Review of Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web


Content Rich - web writing You can put together all the web sites and blogs you want. But none of the time, effort and money is worth it if your audience can’t find you on the web. This is where Jon Wuebben’s new book, “Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web” comes in.

What struck me about this book is its tantalizing title and benefit-rich, SEO friendly copy on the cover of the book: “The Complete SEO Copywriting Guide for Search Engine Rankings and Sales Conversions.”

If you write more than three words for the web, you’re going to want to get your hands on this book and read it all at once. The title left me salivating and envisioning thousands of visits per day – and that’s what a good SEO title should do. So, I figured this HAS to be good.

The first thing I did when I got my hands on the book is go over the table of contents. The book is written in three parts;

  • Part I covers the basics of SEO copywriting and lays the groundwork of what search engine optimization copy is, how the web analyzes content and basic keyword analysis tools.
  • Part II gives you all the options you have on the web from basic web sites, to wikis, newsletters, press releases, blogs and more.
  • Part III lays out real life examples of SEO copywriting that you can learn from or use as templates and guides as you create your own pieces.

The book is just about 250 pages. And it is absolutely loaded with valuable content and not a single word goes to waste. Jon writes in a congenial and efficient style that packs a lot of knowledge and personal experience with what works, what doesn’t and why.

Here is just a sample of the cool tips and secrets Jon includes. This one is on “snippets” the statements that appears underneath the title in the search engine results.

“One last secret: place a benefit statement next to your keyword phrase in the snippet. Example for the keyword phrase “art supplies”: The most extensive art supplies online
Stop searching. All your painter brushes, oil based paints and other art aupplies are available in one place. Free Shipping!…Free Shipping is of course, your benefit statement/call to action”

What I love about this book is that it offers a level of expertise that you can learn and implement yourself, like the example above. And it will also make you smarter for when you need to hire someone to help you create better copy on the web. In fact, Chapter 15 is all about how to outsource your copywriting and how to hire the right person.

“A great SEO copywriter does more than just write” Jon points out that a great SEO copywriter can help you see your business in a new light. They need to be persuasive marketers first and good technicians that understand the core principles of search engine optimization second. He even goes on to tell you how to work with a copywriter: know what you want, have an agreement, stick to using one writer if you want more tips, you’ll have to pick up the book — there are plenty of them.

Another interesting chapter in the book is called “SEO Copywriting as a Career.” I thought this was an interesting addition. Of course, having read Jon’s personal story in the introduction, I was prepared for his including it.

You see, Jon had a full time job when he discovered that he actually had a talent for SEO copywriting. Ultimately he quit his job and started writing full time. He was downright ebullient about this transition and you could feel his enthusiasm come across on the page. He truly wants to share the joys and financial benefits of connecting with your target audience online.

So, if you’ve been wondering if you have what it takes to be a writer for the web, this is a book worth reading. You will not only become a better writer, and get more customers and readers on the web, but you may actually have a life-changing experience like Jon – and it seems like he would love to have that happen for his readers.

Pick up this book yesterday if:

  • You put any text or copy on the web (that should be most of you). Honestly, this is required reading for any small business owner in the digital age. You don’t have to be an expert, but this will help you make the most of your web presence as well as hire someone to do the work.
  • You blog for business. If you’ve moved away from a more traditional web site to a blog, this is a must read because you will learn to tailor your copy to your ideal customer.
  • You want to hire a writer for the web. You will learn what critical skill sets your writer needs to have, you will learn what to look for in good writing and what technical basics need to be in place. You might not be a great web writer – but no one will fool you.

“Content Rich” truly is the busy business person’s “Complete SEO Copywriting Guide.” Keep it next to your desk before you write another word.

18 Comments ▼

Ivana Taylor Ivana Taylor is the Book Editor for Small Business Trends. She is responsible for directing the site’s book review program and manages the team of professional book reviewers. She also spearheads the annual Small Business Book Awards. Ivana publishes DIYMarketers, where she shares daily do-it-yourself marketing tips, and is co-author of "Excel for Marketing Managers."

18 Reactions
  1. Ivana,
    Awesome review. Thank you. Your review is compelling. I have so many books on my shelf — mostly all read because I love these business self-help, do-it-yourself types of books. Since this book covers an area that I work in, it will be one that I have to get.

    You have a lot of credibility Ivana, so I’m going to head over to Amazon tonight!

  2. Oh, Ivana, can you please explain this section a bit more —

    “One last secret: place a benefit statement next to your keyword phrase in the snippet. Example for the keyword phrase “art supplies”: The most extensive art supplies online”

    Are you talking about the little summary that shows up in your search results under the title of your page? Or are you saying to put this benefit in the actual title of your page(s).

  3. Great review Ivana.

    I think I will wait for your reviews before I buy any more books. This books sounds like very helpful.

  4. Hi,

    Content is the essence of “Online” Business today. Informative content attracts the visitor and makes the site sticky in nature. The best tool for SEO etc.

    Thanks.

    Ricky

  5. Ivana, this is very helpful. I’m constantly practicing my writing skills and I would love to improve especially on how this book presented how to help bloggers like me.

  6. WOW. It sounds pretty good. I have seen some bloggers take off, just because they are naturally good at writing SEO content.

    They don’t even seem to know why their blog is growing so fast. For me, I am not a natural, so I have to pick my keywords and work to create good SEO content.

  7. Ivana, you sold me…I’m going to the book store yesterday!

    Seriously, your review is very helpful. Thank you.

  8. Ivana,
    Terrific job with this review. The book was a quick read for me, and I got a lot out of it, myself.

    The Franchise King
    Joel Libava

  9. @TJ According to the book – that’s what it is. I’m not sure what blogging software you’re using, but when I write in DIYMarketers, I have a little SEO pack section that comes after the post (in WordPress). This section asks for the title of the post and about 160 character description (that’s the snippet). If I did NOT fill that out – it would simply take the title of the post and the first 160 characters of the article. I didn’t use to do this — but since I’ve read this book, that is one change I’ve made.

  10. @TJ According to the book – that’s what it is. I’m not sure what blogging software you’re using, but when I write in DIYMarketers, I have a little SEO pack section that comes after the post (in WordPress). This section asks for the title of the post and about 160 character description (that’s the snippet). If I did NOT fill that out – it would simply take the title of the post and the first 160 characters of the article. I didn’t use to do this — but since I’ve read this book, that is one change I’ve made.
    Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!

  11. Great review. This sounds like there is a lot of good info in this book. I’m always trying to improve my blogging so I will have to give this a read.

  12. You’ve made me want to check this book out. Someone just told me about this book yesterday, and your review reinforced what was told to me.

    Thanks!

  13. Ivana,

    Thanks for the review. I mentioned this book to a business contact I am working with on a new online venture. We will have blogs for specific products & target audience, so it will be good to read on how to write copy in a “search engine optimized” way. We will work with WordPress theme Revolution so it will be interested to play around with for example the SEO pack section (snippet) and other things.

  14. GoEverywhere Team

    That looks like a great book and one I could benefit from. I write online for a living and have many SEO sources saved on my webtop that I refer to often. I am always looking for ways to improve my writing and this book sounds like it might be just what I need. You have definitely peaked my interest!