The vast majority of brands, when they “enter the Internet”, start by starting their own website. It is almost always a sensible choice – your own piece of the Web allows you to present your brand, products or services to customers, offering freedom in form and content, without limiting the reach, as in social media.

When designing and publishing the brand’s official website on the web, it is difficult to do without SEO. SEO advertising is a long-term investment, but this marathon usually pays off! Moreover, it fits well with other online promotion methods such as Google Ads.

SEO as an advertising channel

But let’s start with what exactly is SEO advertising, otherwise known as website SEO. SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization, i.e. website optimization in terms of their visibility in search engines.

Pages displayed in the search results of individual phrases in the engine (for example, Google or Bing) are not accidental – their set and order is the work of an advanced and constantly updated selection algorithm. It is based primarily on the so-called keywords, i.e. keywords. So when we enter any phrase, the engine returns a list of results that in theory best match a given query – that is, Google tries to limit the time spent by the user on searching and redirect him to the desired destination as quickly as possible.

On the part of the algorithm, such page ordering to actually shorten the search time to the absolute minimum is a huge challenge. The search engine has to “guess” what type of information the user is looking for – are these the products they want to buy? Or maybe he wants to broaden his knowledge on a given topic and collect specific data? Teaching the algorithm a sensible “understanding” of the user’s intentions is the greatest difficulty – and although the search system is still far from ideal, thanks to updates the algorithm becomes slightly better at fulfilling this function every day.

SEO – what it is all about

The algorithm largely takes into account the content placed on the page, i.e. its length, quality and presentation, but content is only one of over 200 factors analyzed by the algorithm. Below, we will describe the most important elements that make up the position of the website in search results – their refinement can, under favorable conditions, bring amazing results when it comes to SEO advertising.

However, before we get into the SEO advertising guidelines and rules, let’s start with how to prepare for SEO. The first step should always be an in-depth analysis of keywords – what phrases are entered by users into the search engine if they want to find products, services or data contained on competing websites? What keywords are related to the industry in which you operate?

Many programs and services that analyze key phrases and positions of specific pages come to the rescue. It is worth paying attention to free Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner, as well as various paid solutions: Ahrefs, Semstorm and Senuto, among others. In the case of positioning, your intuition must give way to the collected data – if you think that a certain keyword will attract valuable (i.e. converting) traffic to the website, but the analysis suggests something exactly the opposite, probably in 99% of cases the program will be right.

It is worth remembering that from the point of view of the business owner, the value is only the user who converts – buys a product or service or performs another action that we have planned (e.g. watching a video on the website or downloading a PDF file). This means that your keywords must be related to your image or sales goals. You can easily attract many users to your website, but the wrong choice of keywords will bring people who are not interested in the topic to the website, without having a positive impact on important business indicators.

Without meaningful keyword analysis, SEO is an internet wandering in complete darkness – sometimes you can attract a client, but you have no real chance of competing with someone with night vision. If you haven’t had anything to do with SEO before, perhaps in your case you should consider outsourcing an SEO audit to an SEO professional who will check the keywords with the greatest potential and suggest necessary changes to the website.

There are many tools on the web that allow you to perform an independent SEO audit. This is a good start to understanding what a page is missing and worth paying attention to. Automatic audit, however, will not replace an analysis made by a specialist, taking into account the specificity of the website, industry and other aspects that the machine is not able to properly develop.

SEO advertising starts with content

When adapting your website to the requirements of the algorithm, it is worth starting with the content. It has to be – of course – user-engaging and encouraging to buy, but also search engine-friendly. This means that the content should be:

– Full of keywords – so that it does not obstruct reading as much as possible and does not give an unnatural impression. The potential customer will reflect on the inauthentic and simply strange-sounding text. The same will be done by an algorithm that better and better recognizes “junk” content.
– Long enough to comprehensively describe the topic – the user can learn more (and your brand gains an expert image). It also enables collision-free interweaving of more keywords.
– Properly formatted – divided into paragraphs (nobody likes a compact wall of text – neither does the Google algorithm), decorated with graphics and written in a readable font. It is also good practice to include your title and subheadings, possibly with keywords, in the form of H1, H2 and H3 headings.

If you don’t have a site where you can post more content, it might be a good idea to start a corporate blog. This gives you basically unlimited possibilities – you can strengthen the expert image of the brand, show off your successes, present your know-how and specialists, and at the same time, thanks to the publication of content, attract valuable traffic from the search engine to the website.

On-site SEO

Content optimization is one of the elements that make up the so-called on-site SEO, i.e. activities that can be performed directly on a positioned website. In addition to refining the content, other important aspects of the website are also important for Google and it is worth bearing in mind for seo advertising to be as effective as possible.

Google also places great emphasis on technical issues, such as:

Page loading speed
The faster your site loads, the better – it’s obvious. If the entire process takes more than a few seconds, a large number of users simply give up their visit and turn to the next page in search results. Google knows this, so loading time is an important ranking factor. How can the waiting time be shortened? Actions include JavaScript minification, image compression, server migration with faster response times, and more. Google PageSpeed Insights can help you find out what you can improve on a page.

Responsiveness
Users browse pages on a variety of devices – desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, TVs and many more. This means that your website must display properly and allow comfortable viewing on multiple screen resolutions. The algorithm pays attention to, among other things, whether the text is readable (for example, whether individual characters do not extend beyond the screen).

SSL certificate
Encrypted communication is absolutely essential today – Google knows it too. The correct installation of the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate is indicated by a green (or gray in some browsers) padlock next to the website address.

Friendly URL’s
The URL has a specific structure, but the form of the URL may vary depending on the administrator’s actions. Friendly addresses are much more intuitive for the user, and at the same time allow network bots to better “understand” the content of the subpage.

Internal links
We have devoted a separate section of this text to links, but it is worth mentioning internal links here. These are the links in which you redirect to subpages within your own domain, making it easier for both the user and the bot to navigate.

Picture descriptions
Each picture can be provided with a title and the so-called alt attribute, i.e. an alternative description. They are not usually visible at first glance, but they are in the code, which makes them well understood by web crawlers.

These are just some of the actions that should be performed on the website to improve its position in search results as part of on-site SEO. However, SEO is much more than just the methods presented above. In addition to other ideas for adapting the website to the requirements of the algorithm, it is also worth taking an interest in the second SEO department.

Off-site SEO – the power of linking

Off-site SEO can be simply called all activities that focus on obtaining links from other pages pointing to a given domain. This is largely what a page’s rank is based on – often referred to as (digital) social righteousness. The algorithm assumes that if many other pages of high “value” link to a given page, the linked page is also considered valuable – so it is probably worth raising its position.

However, it is not that simple. The key is getting quality links that will often be worth much more than a few hundred links from a zero-reputation microsite.

It is also worth paying attention to the attribute of a given link. There are several types, the most important of which at the initial stage are:
– Dofollow – a link that “opens the door” to a web crawler – encourages him to go to the linked page, ergo has a clear positioning value.
– Nofollow – a link that the bot theoretically does not pay attention to – i.e. sees it, but does not go any further. This includes links from social media such as Facebook or Twitter, as well as Wikipedia.

However, it is not that every nofollow link is meaningless from the point of view of SEO advertising, and each dofollow link will bring a specific value. The natural link profile is important for the algorithm – suspected spam may result in the imposition of a filter that will limit the website’s visibility in the search engine.

Where to get the links? Valuable content will organically diverge to some extent, but this is usually not enough. So you can arrange an exchange of links with the owner of another website or simply buy them. There are many websites on the Internet market that allow you to buy space for a given domain, but the selection of the “linking area” must be supported by thorough research – otherwise you can burn out the budget allocated for it, and in extreme situations, severely damage the painstakingly built position of the website.

SEO Advertising – What Should You Remember?

SEO of websites does not bring immediate results – you have to wait up to several months for the first noticeable changes. The power of SEO inertia is considerable, especially when compared to PPC systems (Google Ads or Facebook Ads), where a well-configured campaign brings profits right away. For this reason, positioning should be planned in the long term – only this approach provides meaningful results.

What is effective marketing?

Marketing includes a number of activities based on the company’s communication with the client. Its goals are primarily to increase sales, but also, for example, to improve recognition or image. Achieving business goals requires, first of all, formulating them and then creating a strategy for their implementation. It should include, inter alia, defining the target group and its needs, as well as analyzing the company’s situation and its business environment. Only on this basis, it is possible to design specific actions within the short- and long-term marketing strategy, along with their schedule or budget. When the strategy is developed, you can proceed to its implementation, constantly monitoring the effects and analyzing the obtained results based on previously developed indicators.

If the above description sounds complicated, it’s because that’s the job of a marketer. A good specialist should not forget about any of the above aspects – only then can he count on obtaining the expected results. Therefore, in his work, he uses many tools that perform various functions and facilitate work in specific areas.

Internet Marketing – Analysis Tools

Analytics is a very important part of a marketer’s job. The actions taken should result from the conducted research and conclusions drawn from it. The analysis should be carried out at the beginning – assessing the company’s situation before implementing the assumptions of the marketing strategy – and then constantly monitor changes in indicators (the so-called KPI). This is the only effective way to assess which of the adopted assumptions prove to be correct and which actions bring the most profits.

There are many analytical tools. Each of them has slightly different functions and is suitable for slightly different tasks. Importantly, some of them are completely free!

Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an indispensable tool for anyone who runs a website. The marketer can use it to obtain important data that is helpful both in planning and in measuring the effectiveness of implemented activities. An example may be data on recipients containing information on the demographics of internet users visiting the website. In addition, you can see what devices users are using, what they are interested in and how they spend their time on our website.

From the marketing point of view, very important data are also those concerning the sources of traffic. They tell you how users come to your website. The information in this section is really detailed, so you can check the results of your campaigns and analyze each keyword. You can also check how effectively the traffic generated from a given source translates into conversion. As a result, actions that do not bring the expected results can be eliminated, and the resources freed in this way can be allocated to the intensification of more effective methods. It is also worth checking multi-channel paths for this purpose. There you will find data on how the different traffic-gaining channels support each other and which paths convert best.

Google Analytics is a free tool for the marketer that offers a wide range of possibilities. It’s worth taking the time to get to know them inside out because they provide a lot of valuable information.

Tools for the marketer – content marketing and SEO

SEO and content marketing are currently the main areas of interest for most marketers. Actions taken to increase the visibility, value and credibility of the website bring long-lasting results. Therefore, they are the main pillar of the long-term strategy of any company that is serious about marketing. Effective SEO or content marketing, however, requires tracking trends and careful content development. Fortunately, there is no shortage of tools that facilitate work in this area.

Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner
These two tools for the marketer, SEO expert or content creator are absolutely essential. Google Trends is about trends – you can use it to see which phrases are currently typed most often in the search engine window. The application also allows you to check historical data on searching for specific phrases. Therefore, you can see if a specific keyword is gaining or losing. It’s a great tool for finding publication ideas.

Google Keyword Planner is related to the Google Ads platform. It allows you to plan keywords necessary for SEO or SEM campaigns. Its functions enable, among others creating a database of keywords related to the industry in which the company operates, as well as checking their popularity. What’s more, you can check the competitiveness of your phrases and average advertising rates

Senuto
Senuto is also a tool supporting both SEO and SEM activities as well as content marketing. It is quite an advanced application that allows you to analyze the visibility of any page on the Internet. The data presented by it concern, among others the distribution of positions in the search engine and their changes in terms of decreases and increases. They also allow you to check the history of SERPs for a given keyword and indicate tabs exposed to cannibalization of phrases. Thanks to the program, it is also possible to perform a fairly advanced analysis of the phrases themselves – not only in terms of the average number of searches, but also their difficulty or relationship.

Senuto can be used both when planning content marketing activities and checking their effectiveness. It also allows you to optimize SEO, eliminate errors and increase effectiveness in this area. In addition, it offers an analysis of the results of competing websites.

BuzzSumo
How to check if your publications are popular? Just use BuzzSumo. This is a kind of tool for the marketer that allows you to primarily monitor content sharing on social media. Based on this, you can easily draw conclusions about which publications attract the most interest and take steps to maximize their potential. In addition, BuzzSumo allows you to check the amount of content published on the website in a selected period and their total number of views. It also provides slightly more advanced analyzes – it helps, for example, to check how long the content is most popular or on which day of the week it is most often shared. The built-in alert system facilitates work and saves time, which is certainly an additional advantage.

SurferSEO
To be successful in marketing, you don’t always need to be original. Often a better solution is to use someone else’s experience and duplicate the best-working patterns. SurferSEO facilitates analytics in this area. It is a program that analyzes the current results of the top 50 in the Google search engine in terms of potential ranking factors for the query phrase. It gives a wide range of analysis of the competition and the position of a specific website among similar websites. It has the option of a quick SEO audit that clearly presents data related to the most important ranking factors and allows you to identify areas where your site deviates from the competition. The Content Editor function is also interesting, as it allows you to automatically create a brief for a copywriter. The guidelines are based on the given keyword. However, they can be adjusted according to your preferences.

Canva
Content-based marketing requires presenting it in an appropriate form. With Canva, no help from a graphic designer is needed to create engaging content. It is a very intuitive program that allows you to instantly create aesthetic graphics, ideal for example as binding for posts in social media. The biggest advantage of this tool for the marketer is its simplicity – it includes an infinite number of ready-made templates for any occasion.

Internet Marketing – Management and Organization Tools

Proper organization of work and task delegation is not easy, especially in marketing, which is such a dynamic and multifaceted field. That is why it is worth using applications that help to control the chaos of information and the precise separation of responsibilities.

Asana
Managing collaborative projects can be a headache. However, it is much easier when you use the Asana. It is a project management application that is very functional and intuitive. It works great both when acting alone and when working with a team. It allows you to create projects and tasks and then delegate them. It allows you to check progress, set deadlines, exchange files, as well as communicate between project participants. All this is presented in a clear and convenient form.

Slack
Slack is a kind of marketing tool that will work in almost every industry. It is a business messenger that facilitates collaboration. It enables public, closed-group and one-on-one discussion, so it can be used by the entire company.

Marketo
Marketo is a slightly different way of organizing work, or actually its automation. It is a comprehensive platform characterized by wide availability of functions. It enables the automation of various marketing activities, incl. content marketing, e-mail marketing, website analysis and internet advertising. It has extensive analytical functions, thanks to which it provides a lot of valuable information – e.g. information on the effectiveness of specific channels and marketing campaigns in terms of increasing revenues. The tool is integrated with the most popular CRMs. It is great for deep analysis of the customer’s purchasing path. It allows you to draw conclusions leading to better resource management and optimization of campaign costs.

Internet Marketing – Mailing Tools

Newsletters and mailing campaigns are an important element of a marketer’s work. Their coordination requires assistance in the form of dedicated software. The available tools make it possible not only to coordinate the dispatch and manage address databases, but also to prepare attractive messages.

MailChimp
MailChimp is one of the most popular newsletter management tools. It includes a number of options for managing shipping and recipient lists, as well as creating a sequence of messages. In addition, it allows you to create pop-ups and landing pages encouraging you to subscribe to the newsletter. An interesting feature is also reports that allow you to check the results of individual campaigns and compare them with the results of the competition. It is not without reason that so many specialists use this application.

OptinMonster
OptinMonster is primarily used to create effective pop-ups that are designed to encourage subscribers to the newsletter. The tool is easy to integrate with almost any email marketing program. It includes a number of useful options. Thanks to it, you will create an attractive and inviting pop-up and specify the rules for its display. It also allows you to conduct A / B tests. They consist in checking which of the two versions of the prepared material is more effective. You don’t want to use pop-ups? With OptinMonster you can also prepare other types of messages promoting the newsletter.

Klaviyo
An e-mail marketing platform that supports business development by delivering recipients precisely selected e-mail messages at the right time? This is Klaviyo. It is a tool designed mainly for e-commerce that allows you to manage and automate e-mail communication. The program can be easily integrated with pop-ups or other similar elements on the website to obtain e-mail addresses for the database. Plus, it provides tons of options, including sending message sequences to people who have abandoned their cart or viewed a product but didn’t put it in their cart, creating second purchase campaigns, creating reactivation campaigns targeting inactive subscribers, and more. The great advantage of the tool is the possibility of very precise segmentation of users. Klaviyo also allows you to create attractive messages, conduct A / B tests for almost every element and analyze the effectiveness of activities.

Woodpecker
Woodpecker is the perfect tool to automate cold mailing. It allows you to prepare messages addressed to a completed database, which do not look like offers, but rather like traditional e-mails. It enables full personalization of the content and connects to the user’s e-mail box, so replies are sent to the selected address. Advanced settings allow you to adjust the mailing parameters to your preferences in such a way that the correspondence looks natural. This also applies to subsequent messages sent when certain criteria are met. This makes the tool also suitable for communication with a group of clients. It is easy to use and intuitive.

Why is blog content important?

Content marketing is also content marketing – everything we publish on our website. Thanks to it, we can reach more recipients and provide users with interesting information.

We can write them in the form of blog posts, reports, guides, product descriptions or interviews. Here, we can only be limited by creativity (and the scope of our activity), because there may be many ideas for showing uniqueness and the way of presenting content.

Articles on the site are usually created by copywriters, but not only. Articles can also be written by owners or people working in other departments of the company. Thanks to this, we can write more specialized articles on a given topic and save money.

Why does content matter in SEO?

Uniqueness, timeliness and high quality are of great importance for a good ranking of our website. Before the implementation of the algorithms: Penguin, Panda or Koliber, it was possible to “spam” the text with key phrases – this was often enough to achieve high positions in Google. Fortunately, we have long since passed away.

New algorithms evaluate the quality of our content, so we must ensure that it is of the highest level. The article not only has to meet the user’s requirements, but also has to be optimized for search engines such as Google or Bing.

SEO + Content are inextricably linked. Without content, we will not do internal linking well, we will not saturate the page with key phrases and we will not present the user with information about our company, product or values that we want to convey to him.

Content update – why is it important?

We already know that the content affects the position of our website and we should take care of it. So why are there articles that used to be 1st in Google, and then dropped? After all, we put a lot of time and work into them. There can be many factors that influence it. One of them may be that our content has become outdated.

Attention!
Of course, this is not the only ranking factor we should consider. Great content without any other SEO efforts may yield zero or very low results.

Over time, the information we post on the website loses its value.

Content that was created in 2017 may not be up to date this year.  Especially if in the article we referred to the legal provisions in force at that time (which were amended at that time), the prices that were in force at that time (during these 3 years the costs of products could change) or statistical data from that period.

Google tries to provide users with not only the highest quality content, but also tries to provide up-to-date information.

Content update – how to choose the ones that need to be changed?

A. Content that is no longer relevant
Over time, our content may become obsolete, and the things we wrote about no longer apply. We can then redirect them 301 to a similar entry or try to bite the topic differently if users are still looking for information on this topic.

Example:
A few years ago, we wrote an article about loans for own contribution. Currently, banks do not allow financing of own contribution from such a source.

However, they allow loans from developers for own contribution and some users are looking for information on this subject. We can rewrite the article from scratch in this regard to provide the user with the necessary and current news.

B. Articles with specific time periods
If we can – avoid giving dates in articles. If this is not possible, let’s make a spreadsheet in which we write down the content that has it and when we should update it. There are content that we can update annually, and there may be content that we should change every month.

C. Comments below the article that may expand it
Users often pay attention to things that the writer may not notice. The comments may contain interesting information or questions about which we can update our content. Not every user reads the comments posted under the articles (especially if there are many of them). Thanks to the expansion of the main content of the post, we can provide all readers with interesting information.

D. “Walls of text” without highlighter
We can try to make our content more attractive to the user to make it easier and more pleasant to read. Here we can use various types of sections, for example:
– highlighted examples,
– lists of bullets,
– quotes,
– graphical linking to other related articles,
– expert advice,
– summary,
– infographics.
Thanks to such measures, our content can be clearer for the reader.

E. General Content
It happens that we write an article that is very general or touches on many topics a little. We can expand it with new information or write new related articles, where we will explain all the issues to the user in detail.

Example:
We have a summary article about the most important Google algorithms. Each of them is briefly described to provide the most important information about them.

We can do 2 things with it:
– expand the article and describe each algorithm in detail. Thanks to this, we will have an article that is very extensive and comprehensive topic. When new algorithms are entered, we can add them to this article in an equally exhaustive way,
– we can write separate articles, where we will describe each algorithm in detail. From the base article about the most important algorithms, we can refer the user to separate articles on the topic that interested him by internal linking.

F. Duplication of content
It may happen that we have several hundred articles on the website and we forget that we have already written such an article. It turns out that our content cannibalize ourselves with keywords. Let’s check which article appears with a larger number of phrases and which users visit more often and combine it into one. Remember to redirect the article from which we resign to the content left on the website.

G. Is the article we wrote easy for the user or is it incomprehensible?
Remember that we do not write content only for Google – they are created primarily with the user in mind. It is he who will read the article and should understand everything from it. If it seems to us that the article we wrote is very specialized and we use heavy terms in it – let us read it to a person who is unfamiliar with this topic. If the reader does not understand a part – it is worth simplifying it, because another person may also have a problem with it.

Example:
One of our editors is a lawyer who uses many specialized terms or quotes from statutes. They may be incomprehensible to some users. By using examples where we realistically present a given situation, it may turn out that it will be a sufficient simplification of the content + we gain valuable content.

H. Short, low-quality content
If we have an article on the website on a topic that has a large number of searches – it is worth expanding it. Thanks to this, we can provide valuable information to the user and appear in the search engine for more searches. It is worth the article to be exhaustive and to convey everything possible.

Content update – minor changes

Let’s start with the content that is, for example, from this year and requires only minor updates. We don’t have to rewrite the whole article then (although it may turn out that a minor update will change the meaning of the whole article – then it is worth rewriting it) – we can only change a few small things in the article.

If we only make minor changes – it is worth adding the update date section in the article (we then show the user that the article is already on the website for a while, but is constantly updated).

Examples of what we can pay attention to with minor updates:

A. The prices given in the articles are no longer valid
If we are a comparison engine or we run an online store – the prices of our services or products may change dynamically. It is worth that the price offer that we present in the articles should coincide with the prices that we place in the product categories. This saves the user the trouble of figuring out which price is correct.

Attention!
This is especially important when we raise the price of a product. If we do this, and in the article the price we gave was lower and we did not mention the promotion there – the user may start looking for a product at this price on other websites and not come back to us.

B. The products we wrote about are no longer available for sale
If a product has been permanently withdrawn from sale, will the user want to read about it? What if the product has only been recalled with us? We can then expect 2 things:
– if the user is interested in this product – he can leave our store again and go to the competition, where he will get the product
– the user may waste time reading about a product that they will not get anyway. Here, too, negative emotions may arise because he will be disappointed with the inability to buy.

It is then worth updating the article and replacing this unavailable article with a product with similar parameters to the withdrawn one. Thanks to this, we will present the user with information about the products that he will surely get from us in the store.

Attention!
If the product has been temporarily withdrawn – it is worth mentioning with the product that it is a temporary shortage and we will give the user the opportunity to set a reminder when the product is available for sale again.
If the product has been permanently withdrawn – we can compare different versions of this product (if of course they are and we can compare them) or make a comparison with similar products. Then we can encourage the user to buy a new and improved model.

C. The links to which we referred the user have changed
Both external and internal links are important here. After all, we do not want to send the user to page 404, where he will not find the information he is interested in.
When updating your content, it’s also worth taking a look at because we may have missed some deleted link and not redirected it to the correct URL.

D. Title and meta description
If we change the content of the article – it is also worth updating the metadata. Thanks to this, we will show the user in the search engine that our content is up-to-date. If we change the whole and leave “2019 ranking” in Title -> the user can skip our entry and move to another, thinking that ours is not up to date enough.

E. Infographics
If we rely on infographics in our article, we must also remember about them. If we change the prices in the content and leave the old user in the infographic, he may get lost and not be sure which ones are up to date.

F. Legal regulations / sources we rely on
If we rely on legal provisions / statistical sources in our articles – remember that they may also change. When updating the content, let’s also take this into account so as not to unnecessarily mislead the user.

G. Structured data
More and more websites use the FAQ schema. It is worth checking whether the change of content on the website also causes a change in the structural data. It may turn out that the website is coded in such a way that IT sets this data. We must then remember this, because the schema should contain exactly the same information that appears on the website.

Attention!
If we update an article – remember to check the entire content. The update date indicates that it is up-to-date at the moment. If we update only part of it, the user will be misled by us because some of the information will be up-to-date and some not.

These are just a few examples that we can pay attention to – it is worth reviewing what we write about on our website and finding out for yourself which information, in our opinion, may be outdated for the user.

Examples of tools to help us update content

Google Analytics
We can check which content has a high bounce rate and a small number of hits. It may be the fault of the articles we published. Let’s find out what’s wrong with them and try to update them.

SERP
Let’s check TOP10 search results – thanks to this we will find out what is missing in our article. It is also worth using similar searches and Google hints.

Example:
We have an article on business activity. Thanks to Google’s hints, we can check what information users are looking for.

Ahrefs
Ahrefs provides a “Content GAP” feature, so we can compare our article with articles on the same competition. Here, we will also receive information on which phrases our article does not appear in the search engine.

Do you need a website?

Some owners of “analog”, traditional and local businesses still remain technology-resistant and do not run their own websites. The reasons they mention? “I don’t know anything about it”, “why do I need this?”, “I don’t have time to play it”, “it won’t change anything” and the like. If a given company has good opinions and information about it is transferred to the so-called through word of mouth, it actually gets the impression that it does not need additional promotion. But is it really? After all, you can always have more customers, and in the event of too many orders, expand your business, raise prices or otherwise increase your profits.

What does the website give? About ¾ of consumers admit that they make purchasing decisions based on information found on the Internet. The public has become accustomed to thinking that this is where all the information is. This is why your business for many customers simply does not exist if it does not function in any way in virtual space. It may even arouse suspicion, as the website is the first step in verifying the company and its integrity. Some may argue that since no specific data can be found about business, it is unreliable. In addition, when searching for specific phrases related to your business, they will go to the competition and probably never use your services again.

Theoretically, a website is not required, especially if you manage to reach customers in a different way. Experts agree, however, that it is worth having it to build a professional image and win new orders.

Advantages of a corporate website

Need a stronger motivation? There are many advantages to having a corporate website, and the reasons why you should start one. You will find them below!

Reliable information
This is something we already mentioned above. Your own website is the best way to present information about the company – the most reliable, because it comes directly from the owner. You can present the values you follow when running a business. What is even more important, however, you can present your full offer with their detailed description, photos or other important information that interests potential customers. If you frequently answer the same questions, the website is a great place to post a comprehensive explanation.

Visibility
As we have already explained, nowadays customers mainly look for information online. So if you want to be found, you must appear in it! Your own website is the best way. You can take care of its optimization in terms of the requirements of the search engine, i.e. Google. Skillful activities in this area (preferably hire a specialist) will help you appear in high positions in the search results of specific terms related to the company’s operations.

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Your own website is simply advertising. In addition, the best because it is effective and gives great opportunities. You can control the message that appears on your website, and by using additional marketing tools (e.g. paid Google promotion) you can reach a large number of potential customers with it. It is also worth remembering that the company’s website on the Internet, although it can be considered a form of advertising, is not intrusive or irritating like spots on TV and radio, billboards or leaflets handed out on the street. Thanks to this, you drastically reduce the risk that customers will become discouraged by your company due to intensively conducted promotional activities. It is also worth remembering that most effective ads should lead to your website. Customers are used to it and you can then perfectly measure the effectiveness of your advertising.

Credibility
We have mentioned this before. Nowadays, the inability to find company data is just suspicious. It has already been accepted that every decent company has its own website and cares about its image, which plays a very important role. Customers want to consciously make purchasing decisions, so they compare offers on the Internet and seek opinions on given entrepreneurs before they trust them. Not having a website usually puts you out of the race for a customer on the run, and it certainly doesn’t help you prove your credibility.

Global reach
This point may not be relevant for everyone, but for some companies it can be of great importance. The Internet knows no geographic restrictions, so with your own website you can go much further than in the “analog” world. Even if you run a local business, you may be able to expand it with customer service from other regions or even countries. At present, the world is getting smaller in this respect. New outlets, on the other hand, can prove extremely helpful in difficult times and help to become a bit more resistant to economic fluctuations.

Contact with the customer
If you meet clients on a daily basis, you may feel that you don’t need an additional communication channel. However, this is a mistake, because on the Internet you can confront many more opinions, questions and doubts. Perhaps you can find out why some people are reluctant to accept your offer and help them change their mind. Therefore, contact details should always be displayed on the website – preferably there should be several channels, so that everyone can choose any form of communication. For large companies, it is a good idea to provide separate contact details for each department so that questions and opinions go where they should be. If you run a stationary business, do not forget to include a map with the location of your headquarters so that you can easily find it.

Availability 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
What hours does your company work, when can you visit it, call it or get an e-mail response? Most businesses operate from a few to several hours a day, which may make it difficult for some potential clients to familiarize themselves with their offer or use it. Meanwhile, the website is available all the time. The offer can be checked at any time as well as other important information. If you adapt it to do so, the site can also collect orders and inquiries continuously. It is a convenience for the customer and more profit for you!

Task automation
The website allows you to perform some repetitive tasks much more conveniently thanks to automation. Collect orders or registrations via e-shop, form or other similar solutions, make important documents available for general use, and answer frequently asked questions in the FAQ section. These are procedures that the agency that runs the website can successfully deal with, thus relieving your team.

Save time
The above point is also related to the next one. A well-structured website is a great help for an entrepreneur. You can include everything that customers usually ask for, present all products and services in detail and explain any inaccuracies related to, for example, their implementation. Thanks to this, you and your employees can save a lot of time usually devoted to this type of activity. As a result, it is possible to use it much more efficiently – in accordance with the company’s needs.

Competitiveness
Let’s face it – your competition probably already has its own website. If you don’t want to be left behind, there’s only one solution – you should join her. Many customers are looking for information on specific products or services on the web. If he does not find you there, he will definitely take advantage of the competition’s offer.

Analytics
Accurate knowledge of your company’s customer profile, their needs, preferences and habits allows you to conduct much more effective sales. Online tools make it extremely easy to obtain information about your target group, which makes it easier to reach them. Thanks to, for example, Google Analytics, check who, when, from where and how comes to your website. You can also use your own surveys, ratings and comments as well as other systems to check the quality of the offer and its adaptation to the needs of customers. Thanks to this, you will be able to improve it and thus increase your profits.

Low cost of customer acquisition
As we mentioned at the beginning, some skeptics say they cannot afford the website. In fact, it is a very cheap solution, especially since creating a website is a one-time expense. Yes, in the case of complex websites it can be quite a lot, but most small businesses need a very simple business card website that can be built at a low cost. Thanks to CMS systems, it is possible even for free and without specialist programming knowledge (just working with a computer and the Internet). In addition, you only need to pay a small annual fee for the domain and hosting. Of course, you can allocate additional funds to run, update, optimize or promote it, but it is not necessary. The website is available all the time and constantly works on your reputation and attracts new customers. It is the cheapest form of promotion, which becomes more and more profitable with time.

Maybe social media is enough?

Social media is often used as an alternative to websites. Some small businesses decide only to run a website on the most popular Facebook page in our country, thus communicating with customers. At first glance, it seems to be a beneficial solution – Facebook costs nothing (although it offers the possibility of paid promotion), it is easy to use and you can manage the website yourself. In practice, however, it turns out to have many disadvantages. Firstly, most customers, when looking for a specific product or service, enter a given phrase in Google or in marketplaces. Thus, it receives results mainly consisting of well-positioned websites or sponsored links. It is impossible to carry out extensive SEO and SEM activities for a Facebook page. Moreover, it does not look particularly professional and does not necessarily inspire confidence.

In addition, Facebook is primarily suitable for ongoing communication. However, it is difficult to put all important information on it in such a way that the customer has free access to it. Moreover, despite the huge popularity of the website, not everyone uses it, which narrows the group of recipients of the published content.

It is also worth mentioning that when using Facebook, you have to adapt to its requirements, and the published content does not really belong to you. Sometimes the website may be blocked, and then customers will be deprived of the only source of information about the company and its offer. Therefore, a page on the portal should be treated only as a complement to the activity on the Internet – a place to interact with users and provide current information. However, it definitely should not replace a website.

Company website – it doesn’t have to be difficult

As you can see, a website for a company is not an obligation, but a highly recommended tool that brings many benefits. Remember, however, that creating and running it doesn’t have to be difficult! In many cases, a simple business card with basic information and data is enough. Then you don’t have to worry about high costs. Certainly, an investment in a website is a much better idea than the one aimed at other types of advertising (leaflets, announcements, posters, billboards, etc.).

Idea for an online store

At the beginning, an important note: the e-commerce market is very large, so it is worth finding a business niche in which you feel a specialist or… in which you want to delve into. Getting to know the products you will be trading well is absolutely essential. However, you may be wondering what to choose.

Basically, apart from being an expert in what field you are, you can choose between two paths:

A. choose a niche that is not very popular, but has development potential for the coming years
It is a solution that can bring you success in the long term. However, you need to be aware that at the beginning you have to expect small reach and a small number of customers. However, with a properly conducted marketing strategy, you can expect a gradual increase in interest.

If the niche you choose is not popular at the moment, there is a chance that you will be one of the pioneers and that your store will become one of the most important in the industry in the future. However, you must be mindful of the risks – the market is not predictable and trends can suddenly reverse (as shown well by the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020). Therefore, you need to be prepared for this and have a “plan B”.

B. choose a popular e-commerce branch
So, start selling products that are willingly bought on the Internet. The idea for an online store does not have to be fancy. On the contrary – most often it is worth doing what … others do. In this case, with effective advertising, you can start earning good income faster. However, with high competition, it will be more difficult for you to break out – so at the very beginning you may have to invest more in promotion. You will also need to find elements that will make your offer competitive. Something that will make you stand out from dozens or hundreds of stores offering similar products.

What could it be? E.g:
– more competitive prices,
– offering goods of brands so far unknown on the market,
– unusual branding,
– additional services, such as product personalization.

Of course, everything depends on the specific specialization of the e-shop. One thing is certain: going this way, you have to find something that will make your brand stand out and make it more attractive in the eyes of the customer.

What is best selling on the internet?

What products are the most popular on the Internet? What do people buy online? The answer to this question is provided by research, e.g. the E-commerce report prepared by the Paraphrase-Online.com Team. It shows that the most popular product categories that were bought online are:

– clothing, accessories and accessories – the fashion industry is popular with over 2/3 buyers,
– footwear – they are bought by about 60% of people who make purchases over the Internet,
– books, films and CDs,
– cosmetics and perfumes,
– RTV and household appliances,
– cinema / theater tickets,
– Sportswear,
– pharmaceutical products, including dietary supplements,
– GSM mobile devices and accessories,
– children’s goods and toys,
– travel services.

It is therefore worth navigating in these areas of the e-commerce world if you want to find your place in the internet reality. But be careful! To break through in them, you have to look at them from a different, fresh perspective. Otherwise, you may have a problem “carving out a piece of cake” for yourself.

So how can you narrow down the scope of goods in the context of the above categories? There are many possibilities. For example, you can offer:

– plus size clothes of well-known European brands – there are more and more customers who are interested in larger sizes, and at the same time there are no stores that would offer a wide selection,
– cosmetics of producers not available in stationary sales – e.g. from the Far East (however, take into account the fact that there are quite a lot of stores offering recently very fashionable Korean products!
– ecological children’s toys – although this niche is already quite full, the “eco” trend seems to be becoming wider and wider, so there are quite a lot of people who would like to buy this type of products,
– a specific category of electronic devices – e.g. fashionable drones, electric scooters or VR equipment.

As you can see, specialization can be the real key to success. It is enough to search for an unusual area in a popular niche and offer your audience something completely new!

Is the best selling always the best choice?

What is the most popular is – as you already know – both an opportunity and a threat in the world of e-commerce. The most important thing is to find, on the one hand, an area where you can offer customers something new, and on the other – something that will respond to their needs. Remember: at the beginning you don’t have to aim very high, with huge ranges and large sales volume. You can also achieve good income by operating on a smaller scale. So your business may revolve around less popular goods, but those that have a specific audience. What could be a good idea?

Online handicraft store
Do you have a hobby in the field of handicrafts? Maybe you, for example, crochet or are passionate about decoupage or creating DIY decorations? What if you start selling them online in your store. Setting up a small e-shop, e.g. on a SaaS platform, does not require many formalities or high costs. If you also invest in advertising on social networks and prepare properly optimized content, you have a chance to stand out!

Online store with articles for disinfection
… as well as other products that are useful in the context of the current coronavirus pandemic. Although this is a topic that is popular periodically, it still seems like a good time to offer something new to customers. We are still eager to buy designer masks (which have become part of styling), as well as disinfectants that do not irritate the hands.

Online store with pet food
It is a market niche that is currently developing very dynamically, mainly due to the growing interest in a healthy diet of animals. Dog owners are looking for ecological, well-balanced meals for dogs and cats, made of the highest quality ingredients. If you have access to such products, you have a chance to attract a large group of customers.

Store with ecological accessories
Living in harmony with nature and making ecological choices is a trend that is currently rising. It can be expected to “float” for the next few, if not more years. Therefore, it is worth considering setting up a store that will offer accessories that leave a small carbon footprint. Example? Metal or paper straws, disposable plates and cutlery made of biodegradable materials, linen shopping bags, reusable nets for fruit and vegetables … you can multiply this way indefinitely. You can easily attract a large group of customers for this type of accessories.

Barber shop
The fashion for well-groomed male stubble and visits to barbers began a few years ago. Today, more and more men are looking for professional beard care products, so … it’s worth offering them. A store that specializes in the distribution of pomades and beard oils, as well as classic razors and other vintage shaving accessories, may attract the attention of the market!

Educational toy store
Science in a modern version? It is the one carried out by play that arouses curiosity about the world. Do you subscribe to this statement? It is like many parents! They are looking for interesting and inspiring toys that will allow their children to broaden their horizons. Do you want to help them with this? If so, think about looking for interesting educational toys and selling them. Such a store can have great potential!

Seasonal products – a good idea for an online store?

Some of the goods that are offered in online stores are willingly bought only at certain times of the year. Good example? Oh, even air conditioners and fans. The demand for them begins just before the hot summer comes and ends with the first cool evenings. So is it profitable to create an e-shop that would sell only such devices? Not completely. However, you can supplement the basic assortment of the store with such seasonal products and carry out positioning on related phrases. You can also choose several groups of seasonal products, popular in different months of the year, and change the main sales profile depending on the demand for individual goods. In such a business model, however, you need to use your own warehouse and, most often, be ready that some of the goods will remain there until the next high season.

Are you missing an idea of what to sell? Check out dropshipping!

If you are still not sure which direction your e-commerce business should take, look for inspiration … in wholesalers that specialize in dropshipping. It is a ready-made solution for those who are looking for quick solutions.

How exactly does dropshipping work? In this business model, your store acts a bit like a “sales representative” of a wholesaler. More precisely, your task is to sell products that are in the assortment of the selected contractor and then transfer the order for execution. Therefore, you only deal with the e-shop promotion process, customer acquisition and customer service. However, all logistics issues rest with your business partner. It is he who takes care of the continuous supply of goods to the warehouse, as well as its shipment to the end customer.

The dropshipping model is becoming more and more popular because those running this type of e-shops:
– operate under their own brand, which means that the wholesaler sends products to the end customer, stating the company that took the order as the sender,
– can be opened with great ease – you can even find ready-made packages that you just need to configure and start working,
– they give great freedom of action and investment without having to deal with all logistic challenges.

This, of course, does not mean that the income from such a business is effortless.

Regardless of the model in which you run your online store and with what assortment, the key to success is ensuring its high visibility and good reputation. Proposal? A good idea of what to sell online is only one side of the coin. The second is how you will run and promote your business. In this regard, it is worth using the help of experts. They will take care of about:

– SEO optimization of your e-store,
– planning a coherent and well-thought-out promotional campaign in appropriately selected channels (e.g. remarketing, advertising in social media, e-mail marketing, etc.),
– building a positive image of the website.

So if you already have an idea of what niche to operate in, it’s time to implement it, and then … promote and patiently wait for the results.

The Internet is the most promising sales channel – there is no doubt about it. Regardless of the field in which you operate, the ability to reach the customer without location restrictions gives you a huge competitive advantage. It is worth using it – especially since setting up an e-shop today is simpler than a few years ago.

But be careful! If you think it will become like the snap of a finger… well. It’s not that good. To move from idea to implementation and then successfully build your market position, you need to know how to do it step by step. So see what you need to open a well-functioning online store.

Step 1: refine the business concept

Before getting into the technical details of your own e-shop, you need to go through some basic business tasks. They are the foundation of your investment. Remember: when setting up an e-shop, you invest in the long term. Therefore, you have to be prepared that the development of your business will not happen from month to month, and you will have to wait for the results.

So the question is: how to start? It depends on several factors. Consider: should an online store be a way to develop a stationary business or is it the first step you take on the market? If you already deal with the production and distribution of certain goods via stationary channels, you probably already have appropriate mechanisms developed, including with transport and storage of products, as well as marketing facilities. You already have a customer base and you know who your solutions are addressed to.

However, if you start completely from scratch – the first step is to find an industry. Start with in-depth research. Check what is the economic situation at the moment and consider in what area you are an expert or you can quickly become one. There are two approaches to this topic: either targeting a niche or building an exclusive brand, or vice versa – relying on proven and common material goods.

Also, remember that you have to decide whether you will sell goods under your logo (e.g. by cooperating with the manufacturer to create your own brand) or redistribute it.

It is equally important to ensure a suitable place for running an e-shop. While at the beginning, with small orders, you can manage by storing products, e.g. in a home garage, over time you will need professional storage space.

You can also decide to work in the dropshipping model, which means that you will work with the supplier of products, and you will only deal with the entire sales process until the order is finalized. This solution is good for completely novice entrepreneurs, but of course it also has its downsides, such as limited impact on the shipping process or checking the quality of products.

So, as you can see, if you are a complete beginner, you need to start by developing the business foundation. When they are ready and you know:
– What do you sell,
– to whom your products should go,
– what are your “processing capacities”,
– what budget do you have to start with,

you can start setting up an online store from the technical side.

Step 2: branding

If you already run a stationary business and have developed a brand recognizable by customers, the best solution is to promote it also as part of e-commerce activities. Remember, however, that if your market niche is highly competitive, an expressive, easy-to-associate brand may be one of the factors that will affect your business success. So developing a good branding strategy right from the start is the best you can do. Changing the name later can be time-consuming, costly and, above all, risky.

How to create a good brand? Before you start:
– precisely define the group of customers to which your products will go – assess their needs, expectations, problems, challenges,
– indicate the key values with which your store (and products) is to be associated – which will be more important: prestige and very high quality of products, or maybe their designer character?

Once you know how you want to communicate with the market, you can go to the next step: choose the brand name and its visual identification system.

Especially in the latter aspect, it is worth using the help of professional graphic designers and web designers – they can perform this order on their own or as part of cooperation in designing the e-store layout. It all depends on how you want to “put it up”.

At this stage – when you develop a store brand – it is also worth buying a website domain. Remember that you have at your disposal not only com domains, but also .eu or .co.uk, but also many unusual ones. Nevertheless – these 3 mentioned just now give you more credibility. If you have the option, choosing a domain:
– buy a few “endings” of the address at once – you can then redirect them to the correct store (yours!),
– avoid dashes and other elements in the domain name that may make it difficult for the user to enter the address “by finger”,
– remember that the domain name itself has no impact on positioning – it should be easy to remember and of course be associated with a given business.

Step 3: choosing a platform

At this stage, a very important decision awaits you – which technology will be used in your e-shop. You can go several ways.

A. Commissioning experts to develop your store “from scratch” – it is the safest solution, which at the same time can be fully adjusted to your business needs. However, you must remember that the costs of creating a dedicated platform can be high (and unnecessary), and the time to prepare the website can be very long. That is why this solution is chosen by investors who can afford a one-off spend from several dozen or even several hundred thousand dollars.
B. Take advantage of the e-commerce platform.

When choosing an online store platform, be guided primarily by how large-scale you plan to operate – also in the perspective of many years. Also consider your budget.

When it comes to e-commerce platforms, you have two basic types of services: subscription platforms and open source platforms. How are they different?

Open Source Platforms
This is software that you must install on your own server. They are suitable for people who care about high independence, the ability to adjust the e-store to specific expectations, and above all for medium and large-scale stores. Running them may require previous e-commerce experience or technical support (especially at the beginning).

Usually the platform itself is available for download free of charge, but its operation and extension of the store’s functionality may require investment in paid plugins. It must also be remembered that it will be necessary to implement it on the server and integrate the selected graphic layout with it (own or selected from the available ready-made templates).

Open-source platforms:
– provide the possibility of a very wide “customization”,
– they are friendly for the positioning of online stores,
– they have enormous technical support – especially the users themselves, who are constantly developing this technology

When you choose one of them, you will experience additional costs of implementation, hosting, administration, as well as challenges related to adapting the platform to legal requirements (including developing store regulations).

If you choose an open source platform, you will also need to purchase hosting at this stage. The hosting server should:
– be well secured – so that it is not vulnerable to attacks, and that your clients’ data is safe,
– be adapted to the requirements of the e-commerce platform that you have chosen,
– provide you with sufficiently fast data transfer.

You can choose from shared, inexpensive and suitable for small stores, and dedicated servers – more expensive, but also easier to configure individually. They are suitable for larger and more advanced e-shops.

When choosing an open source platform, you also have a greater impact on the appearance of your e-store. So you can implement it on a template prepared by a computer graphic – so that it fits best into your brand’s visual identity system. You can also take a look at the ready-made templates that are already available.

Subscription platforms (SaaS)
Subscription platforms usually operate in the SaaS model, i.e. Software as a Service. This includes such platforms as Shoper, Shopify or Shoplo. On them you get access to the software in the form of an accessible panel – and this is what your e-shop is based on. In their case, there is no need to “upload” the store to your own server – you use a ready-made system. Fees for using the platform in the SaaS model are charged in the form of a subscription – e.g. monthly or annual, and you, depending on your needs, can choose a specific scope of services and possibilities offered by the website. The costs of such a solution range from several hundred to several thousand dollars per year.

Who are the subscription platforms for? Primarily for beginners who want to run a small-scale online store, especially in the dropshipping model. The use of this solution is the simplest, but it poses many limitations – related to e.g. with limited functionality or the need to choose one of the ready-made graphic templates. Some SaaS platforms are also not perfect in terms of positioning online stores and are burdened with various barriers.

If you are in doubt as to which e-commerce platform to choose, get advice from experts. Analyze your business model with them so as not to make a mistake. Changing the platform later can be costly and time consuming.

Note: Your online store should be responsive. This means that it should be displayed in a fully functional way on various devices – both on computers as well as on tablets and smartphones. Sales via mobile channels are also growing very dynamically, so you cannot afford to lose customers from this source!

Step 4: e-shop integration with ERP

Although this is not a necessary requirement, it is worth considering integrating the online store software with the one that controls warehouse resources. Why? The reason is very simple: if it turns out that a customer orders a product that you do not have in stock, you will face trouble. This single situation can happen. However, if such problems become widespread, you will quickly lose your reputation, and with it – your customers.

That is why the best solution is to use the option of integrating the online store with the ERP system. The immediate flow of information will eliminate the possibility of a mistake and make your task easier.

Step 5: selection of payment methods and their integration with the e-shop

In order for customers to be willing to shop in your e-shop, you need to give them the ability to conveniently pay for goods. Of course, a standard bank transfer is not enough. That is why you must decide on a convenient, yet safe and easy-to-use payment method. There are many trading platforms to choose from. When choosing, consider both available payment methods, as well as commissions and other fees, and flexibility in accessing funds.

Step 6: choosing the delivery methods for the products

This is a matter that you need to take care of primarily in the model in which you handle the shipping of goods yourself. If you have decided to dropshipping, your contractor has probably specified the shipping methods.

However, if not, make sure your customers receive convenient forms of receiving products – apart from courier services, pay attention to the increasingly popular options for delivering goods to points, e.g. shops or parcel machines. On the other hand, however, remember that the more options there are for a customer, the greater the logistical challenge. Therefore, it is worth keeping the golden mean.

Step 7: Add Products

Many e-commerce platforms allow integration with wholesalers and automatic updating of product data. However, if you sell your own assortment, you have to describe it “by hand” in the store. When adding products to ready-made subpage templates, it is worth taking care of two key issues: on the one hand, the attractiveness of the presentation of the product range for the client, and on the other – the fulfillment of SEO requirements.

Therefore, both a good and unique description as well as attractive product photos count. If you sell an assortment of other manufacturers, you can usually get ready-made materials. If you distribute your own products, have professional product photos taken.

In the content area, make sure that:
– were written in the language of benefits – so that they presented not only the advantages of the products, but their translation into the customer’s needs,
– were written in a style adapted to the characteristics of the potential client,
– are in line with SEO requirements – care should be taken, inter alia, o the use of appropriate keywords, headings and bullets. You should also take care of entering metadata and generating friendly URLs.

Step 8: Marketing

Once your store is up and running and you start serving customers, it’s time to increase its visibility to customers, and thus – its popularity. In order to promote your e-store, you can take a number of activities – from paid links, PPC advertising, through social media activities, to positioning your online store and using inbound marketing tools.

It is also good to think about a blog in an online store, which will strengthen the potential of positioning and the image of the website. As you can see, the recipe for setting up your own online store is a methodical step-by-step operation based on a well-thought-out strategy. This is the best way to achieve long-term business success.

It’s best to use methods that have proven themselves many times. Of course, you can rely on momentary inspiration, dazzle or a rush of ingenuity, but if you want to achieve consistently good results, bet on what just works.

Persuasion in sales copywriting boils down to the use of proven principles. Copywriters who are convincing know how to appeal to specific human desires and needs. Their understanding and ability to use this in the texts will allow you to increase the effectiveness of your messages, i.e. the strength of their persuasion. But what are the rules of knowledge? Let me explain!

People value what is not enough

This rule says that people are more willing to buy a product that is (or will be soon) short of. This means that the value of a given item increases as its availability decreases. Some products are bought because of their usability, appearance or capabilities, and others because of their uniqueness.

Sales copywriting uses this dependence for a long time and in various forms. See how you can increase the value of your product or service in the eyes of customers, guided by the principle of shortage.

A. Quantity
“Limited Edition”, “Collector’s Edition” – these are messages whose limitation refers to quantity. They work great in B2C sales. It is used by footwear and clothing brands, producing children’s toys and many others.

Example:
“Only 200 pairs of limited edition XYZ fluorescent shoes will go on sale on Friday!”

B. Time
In the context of this limit, products are sold within a specified time frame. This can be seen great on the online course market. The authors, long before opening sales, intensively promote their product, then opening its sale for only a few days or a week. Time pressure makes people make purchasing decisions faster – they are aware that the offer is not eternal.

What do these messages look like? Maybe you associate mailings like:
“Last 2 hours! We are closing the sale of the XYZ course in a moment ”

C. Threat
If you do not take specific action, the existing privilege or convenience will disappear. This method may be associated with a shortage of time, but here it is about permanently depriving the recipient of a specific opportunity – this is the basis of the message, not the deadline. See:

“The plan to close the local confectionery factory is due to the low number of visitors. So take your toddler there or lose this opportunity! “

D. Targeting
The product or service is directed to a selected, specific group of customers. These may be people who have previously bought a specific item and now you would like to sell them something else. It is worth pointing out that the offer is only available to them because, for example, they have fulfilled certain conditions.

“How is your new coffee machine working? Because as one of the few customers you bought it online from us, you can get coffee capsules 50% cheaper! “

E. Invitation
The service is available only to people who will be invited, e.g. by one of the current users. This not only builds the impression of inaccessibility and exclusivity, but also increases curiosity.

“Our new functionality is currently only available in beta. You must receive an invitation with a link to access it. “

From a psychological point of view, the shortage principle used in sales copywriting is effective because it is based on the loss of some opportunity and fear of regret.

If a product is available all the time, the customer feels confident and at ease – he knows that he can buy it at any time. He has the freedom to choose whether he will do it now or in a week. However, when you suddenly limit its availability, the customer loses this opportunity and reacts against this change by buying a product.

At the same time, people have a strong fear of regret, that is, they are afraid that if they do not buy the product now, when they have the opportunity, then they will regret it. If this fear is strong enough, it is easier for them to spend money – they treat this investment as a form of security.

Traps

When using the principle of shortage in your copywriting, remember to do it properly. If you want it to work in favor of your offer, you must use it in a thoughtful way. Below are three basic rules that you need to keep in mind.

– Deficiency should not be the main advantage / value of the offer – it’s just an add-on that strengthens the basic message,
– If you produce something massively and at the same time try to support sales, e.g. with the slogan “limited collection”, do not count on spectacular effects. Similarly with discounts: if the same “Last sale days” banners have been hanging from store display cabinets for several weeks, people will quickly stop believing in this sale. Your message must be consistent with what you really do,
– Not every product / service can or should be promoted with the support of the shortage principle. The sales model for everyone, without any quantitative or temporal restrictions is also appropriate. Which path you choose depends on the overall brand strategy and the campaign.

Sales copywriting often raises sympathy

We buy more willingly than those we like. Among other things, this is why well-known actors, singers and popular Youtubers appear so often in commercials. People are more likely to follow the directions of the people they identify with, who are familiar, have similar views or are a role model or authority for them.

How can a copywriter use the crush principle as a form of persuasion? After all, he does not meet his recipients face to face. Only words are available. Or maybe a word?

Usually, sales texts focus immediately on the benefits of purchasing a given product or service. However, if you want to arouse sympathy at the beginning, you can start the content with a skillfully written compliment. See an example:

“If you work remotely, you know perfectly well that it doesn’t mean all day in bed with a laptop on your lap. If you work effectively, you probably already have a great time management or avoid distractions. To make 100% remote work you need to solve only one problem … “

Such an introduction shows that you understand the situation of the recipient, identify with him and at the same time appreciate how much he has achieved on his own. In this way, as a copywriter, you will find a common language with the reader from the very beginning, thanks to which he will be more eager to find out what you have to say to him.

The principle of sympathy, like any technique, must be used skillfully. Its foundation is proper knowledge of the recipient – his needs, everyday life and expectations. It will be difficult for you to create an effective text if you set too broad a target group. The narrower it gets, the easier it will be to personalize your message.

Write also about the disadvantages

Copywriters very often focus only on the benefits and benefits of the products or services they describe. They try to show them in superlatives, which often creates a seemingly unreal image of the offer. Because are there ideal things? They may exist, but people rarely believe in them – especially when they have to buy something.

Much faster and easier you will gain the trust of the recipient and arouse credibility when you also write about the disadvantages of your product or service. In this way you can also position it for specific clients.

Someone is looking for the cheapest solution and you offer it, but at the same time there is a doubt about quality? Explain to the customer what the lower price is for.

“Our product is cheaper because we gave up several functions almost unused by customers, and instead we focused on refining key functionalities. Thanks to this we have obtained optimal quality in relation to the price. “

Why is such a description more effective? Because it contains a logical explanation and at the same time an assurance that the basic functionalities (i.e., most likely the reason why the customer wants to buy it when it comes to the bottom price shelf) will work flawlessly.

Show the specifics

By accessing websites you can find many terms saying:

“You will achieve success with us”
“We respond quickly to any requests”

Do you know what connects them? That they actually say nothing and do not inform about anything. Because what does “success” or “quickly ” mean? Probably something different for everyone. General statements and assurances do not sound credible and poorly sell, because the recipient does not see in them specific values for themselves and their business.

By adding specific information, you can easily increase the persuasive power of your messages:

“With us you will increase your revenue by up to 30% in 6 months”
“We respond to all requests within 24 hours”

Do you see the difference? Which message would inspire your trust faster? Similarly with the customer – specific information increases the credibility of the content.

Rely on authority

Do you remember that people are more eager to buy from the ones they like? But not only from them. They value and are ready to succumb to the suggestions of those whom they consider to be experts in a given industry.

Therefore, use authority as an argument. Include in your texts expert statements (e.g. scientists in a given field), links to research or statistics. Make sure that the information you provide is well-founded.

Remember that the authority you refer to is to be an authority primarily for the recipients, it does not necessarily have to be for you. Ads very often use images of teenage stars to promote cosmetics for young girls. Of course, actresses usually have no idea if the compositions of these products are good and they themselves, e.g. pleasant to use, because they do not use them.

However, the involvement of female fans is so great that it is enough to remove their pretty face with a given cosmetic and a short description to convince the girls to buy. This is an excellent way to show how persuasive authority can be, even unjustified.

Summary

The above techniques will help you relatively easily increase the effectiveness of your sales copywriting. You don’t have to use all of them – at first, get to know your target group well, then think about which methods will be most effective in your case. Often more is not better.

Mailing vs. SPAM

An incorrectly prepared e-mail may go to the SPAM folder. To distinguish valuable emails from spam, spam filters use a special algorithm. They take into account, among others:

– message length,
– email content (pornographic content, including sex keywords, 100% free),
– graphics to text ratio,
– the number of recipients,
– message subject.

Of course, spam filters also take into account other factors, but these are the most important of them. Then the algorithm gives each of them a certain number of points – when they exceed a certain threshold, the message goes to the SPAM folder.

It is impossible to say unequivocally how exactly these algorithms work and what to do to prevent the message from being sent to spam. Spam filters are being patched and improved on an ongoing basis, and the algorithm is changing rapidly due to the active activities of spammers and data scammers.

According to data from the Paraphrase Online Team, as much as 57% of mailing messages go to spam. How can your newsletter not share the fate of badly written emails?

Make your email marketing effective!

Maintaining customer satisfaction is key to any business. The more satisfied the subscriber to your newsletter is, the more likely you are that he will not automatically delete your messages. Notorious deletion of messages may result in some newsletters being classified as SPAM. What’s more – some users, irritated by mailing, mark it as spammy messages themselves. How can you increase the delivery of your emails?

– Group recipients and make sure that you provide tailored offers.
– Send only offers that realistically meet the needs of your subscribers.
– Do not spam. Choose your newsletter shipping time carefully and try not to send it too often.
– Encourage clicking before opening.
– Don’t keep subscribers by force – let them unsubscribe from the newsletter.

Effective email marketing: 7 simple rules for success

Encourage action before opening! We’ve examined 10 billion messages. Our report shows that emails with topics containing 1 to 3 words get the highest Open Rate, i.e. the rate of message openings. Short titles are more interesting and usually stand out from the rest.

Remember to change the number of words in the message from time to time. Recipients quickly get used to specific forms. Surprise them!

Check who opens your emails!

The most popular systems for sending newsletters will show you who opens your emails. Why send a newsletter to people who haven’t opened a single email from you in a year? Make sure that the list of subscribers includes people who are actually interested in what you send them. Divide customers into target groups – segment!

Subscriber segmentation is the basis. First, divide your customer base into specific target groups, and then, based on data analysis (e.g. user activity), select groups that: regularly read your messages, click on the links you send, can become your potential customers (e.g. based on historical data). On this basis, match the content of emails to the behavior of specific groups of recipients. Also remember to group your recipients by email hosting providers. Only in 2019, more than one billion new accounts registered on Gmail. All because the advertisements there are unobtrusive, effective and very effective, and the system perfectly filters SPAM.

You can group customers based on: purchases made from you, active opening of messages or information they have left by subscribing to the newsletter (gender, age, education).

Use the data that recipients have shared with you – personalize it!

Subscribers can leave a lot of data about themselves when subscribing to the newsletter. In addition, e-mail marketing systems will provide you with further data that you need to analyze to run effective e-mail marketing. These are among others:

– deliverability,
– openness,
– CTA click rate.

On this basis, you will determine which target groups are dormant leads and which will come back to you for shopping (for such people it is worth preparing something additional, such as discounts for regular customers) or simply like reading messages from you, but do not click links. In addition, demographics alone will provide you with enormous knowledge about your subscribers.

Based on the collected data, personalize titles, content, graphics and CTA. Anticipate what particular groups may like, as well as use data from nationwide reports on the purchasing behavior of individual segments. Thanks to this, you’ll more effectively meet their needs and tastes and preferences.

Write simply and succinctly but also catchily!

The modern recipient is tired of the number of messages and information that surround him. Try to limit the content and graphics in your messages – provide subscribers with the most important information that may interest them. However, try not to do it too intensely. Limit the message to one or up to two important pieces of information. Three or more different information can prevent the recipient from remembering the most important thing you wanted to tell him.

Remember to keep the shape of the letter F when arranging information in the message. The modern recipient mostly scans the text, and according to research conducted by dr Philip Benson and David St Clair from the University of Aberdeen, the reader’s eyes follow the track, forming the letter F.

Give your subscribers free

Give something to your most loyal subscribers. These can be unpublished tips, graphics to print or discounts. Give them something that will make them feel special and make your newsletter prestigious. Remember, however, that the more people get such freebies, the less prestigious the newsletter will be. First try to honor some subscribers this way (segmentation will be useful here).

Test campaigns and analyze effects

Testing your mailing campaigns is an absolute must if you want to run effective email marketing. Check before sending that all elements of the message are displayed correctly and that there are no errors in the content. Check what messages look like on devices with different screens (laptops, smartphones, tablets). Create several versions of the same message and send it to different groups, and then save subscribers’ reactions to individual versions of the message. Check the Open Rate indicator and click-through rate of messages and links in the body of the email. Low OR may indicate that the message was qualified as SPAM. It can also mean that the title did not encourage subscribers to open the message. In turn, low click-through in CTA may mean that you need to change CTA because it doesn’t encourage you to act.

Pareto principle.
Use the Pareto principle. According to her, 20% of workload generates on average 80% of profits. Translating this into effective email marketing and subscribers, it is easy to calculate that 20% of regular customers who are subscribed to the newsletter can give you as much as 80% of profits from email marketing. So let’s save the addresses of people who regularly click on links and buy from you to reward them for loyalty (segmentation and prestige).

Do you already know how to do effective email marketing?

Effective email marketing is based on 7 main activities, thanks to which you have the chance to create a list of valuable leads.

To increase your mailing profits, you must first of all remember to segment and personalize the message content. In addition, make sure that the recipient can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Test, analyze and do not be afraid to experiment with the appearance and content of your emails. Maybe one word will actually prove to be the key to success to increase OR and click-through rate on links? Or maybe your recipients prefer standard message titles? You will learn all this by using tests and analyzing the results.

Be creative, but do not overdo it with information overload. Try to contain the maximum information in the minimum content. Try new things, and don’t be afraid to give your subscribers so-called giveaway – in thanks that they are loyal to you (you can find out by checking data from mailing systems). Try to stand out as well as respond to the needs of target groups that you have created within subscribers as much as possible. Well, analyze, analyze and analyze again. Be creative, but do not overdo it with information overload. Try to contain the maximum information in the minimum content. Try new things, and don’t be afraid to give your subscribers so-called giveaway – in thanks that they are loyal to you (you can find out by checking data from mailing systems). Try to stand out as well as respond to the needs of target groups that you have created within subscribers as much as possible. Well, analyze, analyze and analyze again.

Ideas for free gifts for loyal recipients: dedicated, short articles that will not be published anywhere else, earlier access to the new offer, graphic designs for self printing, dedicated offers, dedicated discounts and vouchers, invitation to a special action, invitation to ambassador/testing.

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of the ways by which you can promote your online business. The essence of SEO is such activities that Google will consider a site valuable, which will show it higher in search results. Website optimization consists in conducting activities on the site (on-site) and off-site. In addition, content on a website is extremely important in SEO. The better the texts appear on the site (both in terms of language and content), the better Google will evaluate the entire site.

In this article, we present the advantages of SEO, which – we hope – will dispel your doubts about starting positioning activities. Below are seven SEO benefits that will affect the development of your business.

Seven reasons to invest in SEO

A. Visibility on Google
98.38% of users use Google search engine (data from September 2019 according to Paraphrase-Online.com). Of this huge number, a really negligible percentage goes to the other side of the search engine – that’s why you should make sure that your keywords get the highest possible page rank. Because it is using the Google search engine that customers look for information about products and services.

The higher you go to Google, the greater the chance that a potential customer will visit your site. The benefits of SEO in the form of visibility will translate into more website traffic.

B. SEO is an opportunity for small businesses
Promoting a site on which no previous positioning activities were conducted can take from six months to even several years. For some this may seem like a long period of time, however, the effects that the website will get – if only the actions are performed correctly – can last for years.

Search engine optimization is a long-term process – stopping website optimization may result in a decrease in visibility, because Google focuses on promoting websites that are constantly expanding. In addition, remember that if you give up positioning activities, you give competitors who know the advantages of SEO, the opportunity to chase you away in search results. Regular investment in SEO brings enormous benefits, especially to growing businesses that are unable to spend on promoting such large budgets as large corporations.

With a constant budget, you build visibility of your online business for years. SEO benefits are also such that after a while you don’t have to (but you can, the effects will be even better) increase your budget significantly.

C. SEO is profit for the company
Investing in positioning with a reasonable budget and maintaining business continuity will ensure a return on investment. That is why it is worth starting a cooperation with a marketing agency, which will not only conduct a detailed audit of your website, but also plan activities for the next months, so as not to burn your budget.

A good SEO agency will not only prepare a plan for you, but will also constantly monitor the growth of individual keywords and will ensure the visibility of your website. However, don’t be put off by the lack of results after 3 months – it’s not like you don’t have any benefit from SEO. As we mentioned in point B. for SEO to be profitable, the site should be positioned for at least half a year.

The benefits and advantages of SEO are enormous when it comes to your company’s earnings. Positioning is an investment that after some time (depending on many factors, e.g. industry or your budget) will bring you significant profit while maintaining a low budget.

D. SEO is cheaper in the long run
The advantages of SEO are also a constant budget and growing effects. A well prepared SEO strategy can be cheaper than other forms of online advertising. The first half of the year is mainly an investment that, compared to other PPC ads, may seem unprofitable at first glance. However, if you survive the first phase, in which you mainly invest, then you will later appreciate these seemingly unprofitable positioning activities.

For paid advertising methods, you must pay to see results and traffic on the site. In the case of SEO after the first phase, traffic is still growing (organic searches) despite the same budget. Positioning conversions for long-term activities are simply more effective.

After some time, organic traffic continues to grow while maintaining the same budget. The costs of positioning activities do not increase drastically, as in the case of other forms of online advertising. These SEO advantages will also allow you to set a firm budget for the months and years ahead.

E. Local SEO will attract customers from the area
SEO also brings benefits to the local market. Google has long been giving users results that are based on their geolocation (e.g. GPS location).

How does it look in practice? You enter “cheap hairdresser” or “good patisserie” on Google, ignoring the city, and Google based on your location will show you the results of the nearest premises in the current area. Most of the answers to queries that the user directs to the search engine are personalized. The advantages of SEO are different, but for smaller businesses this is one of the most important, if not the most important: local positioning is also cheaper than global positioning, and for some industries it is also much more effective. A good SEO agency will tell you which type of positioning will be most profitable for your business and what exactly benefits SEO will give you.

Local positioning is often cheaper and more profitable for small businesses that address their offer to the local market.

F. SEO will show you as an expert
What are the benefits of SEO besides increasing sales? Positioning increases the visibility of the website on the internet, which translates into greater customer confidence in the brand. SEO activities also include content marketing, i.e. creating valuable content from the user’s point of view.

The more answers your questions find on your site, the faster Google will notice and position you higher. And the higher the page is on Google, the more likely they are likely to be trusted by its customers. SEO will help you achieve the image of an expert on the web, and will also show users that your employees are very knowledgeable and not afraid to share it. The more substantive content you provide to users, the more likely they will buy a product from you or pay for the service, believing that you know what you are doing. The advantages of SEO are not only influenced by increasing sales – it also increases brand awareness in the eyes of your potential customers.

The higher your business is on Google, the more likely Internet users will trust you. And people prefer to buy from experts and trusted sellers, than unknown companies.

G. SEO is advertising reaching a specific group of recipients
SEO will allow you to reach people actually interested in your offer. In the case of e.g. billboards or outdoor advertising, the message reaches both people who would be interested in leaving you money and people who will never use your services. Positioning allows you to create a model persona and match both queries and answers to the user who is your potential customer.

With well-conducted SEO activities, you don’t have to worry that part of the budget reaches people who are not interested in your offer.

What are the benefits of positioning?

Website positioning can give you above all real profit from business – sales and customers. By climbing the next positions in the search results, you have a great opportunity to reach more people who want to buy your product or use your services. The higher you go on Google, the better chance you have of increasing inquiries. And that’s what you mean, right?

Website positioning process

SEO is a long-term process worth investing in. However, it is difficult to run your own business – hiring employees, taking care of orders or accounting as well as the quality of the goods or services provided is time-consuming enough. Therefore, you should not make decisions about independent positioning hastily. In SEO agencies, positioning is done by teams consisting of several people. These are, among others, positioners, client supervisors or copywriters. Each person is responsible for a different aspect of positioning, thanks to which they can 100% focus on performing specific actions for your company. Thanks to cooperation with an SEO agency you have the chance to significantly increase your revenue.

Combining strategies

We encourage you to combine different e-marketing strategies. The combination of SEO and PPC ads, i.e. Google Ads, is particularly effective under the influence of conversions. Google Ads drives sales in the first phase, when positioning will work on itself, and then will support (with a lower budget) organic traffic, obtained through SEO.

Anyone can theoretically be a copywriter – and most people come out with this assumption, which can often be seen in ongoing assignments. Some think that writing is easy, because what is the difficulty of creating a text based on many source materials. While a dozen or so years ago the group of people writing custom-made texts was quite narrow, now there is a fashion for being a copywriter.

What does this mean for you – as a company commissioning the creation of lyrics? On the one hand, more copywriters mean more competition and the ability to negotiate rates. On the other hand, there is a greater risk that you entrust the text to the wrong person – one who, although he has the most sincere intentions, will not be able to create good quality text.

How not to make a mistake and choose a good copywriter?

Nothing prevents you from reaching a good copywriter. trial and error method. This is a good solution if:
– you have a lot of time and you can wait for good text,
– you have a large budget and are able to pay for texts that you will never use.

However, I assume that you are not going to waste time and want to immediately start working with a copywriter that will meet your expectations. To make this happen, it’s worth checking his skills at the beginning – you will do it in a few simple steps.

A. Read the texts on the website
The copywriter’s website is his business card and it can be a valuable source of information about the quality of the texts offered. However, just as you don’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t just limit yourself to this step. Writing texts for one’s own needs is completely different than commissioned.

B. Review the portfolio
The portfolio is another element thanks to which you can get to know the copywriter’s workshop. You will learn what type of texts he has on his account and what subjects he undertook. However, you must remember that the portfolio includes only selected projects – usually these are the best works. Therefore, it is worth making a correction – especially if the quality leaves much to be desired.

C. Have the sample text written
There is no better way to verify a copywriter than to check your skills in practice. Therefore, write a sample text on the topic you specified. Thanks to this, you will find out whether you expect such style and quality. However, here too, you must bear in mind that the sample text will be written with special care – because who would not like to do the best. So if in this case you have any bigger reservations, it makes no sense to cooperate.

How to check the competences of a copywriting agency?

There are far fewer copywriter agencies than freelance copywriters, but in this case you can’t make blind choices. You can easily check her competences, thanks to which you are likely to establish fruitful cooperation that will not end with a single job.

A. Get to know the website
The copywriter agency will definitely have its own website on which you can make your first selection. Although you can expect a slightly different nature of content, you can easily evaluate texts in terms of quality.

B. Check the implementation
Past implementations can tell a lot about the agency’s competences. Familiarize yourself with the portfolio to assess the quality of texts other than your own. You already know that these are written completely differently. Warning! If you are going to commission the agency to write a highly technical text, see if the company was dealing with this type of implementation. It is also worth verifying whether the agency has already carried out orders for this particular industry.

C. Have the sample text written
Just like in the case of freelancer verification, you can also ask the agency to write a sample text. Warning! If the sample text meets your expectations, make sure that the same copywriter will carry out the correct task. Thanks to this, you will avoid a completely different person creating target texts.

Review the sample text

To find out about the copywriter’s skills, evaluate the sample text you received. It is worth doing in at least three fields.

A. Possible Errors
The resulting text should be error free. While some factual errors can be turned a blind eye (especially in difficult and specific industries), spelling errors are not acceptable. It is good if the content is also free of linguistic or stylistic errors. Remember! Since serious mishaps occur in the trial text (certainly “pimped”), you are likely to expect more faults in target orders.

B. Verification for duplicate
Duplicate content is unacceptable for two reasons: one is duplicate content seen through Google’s eyes, and the other is ethical issues related to the theft of someone else’s work. If at least part of the text is a faithful copy of other content, there is a problem. You are not sure if this will not happen again in the future. However, take into account what results from the duplicate fragment. Perhaps the full name of the act repeats, or are these formulas required for descriptions of dietary supplements, etc.? If so, then the copywriter is somehow justified.

C. SEO Rules
Although the text is intended to be targeted at potential customers, it must also be Google friendly. Therefore, it should meet at least the basic principles of SEO, including contain specific keywords, different headlines, highlights of key fragments, etc.

It’s not just the workshop that counts …

Although the quality of the texts ordered plays the most important role, not only the workshop matters. If you care about long-term contacts, you need to consider several other aspects. They are slightly different when working with a copywriter and different when working with a copywriter agency.

Cooperation with a copywriter – freelancer

If you intend to cooperate with a freeelancer, it is worth paying attention to two main issues.

A. Contact
Note the communication with the copywriter. How fast does it respond to emails? Does he answer the phone? This is very important because it allows you to immediately exchange messages and avoid misunderstandings, etc.

B. Agreement
The agreement protects not only the copywriter’s interests, but also yours. So sign the document, taking into account many key issues, including scope of work, deadline, penalties in the event of non-performance.

Cooperation with a copywriting agency

If you want to work with a copywriting agency, it’s worth:

– ask people from the same industry if they have used this type of service – perhaps they will recommend a specific copywriting agency,
– contact the agency’s client and ask about the assessment of the course of cooperation,
– talk to a company employee from the same industry about cooperation with a copywriting agency, e.g. on the occasion of an industry meeting, conference, etc.

The volume of the order can help in making the decision – if the scope of work is to be large, then it is better to report to the agency. Why? Freelancer may have a problem with the timely implementation of a large job. Regardless of whether you decide to cooperate with a free copywriter or you want to establish cooperation with an agency, ask about the possibility of signing the so-called confidentiality agreement. This is an important issue – especially if you are going to provide sensitive information about your company.

The above tips are just a few of the most important issues that will make finding a copywriter for long-term collaboration easier. The basis is not only limited to the portfolio, but also decide to prepare a sample text – even if it is to be paid.