Forbes Magazine called Heather Lloyd-Martin “the pioneer of SEO copywriting.” Over 24 years ago, Heather was the first person to discuss SEO writing best practices -- long before Google was everyone’s favorite search engine. Today, she continues to stay on the SEO leading edge, helping marketers understand Google’s latest updates and create standout content.
Heather has consulted with and trained leading brands across various industries, including publishing, travel, SaaS, search engines, and education. Her specialty is breaking complex information into bite-sized chunks, helping marketing teams learn to love (and master) SEO content writing and strategy.
Heather lives outside of Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two cranky cats. She loves working out, hopping on planes, rafting the Colorado River, and Starbucks almond-milk lattes.
“Circles, my head is going round in circles” – Circles, by Pete Townshend. Last year, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, said in an oft-reported quote: “Guess what? Nobody wants to make lists.” I’d disagree with his statement. There is one group that loves to segment data and make lists – and that’s marketers. And marketers […]
What’s important to your freelance writing life? I was thinking about all the “rules” I live by as a freelance writer – most of them learned the hard way. :) I started surfing around, and I found a post by Carol Tice outlining her freelance writing manifesto. “Great idea,” I thought. “I need to do that […]
I didn’t know that one of Rand Fishkin’s Whiteboard Friday videos could cause someone to worry about her career path. But that’s exactly what happened. Yesterday, I received an email from a talented SEO copywriter who had watched Rand’s video, “How Google’s Panda Update Changed Search Engine Optimization Forever.” She said: “What stood out to […]
You see the perky blog post titles everywhere. “If you do what you love, the money will follow.” “If you’re on the right path, you can easily clear six figures this year.” “Roadblocks are the Universe’s way of telling you that you’re on the wrong path.” The message? If you “do what you love,” everything […]
I’ve heard the same complaint from small businesses as well as larger agencies: “Why don’t more freelance writers have a sense of urgency with their clients? I can barely get someone to email me back, much less make a deadline.” Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. When I mention this issue to freelance SEO copywriters, they […]
Confession: Catalog copywriters have yelled at me during an in-house training. Two separate times. Teaching print copywriters the difference between writing for the web vs. print can be an interesting challenge. A common misconception is that web SEO copy is “thin,” keyphrase-stuffed and poorly written. So, when I start talking a mile-a-minute about “putting keyphrases […]
Ask yourself: Are you so afraid of the worst possible outcome happening that you’re holding yourself (and your SEO writing) back? I started thinking about this after reading a Fast Company article about LeBron James and the Miami Heat. After a grueling loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat teammates held a players-only meeting. Brian […]
I know this will sound weird coming from the SEO content chick. But I’m going to say it anyway. Some companies should give up on blog writing and kill their blog. Here’s why. SEO content marketers (myself included) agree that blogging for B2B and B2C companies is a smart SEO and customer engagement move. Blogs […]
I don’t typically write about personal “stuff” on the SEO copywriting blog. Marty Weintraub’s post, “Manage Like You’re Dying: A Humbled Entrepreneur’s Reflections” inspired me. Thank you, Marty, for sharing your story so others can do the same. I’m going to tell you a story not many people know. Eleven years ago, my then-husband committed […]
Does reading your FAQ page make you yawn? Do you write your FAQ pages in five minutes, figuring “nobody is going to read them anyway?” Check this out… FAQ pages can be incredibly powerful to the sales process and conversions. Plus, infusing your FAQ page with a little personality can set you apart from your […]
I’ve been teaching writers for over 20 years. Want to learn my secrets?