Module one:

SEO Copywriting Certification Training

Heather Lloyd-MartinFourth Edition

SuccessWorks Search Marketing, Inc., © 2013 | www.seocopywriting.com

Hello! It's great to "meet" you!

Intro

I'm so glad that you're taking the SEO Copywriting Certi�cation training. And here's why...

The de�nition of "SEO copywriting" has changed drastically over the last couple years - as well as the strategies and techniques. It wasn't too long ago that poorly written pages were sitting at the top of Google's search results. These pages didn't provide good information. Nor were they written for readers. Their purpose was to "spam" the search engines by repeating certain search terms (called keyphrases) throughout the copy. Even if that meant that the copy didn't make sense.

Then, in February 2011, everything changed.

Google decided that low-quality content didn't deserve the top search engine spots anymore. To combat this issue, they released the "Panda update" - an algorithmic update that changed the order of some search results. Panda impacted sites with poor content, causing them to drop in the rankings. As a result, sites with rich, informative content rose to the top of the search engine charts.

What did this mean to the Web? Companies with poor content instantly went from top-10 Google positions to nowhere-to-be-found. Imagine what that would be like. One day, you've got a #2 position. The next day, you're gone.

The impact was startling. I talked to business owners who lost everything and were living in their parent's basement because of Google's algorithmic change. They went from raking in a good income to making virtually nothing. If people couldn't �nd their sites in Google, people couldn't hire them.

SuccessWorks Search Marketing, Inc., © 2013 | www.seocopywriting.com page 2

Google's Panda update put companies on notice: The days of hiring o�shore, non-English speaking writers for $2/article were o�cially over. The top search engine spots are reserved for sites with quality content that's written well.

In fact, Google is still rolling out minor updates to Panda. This (slightly outdated) infographic shows the progression - and updates are still happening in 2013:

http://selnd.com/1274yXP

Additionally, Googles “Hummingbird” algorithm, launched in September 2013, is a big one for content producers. Now that Google can understand “conversational” type queries, it means we have more freedom (and more responsibility) to create content that’s laser-focused on our readers.

That means, instead of repeating a keyword over and over, content must truly address a speci�c want or need.

Today, companies understand the value of high quality content (�nally.) People who hire freelancers or in-house talent understand that it's crucial to �nd a writer who understands SEO copywriting best practices and how to ethically write for Google.

And that's where you come in.

What are you are learning today can literally be life - and business - changing. You'll understand how to con�dently approach a new project, conduct keyphrase research, write the page and measure the results. In short, you'll discover how to write quality content that Google - and your readers - will love.

Soon, you'll have a �le full of success stories. You'll be able to talk about how your fantastic copy helped a business owner clear more money in one quarter than they made the previous year. Or, how you were able to transform a low-ranking page into a high-positioned superstar. Or, how you were able to land a new client because they found you in the search engines - and your site was in the top 10.

And that's a wonderful thing.

Before you "o�cially" get started, I wanted to provide some "how to take the training" tips. After years of certifying students around the world, here's what I would suggest:

Attend as many live training calls as you can (they typically run on Wednesdays at noon Pacific Time.) My guest trainers are the best in the business, and typically only speak at conferences (which cost a lot of money) or when they run their own specialized training

I'm so glad that you're taking the SEO Copywriting Certi�cation training. And here's why...

The de�nition of "SEO copywriting" has changed drastically over the last couple years - as well as the strategies and techniques. It wasn't too long ago that poorly written pages were sitting at the top of Google's search results. These pages didn't provide good information. Nor were they written for readers. Their purpose was to "spam" the search engines by repeating certain search terms (called keyphrases) throughout the copy. Even if that meant that the copy didn't make sense.

Then, in February 2011, everything changed.

Google decided that low-quality content didn't deserve the top search engine spots anymore. To combat this issue, they released the "Panda update" - an algorithmic update that changed the order of some search results. Panda impacted sites with poor content, causing them to drop in the rankings. As a result, sites with rich, informative content rose to the top of the search engine charts.

What did this mean to the Web? Companies with poor content instantly went from top-10 Google positions to nowhere-to-be-found. Imagine what that would be like. One day, you've got a #2 position. The next day, you're gone.

The impact was startling. I talked to business owners who lost everything and were living in their parent's basement because of Google's algorithmic change. They went from raking in a good income to making virtually nothing. If people couldn't �nd their sites in Google, people couldn't hire them.

SuccessWorks Search Marketing, Inc., © 2013 | www.seocopywriting.com page 3

courses (which also cost money!). Take advantage of the ability to ask these people questions and get to know them. You will learn so much more if you do.

Give yourself the full three months. Start Module One as soon as you can (hey, why not start it after reading this introduction.) If you wait until month two to start, you'll feel stressed out - and you won't retain the information you'll need to take the final Exam.

The SEO Copywriting Certification training is designed to provide you the best-practice fundamentals. However, the world of SEO moves quickly - and you'll want to stay up-to-date with Google's changes. If you really want to dive deep into the world of SEO and copywriting, read this blog post:

http://bit.ly/TJntmc

It outlines the blogs and books you should read and bookmark.

(And yes, we do discuss Google's latest changes during the Certification training calls!)

Practice, practice, practice! It's one thing to go through a training class. It's another to put those skills into action! Students who see the best results during the training actu-ally do the work. They conduct keyphrase research (even if it's for a "dummy" site.) They write pages, Titles and meta descriptions. If you're a freelance copywriter and you don't have your own Website, why not follow the lessons and build your site? If you've always wanted to blog about pets, or hockey, or travel...start a blog and put the lessons into action.

Be gentle with yourself. You may find yourself feeling like you'll never "get it." You will. I promise. I've seen this happen hundreds of times. It will take some time - and some practice. Then, one day, you'll wake up and everything will "click." You'll try writing a page and...it will be easy! You'll see new keyphrase opportunities. The term "Title element" won't scare you anymore. Once you get through the learning curve, you'll be fine.

Thank you again for signing up for the training! I look forward to chatting with you on a future call.

Have a wonderful day-

Heather

I'm so glad that you're taking the SEO Copywriting Certi�cation training. And here's why...

The de�nition of "SEO copywriting" has changed drastically over the last couple years - as well as the strategies and techniques. It wasn't too long ago that poorly written pages were sitting at the top of Google's search results. These pages didn't provide good information. Nor were they written for readers. Their purpose was to "spam" the search engines by repeating certain search terms (called keyphrases) throughout the copy. Even if that meant that the copy didn't make sense.

Then, in February 2011, everything changed.

Google decided that low-quality content didn't deserve the top search engine spots anymore. To combat this issue, they released the "Panda update" - an algorithmic update that changed the order of some search results. Panda impacted sites with poor content, causing them to drop in the rankings. As a result, sites with rich, informative content rose to the top of the search engine charts.

What did this mean to the Web? Companies with poor content instantly went from top-10 Google positions to nowhere-to-be-found. Imagine what that would be like. One day, you've got a #2 position. The next day, you're gone.

The impact was startling. I talked to business owners who lost everything and were living in their parent's basement because of Google's algorithmic change. They went from raking in a good income to making virtually nothing. If people couldn't �nd their sites in Google, people couldn't hire them.