How We Helped a Malaysian Startup Rank #1 on Google (With Just Content!)

Content Marketing Oct 06, 2023

Let's face it: SEO can get frustrating. As a content company, we can't give you any hard-hitting advice on SEO or outranking your competitors (we're happy to recommend some of our friends, if you like!) but we can show you what can be achieved when you do SEO copywriting right.

A month ago, I received an email from the founder of a Malaysian courier/delivery startup company.

They recently launched their website but was struggling to get the home page ranked for their target keywords. A few emails back and forth later, we knew this was a project we could do great things for.

We recommended one of our best Pro writers for this project and with some planning and strategy, we crafted a piece of content that blew competitors out of the water.

In a nutshell, the content took two days to complete and was uploaded on 21 September 2016.

Nine days later, their homepage shot to no. 1 on Google for “same day delivery” and “courier service” for their targeted geographic area.

And we did it with just content.

Results can vary incredibly from one client to another due to a number of reasons, like the age of the domain, whether you've done any previous SEO, keyword competition, existing content, backlinks, and so on (which we'll delve into in another post).

But what we've done here is prove that with the right on-page content, you can already give your website a head start by using the best content practices for SEO, and of course, the service of a fantastic content writer.

HERE’S HOW WE DID IT

1. WE STRATEGIZED KEYWORD USE

They were targeting a set of high-volume keywords for a small geographic so having the right strategy was important. We made sure the keywords appeared natural and used as sparingly as possible, while still checking off all the right tags.

2. THE COPY WAS CLEAR AND EASY FOR ANYONE TO READ

Considering that this is a small startup targeting a very localized area, using clear and readable copy was a key factor.

The company targeted small business owners, online shop owners, and legal firms, so getting the message across in a succinct manner helped greatly with the user experience.

3. WE SEGMENTED THE COPY

The writer planned the content before actually writing anything. She created different sections that feed the visitor’s curiosity as they scrolled down the page (commonly called a "sales funnel" in marketing terms) and then developed the rest of the content in.

4. WE INCORPORATED BRANDING

People primarily associate branding with visuals but the best writers incorporate branding into their copy using only words.

We used key language indicators that made the copy distinctly theirs [the client’s]. We liked that the company calls their delivery people [partners] "Heroes" and we made sure that this imagery was illustrated well within the copy.

Words like ‘fast’, ‘success’, ‘save the day’ and ‘supercourier’ (which is not a real word but pretty catchy, right?) reflect the company’s goals – to provide a speedy, reliable, trustworthy and above all, friendly service to customers.

5. OUR WRITERS KNOW PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

Gone are the days when writers just write. Our Pro writers are well versed in markup language to ‘show’ your programmer what goes where and how the final copy should look. To the programmer’s eyes, the copy clearly shows the titles, subheadings, body, and buttons.

In web content writing, the writer needs to know how to communicate with the programmer and we made sure our writers do this successfully by learning their language. So the end result is exactly the way the content is supposed to be.

6. WE DON'T GUESS; WE USE METHODS THAT WORK

Regular content writers trap you into believing that they can create great content by writing and then hoping that it will work.

But we'll tell you that our content works because we use tried and tested methods that bring results.

Yes, content is measurable and there is absolutely no excuse for content writers to just "write and hope for the best" anymore.

Guessing is for amateurs; real content writers know how and why content works.

THE RESULTS

THE FINAL COPY (IF YOU'RE INTERESTED!)

THAT'S NOT ALL...

Within the coming weeks, the home page continued to increase in visibility, peaking at 5.14% on October 4th ahead of all its closest competitors.

How We Helped a Malaysian Startup Rank #1 on Google (With Just Content!) 5.png

OK, THAT'S GREAT. BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO BUSINESSES AND AGENCIES LIKE YOURS?

It means a lot. And we'll break it down for you.

Companies have been approaching online marketing all wrong. Content is what drives a website's performance. We proved this by getting a group of content writers to place an entire website at no. 1 on Google and we were successful. Let that sink in for a moment.
Companies may be hiring the wrong people to do online marketing work. I believe content writers and marketers are the new SEO specialists and digital marketers.Yes, the same SEO specialists and digital marketers that you've been paying thousands of dollars for? We did their work in less time and money.
If you have not been seeing results in your SEO or online marketing efforts, you may want to take stock and try a different approach. I understand. It's a scary turf to tread when everyone is throwing all sorts of technical terms and jargons at you when all you care about is a return on investment. If you're serious about performance, perhaps it's time to get a fresh perspective and try something different.

Website content and copywriting, by every means, should only be the start of your SEO efforts. Optimization also extends to social media, blogs, and different forms of external content.

So start small and work outwards. From here on, it’s going to be all about putting out fresh ideas and working consistently to maintain those rankings you’ve worked so hard to get. So create, publish, and repeat!

Good luck with your own rankings!

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