for example, Buy Samsung Galaxy S5.As an online shop owner and depending on which pages you optimize product pages or advice pages your Meta tags should contain appropriate additional information. Ideally, your website will appear in both Informational and Transactional keyword searches.What Should Be Included in a Snippet?Choose your words wisely when writing title and description Meta tags. Use short sentences to make reading as easy as possible. Moreover, you have only limited space available to accommodate the complete message: approximately 70 characters for your title and about 155 characters for your description.Be sure to use your keyword in the title, again in the description and, if possible, also in the URL: Google bolds keywords, which serves as an eye-catcher for your readers.And finally, a call-to-action, such as an invitation to visit the site, is always very useful.Overall, the art of creating snippets is to customize the content within a restricted space so it convinces and appeals to a user who will want to know more. Remember your title and description text should not be repeated.Meta Tags for Advice PagesTo create a snippet for an advice page, anticipate w hat the user might be seeking. What information will he need after typing Battery life iPhone 6 ? What does she need to know if shes looking for Car paint for small scratches? The title and Meta description (and the page behind it) should be optimized for these kind of searches.At best, the snippet itself will tell the user part of the answer. If so, the reader will immediately recognize that the advice needed is likely to be on this page. But be careful: Do not falsely advertise be sure the website behind the SERP listing actually answers the users search question.Unnecessary product information or grand sale offers shouldnt be in the Meta description of an advice page. Those searching want some helpful information; they are not (yet) seeking to make a purchase.The title functions as a short and precise heading that is designed to attract the users attention. A short description can serve as a focal point and provide an accurate indication of what the user may expect from the unde rlying page. For example, How to repair paint damage on your cars bodywork.Meta Tags for Product PagesFor product page Meta tags, the snippet should provide the user with some facts about each product. While this can be done very simply and directly, its much better to make the text more appealing and exciting to address users at an emotional level.Many online shops remove a product page Meta description altogether. When this occurs, Google provides an automated description, but the shop owner is then throwing away a prime opportunity as the snippet can be designed to stand out from the other SERPs results.Take-Away Points:Optimize SERP snippets for Informational or Transactional keywords.Insert keywords in the title, description and URL.Include a call-to-action if possible.Get straight to the point: Put the most important information first.Use brief, clear forms of expression.Attract attention to your title.Dont make false promises: The website behind the click must deliver the exp ectation.2. AdsAd refers to commercials designed to encourage users to visit a website. Ads can be roughly divided into display ads and search advertising. Display ads include advertising formats the user encounters on a website, such as banners, pop-ups or text ads, while search advertising consists of ads displayed to the user within the search results of a query entered into Google.The majority of display ads are more like graphic elements that include text segments. Although our discussion will focus on the textual content of display ads, text used in search advertising follows a similar pattern.Construction of an AdDisplay ads, as well as ads used in Google AdWords, typically feature a headline and a URL, plus one to three lines of text. As with snippets in search result pages, these ads are also intended to catch the readers attention and encourage the user to click.What Should be Included in an Ad?The page that the user clicks to enter should match the display ad, and you sho uld therefore include the keyword and maybe even reflect the page design.Advertisements generally work best with correct spelling and vocabulary. Occasionally, the use of text abbreviations or slang may serve as an eye-catcher if used in a headline or URL. In Google AdWords, as with organic snippets, the keyword appears in bold and is thus clearly highlighted. An AdWords text must include the keyword in the headline, text and/or URL.In many cases, a call-to-action makes sense, but its not always necessary. You can prepare the user for whats on the following page with phrases such as Cheap, Buy Now or Register Now.HeadlineAd headlines should have an advertising focus, and appropriate keywords and eye-catchers here can increase the CTR. So words and phrases like now, offering, low or starting from will show up frequently.TextThe text of an ad should make the offer very clear. To achieve this, the use of short, clear sentences is very important so that the user only has to think about the content.URLThe URL can often be modified in the display, which gives advertisers additional design options and also allows URLs to incorporate keywords and/or messages.Take-Away Points:Adopt a definite promotional tone.Incorporate keywords in your title, description and URL.Insert a call-to-action.Utilize eye-catchers such as now and low.Write clear sentences.Mention your shops special features.3. Social MediaSocial media is an important factor in online marketing and a strong contributor to website traffic. Online shops can also benefit from social networks if they publish the right content.If a post is crafted well, it can tempt many users not just to click on the post, but thanks to the inherent virality of social networks they may also share it with their own fans and followers.What Should Be Included in a Social Media Post?Creativity and experience can be used to create interesting social network contributions for almost any product.Stimulating an exchange between a store s users or between the store and its users is a great way to generate both commitment and online traffic. Asking questions about products also works well, but a call for interaction can really motivate your followers for example, asking users to photograph themselves using a product, requesting product reviews or polling customers to share their experience or give their opinion on current events. Amazon, for example, recently asked its users to share photos of their dogs.Social networks are made for communication and provide online shop owners with an excellent opportunity to listen to their customers. Take your users seriously and talk with them, providing not only product pages but also help and creative advice.What to Consider When Writing PostsWriting a successful viral teaser is often a matter of luck. Generally its impossible to predict if and why one post will spread like wildfire while another wont. Nevertheless, there are some simple methods to increase the probability of a click.Be simple and concise: Try to write your teaser using clear, short sentences. Get straight to the point, and put your important information as close to the start of the teaser as possible. Theoretically, you have an unlimited amount of space for a social media teaser, but studies have repeatedly shown that shorter teasers are more effective. Use enthusiastic and active language without passive constructions and nouns.Write appealing posts: To ensure that readers notice your posts, use appropriate keywords in your teasers that describe at a glance what happens once they click. Posts containing pictures are much more likely to be viewed than those without.Be creative: No other channel allows you to reach so many people that quickly with short texts. And even if the reach is not necessarily sustainable, its worth maintaining a social media presence in order to build a community.Take-Away Points:Interact and communicate with your followers.Post interesting product advertising.Li sten to your users. Write in short, clear sentences.Use words and pictures as eye-catchers.4. EmailEmail is one of the most effective marketing tools for directly targeting customers and prospects and bringing traffic to your page. First, your email recipients have already expressed an interest in your shop by providing their email address or by signing up for your newsletter. Second, because of the data already at your disposal, no other method can offer the same level of targeted focus.What Should Be Included in an Email Newsletter?A newsletter typically consists of a subject line, a title and an introductory text, one or more teasers about articles, pages or products, a complimentary close and contact details.SubjectAfter the sender details, the subject line is your emails first contact point with the recipient. If the reader does not find it convincing, the chances of your mail being opened will decrease. Many readers receive dozens of newsletters and promotional emails every da y, which they delete unopened. So your subject line must carefully tread a fine line between engaging wording that will prompt a click and a run-of-the-mill spam advertising message.The subject should be concise and to the point with the most important keywords in the beginning. Focus your subject line according to your target group for example, address men and women in different ways or personalize the subject line using data such as the name and location of the recipient. But be careful: This method risks being considered spam.In any case, the subject should encourage a click and then fulfil the expectations raised. Avoid stock phrases like Our current offers for X. Instead, try to entertain your readers and pique their curiosity: How to bring back your cars showroom shine.And one thing that always helps is to experiment. So why not create different subject lines and analyze which type resonates best with your readers?Salutation and IntroductionYour newsletters form of address is a matter of taste. Some readers prefer a Dear Mrs. or Mr. while others prefer Hello. Newsletters may vary considerably according to the industry, content and relationship with the readers. Addressing the reader by name whether first name, last name, or both is always the most important consideration because it establishes a personal relationship with the recipient from the beginning.Your introduction should be brief because anything overblown may lose your readers before they reach the important content. Use short, clear sentences to prepare the recipient and move them on to the core content.TeaserAs with SERPs, ad and social media teasers, your newsletter teaser should be clear and concise. Even if you have more space available, remember your reader has very little time for lots of information. Users probably just skim the newsletter anyway, so make it easy. Perhaps you could highlight the most important features or set them apart with a colon in front. Your reader should recogn ize the teaser as soon as possible, and graphics may help to achieve this.The farther down the newsletter your teaser appears, the lower the probability that it will be clicked. So put your most important teaser near the beginning and make it clear where the reader should click. The headline itself should be clickable, and a link should also be placed at the end of the teaser, possibly with a call-to-action such as learn more now!Be accurate and stylistically appealing: Avoid long, complex sentences; use active rather than passive verbs; and check spelling and grammar carefully.Complimentary Close and ContactThe close should be short and polite, and many readers will appreciate a direct contact and a contact address. Think about whether you should send your newsletter in the name of a particular employee (such as the CEO) or whether the sender will be an entire team or the company. Whatever you decide, your readers should be given the opportunity to respond to a direct contact.Take- Away Points:Adopt a subject-specific focus relevant to your target group, use a concise format and avoid spam advertising.Avoid standardized wording; the subject line should be enticing.Personalize your greeting, and keep the introduction as short as possible.Place your teasers where they will attract attention, highlighting the most important.Include an address and contact person.Dont Miss This:The next part of our series deals with publicly accessible content on your website. Discover the most persuasive content to use for your readers on your landing page, your product and category pages and in your blog.

Civilians in Vietnam Tim O Br essays

Civilians in Vietnam Tim O' Br essays If I Die in a Combat Zone, a chilling depiction of what life was like in the war between the armed forces of the USA and the Vietnamese in the late 60s and early 70s. The way the soldiers lived their lives, minute by minute, not day by day is a chilling insight as to what life was like as a soldier in the way. Was it fair to say that the soldiers of the USA mistreated civilians of the Vietnamese decent or that what they did was just part of being a soldier? Tim O Brien is not only a veteran of the war but is also the author of the novel If I Die in a Combat Zone. His first hand depictions of the war help create a very clear picture in the mind of the reader as to what it was like during the war. It was not a bad war until we sent a night patrol into a village called Tri Binh 4.(83) Not all the soldiers in O Briens Platoon had the heart of a rock; some were annoyed or just plain bothered by the sight or sound of death. Mad Mark, one of the Platoon leaders, was sent out with five other men in a night patrol when they came across ten VC(Viet Cong Soldiers) all sitting around smoking. Mad Mark and his five men went on to take out the soldiers and pretty much dismantle them down to an ear, Christ, Mad Mark just went up and sliced off the dead dink! No wonder hes Mad Mark, like he was cuttin sausages or something. It appeared that in Mad Marks mind that was exactly the right thing to do so you couldnt debate to him that he was wrong. As time passed the men found themselves in another tight situation. What all seemed normal and just as a nice gesture by one of the Vietnamese civilians turned out to be a very disturbing sight to the imagination of the reader. The men wandered to the well of and old man who not only was a very nice man but unfortunately was also blind. The men spent the day at the well using his water, lo ...