Top Misc Content on Internet

Posted: 27 Mar 2009 08:58 AM PDT

So you’re writing for the web - which is a bit more complicated than writing for just humans. If you’re a content copywriter or web developer or SEO professional, here are a few tips that I’ve posted in some forums for which I have gotten some praise and attention. I’m assuming anyone that reads this knows that search bots ONLY read text on a page. They don’t give a dern about pictures or styling or your pet’s name, just words, just content. Text, end of story. Content, that’s all. Hope this helps:

1. Know what in the world you’re writing about. If you don’t, then do a little research, become a pseudo-expert, and don’t get too specific with your details. If you’re writing about diesel motors and you can’t find the gas cap in your own car, then you need some educating - obviously. Find some sites, some resources, and take a day or three and spend some time learning about what it is you’re going to write about before your fingers hit the keyboard. Nobody likes a loud mouth at a party, and you can come across the same way online if you’re too novice to the topic at hand.

2. After researching, use the right words. This goes along closely with #1, but it’s a bit more specific. You need to speak like the people that are going to read what you’re writing. Better yet, you need to speak like the people you hope are going to be reading what you’re writing. If you’re publishing a site about civil engineering, you had better know the difference between an acute and obtuse angle. Further, using the right words will appeal to your intended audience but also using the right words will help with your search results positioning. Now, I don’t intend to place a site on a SERP (search engine results page), I just try to grow the intended user count and let the rankings happen naturally and with inbound links (more on that in another post). You need to examine competitors’ sites, look at their code, look at their inbound links, and align yourself with the market leaders - just do it better than them. Then you can get to writing content, text, copy, whatever you want to call it.

3. Don’t overdo it. Spam - not the unwanted email kind - not the packaged meat product - is gross. I say gross because seeing a 179 character H1 in font size 6 at the top of a web page is, in a word, gross. I like seeing that the same way I like seeing roadkill - no thanks. There is too much of a good thing and search engines know it. They’re smart programs built by teams of thousands of smart engineers that incorporate near artificial intelligence and you can very easily work yourself right out of being competitive. You should write your pages - the <title>, the <H1-6> headings, the <b> bold text, the <p> paragraph, all for the intent of a human to read them - because that’s who will pay the bills - but also with the intent for a search engine to like them - because that’s part of the goal. I’ve seen countless “Help! My site has tanked and I don’t know why!!!” cries for help in forums and the majority of the time the author has way, way overdone it. Does “red roses, Red roses, red Roses, buy red roses, buy red roses online” make you want to buy red roses? No. It makes me think “this site sucks, I’m clicking <back>, and I’m going to buy flowers for the lovely wife somewhere else.”

4. Last thing - proof read. Yes, go back and re-read everything you’ve typed. A fantastic trick I learned in college - ROLL TIDE!!! - from Dr. Neal Voss is start the proofing process at the end of a document and read the last sentence first. Does the last sentence make sense on it’s own after reading it? If so, go to the 2nd to last sentence. Does it make sense too, on it’s own? Repeat as necessary until you’ve reached the top/beginning of your document. Why? I’ll tell you because Dr. Voss told me - you need to break down your own writing so it’s out of order so you can examine each sentence individually. This way, you - the author - don’t get caught up in your own verbiage, your own stream of your own conciousness, your own thought processes, and you can find errors about 1,000 times faster. This literally breaks you out of your own line of thinking and allows you to perform a 3rd party examination of your work - which is what editors are supposed to do for newspapers and since most of us don’t have one handy in our back pocket, this is a way to skip the employment of someone else.

Ok, there you have it, my steps and advice to writing really good content for the web and humans.

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How the Right Words Help You Sell Better

Posted: 27 Mar 2009 10:13 AM PDT

Lightening

The difference between the almost right word & the right word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.

~ Mark Twain

Are you bringing the lightning with your copy? Or are your words more like a lightning bug, seemingly cool but without the true power of its namesake?

The English language is so rich with vocabulary that you’d be hard-pressed NOT to find the right word for any situation. But there’s a difference between choosing the perfect word and choosing an agonizingly long word just for the sake of sounding important.

Using flashy words like “amazing” and “mind-blowing” in your copy might seem like a great idea on the surface. After all, you want your reader to walk away with those same feelings that you have about your product or service.

But instead of telling them how great it is, your words alone can make them tell you! Here’s how:

Paint the Right Picture in Their Mind

Carefully consider the words you’re using. What kind of impression do you get when you read them? How do they make you feel? Remember, you want your sales letter to appeal to your readers’ emotions and push their persuasive hot buttons. Injecting your copy with “feeling” words like “cozy” instead of small or “colossal” instead of large can instantly produce a vivid picture in your reader’s imagination.

Play on Curiosity to Hold the Reader’s Interest

Does your product have a real-life story or a unique human-interest angle? Are there important facts or trivia tidbits you could include that would make your reader exclaim “Wow, I didn’t know that! I wonder what else I’ll find out…” You might think small pieces like this interjected throughout your copy would be a waste of time - but you’d be surprised to see just how many people appreciate learning about the “human” side of your product or service!

Give Sharp, Concrete Examples

If you find it difficult to play to your readers’ imaginations, you can guide them along by giving them specific examples. Descriptions like these are also perfect for comparing your product to something else. A “cool, rich summertime treat” sounds good, but a “silky, decadent banana cream pie” makes your mouth water. Think about unusual but purposeful things that you could compare your product to and don’t be afraid to plant an image in your reader’s mind!

Make Your Message Easy to Read

One of the most common problems about choosing the right word for your copy is choosing a word or phrase that’s a good match, but incomprehensible –excuse me– impossible to understand. Don’t forget the product or service that’s at the core of your writing and resist the urge to get carried away with creative words and phrases just for the sake of being poetic.

In the end, choosing the right word or phrase for your copy shouldn’t overshadow the very thing you’re trying to promote. Keep the tone easy-to-read, but also feel free to bring the reader along on a journey to help get your point across. You never know where it might take you!

About the Author: Sherice Jacob is a web designer, copywriter, and author of Get Niche Quick. Don’t forget to follow Sherice on Twitter.