Case Study: How a B2B SaaS Client saw a 234.27% Increase In Targeted Organic Traffic within 6 months

➜ 223% more user retention compared to paid traffic

➜ 168% better conversions than paid traffic

➜ Consistently rank #1 on Google within days instead of months

➜ Organic traffic showed 517% more engagement

The Client

The client is a B2B enterprise SaaS logistics intelligence platform that helps supply chains reduce their shipping costs through increased visibility of operations across verticals.

The Challenge

Amidst a sea of competitors, the customer was looking to position as a competitive logistics intelligence platform, increase their brand awareness by ranking on Google, drive more targeted traffic and bring more MQLs organically.

Goals and KPIs

  1. Drive targeted organic traffic and increase brand awareness ✔
  2. Increase user retention on the website ✔
  3. Improve overall brand engagement ✔


Results With Proof Of Data

  1. 261% Growth in organic traffic within 3 quarters
  2. 223% more user retention compared to paid ads
  3. 517% increase in brand engagement
  4. Organic traffic converted 168% better than paid traffic

234.27% growth in organic traffic in 6 months

Organic traffic in Feb, 2021 was just 2,614.

Organic traffic in October increased to 6,124. 

That’s 234.27% increase in organic leads within 6 months.

Organic traffic converted 168% better than paid traffic

Organic traffic = 19,220
The number of pageviews from organic users = 44,002

Average pageviews per organic user = (44,002 / 19,220) = 2.29

Average pageviews per organic user is 2.29

Paid traffic = 81,533

The number of pageviews from paid traffic = 1,11,366

Average pageviews per paid user = (1,11,366 / 81,533) = 1.36

Average page views per paid user is 1.36

Conversion Performance of Organic Traffic Vs. Paid traffic = 1.683

Result: Organic traffic converted 168% better than paid traffic. Implies that organic content is more targeted and speaks to the user, and therefore, they stay 168% more engaged with the content than paid traffic.

Created one of the top-performing landing pages with the longest daily average dwell time

6.32% reduction in bounce rate equating to more user engagement than before

517% more engagement from organic traffic compared to paid traffic

Average session duration of organic traffic = 1:27 minutes

avg session duration of paid traffic = 0:17 minutes

Engagement = (Avg session duration of organic traffic / Avg session duration of paid traffic)

Engagement = 1:27 / 0:17

[1:27 minutes translates to 1.45 minutes, 0:17 minutes translates to 0.28 minutes]

Engagement = 1.45/0.28 = 5.17

Engagement % = 517%

Result: Engagement from organic traffic is 517% more compared to paid traffic

Organic traffic also had 261% more returning visitors than paid traffic

223% more user retention compared to paid traffic

By the time we reached the last quarter, visitor retention through organic traffic was 223% more than retention through paid traffic.

So what?

Ranks #1 on Google even after 18 months from the date of publishing beating FedEx on its own keyword

Ranked #1 on Google **consistently** within 5 days of publishing instead of waiting for months

Rank #1 on Google within 5 days for 44 keywords

The 10-Step Repeatable Process to Rank #1 on Google *Consistently* and stay there

How did we achieve that?

  1. 80% of the blogs I wrote either ranked #1 on Google or on the first page of Google. This led to 3 things:
    1. Increased traffic
    2. Increased engagement
    3. Increased brand awareness

We don’t just take the top spots on text SERPs, we also own it on Google Images

Process: Spot on on-page SEO does the trick

So what? Benefits of image SEO

Increase brand awareness + increase engagement
If you’re looking to drive targeted traffic, increase MQLs, and increase your user engagement with product messaging and SEO content marketing, head over to [email protected]

13 Expert Copyediting Tips To Make Your Writing Radically Good

Pre-script: I’m chopping off the lengthy introduction and heading straight to deliver what you’re here for.

Here’s the list of the most important copyediting tips you can use right away. Let’s go.

1. Avoid structural confusion
2. Focus on the main goal
3. Use shorter sentences
4. Skip everything the reader skips
5. Too many commas confuse the heck out of the reader
6. Throw your reader right into the story without wasting time
7. Always question the benefit of your sentence 
8. Pick a lane
9. Use these 24 connectors to make a smooth landing 
10. Cut complexity – innocent example included
11. Format your writing for UX
12. Back up your claims
13. Don’t copywrite

1. Avoid structural confusion – Stop using passive voice

What’s wrong with passive voice?

Passive voice makes your writing dull and heavy.

It makes it hard to understand by delaying the delivery of the message.

Look at this example:

Passive voice doesn’t convey the message until the very end.

Let’s look at another example.

The above sentence has too many things going on. It sounds complicated.

Firstly, simplifying the sentence by splitting it into two clear sentences makes it easier to read and comprehend.

Converting the sentence into an active voice paints the picture faster because there is less uncertainty in the language.

In addition to that, using words like “some” makes the human brain struggle to choose. Especially if you understand visually.

Well, passive voice has its right time and place.

Passive voice is used to place attention on the object or activity instead of the subject.

Sometimes, you use passive voice in direct communication to eliminate blame, to not offend people at the workplace, or to give feedback.

Simply put, passive voice is used to convey ‘the what’ instead of ‘the who

But……

Passive voice can be powerful too!

Here’s an opinion example I totally agree with

2. Focus on the topic’s ONE main goal 

The content you write should be 3 things:

  1. Useful-helpful
  2. Beneficial
  3. Actionable

Look at the below example. This is a content email sent by a calendar app.

This email sounds complicated to an average person and rightly so.

Their target audience is normal people who just want to use a calendar scheduling app to book calls.

And if you send emails like this – with irrelevant, jargon-filled sentences, users give up. They unsubscribe.

Don’t make your messaging shoot up your SaaS users’ tech-anxiety.

Keep it simple. Focus on the one thing you want your users to do.

3. Use shorter sentences

The next time you’re struggling to write something, pause. 

Take that one complicated sentence that’s hindering you from moving forward and break it into core ideas. Now rewrite the lengthy sentence into multiple core ideas. This makes yoru writing easy, AND delivers a clear message – faster.

For example, go through the below paragraph.

Take the underlined sentence in the picture above and feed it into the Hemingway app.

The above sentence is obscure and hard to read.

Let’s break it down and rewrite it to make the message clear.

Breaking down a sentence into multiple sentences makes the message:

  1. Easy to understand
  2. Easy to write
  3. More clear
  4. More specific

Sentences that convey one idea are called kernel sentences.

Kernel sentences also make effective value propositions.

I first learned about using kernel sentences inside CopySchool from Joanna Wiebe – the original conversion copywriter. 

“Reduce your sentence to one single thought and break it there.” – Joanna Wiebe

4.  Skip everything the reader skips

 It’s ok to murder your favorite line for the sake of readability.

Most blog intro copy is overkill. If you noticed, I skipped the introduction and jumped straight into the meat and bones of the subject. Now, I don’t guarantee that it works all the time. But it works if you have juicy content from the start.

The No.1 Mistake Most Writers Make With Introductions

Even if you’re writing the intro section for a traditional blog, at least start by NOT repeating what you just said in the title. 

Most writers make the mistake of twisting and rewriting their H2s, just to increase their word count. Mostly because they don’t know how to write engaging introductions.

How to do content research to make your introductions worth reading?

Start your intros like this:


A. Use a hard-hitting stat to let them know what’s happening in the industry

B. Tell a story – it could be a customer story, a situational story or an industry incident/activity/experiment. If you’re explaining a difficult concept, use analogies and tell stories to help the reader learn faster and remember better.

C. Use a quote from an industry authority or an anecdote to get their attention

D. Ask a question they cannot ignore

E. Share a desirable result that’ll keep them hooked

Example of intro copy that’s poetic, but fails to enchant the readers.

The intro copy above is:
1. Not setting context quickly
2. Not matching the tone of the first sentence – It’s like saying, “you’re doing X number of things this autumn, read my blog as well.”


On the other hand, here’s an example of an ultra-specific blog introduction:

how to write blog introductions
The introduction sets the expectations right away. It tells the user exactly what they’re getting into.

5. Too many commas confuse the reader

Anything more than 3 (oxford) commas, is gasping for breath and a recipe for disaster.

If you find a sentence with more than 3 commas, it’s an indication that it’s too much information stuffed into one sentence.

Break it down.

Connect back to the kernel sentence approach to write better.

Look at the example below:

“..regular basis, either daily, weekly, or monthly” – This phrase sounds highly uncertain and unsure. The last thing you want you to do is – to confuse the reader.

6. Throw your reader right into the story without wasting time

In Media Res – means to start in the middle.

This is another copywriting principle I learned from Joanna Wiebe.

Start in the middle to hook their mind to your version

In Media Res is a copywriting/screenwriting principle used in the very first scene of your favorite shows.

If you’ve binge-watched five full seasons of Money Heist like a maniac, blame the first scene.

The first scene got you hooked. It threw you right into the story and you became a Money Heist maze runner forever. 

Let’s look at an example:

This is an email from Samar Owais, one of the best email strategist and copywriter I know.

This is a no-BS email.

No greetings, no lovelies – her emails jump straight to the point and get the job done.

To set the context,

Target audience: SaaS CXOs, Directors, Marketing Managers
Offer: Email Conversion Audits

Goal: Book an Audit



This is just half the email to show you how Samar wastes 0 seconds in conveying the message and getting the audience hooked.

7. Appeal to your reader’s first instinct 

By asking “so what”.

Let’s see how to do that.

You’ve written something, cool. Now, if the reader asks “so what?”, there HAS to be a benefit to back up your claim. If not, your readers drop out.

Look at this value proposition example:

Value Prop: Digital Assurance is the Bedrock of Digital Transformation

My first instinct after reading this is – I don’t understand what you’re saying. My brain goes digital digital and that’s it. I have to read it multiple times to really comprehend what they’re meaning to say.

To top that, there’s no crosshead copy to support the message and help me understand their purpose.

The value prop ends there –

  • Without talking about the ‘real’ benefit of digital transformation
  • Without talking about why the reader should reach out to them
  • Without talking about why the reader should trust them to digitize their business
  • Without explain the scale of digitization
  • There’s no social proof to back up anything this value prop says

With no benefits to back up your claims and no reason to reach out to you, you become any other brand who fades away very quickly from the reader’s memory.

8. Pick a lane 

You’ve got to take a stand. Your copy should convey ONE big idea to the ONE reader with ONE goal. If you don’t do this, your copy spreads all over the place talking about many random things but actually speaking to no one.

Example?

Here you go:

I started this post by saying – 13 Copyediting Tips To Make You A Kickass Copywriter

This one line does 2 things:

  1. Selects the audience – Writers/copywriters/editors have identified themselves with this piece of writing. It’s the first step towards conversion
  2. Gets the reader interested – Because every writer wants to improve their copy chops. That’s their end goal.

Now, why do listicles like this one work? Basic human psychology. It boils down to one basic emotion. You and I (and everyone you know) have lived this emotion. It’s greed. We’re greedy for more. We don’t say no to more. That’s why #buzzfeed listicles go viral in no time. 

9. Use connectors to make smooth transitions 

Here’s a list of 30 connectors I use to make copywriting transitions look natural and effortless in your copy:

  1. And
  2. But
  3. However
  4. Here’s the thing
  5. Because
  6. Surprisingly
  7. Now
  8. Don’t forget to
  9. How?
  10. Here’s how:
  11. Before <we do that>/<go ahead>
  12. That’s not it
  13. Interestingly
  14. That’s not all
  15. Let’s look at an example
  16. The thing is
  17. The truth is
  18. In fact
  19. But first,
  20. But wait, that’s not all
  21. Nevertheless
  22. But wait, there’s more
  23. On that note
  24. But, is that even possible?
  25. On the other hand
  26. Example?
  27. Alternatively
  28. But how can you achieve it?
  29. But, what’s more important is
  30. While we’re on it


Example:
(You see what I did there? I used a connector to make a concept clear by explaining it with an example)

The email below sets the mood: Heading to holidays with BFCM

Goal: To get the readers to listen to a podcast episode of Limited Supply


The email copy uses connectors just before he reveals the goal. He does that to reignite the reader’s attention – by connecting two interesting actions. Take a look.

10. Cut complexity

And cut complexity.

The most common mistake 90% of writers make is to paralyze the reader’s already stressed minds with convoluted, complicated sentences.

Unnecessarily lengthy sentences not only make the reader undergo information fatigue, it’s also painful to sit through.It distracts your reader.

Example: How do edit for clarity and brevity?




You see how one single hazy sentence was turned into 3 simple sentences that conveyed one idea – clearly.

11. Format your writing for UX

I cannot stress this enough!

For whatever’s sake! Format your copy for readability, usability and user experience.

Yes user experience is for writers as well. Not just web designers.


You cannot deliver a chunk of sentences and call it a day.

Even if you’ve applied all the copywriting principles and copyediting tips we’ve talked about so far, even if you’re a terrific writer – in the online world – Formatting Matters.

Here’s why:

  1. To make lengthy copy legible without overwhelming the reader
  2. To break monotonous patterns
  3. To justify the importance of a point


Just like I did now. I conveyed the above points in a bullet format to help the reader grasp information faster, and remember better.

12. Back up your claims

Before you finalize a sentence, make sure you do enough research to explain what’s going on.

If you’ve made a claim, back it up with ample proof.

Proof could be anything. Stats, facts, survey results, research data, examples, testimonials, excerpts from case studies, screenshots of reviews, proof of concept in the form of infographics, flowcharts, diagrams etc.

HockeyStack does a very good job at highlighting achievements and leveraging social proof.

13. Don’t copywrite – Have a conversation

People want to feel like they matter. Acknowledge it.

Genuinely, address their situation as is.

Without sugarcoating it.

But also without watering it down.

And you’ll have built a following of people who trust you.

Because eventually, it’s the trust that makes someone invest in you. 


But how do you do that?

Here are 5 ways to make people feel like they matter:

1. Address “the ONE reader’s” problems in the copy

2. Talk about “the ONE reader’s” primary concerns.

3. Solve “the ONE reader’s” problems in the copy

4. Speak 1:1. Avoid convoluted sentences and go for simple language instead. The point of copywriting is to connect with people and make it easier for them to connect with you. If you make the reader think hard, the reader quits. They don’t owe you one bit, so they quit. That’s why it’s important to write like you’re having a conversation. Even if it’s B2B writing.

5. Don’t “Copywrite”. Have a conversation. Address your reader as “you” in your copy. Give them an experience by making your copy easy to read. Remember, you don’t talk like a bot with your friend. Talk human. Imagine that the person is sitting right in front of you and you’re having a conversation about << the subject>>.

Here’s a sales page I wrote that brought in $61k+ in sales within 3 weeks of launching.



You see the copy flows like you’re having a conversation with someone. This not only makes the reader read until the end and gets hooked to the message, it also converts into a high 5-figure launch.

If you’re looking for product messaging like this, write me an email: [email protected]

How to catch the crack in your conversions: PART 1

How to increase your conversion rates
Say NO to foreign copy!
 
Today, I spoke to a prospect who told me about the several amazing copywriters she’s hired in the past to write her landing page copy. They all wrote beautiful prose-clad copy, BUT, nobody really bought from the page 😐
 
Why?
 
Here are the TOP 5 Reasons why sales page copy tanks:
 
1. Your funnel is distorted – you don’t have a connected conversion strategy
2. You don’t have a consistent voice, and hence, shockingly foreign copy
3. Fluff words that sound cool and sassy – but do NOTHING
4. Prose that sounds fab except, it can’t make sales
5. Your copy is unintentionally threatening!
 
You can fix the first 4 problems if you have the right systems in place.
But if your copy constantly sounds like you’re scaring and threatening people by using big bad words in unintended places just to grab their attention, the following copy better be worth their adrenaline activation. Or else, their logical brain is going to curse you for leading them to a high that you forgot to satisfy.
 
So if you’re finding yourself writing threatening copy, you really need to work on your mindset game.
 
What’s a mindset to do with writing copy?
 
E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.
 
If your writing voice sounds:
 
1. fake
 
2. desperate
 
3. needy
 
..you’re more likely to write threatening copy that uses trigger words like WARNING, make it unnecessarily “rhymy”, drop in powerless punches AND…
 
Most likely to cook copy that speaks to NO-ONE!
 
Pretty sad.
 
But, all of these annoying copy problems can be resolved if you have a stronghold on your audience’s pain points – big, small, and unsaid.
 
Start your copy with THEIR specific pain points and lead them towards a specific outcome THEY desire and keep the tempo on with headlines that are not just H1 text, but are there to keep moving your reader towards mini-conversions throughout the page without deviating from that one pain point they want to get rid of right now.
 
Which means, you’re not writing for people who don’t want it that bad. May be they have to put other things in place before this problem becomes their big priority. So, write for that prospect who wants to get done with their biggest challenge right NOW, not later.
 
If you organize their priorities on the page, your copy converts effortlessly.
 
Thank you for coming to my Copy Talk 😛
 
Questions? AMA in the comments!
 

Tripwire Sales Page Copy 101: What converts better?

What works better? Long-form sales page or quick short copy?
“LONG-FORM SALES COPY converts better or SHORT SALES PAGE is enough to sell my tripwire product?”, asked my client today.

Here’s what I told her:

**It** doesn’t really matter to the buyer.

Because..

1. The buyer is not here to measure the length of the sales page

2. The buyer is not here to count the number of words

3. The buyer is not here to admire the beauty of your design. If the design is fab, they’ll definitely admire it. But the sole purpose on the page is to **know** the product.

Your potential buyers are here to see if they’re:

1. Getting the right product – is it the right fit? What am I getting?

2. Is it worth the money – even if it’s a tripwire product

3. Who’s the creator? Is the creator credible?

4. What kind of results have past buyers seen?

5. What am I really getting if I buy this product today?

6. What will I lose if I don’t buy this product today?

7. What can I do with this product? The ROI?

8. What big worry can this product get rid of for me?

9. How much time can I save per week if I use this product?

What should you keep in mind before writing a Sales Page

1. What stage of the customer journey is my audience at? What are their major needs at this point?

2. What’s their biggest worry right now? What are their current roadblocks?

3. How are they looking at solving this?

4. List of product features + benefits

5. Prove your authority and credibility as the product creator

6. List of Frequently Asked Questions so that you don’t leave them frazzled at any point

7. Ample social proof to back up your claims and offer

8. What’s the purpose behind the purchase of a product like this?

9. Address the possible objections to buying this product

10. How can I speed up conversions and maximize sales?
 
Writing a sales page is not just about the number of words and the length of the page. It’s a multidimensional process that involves a myriad of moving parts to bring in conversions.

Questions? Ask me in the comments 🙂

Elementor Product Page Copy Teardown: How to write a Fluff-Free Features List

#Elementor decided to inject my feed with their ads.

So I decided to tear down their sales page into Conversion Copy.

The biggest dilemma before writing a sales page is:

Should you start your sales page with benefits over features?

Not necessary.

You don’t have to force benefits out of the page when the benefits don’t want to come.

What does that mean?

Look at the Elementor sales page screenshot below.

It looks like they were hell-bent on leading with benefits and in the process, the message sounds blah..

Alternatively, fluff-free positioning and features list looks like this, in that order:

  1. Build the page of your choice with the form builder
  2. Choose from a variety of well-designed, visually appealing testimonial carousels instead of the same old monotonous templates.
  3. Built-in pop-up forms so that you have everything hosted on one integrated platform instead of scattered forms and pages.
  4. Countdown timer to catalyze conversions.
  5. Capture real social proof to boost your credibility with the Star Rating Widget.

Go over these options and compare it to the copy in the screenshot.

What’s the difference?

  1. Copy Positioning in the screenshot is so weak and bleak that you CAN fall asleep reading it
  2. The tone and voice in the screenshot is plain blah. There’s ZERO personality. It doesn’t even sound like everyone else. It sounds unsure and shallow which is worse than sounding like everyone else.
  3. The copy sounds desperate. It’s trying so hard to be clever by using phrases like “Make it count” — what does that even mean?

The point is — to state the facts and speak the truth straight instead of mincing your words.

So every time you sit down to write sales page copy, do this one thing:

  1. Try and make sense out of it

Go apply the above DON’Ts to make your copy pop out and shine.

And if you need help with copy audits, reach out to me at [email protected]

– Roshni

10 Sinner Words You Should Never Use In Your Copy

Generic copy is useless.

Exactly like the same old click-bait market research question, everyone asks in Facebook groups – “Looking for an amazing web designer”. And that’s it.

These posts don’t indicate the nature of the industry. They don’t give — at least a hazy picture of what the work is going to be like. No requirements specified. Nothing. Nada!

Posts like these smell scam from a mile away. On a post that gets 97 comments, nobody gets hired. Sounds familiar?

Now the experienced business owners know that such generic posts are time wasters and avoid the trap because they know genuine posts are super-specific.

Let’s reverse engineer that mindset. If you are looking to attract experienced, well-established businesses as your CLIENTS, you should stop being generic in your copy.

But how?

Stop using these 10 words:

Brilliant, Amazing, Incredible, Awesome, Fabulous, Fantastic, Great, Superb, Lovely, Extraordinary

There! I told you what not to use. But what should you be using instead of these words?

The answer is nothing. You should never think of replacing these words. You should think of replacing the sentences that need these words. These words indicate (read: scream) that your writing is amateurish. That is exactly why you depend so heavily on safe words like the adjectives.

Adjectives are merely fillers. They make your copy shallow.

Ouch! Sorry if I made writing even more difficult for you but..some hard truths are epiphanies on their own.

And here’s one – Copy that can convince is never backed by loose, commoner adjectives.

You know why it’s hard to sell your services?

Because you’re undecided in your head.

You don’t know how to value your services.

You don’t know how to evaluate the value of what you do.

You don’t know the impact you’re creating with your work.

If you can articulate the impact, they’ll never question your price.

But..

If a price objection comes up and you dilly your way by matching up the price to the time you’re spending, the creativity you’re using or years of experience you’re carrying — it doesn’t cut it!

Because what’s your client gonna do with your experience? Creativity? Time spend?

How’s it beneficial for them?

Noo – it isn’t!

Show them what’s of value.

Show them WHY they should hire you instead of your competitor sitting in the adjacent browser tab.

Because your creativity, experience, and time is NOT a measure of the outcomes they’re expecting.

The same shit applies to online sales as well.

Your copy should just CONVERT – by stating the VALUE your work brings to the table.

Not the hours you’re pouring into the project.

And if you’re finding it hard to articulate the value of the work you do, I help you do just that.

Love,
Roshni

Writing web copy is all about connecting with your reader from Word 1

 To do that, you should know how to meet your audience. Meaning? You should know how you can match “your solutions” to the audience’s expectations.

You should know how to make your reader choose you. To make that happen, you should prove it to them that you:

  1. You understand them and you know their problems well
  2. You know how to solve their problems
  3. Your solution – be it product or service – is their best bet because, you have proof to back your claim.
  4. You empathize with their fears and frustrations
  5. You are totally capable of giving them the results and outcomes they have been craving for

If your copy can do this, you win. They pay. You win again 💪

But how do you make sure that every word you write is ticking these points off of your copy?

Register for my talk at #DCMC on The Science Behind Online Sales and Conversion Copywriting where I give you all the marketing moolah you need to write copy that makes money.

Register for this once-in-a-year, no picth only 100% value, FREE content marketing congress, and sit tight because your copy ride at #DCMC z gonna be funtastic!