"Integrated Articles" is a term I've coined to explain how business website copy should be written to convert website visitors into buyers or contacts. The quick definition of Integrated Articles is:

"…writing the copy on a website so that it is both an informative article and at the same time guides the visitor to a buying decision before they can leave."

However, I'd like to give a more in depth explanation as to what Integrated Article marketing is, how it works, and how you can use it to increase conversions.

 

There are only two things that are important for a business website

If you’ve visited my website, talked with me at an event, or heard me speak, you know my mantra is that there are only two things that are important for a business website:

1. Getting found on the Internet ahead of your competitors, and
2. Converting those visitors into buyers or contacts

If you want to learn more about getting found ahead of your competitors, that falls under search engine optimization and I have these articles to help you with that:

• If you want to know what Google thinks is good site optimization, ask them
• The Power of Placing Links Within Your Text
• What is search engine optimization and how does it really work
• What you absolutely must know about search engine optimization
• Who Needs Search Engine Optimization and Why

However, that’s not what this article is about. We’re looking at Integrated Articles. Integrated articles combine the search engine requirement of finding relevant content and the need to convert visitors into buyers or contacts.

Why traditional copywriting won’t work on a website

Traditional copywriting tends to read like an advertisement. This is who we are, this is what we do or what we have, this is what your benefits are for using our product or service.

The problem with this approach on the web is that people generally aren’t looking for a particular product or service. They are looking for information to help them solve a problem. The web is still the “information superhighway”. If you look at it from the standpoint of the old marketing adage, “people are looking for the hole, not the drill,” you can already see the problem with this approach. You’re telling them about a tool and all they care about is getting the solution. (If you want to know more about the difference between web copywriting and off-line copywriting, follow the link.)

So here’s how Integrated Articles work

Say a construction crew chief comes to your website looking for an adhesive that will work on wood and steel in sub-zero temperatures and snowy conditions. He knows what he needs to solve his problem: an adhesive that will work under those conditions. He doesn’t care what manufacturer it is. What he cares about is drying time, application methods, and possibly, shear loads. And what he doesn’t have is a lot of time to look through catalogs and listings.

Most adhesive companies approach their website as a catalog. Just like the books they have sitting on their desks. They know their way around these catalogs because they’ve been using them for so long. And they want the crew chief to call them so they can sell him the right adhesive for the job.

Well, guess what? He or she is not going to call you. They are going to get frustrated trying to figure out which adhesive is the one they want. Then they are going to click their mouse to your competitor who has just as difficult a website to use and get even more frustrated. Eventually, they will call someone but odds are, it won’t be you.

The best approach to selling products or services on the web

Now, let’s look at another way to approach a website selling adhesives. Let's turn your website into a 24/7 sales person that will help them sell themselves.

Let’s say you have an article on your home page entitled:

“How to find the right construction adhesive for the right job”

Okay, that looks promising. Maybe they don’t have to dig through a catalog to find what they need or call someone they don’t know and don’t trust. So, like most people on the web, they don’t read the page. They start scanning the page for a subhead that looks promising. They find one that says:

“Outside construction in sub-zero temperatures requires special adhesives”

From here, they read the first couple of sentences in a “teaser” that tells them just enough to let them know this is definitely the article they want. The last sentence in your teaser has a keyword phrase near the end that you’ve made into a link to the actual article. Something like this:

“Wet or dry conditions can affect which sub-zero construction adhesive you use…”

That link not only serves to pull them deeper into your site, but it’s called an “anchored link.” Google loves anchored links that lead to more relevant content on your site. You’ve just scored major points with the search engines.

They click on the link and are guided to the page with the article that explains the different subzero adhesives and which ones work best under which conditions. And in each explanation of the different types of adhesives, you have the names of the adhesives and those names are anchored links that lead to the actual product information and sales sheet.

Download our FREE 38 page Online Marketing Primer to learn about the most effective online marketing methods available today. Then Contact me for an Online Marketing quote or to discuss creating a cost effective online marketing program to drive customers or clients to your website.

The results of using Integrated Article marketing

Okay, the construction chief has just read an informative article that told them exactly what they needed to know. It didn’t sound like a sales pitch; it read like genuine help. And now they are at a page where they can just click and buy or call to get more information. I won’t guarantee they will call or order but you have really stacked the deck in your favor. They are already sold. On you and on your product.

UPDATE - (6-9-2010) I'm now using an article spinner to take one article and turn it into 250 different articles. Does that sound like an amazing time saver? Read this review of the best article spinner.

This is how Integrated Articles on business websites work and they can be effective with almost any product or service. It’s just one of the tricks website copywriters use to make business websites much more effective than brochure or catalog layouts.

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Download our FREE 38 page Online Marketing Primer to learn about the most effective online marketing methods available today. Then Contact me for an Online Marketing quote or to discuss creating a cost effective online marketing program to drive customers or clients to your website.

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