Tag: web content

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Words Are Hard!

image from constantcontact.com

Recently one of my son’s buddies spent the night. Whenever this charming and amusing young man would get tongue-tied, he would grin and quip, “Words are hard.” Upon hearing him say this a time or two, I told him I was stealing his line for my blog. After all, as one who spends many hours a week working with words, I would be lying if I did not say that, at times, “Words are hard!”

Words are hard!
Words are hard!

For many people, writing is one of the most difficult chores out there. Yes, they recognize the value of a properly written website, but the thought of spending time crafting web content that flows and gets the message out is intimidating. Add in things like understanding search engine optimization (SEO) and incorporating pics, managing social media pages and producing a newsletter and you have moved beyond “words are hard” on to “I hate writing!”

Fortunately, when you hire Write Away Copywriting, you don’t have to bogged down with finding the right word(s). Rather, you can hand that job off to me. I will be glad to take on the writing process for you so you can focus on elements such as helping current clients, reaching out to potential clients and developing new ideas and products. I will take time to learn about your service/industry and will then create SEO content that is perfect for both web crawlers and people, alike. By hiring a copywriter, you can pass the job of Finding the Right Words off to someone else.

So, the next time you are facing a writing project and find yourself thinking “words are hard”, don’t stress out. Just contact Write Away and take writing off of your To Do List. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

Words image from Constant Contact.
Child's pic, used with permission.

 

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Game Time! Playing with Words

widowsphere.blogspot.com

Some of my best memories of growing up involved word games–specifically, playing Scrabble with my dad.  My dad is a pro at Scrabble and it was viewed much like a  rite of passage to be able to beat him at this game.  My dad plays Scrabble like he does everything he approaches- he plays it to win, preferably by a large margin.  So, when playing Scrabble against my dad, it wasn’t just about having a good word, but about playing it in the spot that gets the maximum number of points.  A score of less than 10 was scoffed – unless it was the end of the game and the goal then became, “Just get rid of the tiles!”

This passion for words was encourage through other word games such as Upwords, supplemented with books of word searches and solving scrambled word puzzles and in doing crossword puzzles. As I got older, I discovered the wonderful world of Roget’s Thesaurus and could be found reading the thesaurus or dictionary – just for fun.

But this love of words and wordplay  was something I saw more as a hobby that fit well with my love of reading and writing. I never saw writing or words as being a career. However, a few years ago, I was taught how to join my love of words with the Web and the perfect job presented itself. And for that I will always be grateful!

Writing for the Web has taught me many things. It has opened up doors I never dreamed possible, It has allowed me to make many great friends and learn about topics and fields, I would- most likely- have never studied. Forming Write Away Copywriting and spending my days writing is an awesome journey and one I look forward to embarking upon every day.

So to those of you who have had a part in broadening my horizons and expanding my knowledge and skills, Thanks! I look forward to many more writing adventures in the future.  If we haven’t met, drop me a line, I would love to help you build your Web presence – be it through text for a new website, making revisions to your existing site, crafting and writing your newsletter or perhaps managing your social media–just ask. If there is writing to be done, I am happy to do it.

And for now, perhaps it’s time to break out the Scrabble game–it’s been at least a week since the last time I played!

widowsphere.blogspot.com
image from widowsphere.blogspot.com
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Choosing the Game Plan for Your Company Website

footballfieldI love football! The camaraderie in team spirit, the thinking and strategizing, the physicality and the competiveness all work to make it a great game. But, in order for a team to be a success, they must have a solid game plan. Your business is no different. To have a profitable business, you must have a game plan.

Your plan will be different from the company’s down the block, but you must put some intentionality into what you want you to accomplish. However, sometimes it can be difficult to determine what direction to take for your business, especially when it comes to building a website. You may struggle with whether to have an Events page versus a Blog spot, if you should have a Company History page or an Employee Bio page-or perhaps both.

If you need help in moving forward with your game plan for creating an online presence, then it’s time to talk to a web developer about what needs to be done. This is similar to when the coach lays out the approach for the upcoming game. Whether you enter the discussion with a web developer carrying your tablet or notebook, expect to get answers for the following:

  • How many pages your site must have to fully represent your company?
  • Will you have a blog or an events page? You should have at least one of these, as you don’t want your page to be static or Google is unlikely to notice its existence.
  • To what social media platforms will you link?
  • How much do you want to invest in building your website and its ongoing management?

These are but a few of the questions you will be asked as you craft your wining game plan, but they are very necessary to building an online presence. If you need direction in finding a trustworthy web developer, be sure to contact some of these web developers:

These are all friends of North Carolina copywriter, Write Away Copywriting. They will be happy to help you with the design and content of your website. And, if you should prefer to not do the writing for your website’s content, don’t hesitate to contact J. Slagell. Get started on your web presence game plan today so you can score a touchdown sooner and not later!

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It’s in the Cookies!

 

2014-01-12 21.28.43

I love Chinese food! From Moo Goo Gai Pan to Wonton Soup and Egg Foo Young to Spicy Orange Chicken, the spices and textures there comprise a well-planned Chinese meal. But, perhaps as much as the food brings pleasure, I love to open the fortune cookies and read their words of “wisdom”. (By the way, did you know that fortune cookies are not actually Chinese? Rather, they are based on a Japanese recipe and then made popular by Americans.)

Shown here are some fortunes I have received in recent months. No, I don’t base my work – or life- on the little slips of paper, but I must say these four have definitely given me something to think about.

What about you? Do these statements inspire you? What actions do you need to take? If your answer includes developing SEO web content, publishing blog posts, writing newsletters or making the most of social media, then talk to Jan at Write Away Copywriting to learn how to get started. I will be happy to help.

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Hiking & Writing

 Coors 2A few months ago, a friend and I traveled to Steamboat Springs, CO. We spent 5 days making new friends as we explored the area-taking time to do some shopping, checking out local cuisine and even hiking. Those who know me personally would not be quick to peg me as a hiker, and they would be correct. In fact, while I have always liked a brisk walk around the block, I had never hiked a mountain-especially not one covered in several feet of snow. However, hiking was one of the activities, and I was determined to make it to the top of the trail. And, despite falling a few times, I did make it!

“So what,” you may ask, “does this have to do with writing?”

When I first began writing for the Web, I knew very little about what that meant. Just as with hiking I know how to walk, I knew how to write. After all, I had written my share of research papers, some poetry and had even written a few short stories, but I had no concept of what it took to get up each day and look at a blank screen and produce Web friendly content. Like making that hike and placing one foot in front of the other –even though I wasn’t sure I could make it, writing that early Web content meant writing sentence after sentence, and not being completely confident I had it right.

Along the way to learning about Web content writing and later on doing social posts, I have stumbled and have had to get up and keep going and learn better ways (thanks Panda and Penguin!) ways to write. And, like using a walking stick while making that mountain hike, I have learned how to use tools like AdWords for Web content, as well as Hootesuite and TweetDeck for social media pages so that managing the plethora of pages for which I am responsible is easier.

And, as on my trip where I made friends with people from all across America, thanks to Write Away Copywriting I have made new friends in the world of Web design, too.  But not only has writing allowed me to make many new friends and acquaintances, I have also had the joy of learning about so many fascinating topics and even visit some places I did not know about, as part of the research.

So, to all of you that have been a part of the hike –Thanks! I could not be here without you. I am having a blast making the climb and look forward to traveling on with you. I love taking on new writing projects or social media accounts, so please don’t hesitate to ask.

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Feeling Awkward

vintagewritercartoon.com
vintagewritercartoon.com

My son has a t-shirt he wears when working with a local youth ministry that states, “We feel awkward, so you don’t have to.”  When I first saw it, I chuckled and thought what a great way to make others feel welcomed and at ease. By wearing that shirt, he and the others on that team provide a great welcoming service to those who visit.

With that comment in mind, I thought about how awkward it can be for some people to write. Whether it is a blog post, a social media status, or an article promoting a specific product or service the mere thought of writing is awkward at best. In fact, I have several friends who have said that there is no way they could spend every day writing and researching, some have even stated that writing causes them stress. Typically, my response to that is to say, “That’s okay, I couldn’t do what you do.” Thankfully, we all have different skills and interest.

So, if you are one of those people who shudder at the thought of writing, that’s okay. Rather than get stressed out trying to come up with a topic or getting frustrated with social media sites, just let someone else do it for you. Here at Write Away Copywriting, I am happy to take the task of writing off your To Do list.  I can work with a title of your choosing or you can give the parameters (topic, article length, keywords, etc.) that you would like the material to contain.

So, rather than feeling “awkward” when facing that blank sheet of paper or an empty Word document, just give me a call, send me an e-mail or contact me on Facebook—I would love to help you!

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Upgrading Your WordPress Blog Site

Here is an great graphic from Eric Dye of Church Mag.com regarding the importance of updating your WordPress site.

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Keeping Your Website in the Public Eye

There’s something special about summertime! Whether you love spending your free time catching some rays as you work in the garden or soaking up the sun as you relax in the pool, summertime is a great opportunity to unwind. However, summer brings more than fun in the sun. It is a time of planning for the months to come.

Just as the farmer or wise homemaker knows, the fresh produce of the summer must be prepared for use in the fall in winter, the wise business owner is always looking ahead for ways to sure up their business. That may be planning new strategies, finding a fresh way to showcase an existing product or service or perhaps it is to have a stronger presence on the Web. All of these steps and many more are great elements on which to focus.

One of the best things you can do is to keep your company name, services or products in the forefront of the web consumer is by ensuring that your website is ranking in the top pages of web searches for whatever it is that you provide. A great way to do this is by frequent blog posts. These can be something as simple as a few pictures, a video, client reviews or a adding a post about a topic related to your field.

You can also take advantage of the many benefits of social media. After all, with 600 million Facebook users, the multitude of LinkedIn users, millions of Twitter followers and sites like YouTube, Stumbled Upon, My Space and more, you can keep your company in view with just a few minutes a week. It’s up to you.

So, what are you using your summer months for? If you are looking to make your website more interesting, but have not invested a great deal of time in your blog, I would love to hear from you and help you start utilizing your blog post to add new content to your site and keep your page on search engine’s horizon. Contact Write Away Copywriting today to learn how we can help you.

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The World of Copywriting: Making the Most of Your Website

In days gone by, if you wanted to advertise your business, it was necessary to spend large amounts of money on printed ads, signs, and media. And, while much of that still holds true today, these are no longer the standard in advertising.  The newcomer to the advertising world is the internet. After all, many people are so busy with work, school, family, sports, etc. that spending hours at the store shopping for just the right items is time they don’t have. To counteract that, the wise service provider is including on-line shopping, customer reviews and coupons, all available at the click of the mouse. Consequently, one of the best ways to make sure that your website ranks high on a web search is through the use of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

By definition SEO is “The process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion.” Ideally, you want your website to rank high on the list generated by web searches so that you will have more “hits” on your site.  There are several methods that allow a copywriter to decide what the best words/phrases are to ensure high placement on this list.  When you decide to upgrade (or build) your website, you will want to be sure that the content writer understands search engine optimization and will be employing SEO as part of their writing.

When it comes to the actual content of your webpage you can either supply the copywriter with the basic information you want posted and have them insert/edit it to meet search engine optimization needs or you can simply provide the ideas/products to be discussed and ask the copywriter to do the research. Depending on the method chosen, the copywriter will then begin writing your webpage content.  If you opt to have the copywriter do the research, they will employ a variety of research methods ranging from the use of books and magazines, interviews, polls and web sources. Of course, the more work the copywriter has to put into the research and writing process, the more it is likely to cost.

Taking time to explain the needs of your webpage is important. Be sure that your copywriter understands what you are looking to accomplish.  This will result in web content that is more pleasing as well as more SEO friendly.