Need some quick and easy proofreading tips? I’ve just written a post on DIY proofreading for SNOBs.com.au. Check it out here.
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As part of my initial quoting process, I ask all clients to complete my client brief. Some do this with ease, others find it more difficult as some of the questions in the brief include:
- What are your unique selling points?
- Who is your target audience?
- What do you want you call to action to be?
- What is the personality of your business?
- What is the objective of the copy?
Most of the time after a telephone call these questions can be answered. After one such phone call, a client said to me:
Hey, you should offer this as a service!
What a great idea.
So now I have added content workshops to the range of services provided by Snappy Sentences. They will be almost like an extended briefing session, but I will write a report at the end for clients to keep and use for other communication activities too.
I’ll go through (and document) things like:
- The target audience of the site.
- The language and tone to be used.
- Key messages and calls to action.
So what do you think? Would this be the type of service you would find useful?
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A simple style guide is a must for any business – no matter how big or small.
Head over to www.snobs.com.au for my new post on developing a style guide for your business.
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Glenn Murray is a SEO copywriter who I admire. He’s always got good things to say on Twitter, his blog posts are really informative, and his SEO e-book rocks. So when he said that he was busy writing a new SEO copywriting e-book, my ears pricked up. I got my hands on a copy as soon as it was out, and it’s good…really good.
Practical SEO copywriting tips
The main thing I like about Glenn’s books is that they are very usable. He practically holds your hand as he takes you through his tried and tested techniques. He doesn’t hold back…he shares his secrets in a way that anyone can pick up and use – it doesn’t matter if you aren’t a natural writer, you can still apply his techniques.
Focusing on the client, not Google
While I do write optimised content for search engines, I am more from the point of view that good content (written for the client) will naturally be optimised. And I’m happy to report that Glenn thinks so too. Which is refreshing, as too many ‘SEO gurus’ out there seem to forget that people buy products, not search engines.
Real SEO copywriting examples
There’s nothing worse than getting a whole lot of tips, but no examples of how to implement them. Luckily Glenn has dedicated a good section of the book to scenarios. Actually, the only peeve I have with the book is that a lot of the scenarios are split over two pages. I wouldn’t mind the extra white space if it meant I could see the whole thing on one page.
Forget keyword density
Another refreshing point that Glenn makes is to forget keyword density. Hallelujah! Score one for readability! I totally agree with his point that density should be thrown out and replaced with frequency instead.
So in summary, I recommend Practical SEO Copywriting for anyone trying to get their head around how to write SEO copy that is still readable by real people. It’s great because it’s so practical. The real content examples make sense to non-writer types. Oh, and I love the word clouds. I may just steal that idea. 
You can purchase the book by clicking on the image below.
Practical SEO Copywriting e-book
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It’s only six or so weeks until the end of the year. Which means everyone will start making New Year resolutions. Now I don’t normally make any personal ones, but I think it’s good to make some content ones. Here are some for you to consider.
Lose weight
If your website is bloated with stale and out-of-date content, then get rid of it. It weighs your site down, reduces the user experience, and clogs up your search engine.
Get healthy
Make an effort to produce quality content for your site. Sure it takes a little extra time, but you’ll be giving a better first impression to potential customers who visit your site.
Exercise
Revive your blog and get into the habit of regular posting. Brainstorm some topics, expand these topics into related topics, draw up a schedule, and commit to the program. As your blog fitness increases, consider writing some guest posts for other sites.
Give up bad habits
Stop cutting and pasting printed marketing material onto your web pages. The content needs to be re-purposed for the web. And no more bad linking – make your links meaningful and refrain from using ‘click here’.
Take the time to listen
Get to know your target market better. Stop assuming that they’ll read your content, instead find out what motivates them, what sites they are visiting, and why they really need your product or service.
Be generous
Give something for nothing. Whether it’s an ebook, some handy templates, or a free trial of your product – you’ll win some new customers in the process.
Improve your social life
Twitter is a great education tool. Take the time to read some of the articles that get tweeted by the people you follow. You’ll learn how to improve your content and your business.
What are your New Year content resolutions?
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