Ecommerce - Discussion of Article Topics

[BobGW]

Hello,

My client is in a boring niche, not a lot of people linking anywhere. He needs good traffic within 3 and a half months.

After listening to people here at seomoz, we're making five 5000-10000 word articles on topics that

1. are useful to the customer

2. we can promote

The client is writing the information out himself and then a professional writer is going to put the final article together. We'll keep working it until it's a best-of-the-web

The most useful article we have come up with is all the details about "How to select a product" There's definitely enough information for an article there.

But we need to be able to promote one of the articles, and the thing that is most linked to that I've found are articles about the problems that the products solve. An article on that wouldn't be as useful to our customers.

Your thoughts?

[gmk1567]

As long as the article is more interactive, I don't see any problem. Most linked vs. more valued links will be an another discussion point.

Articles of the other types like the following also can be explored:

1. DIY - do it yourself

2. Creative ideas - e.g., Creative Christmas makeovers

[EGOL]

After listening to people here at seomoz, we're making five 5000-10000 word articles on topics that

This word count is awfully high.  I suggest that you stop thinking about big numbers and again focus on quality.

The articles should be long enough to cover the topic in enough detail that it is "best on the web".

the thing that is most linked to that I've found are articles about the problems that the products solve. An article on that wouldn't be as useful to our customers.

This sounds like a lost opportunity.  The most linked to is a great target.

Again, focus on quality and create content that blows the competition's feeble attempt out of the water.

[BobGW]

Question for you EGOL: How can an article written by the site owner be best-of-the-web? The site owner knows all about what the customer have asked about and emailed about over the years, what all the industry products are, and a lot more, but he's not super-knowledgeable about the whole niche. How do we bridge the gap and make it best-of-the-web without hiring an expert?

Also, we found an excellent writer and do you think it would hurt for her to make the final result, telling her exactly what we want and giving her all the information? She knows the niche but she doesn't know the customers.

[EGOL]

Making best-on-the-web content requires exertion, expenditure and acquiring the cooperation of others.

When I write an article, I don't hesitate to spend several days researching, purchase reference material, call people, email experts, collect data, go to a university, make a video (and reshoot to improve), attend a trade show to speak with people, spend hundreds (sometimes more) on photo props, have a photographer take photos (and retake them to please me), hire an artist to create an illustration (and tweak it several times), use Excel to graph data, contact people to license images.....

The goal is to create something awesome that people who see it will immediately be motivated to share.

You don't sit down and type something.

You think, you plan, you exert yourself.  You go after the materials and information that you need to make it great.

It takes time.  It's not cheap.   Begin with that in mind.

[BobGW]

Priceless Advice!

Last Question Here:

EGOL, for that linked to topic I mentioned, does it have to be a catchy title about the problems solved by the products, or can can we include all that information under one article about how to select a product?

In other words, how much does the title have to match the topic that's linked to?

[EGOL]

I never use catchy titles.  My goal is to clearly describe the topic of the content with words that people will type into a search box.

I am writing an article right now about how to make something.  I am focusing on where to get the materials and what tools will be used (we sell tools and supplies)... but will also show all of the steps and the finished product.

I planned the project, visited several stores, visited several websites, purchased several items, had my webmaster take photos, have the project underway, will take photos of some key steps featuring tools and supplies, and photos of finished project.

It is going to be a nice article that will motivate people to buy from us.  I expect it to attract traffic and convert visitors into buyers every month.

[BobGW]

"My goal is to clearly describe the topic of the content with words that people will type into a search box."

Do you mean the words in the title or in the article are keywords?

[EGOL]

Both

[BobGW]

Awesome, what great advice