Admittedly, I came late to the article syndication cheer-leading squad. Let’s just chalk it up to an innate cynicism, or an aversion to bandwagon jumping. However, there is no arguing with results, and the fact is, article syndication works. We’ve seen notable bumps in landing page traffic immediately following an article’s syndication and then subsequent improvements in page rank thereafter. Page rank isn’t my current raison d’être and maximizing UX (user experience) most certainly is. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at a few ways to create informative, sharable SEO friendly article syndication copy.
An article is not a landing page
When creating an article for syndication, don’t simply regurgitate the sales copy from your landing page. If you do that, you’re pretty much hanging out a big sign that says “hey look at me, I’m ad copy”. Remember, when people click through to your article, they’re most likely searching for impartial information and not a sales pitch. One of the best bits of advice for writing article syndication copy that promotes a positive UX is: Information first, advertisement second.
In addition to displeasing the user by copying your landing page, you could potentially set yourself up for some duplicate content issues. Of course, that’s not to say that your landing pages can’t play a part in article syndication projects. Simply make it a part of your contextual linking strategy.
Spelunk your press releases
By no means am I suggesting that raw press releases make good article copy. In fact that couldn’t be further from the truth. What I am saying is that a press release announcing a new product or service can beget an article discussing the consumer need that said product or service was created to fill. For example, a press release announcing Brand X’s introduction of the new Super BoilMaster 3000 could spawn an article that answers the question, “how to boil water”.
Leave your bio on your corporate site
Unless people are searching for articles on the history of your company, an “About Us” essay will not make good copy for article syndication. Remember: information first, advertisement second.
Consider your own search habits
The easiest way to craft informative, shareable copy for article syndication is to simply think about your own search habits. When you search for information online, which sites hold your attention and which sites cause you to bounce? Keep both the positive and negative in mind when crafting copy for article syndication in order to gauge UX.
Providing a positive UX through your article syndication copy is simple, if you respect the reason people seek articles out in the first place. The consumer wants beneficial information that isn’t necessarily related to a product and they don’t want to be smacked in the face with buy now, call now, act now.
Now that you have an idea about pleasing the consumer, you’re probably wondering how to get your message across while maximizing UX. Keep an eye out for my next post, where I’ll discuss lacing article syndication copy with ad messaging and keywords.
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