Google’s Rules on “Duplicate Content”
Any good web designer or web copywriter will tell you that you cannot have duplicate content on your site. They’re right–in most cases.
According to Google, “Duplicate content refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.” This means that when writing good web copy, each page should be original and blocks of copy should not be repeated within your site. Continue reading →
Washington Post Reports Writing Skills Rising on the List of Job Requirements But Failing in Candidates
The Washington Post published an article on Sunday, August 13, 2017 titled “Writing skills are rising on the list of job requirements–and falling in candidates,” by Jeffrey K. Selingo.
Selingo continues to reports hearing an interviewer from government contracting firm, looking to hire proposal writers for federal agencies, complain about “how difficult it is to find good writers these days.” Continue reading →
Why Keywords Matter for SEO
Although the rules of search engine optimization (SEO) change frequently, one thing remains constant: the need for content that is keyword-relevant.
Not 20 years ago, it was easy to get noticed with your own website. But now that there are more than 1 billion websites on the World Wide Web, it is increasingly difficult to grab your audience’s attention and get them to click on your site. Continue reading →
The Difference Between a White Paper and an E-Book
Many business owners are told that they need to create a downloadable document that can help them explain their business, support their findings, provide education, set themselves apart as an expert in their field, or used as a free giveaway to help build a list. This can be a white paper or an e-book.
In speaking with business owners, I find that they are often confused about the differences between a white paper or an e-book and which is the appropriate item to create and offer. Continue reading →
How Can You Charge That? It Only Took You Five Minutes!
Pablo Picasso was sitting in a restaurant one day when a woman walked up and asked if he would draw her a sketch. He said OK, and jotted down a quick sketch. When the woman went to take the drawing, Picasso held back and said, “That will be $10,000.”
The woman was outraged. “How can you charge me $10,000 when it only took you five minutes!”
Picasso politely answered, “No ma’am. It took me 50 years.” Continue reading →
One Space or Two Between Sentences?
Way back when I was in school, we were taught to put two spaces behind a period before beginning a new sentence. Writing for the web, however, is different. You only use one space between sentences.
When we used to use typewriters, in order for the copy to be read clearly, it needed two spaces to set it apart. There was only only font, after all, and it was not as easy to read as our modern proportional fonts found on computers. Continue reading →
What is it You’re Truly Selling?
I was listening to a TED Talk today that offered to teach people how to find their true calling in just five minutes. In it, the speaker, Adam Leipzig, asked the audience five questions:
- What is your name?
- What do you do?
- Who do you do it for?
- What do those people want and need?
- How do they change as a result?
For Better Writing, Get Rid of “That”
One of the easiest ways to tell if you are working with a beginner-level copywriter is to count how many times they use the word “that.”
Many years ago, when I was cutting my teeth as a business writer, I made the same mistake. Then my editor told me to go back over my copy and edit out every time I used the word “that.” He said it would make my copy stronger, and you know, he was right. Although the use of “that” might be grammatically correct, it is unnecessary and overused. Continue reading →
Want More Sales? Writing in Active Voice Gets Others Excited
Even as a professional writer, I have to review everything I write to make sure I am writing in “active voice.” I review for it in my professional writing as well as my everyday correspondences via email or letters, and believe it or not, I usually find at least one place where I can make my writing stronger.
What is Active Voice?
When using active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb: The girl brushed the dog. An example of this same sentence in passive voice would be: The dog was brushed by the girl. One tip for identifying a passive sentence is to look for the word “by.”
Why is Active Voice Important?
Active voice sentences are preferable in writing because Continue reading →
