On Writing Well
People take writing for granted. “How hard can it be?” we might think. “It’s not like I have the grammar of a Cockney soccer hooligan–and besides, spell-check’s always got my back–I’m golden!” Not so fast, Ernie Hemingway, there’s a lot more to it than that. To help us imperfect writers, James Chartrand of Copyblogger has (quite skillfully) written an article on how to improve on this sometimes under-appreciated talent. He notes that while just about everyone knows the basics of writing, only very few know how to write effectively for business, marketing, and content merchandising. Chartrand asserts:
Great content can find new customers, help prospects understand why you’re the best choice for them, and can even make your existing customers feel brilliant for choosing you.
Chartrand recommends hands-on practice–like, the second after a lesson–as the key to improvement. While that might sound ridiculously obvious, many people, in fact, simply read tips and lessons and then think they have it all down before ever enacting and honing their new knowledge.
Read more at copyblogger.com.
One Keyword at a Time, Please
Speaking of seemingly obvious, sometimes overlooked tips, our pal Andrew Redfern at Hit Search reminds writers and SEO-ers that when targeting a keyword for SEO, it’s most efficient to go for only one keyword per web page. Redfern adds that savvy websites will create different pages for different keywords. Of course, as we’ve said more than a few times before, your keyword-targeting efforts will be for naught if the content in which the word resides isn’t readable and compelling.
Read the report at hitsearchlimited.com.
SEO: To Infinity, and Beyond
At the peril of dispensing too much SEO info, I felt it would be an injustice not to share this article from Gino Orlandi at ISEdb. Orlandi sees big changes in the way search engines work nowadays and offers a fine breakdown for those of us whose flower of SEO knowledge is still just budding.
One big thing to keep in mind, according to Orlandi, is SEO localization. Google and other engines, more than ever before, produce results specific to your location. Therefore, business would be wise to capitalize on vehicles such as Yelp and Google Places to maximize their visibility. Orlandi also touches on how search engine results are becoming more personalized (based on search history and other factors), and on the role of social media.
Read the full story at isedb.com.
