Tag: content strategy

Posted on

Hiring a Writer for Web Copy

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Easier said than done.”

Okay, I admit it: having written content for websites of every size and for a variety of industries, I thought it would be a piece of cake creating content for my own freelance writing website. Ha! The joke was on me!

For many clients with whom I have worked, one of the most difficult things about writing content for their own website is that they are (naturally) very close to the situation. For some that might mean erring on the side of putting every single tiny detail about their business onto the site, which generally requires the creation of layers upon layers of navigation or, in the alternative, long pages of details few people will read.  For others, it’s putting too little copy in, or copy that may lack relevancy. And still for others (psst–this would be the toughest thing for me, and I think for a lot of independent service providers) it’s wondering at what point facts start to seem like, well, bragging. For those reasons, clients opted to hire a writer to create content for their respective websites.

Now, it didn’t make a whole heck of a lot of sense for me to have someone else write my site; after all, this is what I do. In fact, I love writing content for websites. So instead, I sat down and started hammering it out, then turned to trusted friends and colleagues to give me their feedback. In fact, there’s not a page or post on this website that hasn’t been or won’t be reviewed by someone who’s not…well…me.

So, now let’s talk about what’s really important (as opposed to my own angst) and that is: you. If you don’t have a website yet, or if you’re ready to revamp your site, working with a third party can bring a lot of benefits:

  • You have a business to run, and if you have to try to find time to write a website in the middle of your day-to-day work, it’s either not going to happen or it’s not going to happen the way you’d like. Hiring a writer to handle those details takes a load off your shoulders.
  •  A third party can help determine what should (and shouldn’t) be on your site, then craft messaging designed to make the most of who you are and what you do.
  • Not everyone is a copywriter–and not everyone understands web copy. And you know what? That’s okay. Listen, there are so many things I wish I could do, from playing the guitar to being a graphic designer.  Unfortunately, I haven’t had the training to make me good at either one. (Yet another admission: I actually took guitar lessons twice, but there is something about my fingers that refuse to work properly when it comes to comes to holding down those strings.)  So if writing isn’t your strength, find someone for whom it is.

If you want to see a quick primer on the work that goes into writing great web copy, enjoy this oldy-but-goody article from Smashing Magazine.  In the alternative, if you’re more focused on building your business as opposed to honing your skills at writing web copy–but are ready to bring your website some interest and depth–I hope you’ll contact me.

 Blogging • Brand Message Development  •  Newsletter Content •  SEO-Rich Content Development/Web Copywriting • Sales Materials

Posted on

Creating Meaningful Website Content

You never know where you’ll find the next great idea.

While scrolling through Fast Company (admittedly one of my favorite sites) I found an article that caught my eye: “4 Ways to Create Meaningful Content.” Considering that as a freelance writer I spend a lot of time creating content for websites, it was most certainly something I wanted to read…and I’m glad I did. Here’s why:

Several years ago the world of SEO, or search engine optimization, was being built on a variety of ideas ranging from how many times a word or phrase should appear on a page to using “link farms” to make the site look more relevant that it really was–and everything in between.  Working in the industry, I understood the theory, but never cared for it or put it into practice. I believed, as did those with whom I worked, any content included on a website must provide good information that was authentic to the client.

The Google Penguin updates in 2013 helped to address many of the so-called “Black Hat” SEO techniques, and by doing so, placing greater emphasis on good content. Now, as this article suggests, the industry as a whole is focusing on incorporating meaningful content on both websites and social media platforms. So what is “meaningful” content?

Author Dan Greenberg proposes such content include or more of the following:

  1. It provides a connection between the content owner and the audience they are targeting.
  2. It introduces new or original ideas.
  3. It shows new uses of media or helps mediums evolve
  4. It causes the reader or viewer engage with the content

Creating good and meaningful content isn’t easy, but it is well worth the the time or monetary investment it requires.

 

 

Blogging • Brand Message Development  •  Newsletter Content •  SEO-Rich Content Development/Web Copywriting • Sales Materials

 

 

 

Posted on

Why Your Business Needs a Content Development Strategy

Why did you decide to create a website for your business or organization?

Don’t worry, if you’re sheepishly thinking “because everyone else had one” or “people said I needed to put something up online” you’re not alone. In fact, there are countless business owners just like you who went through the process of buying a domain, adding some copy and launching a site perfunctorily, just another check on the long list of things you had to do.

You’re also not alone if you thought that creating a site was enough. Your full-time job, after all, is running a business. The odds of you gleefully looking forward to updating the site with new copy, videos or blog posts are slim, if not non-existent. 

If this describes you, then you’re not going to love what I have to say next–but I need you to stay with me.  If you want to make the most of your online investment, then you need to have–and execute–a content development plan is a must.

So what is content development? Google it, and you’re sure to find a lot of definitions. This is how I explain to my clients, however:  content development is creating, organizing and strategically sharing articles, videos, graphics or other types of content to attract and engage with existing and potential customers.

Whether your company is B2B or B2C, a good content development strategy

  • allows you to educate your audience about who you are and what you do
  • keeps your website and other online properties looking and feeling new
  • can, when executed with SEO in mind, improve your website page rankings

I’ll be discussing content creation in future posts, but if you have any questions or would like to talk about developing great content for your business, contact me today.

 Blogging • Brand Message Development  •  Newsletter Content •  SEO-Rich Content Development/Web Copywriting • Sales Materials