As a business you want to provide an inclusive user experience so that your content is accessible to everyone. This includes people with sensory, cognitive, learning or physical difficulties that use assistive technology like screen readers. There are almost 14 million disabled people in the UK (22% of the population). People use screen readers for … Read More
SEO Copywriting
Complete guide to brand monitoring
Let’s start with what is pretty much a given. People are talking about your brand online whether you are monitoring (and listening) to these mentions or not. If your company has a social media presence (and you’d have to dig pretty deep to find a brand without one) you will need to be actively monitoring … Read More
17 reasons you need to invest in content marketing in 2020
Are you hesitating to invest energy and money into content marketing? Well, consider this: no one ever won a game of Monopoly by cautiously navigating around the board without buying Pall Mall, Park Lane, or a station or two. As a business owner, you may be playing a delicate financial balancing game. But, if you … Read More
Ecommerce SEO Checklist (Complete 2020 Guide)
Ecommerce sales in the UK are forecast to account for 24% of total retail – hitting £115.93 billion in 2020. If you sell online, then one of the most important channels you have to reach consumers is search engine traffic. A 2019 study by Backlinko found that moving up 1 spot in the search results … Read More
What Google’s BERT update means for content
We hope you haven’t got Google update fatigue because this is important. Google has made a giant leap in the way it understands the nuance and context of longer search queries with the release of its BERT update in its ranking system. The update means that Google will better understand one in 10 search queries. … Read More
Blogs and Copyright – What You Need to Know
Blogs and copyright – what you need to know As a blogger there are steps you must take to ensure you are not infringing on the copyright protections of other people’s work. Content that is published online is no different when it comes to copyright protections that those that apply offline. We’ve quickly got on … Read More
Are Press Releases Still Relevant?
Are press releases still relevant in a digital world? As a PR pro, you’ll have seen lots of stories about how press releases are going the way of the dinosaurs. It’s been a big talking point in a digital world where algorithms have become the editors curating the content we all read online. But, take … Read More
What content should you be writing for your ecommerce business?
In a recent post we discussed three ways that content can help an ecommerce business compete with Amazon. We talked about how unique, valuable content can help you standout by offering customers a differentiated experience. We thought it would be helpful to explore this further and take a look at the types of content that … Read More
How important is content length – what real life data says
This is a question that can freeze search teams and copywriters in the SEO headlights. In truth, the answer is there are no hard and fast rules about content length. There is common ground when it comes to opinion and experience. The consensus is that longer content works the hardest in helping businesses rank higher … Read More
E-commerce Website Design for Different Buying Styles
Designing and developing an e-commerce website seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? Display the products and prices, provide a shopping cart and payment portals, and you’re done. Or are you? A simple e-commerce site may be easy enough to launch, but will it reach all your buyers at any time? With so many different shopping styles … Read More
Product description SEO – How to write for Google AND your customers
Writing product descriptions that accurately represent your products, generate consumer interest, and help raise conversion rates is a difficult task. It involves juggling a number of ideas and honing your writing and editing abilities until you’re comfortable repeatedly writing to a targeted audience and in a specific tone of voice. Here, we take a look … Read More
5 great duplicate content checkers
Recently we blogged about duplicate content and why it’s bad for your website and your content marketing strategy. So, assuming that duplicate content is something that you want to avoid, how do you go about identifying it? Here we look at some of the best duplicate content checkers available.
Internal Linking For SEO: How to Get it Right
Everyone knows that backlinks are the key to better ranking. (You didn’t know that? Read our article on domain authority and backlink building). And because everyone knows their value, quality backlinks (the only ones that matter) are also damnably hard to achieve. Internal linking, on the other hand, is easy to implement, completely flexible and … Read More
TrustRank Explained
When considering what makes a quality domain, search engines takes multiple ‘trust indicators’ into account. The result is a ‘TrustRank’ score which helps Google et al decide, amongst other factors, how to rank your site. If you’ve received one of Big Star’s free content marketing audits, you’ll have received a score based on the ‘MozTrust’ … Read More
Domain Authority and Backlink Building
Read all the guides about on-page SEO but not seen any changes? Invested time and money in web content that no-one’s reading? Still being beaten in search results by your competitors? Here’s newsflash no.1 about modern SEO: it’s hard. And no.2? Gone are the days when a well-researched, correctly placed keyword could give you the edge … Read More
Insurance Marketing Case Study – Content Marketing for Park Insurance
Working with an established insurance company has it’s own unique challenges and opportunities. Providing dynamic content marketing to Park Insurance not only meant understanding the difference between gap insurance and no claims protection (plus an array of other insurance products) it also meant understanding the company as a whole and its objectives. For example, Park … Read More
Zen and The Art Of Niche Marketing: 4 Steps To Success For Your Brand
When most of us are looking for a particular product we’ll most likely end up with one of a few “favourite” options. If we know what we want, Google gives us a few clues and we go with a balance of what we think is the best product, at the best price, from the most … Read More
The SEO Value Of Syndicated Press Releases
Every company with a mature attitude to marketing wants to receive positive editorial in media publications. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. Although it won’t guarantee you headlines in your target publications, writing and distributing high-quality press releases should be part of your overall strategy if you want to make a start in PR. … Read More
Case Study: SEO Copywriting For minicabit
We’re always very interested to know how our work has gone down after the copy has been signed off. Getting the words right and the tone of voice is one thing, but what about the impact on SEO, sales, and conversions? And to what extent do doubts about working with an agency come into play … Read More
5 Ways Your B2C Content Writing Is Changing In 2016
In the many years that we’ve been producing web content, our copywriters have seen the medium change dramatically. This year is no different, and even though it’s only May, we’re already seeing considerable movement. Here we present five key ways that content writing is changing in 2016. Businesses are producing more content According to research … Read More
SEO copywriting – How to Write for Search in Four Simple Steps
SEO copywriting has come a long way since the nineties when stuffing your content with keywords was as popular (and annoying) as MC Hammer. Today, it’s a continually evolving practice which shifts in line with what the major search engines (predominantly Google) are doing and emerging user trends. It’s important to keep up with the latest … Read More
Product Descriptions: Ten things that make all the difference
For e-commerce sites, having product description writing that is original, compelling and high quality can make a significant difference to the number of conversions you achieve. So if you’ve already invested time and money in your web design, your marketing, and your products themselves, it only makes sense that you should also invest the same … Read More
How to use blog metrics to measure the success of your posts
In 2016, having a successful blog can be one of the most important things for your business’ online presence. It can establish you as a trusted authority in your field, drive extra traffic to your website, and enable you to connect with your customers on another level. But just how do you measure the success of your blog?
What Is Thin Content And Is Your Site Suffering From It?
Google’s on a mission to eliminate thin content. What is thin content and how do you avoid being penalised for it?
Will Google’s latest update affect the ranking of your product pages?
This month online marketers and SEO experts have been falling over themselves in anticipation of Google’s latest update to its algorithm. Now the day is finally upon us. Launching today (April 21st), the update is, it seems, specifically aimed at improving the mobile-friendliness of websites appearing at the top of the search results.
SEO copywriting VS customer engagement – How to achieve the perfect balance?
There may once have been a distinction between ‘SEO copywriting’ and other types of copywriting for the web, but in 2015, all online content should be SEO optimised. Conversely, content that is created for SEO purposes should not merely exist for the purposes of wooing the search engines – that simply won’t work.
Convert your website traffic into paying customers with these two “secret” copywriter tools
You create website content for two reasons. To increase your visibility in search. To capture the attention of your human audience and persuade them of the value of your products or services. Readability comes into play when considering both factors and can make a huge difference if you want to convert your website traffic into … Read More
Google gives advice on using ‘spammy’ SEO techniques: Don’t
In another of his regular videos on the Google Webmasters YouTube channel, Matt Cutts has recently been addressing the differences between good SEO (search engine optimisation) and bad SEO.
Heads up SEO copywriters: Google’s gurus reveal all at SMX West
Every year on the other side of the Atlantic, the Search Marketing Expo – better known as SMX West – draws digital marketers, SEO copywriters and SEO specialists of all flavours to California. The event, programmed by the editors over at Search Engine Land, frequently provides insights into the current state of digital marketing and … Read More
Google: “Backlinks Matter”. Bing: “So Does Quality”.
If you want to know what really matters when it comes to SEO and what areas you should be focusing on in the development of your website, who better to ask than the search engines themselves? Google and Bing are generally quite tight-lipped about the exact specifications of their algorithms, but they do from time … Read More
SEO copywriting for homepages: what do you need?
One area of your website that should always be on the SEO copywriter‘s agenda is your homepage. It is often the most popular page on your website. It is likely to be a gateway to the rest of your site and your online sales cycle. It’s where people come to see what you’re all about … Read More
Three ways your SEO copywriter can make sure your business stocking is full on Xmas day
What can your SEO copywriter do to fill you with Christmas cheer?