When you’re researching an important purc🌌hase decision, few things can be more frustrating thanꦺ not being able to find helpful answers to your questions.

And if there is one question that I’ve heard people complain about th♏e lack of quality answers, it’s those related to how much a product or service costs. 

Regardless of whꦕat product or service it is we’re talking about, you’ll often find tons of content on its benefits, on how it compares to other options, which of its kind are the best, and all kinds of other questions. 

But when we look on a bu🐼siness's websites for how much it costs, we’re met with the equivalent of a shrug emoji ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) and a button to contact the company for a quote.

澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:What in the actual frick?

Why do I need to call you to get an estimate? Why can’t you give me an idea so I can decide if that phone call is 🌳even worth my time?

Why does this lack of transparency around cost still persist in many indu♛stries and by many businesses?

For over half a decade, I’ve been working with content managers to develop their content marketing strategies.

Arguably the most important part of their strategy is to eliminate any confusion their audience may have about the products and services their company se🔯lls.

This is especially true when talking about cost.

From B🐎2B to B2C, nati💯onal to local, products to services, all of these businesses have their own unique offerings.

And while most would argue that they have unique prospects and customers, I can attest that the majority of their prospects have similar questions they need answers to be💖fore buying a♔nything.

If you’ve followed IMPACT for any amount of time, you’ve undoubtedly heard us talk about I🦄MPACT partner Marcus Sheri🍒dan’s book, . 

If so, you’ve probably also heard us mention 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:The Big 5 blog topics.

I💧f you haven’t, let me summarize for you real quick. 

The Big 5 are questions nearly every buyer, regardless of industry, want answered before they make a purchase. These are questions that help𓆏 them decide which solution is the best fit for the problem they’re experiencing.

Of The Big 5, easily the most important topic you could possibly address on your website is cost.

People have a lot of questions about the v🦩arious costs of your products and services.

So why not answer their questions about cost?

Why should you address cost on your website?

I’m glad you asked. Even our case stud𓆏y clients t♕hat now rave about their cost articles were once skeptical about addressing cost.

But, there aꦬre three major concerns most busin🔯esses have when it comes to writing about cost on their website.

(Ifꦯ 𒊎you’re already on board with writing a cost article, go ahead and skip down to “How to write the perfect cost article” section)

1. Addressing cost builds trust with readers

At the top of this article, I men🎃tioned how frustrating it can be when people struggle to find the answers to their questions.

This is especiall🍸y true of cost questions. It often feels like the only way to get answers to cost qꦅuestions is to speak directly with salespeople, but this can also lead to people feeling like they’re being pushed to close a deal when they’re just trying to gather information.

When we write blog articles explaining cost and put pricing pages on our websites, 🥀we give prospects the honesty and tr🃏ansparency they’re looking for.

Giving answers to questions without asking for anything in return goes a long way toward♔s building trust with people. 

And when people view our organization as trustworthy, they’re more likely to want to buy from us.  

2. Help people understand the many factors that influence cost

There are a lot of factors that can influence the final price of your product or service. Writing an arti🌱cle thaꦚt gives an exact figure is next to impossible.

But here’s the thing: When people are researching how much something costs, many understand there’s not a one-size solution for all (although some may belie♍ve there’s a one-price-fits-all solution). What they’re really wanting to know are what those fac☂tors are.

Take♛ IMPACT client , a pole barn builder, for example. 

Let’s say you wanted a n𒁃ew pole barn on your property to store all of your farm equipment. You have a rough idea of what you’d like, but you’re not sure of the size you’d need, the design of the building, what permits you’d need, or what finishing touches you’d like.

To help you narrow your options, you’d want to know what factors could be the difference between an affordable pole barn and one completely out of your league, and you’d most likely want to know these things before engaging with a salespeꩲrson.

FBi Buildings answered the question with “” which has now been 𒀰read by over 35,000 pole barn shoppers (who knew pole barns were so popular?).

And all they had to do was break downಞ the top🌼 five factors that impact the cost of a pole barn.

3. If you don’t address cost, someone else will

Fr🎀ankly, if you don’t write a cost article, someone els👍e will.

While many businesses continue to shy away⛄ from tough questions, a growing number of c🐻ompanies recognize the value of answering their audience’s pressing questions. 

When I first got started creating content, it was often h🍸ard to find cost articles in clients’ industries. The door for ranking quickly and high up on Google was wide open for cost content. 

I could often get people to write a halfway de💜cent answer and watch them skyrocket to the top of Google search results in a matter of weeks. 

However, 🥂we’ve been promoting cost articles for several years now, and many businesses have listened.

It’s no longer enough to simply be willing to address cost, now you have to have a fanta⭕stic answer to the que💦ry to have a chance at ranking.

(Don’t worry, we’ll talk about the best practices for writing cost articles s🤪h🎃ortly.)

In the meantime, please don’t get discouraged from writing a cost article, even if the market is saturated with answers. These articles aren’t just meant for driving traffic to your website (although that is a huge 💮bonus). 

In fact, they’re best used in the sales process as pieces of 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:assignment selling, whereby you proactively send answers to questions you know your prospects will bring u𝐆p shortly.

There are different types of “cost” articles

Another really important considℱeration when it comes to cost articl🦩es is to not get stuck on that word, “cost.”

Most people think when I say to write cost articles 🐻that I’m only asking them to write topics like or (who hasn’t searched for both of those queries this week?).

But cost isn’t justꦐ one question people have. 

It’s a cluster of related topics. 

For example, when I worked as a content manager for a sleep clinic, I wrote an article addressing the (written in 2014, it’s still on the first page of Google, but please don’t judge it by today’s standar♛ds. Like I said, you useꦓd to be able to get away with so-so answers).

But what I discovered was that what people really wanted to know about the cost of sleep apnea testing was if their insurance would cover i🐼t. 

That’s  why I follo꧂wed my cost article up with one addrꦺessing . 

Most clients I work with have to write several cost articles targeting queries dealing with🧸 insurance, warranties, fines, hidden fees, and several others. 

How to write the perfect cost article

Okay, now that we’ve covered all the reasons you’re going to write a cost article and discussed the different types, we can get down to business on how to write a cost article.

To really put buyer’s worries at ease, there are important considerations to take into account when framing a cost article.
Let’s dive into them.

1. Consider all questions that need to be addressed

You’re probably tired of hearing me say, ཧ“thꦰere are many factors that influence the final price.”

I feel the same way, but I say it so much becau🃏se that’s really the meat and potatoes of your blog article, and here is where we put that into practice. 

Once you pick which product or ser𒊎vice to write about, I want you to list out those various factors.

If it’s a product, these factors may include:

• Base rates for the product
• Accessories, features, and add-ons
• Labor included to build/manufacture/create the product
• Cost of installation
• Cost of shipping 
• Package deals
• Any other factors that influence the cost of your particular products (take some time to make sure you include as much information as possible).

If it’s a service, these factors may include:

• Type of service
• Time to complete service
• Cost of materials
• Cost of labor
• Installation costs
• Additional rates, fees, taxes

Once you have the topic clearly fleshe💦d out, and the points you wish to make, you’re ready to start writing your first cost article.

2. Hook your reader with an intro that resonates

The intro is where you hook the reader. If you can quickly show them that you know who they are, that you und♏erstand their problem, and that you can help them solve their problem, they may just keep o𒐪n reading. 

Fail꧋ to connect with readers in the intro, and there’s a slim chance they’ll read the rest of the article.

Fire & Ice Heating and Air Condi♓tioning’s cost article, is a great example.

If you were a homeowner whose A/C unit just stopped working during the♉ peak of summer, you’d probably be freaking out a bit. 

Naturall🧸y, your ꧃main worry is how much it will cost to replace.

This intro simply c🤪onnects with the fear and worry you have, acknowledges how big of a decision it is, and promises to cover every factor that affects the final price of an A/C system.

For more tips on how to write powerful introductions (and really, any aspect of a blog article, check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:Blogging Tips for Content Marketers.

3. Dive into the details with the body of your article

The body of the article ✨is where you put together the bulk of the information you’ll present.

The body should be split up into clear sections to make the content easy to scan. Therefore,🥂 you’ll want to use headers to give people signposts as to what you’ll be discussing for the next ha🍬ndful of paragraphs. 

For cost articles, we already talked about how you’ll want to addreജss each factor that impacts the cost.

An easy way to structure൩ most of your blog article is to use those major factors as your headers, then give the explanation beneath. 

If those sections need to be broken down further, great, use additional s🥂ubheadings to continue breaking complex topics down into digestible chunks.

Let’s look at just a small section o🐟f the HVAC replac💛ement article. 

If I asked you, what are the major factors discussed in the screenshot above, what would ✤your/ answer be?

Yeah, you’d probably say, “ductwork modifica💮tions and condensate drainage.💧”

That’s because the sections are clearly labeled using headers and  the copy following each header relates specifically to that factor. I’d also encourage you to visit th♚e entire page and scroll through the article. 

A༒sk yourself, “do I feel like this article will answer how much an HVAC system ♔costs to replace?”

W🍨hile scrolling, pay attention to the headers, the paragraphs, the bolded text, the links, the images, and bullet points. All of these elements give cues to help you decide whether or not the article is worth reading in full. 

So what do you t𝓡hink? Does the article pass the scroll test? Would you go back to the top and read the article in its entirety, or would you go back to Google in search ไof a better answer?

4. Give them next steps with your outro

The intro convinced people to give your article a shot, and the body s𓆉howcased your expertise by breaking down the complex factors into easy to understand sections.

By now, readers should have a solid understanding of the different determꦦinants that can affect cost. So what do you do with an outro?

The outro should serve two major functions:

• Give them a real idea of the cost
• Let them know what they need to do next

Blog article outros are not like the conclusi൩ons of your college essays. They’re not meant to just summarize everything you just learned. Instead, any blog outro should address at least one of these three questions your reader is asking themselves:

• So, what?
• Why now?
• What’s next?

For cost articles, the best question you can help answer for them is “what’s next?”
Now that they have a🌞 firmer idea of the general costs associated with their problem, what is the n🐼ext step they should take? Are there other pieces of content they should read? Should they reach out to businesses to get quotes or schedule consultations?

Help your readers understand their next best move, and if you’re able to help them further, make it known to them how you can continue to be of sꦅervice. 

Let’s look one last🧸 time at the A/C replacement article to see how they wrapped up their blog.

It’s a pretty simple conclusion, really. First, they admit it’s hard to pinpoint an exact figure because there are so many ꦑinfluences. 

However, they also let readers know that at least now they’re better armed at asking the right questions during💞 a sales call and they should be better equipped to make informed decisions.

Finally, they give a sales pitch of their own. The let readers in the Columbus, Ohio area know that if they need further help, they can schedule an in-home estimate with them𝔍.

5. Write your title

Once you have finished your article, it’s time to refine your title. Often, the best titles are tho🍌se that closely match the query people use to search or one that mirrors their intent.

You can do keyword research using tools like 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:SEMrush, play around with Google search autocomplete, or simply ask your sales team how people bring it up th🍨en use tools t♐o refine that choice.

Then, cr꧑aft a title that directly reflects what they wan🦩t to know. Consider how people will search, and what they'll want to find.

Your title c💞ould end up as simple as: “Ho𒐪w Much Does [SERVICE X] Cost? A Breakdown of Common Prices and Plans.”

The reason you should title articles this way is becau൲se this will be how most people type the cost inquiry into a Google search bar.

Some search terms may vary༒, but most of the time, if someone w🌳ants to know the cost of a product, they’re going to enter: “How much Does X Cost?”

In the second part of the title, consider two things: other waysꦉ they may phrase their search and what they'd like to see.

We do this because we have up to 70 characters we can use for a title before it gets cut off on a results page. With this extra space, we can help provide more context into what we’ll be covering in th🐠e article. 

For example, our friends at Shef🧔field Metals wrot🥀e an article answering how much metal roofs cost.

For their title, they went with .

The first part of th♋e title goes after the main ques🀅tion verbatim. 

The second part helps to give a sneak preview of what’s inside the article —the factors that influence price, t🅷he considerations you’ll need to weigh, and even some examples to help paint a clear picture.

6. Optimize your URL

Another small, but important piece of your artic𝔉le is the URL.

Crafting your own custom URL is a best practice because it’s something search engines will look for when determin🔯ing the validity of your article.

I prefer URLs that are shortened versions of the title. I believe they’re best when they’re꧅ reduced down to th💞eir essential elements while still giving context to what the page is about.

According to a article written by Rand Fishkin, search engines don’t have trouble processing longer URLs (unless they get a bit ෴too long over 100 characters), but , understand, as well as copy and pa𓃲ste to share on social or embed in articles. 

For the metal roofing article, the final URL is not: .../what-is-the-🦹cost-of-a-metal-roof-factors-considerations-and-examples.

Instead, it’s boiled down to: /learningꦏ-center/metal-roof-cost-price 

If you’re not sure what to remove from your title to craft a winning URL, here’s a few things you can easi🉐ly rem𒅌ove:

• Prepositions, pronouns, dates, numbers, adjectives, and conjunctions can often be taken out for brevity.

In the end, you simply want a short, sweet URL that still captures the essence of y�🍌�our article while cutting down on all the fluff.

7. Write an effective meta-description

Once again, we want to hav๊e control over what appears on a search engine results page rat🍃her than leave it up to your blog tool.

A lot of businesses neglect to create unique meta descriptions because they don’t have the SEO impact that other elements of an article have. However, what meta descriptions lack in direct SEO value, they more than make up for in search click-through rates (an indirec💧t SEO factor).

On a search engine results page, you pretty much have three elements to base your decision of w🃏hich page to click on: titles, URLs, and meta descriptions.

Think of meta descriptions like the inside jacket of a hardcover book. You picked up the book♛ because of the title or the artwork, but the short copy on the flap helps you decide whether to ring it up or put it back on the shelf.

That’s the job o📖f the meta description: to entice you to c♒lick on the article by giving you an idea of what to expect if you do.

We’ve found through many trials that t♏here’s a pretty easy way tꦦo create meta descriptions that improve click-through rates.

Try using a simple question and tease-the-answer format.

You start with a question that aligns with the inquiry a searcher is asking thems🌟elves, and yo♐u follow up with a snippet of an answer.

First, they see their query mirrored back at them. And any keywords they use in their search that you have in your meta description will appear in b🐲old (to make it leap off the page).

You’re limited on the number of characters you can use in a meta description. While meta description lengths can vary, most will appear at 160 characters or less. So anticipate getting truncated arou📖nd 160 characters.

So, what does thi꧂s look like? Here is an example of an effective meta description for a cost article:

“Are you looking for answers on how much ghost hunters🍌 cost? In this article, we discuss𒆙 the various factors that influence the price of hunting ghosts such as...”

If you cou🅷nted, that title is 160 characters exactly; right around the number befꦇore Google will truncate it. 

I rephrased the question, included my keywords, mentioned what the article will discuss, and maꦕde it seem as if they almost got 🐻the answer, but they’re now going to have to click on our article to get the full explanation.

What else should I be writing about?

Alright, so that was a LOT of information to take in about cost a𓂃rticles. 

The reason I wrote so extensively on this topic is because these articles are the most important pieces of content you can create for your business. 

I can’t stওress enough how va൲luable it is for you to tackle these topics and tackle them well. 

If you're wishing you had even more examples of cost articles to review, check out my article, 澳洲幸运5开💙奖官网在线查询开奖结果🔯:12 top-ranking cost article examples. I've broken the exa▨mples down🐲 for both B2B and B2C as well as products and services. 

Once you write your amazingly informative cost article, you’ll probably wonder what ဣcomes next, what other pieces of content should you create?

Getting back to 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:The Big 5 blog topics, we have more art𝕴icles detailing why you should write each of these articles and the nuances to consider for each.

• 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:How to write about your competitors
• 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:How to write a product review 
• 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:How to write a problems article
• 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:How to write a comparison article

And to take things beyond The Big 5, here is a list of other important topics to address on your blog and across your website, 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:17 Business Blog Topics.

Good luck on your cost articles! If you want more help creating pages that discuss p♉ricing and costs, we have an article dedicated to 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:examples of pricing pages that you should check out.