Copywriting Services

From time to time Gogle looks not so much like a search engine – a lifeless tool meant to process users’ queries, – but more like a Terpsichore whose movements make people hold their breath and watch her with awe. Actually, Google has performed its enchanting/inconceivable/troublesome (odd ones out) dance since 2000, but each time it’s something matchless and unpredictable, regarding both the date of upgrade and the results.

Such intriguing issues as technical background, Matt Cutts’ explanations, notorious updates like Jagger and PageRank jumping have been already studied inside out on the Web, so, let’s keep aside mere words and concentrate on another topic: each user knows that dancing is Google’s nature, but has anybody ever wondered what dance does it perform exactly?

Looking through the related forums I classified people’s opinions according to the list of dance style categories.

So, this time Mr G., the honored artist of the World Wide Web scene may be dancing:

• seductive tango. Many webmasters are quite amazed with the results of January update, as after the Google Dance their PageRank got a noble deep-green color, and their ranking looks more tempting:

“One of my blogs had been PR2 for the past 3 years – now it’s up to 5! I feel good, ta-da-dam…”

• well-ordered minuet. Strange enough, but despite all Google’s delays (e.g. in October 2007, as well as October 2005, when PageRank hadn’t been updated for six months or so), some website owners still believe in the systematic character of Google’s movements:

“Google is updating regularly – up and down. From inside sources I’ve learned that the next changes would be made April 14th 2008.” Oops.. Seems like they were wrong?..

• chaotic rave. Meanwhile, lots of users don’t see any order in what Google makes on the scene, considering its behavior as strange and intended to mess the minds of webmasters:

“Hey folks, something truly weird is happening with Google. Yesterday my PR went from 0 to 2 – I did expect it because of my links – but several hours later I checked it and saw PR0 again… Anybody knows what’s the hell goin’ on?”

• rapid and breathtaking jig. All spectators are shocked with the crazy rhythm Google has chosen for its performance. Actually, most people don’t like the “mezzo allegro” tempo, giving the preference to “moderato” and “dolce”:

“The current update has come too soon, but you never know what to expect from Google.”

• meaningless chicken dance. While some webmasters are getting mad about the color of their PR bar, others reject the very idea of its importance, treating the update philosophically:

“Really people, PageRank doesn’t matter in SEO, so don’t be worried about it. Just focus on your SEO.”

• other versions. Do you know other dances Google is good at?

Image by Petra

We, homo sapience, could never live tranquilly since the very start of our species. Various natural disasters and catastrophes always lay in wait for us. We, poor and so vulnerable humans, have always suffered from viruses and diseases. Hardly did we manage to overcome one illness when the next coil of history came along with the new disease.

Every age has had its lash. And if plague, pneumonia, cholera and malaria belonged to the horrors of the Middle Ages, and cancer and AIDS became the horrors of the New Age, the Digital Age brought an infinite quantity of viruses not harmful for the people themselves, but striking their pockets.

We all unconsciously become the victims of various marketing viruses when surfing the net. With every other click of the mouse a bunch of them attacks us as hungry predators. Most of them irritate us, but others evoke the interest and even sometimes make us part with some dollars.

This post is for those who want to tame the marketing virus and make it work for them. Do not think that it is easy! The competition is great and every day thousands of new viruses are launched and almost the equal number fails. Here is some advice on how not to be a loser in viral marketing.

Make Your Virus Unique

Viral marketing has tons of synonyms: “word-of-mouth”, “network”, “creating a buzz” marketing and many others. But they all mean the same scheme of advertising and promoting the goods and services through their customers. The success of this strategy is in motivating people to pass the information about the product. The results of a cleverly designed viral marketing scheme can be amazing, as the number of the “struck” people will not just increase it will explode!

As the competition grows the creators of the new marketing viruses need to be shrewd and creative. So what can you do to avoid cliches and hackneyed spamming of innocent people? What is it to be unique? Be different! Use bright, creative content. Mind that for your virus to spread, people need to want to pass it to their friends. Insert jokes, videos and images – they will attract people’s attention greatly.

Make Your Virus Tempting

Probably the surest way to make people motivated is to offer them something. Do not be greedy! If you cannot afford giving away free goods and services at least make discounts and interesting offers. The word “free” is an extremely powerful incentive! The human nature prompts people to go and look what it is that is given away even if they actually do not need it.

To promote an active spreading of your virus you may launch the following formulas: “E-mail this message to your friend and you will get…”, “Subscribe your friend and become eligible for…” and so on. And of course your presents, free goods and services need to be useful or entertaining. Never write “free” or “special offer” just to attract attention. Be honest! People will not forward your virus if they are fooled.

Make Your Virus Easily Transmitted

Any disease will spread only in favorable conditions and if the way of its transmission is easy.
The easier the virus is transmitted, the more people will get infected; the more people will get infected the longer the virus will live.

If you want the people to do the work and spread your marketing virus, make it effortless for them. The Digital age made replicating easy. Use the scheme of paste and copy. Make your marketing message easy to multiply: links, tags, e-mails, software download etc. Of course the best solution is to make the spreading of your virus unconscious. Just like with Hotmail: every message contains a short linked invitation to get a free e-mail address. The simpler the better!

Make Your Virus Personal

Marketing viruses along with any other virus strikes the friends and associates of the infected person firstly. A cleverly built promotion scheme will use it to find an individual approach to every customer. People do not like to be spammed with usual and same for everybody stuff. Make your marketing message personal and friendly. The pattern “come and see…” if compared to the pattern “hello Ann, John invites you…” looses unmercifully.

Be psychologists, use universal human feelings and weaknesses. The buttons that will always work are greed, vanity and desire to be loved and understood.

Collaborate

The effectiveness of your marketing campaign will increase drastically if you place your links, content, images or ads on other popular and frequently visited sites and sources. Look for affiliated themes and websites that will be ready to collaborate. Place your marketing virus there and be sure that you will get an excellent network of people interested in your product and actively passing your virus forward.

And remember that sometimes unpredictable reactions of people may occur and even a perfectly designed marketing campaign may suddenly lose its relevance. So control the process and analyze the progress of your virus carefully!

Images by Reciprocity and Camilla E

Just admit it: if you are an online businessman you must have spent long hours trying to answer questions like:

– What is the most powerful element of a sales letter?

– What makes prospects forget everything and click on the cherished “Buy now” button? and finally

– What can you do with the sales letter so your conversion rate jumps up like crazy?

Check it up: most sales letter copywriters agree on this: “headline is 90% of your sales letter’s success, so spend 90% of time on inventing the kick-a** one.”
However, there is one more vital ingredient of a successful sales letter, which isn’t less important than the headline, – and that’s the closing.

According to Wiki, “closing is a sales term which refers to the process of making a sale”. In other words, closing is meant to be the most persuasive sales letter section, with the most distinctive call to action. If your headline is poor, people won’t read the sales copy, but once you’ve only come up with a mediocre closing, they won’t buy the product.

So, let’s look at different types of sales letter closings classified in a table with descriptions, samples, and useful tips.

Image by Alexson Chu

If you aren’t a complete newb on the Web, you must know that nothing ever happens without Google. If Microsoft bid for Yahoo on Friday, Google couldn’t help commenting the deal on its official blog on Sunday. To believe David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer, this bid can’t be called other than “hostile” and raising “troubling question”, while Google itself remains warm and fuzzy, focusing on “interests of Internet users” and “openness, choice and innovation”.

What most news directories say: The current deal between Microsoft and Yahoo has been negotiated for 18 months and resulted in an unsolicited offer of $31 a share ($44.6 billion total). According to Microsoft authorities, this bid represents a premium for shareholders, yet Yahoo is putting off the decision, aspiring to jack up the price. As for the software titan, Microsoft is going to borrow money – for the first time in its history! – to fund the acquisition. Meanwhile Google does its best to spoil the deal.

What people think: Now this news is widely discussed throughout the Web. Some people believe in Microsoft + Yahoo marriage, others bet that Google won’t tolerate their merging. I decided to place the most common/interesting opinions here:

“Paying so much bucks for Yahoo is sheer folly! Microsoft will have to wait at least 100 years to surpass this investment. On its place I wouldn’t.”

Well, Yahoo’s market positions aren’t so sweet as in 2000, when the company saw its stock peak, charging $100 per share (compared with its current price of $29). However, Microsoft analysts are convinced that the merging with Yahoo will generate $1 billion yearly. True or not, anyways Microsoft revenue will be growing next year: to believe Reuters Estimates, it must increase by 10% on average.

“Google is afraid.”

And if your two competitors unite to smash your business, wouldn’t you be? Actually Google becomes very active when it is frightened: thus, its CEO Eric Schmidt offered Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang support while resisting Microsoft’s take-over attempt (according to business dictionary, this means: “offered A LOT OF cash”).

“As we all know Google lives to annoy Microsoft”

Here I could second Larry Dignan: Microsoft and Google may look like implacable enemies – just remember that incident with DoubleClick acquisition. However, from time to time I wonder if someone knows that Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates contributed to Google development by investing $6 million in Stanford Computer Science Center which became the cradle for PageRank and which, by the way, still owns the rights for the unique algorithm.

“I know why Google is planning to bid for Yahoo: it wants to monopolize the Web!”

I think the word “monopoly” is often misunderstood. According to Webster’s Dictionary it refers to “exclusive control or possession of something”. Today Google has 62% of the worldwide Internet search market, and if it merges with Yahoo, this number may grow up to 75%, which is still far from 100%.

What is your opinion? Really guys, what do you think of Microyah-Yahoogle future trends?

Image by ? Sigalakos

Writing website’s privacy policy or terms and conditions may seem a hopeless task, as:

a) few people really enjoy describing legal issues, and
b) even fewer people read such stuff of their own free will.

Nevertheless, both pages make an essential part of any website, so, if you have one and are interested in its progress, take time to write relevant terms and policy – or hire someone who will do it for you.

Here I’d like to answer the most common questions about Terms and Privacy Policy writing.

WHAT?

Privacy Policy: stands for the way a company collects, stores and uses personal information provided by their customers/visitors. The fact that someone likes your site doesn’t mean that he/she burns with desire to give you the email/credit card number/health history/pet name etc. You should remove all user’s doubts by stating that you won’t disclose the data to third parties, will use it only for business purposes and cherish like the apple of your eye. Here neither paroles of honor nor solemn oaths are necessary – just add the Privacy Policy page to your site, and the visitor will feel safe.

Terms and Conditions: refer to the general website rules covering management and financial implications. By publishing relevant and pithy terms, you inform users about their rights and obligations, outline the company’s client policy and make a commitment.

Both: Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions are a kind of official agreement between you and the user. As laws differ from country to country, you may carry a certain risk, if the case is brought to court, so keep in mind your international audience while completing these documents.

HOW?

Privacy Policy: this page is meant to reassure users by answering such questions as

• what personal data you collect (Explain what information you need and why. Avoid requesting unnecessary data, otherwise the user may get not only suspicious of your activities but also very tired before the long form is filled);
• how it is stored and used (Reassure users that you won’t abuse their personal information and will use it only within limited business ends);
• how you can guarantee its safety (Clarify how your server and online operations are protected from scammers. Show in details how you ensure security and privacy, for example, [all account information on our website is password-protected]);
• to whom the data may be disclosed (Be upright while listing parties who will get access to the data);
• how the user can edit or delete it (Establish your credibility by placing such boxes as [Change User Profile] or [Edit My Personal Information]);
• the way you inform users about policy changes (Ask users to check back your website periodically for updates);
• who to contact with questions about privacy (Make it clear that you are always ready to answer visitors’ questions and to help them, if necessary).

Terms and Conditions: a standard Terms of Service page may include:

• definition and interpretation (Clear up what you mean by terms like “Agreement”, “You”, “We”, “Services” etc. This part isn’t a must, but once you decided to write it, stick to official language. Of course, some readers would appreciate if you write something like [Mr. Smith, the Client, hereinafter referred to as “Dude”], but not everyone has a sense of humor, and most people may think you’re unreliable. So try to be as serious as you can);
• acceptance (Notify users that by accepting the Terms and Conditions they agree to keep the given rules);
• intellectual property rights (It also makes sense to mention copyright. Though that can’t completely prevent an infringement, such a notification will at least reduce the chances of it);
• information about website/services it provides/products it sells (Try to put yourself in the user’s shoes and answer all possible questions that he/she may have);
• terms of delivery/payment etc (See the previous tip);
• warranties (If you sell something via your website, inform the user that the product/service fits to the stated purpose, doesn’t infringe the rights of other parties, and that you (the seller) have the full rights to it. Don’t forget about the disclaimer emphasizing that you aren’t responsible for any circumstances beyond your control);
• limitation of liability (That’s a critically important part, as, being neglected, it can result in a real headache. Explain very precisely which obligations to the user you fulfill, and which you don’t);
• third parties (Remind the user that only those who accepted the present Terms can take advantage of whatever your website offers. Actually that’s quite obvious for most people, however, lawyers think this part is indispensable, so let it be);
• notices and contacts (Once again show that you are available to answer any question or remark);
• and any other issue that you consider important.

Both: well, let’s talk about more pleasant things, like KISS. Not trivial kisses at lowercase characters, but the great and effective KISS principle: Keep It Short & Simple. That means: when you use a formal language, don’t overdo it. Give your Terms and Policy to a friend (hereinabove referred as “Third party”) and ask whether they are at least half-understandable (unless your friend is a qualified lawyer).

WHERE?

Where to place links to these pages? Most often Terms and Conditions’ and Privacy Policy’s links are situated on the bottom of the home page, yet some webmasters prefer them to figure on the site bar or even at the top.

Where to find more information considering legal acts? You can visit the SBA official website to underpin the legal ground for your copywriting building.

Now let me solemnly inform you that this article is protected by all existing laws, can’t be copied, and fits to the standards of professional copywriting. We guarantee the protection of your personal data, in case you want to leave a comment or to submit a feedback here.

Yes, that’s all about the difficult relations between the freelance writer and the client. Can they live in harmony? Actually does happy and long-term collaboration really exist?

The fact is that both parties may expect different things from their partnership. What does the client want? – To get the best quality at the lowest price, that’s all. As for the writers, the reasons they look for an engagement vary greatly.

Some of them ghost-write without any self promotion just to earn quick cash, others think long-term and aspire to build their reputation in the Web community to attract more readers to their blog/site, but there are also people who have neither skills nor intention to write, but are ordinary scammers, only very active in self-promotion. These guys surf freelancer forums and dupe potential clients by selling them some copy-pasted junk or even by disappearing, payment received, without saying good bye. That’s because of these “writing experts” many clients are so suspicious about online copywriters, urging them to pass all kinds of copyscapes, qualification tests etc.

All in all, how to tell a professional copywriter from a scammer and to get your order done timely and properly? Let’s explore the issue step by step

Step 1. You choose a pro.

The easiest way to find one is to use web search. It is more efficient as copywriters who have invested their time and money to build a website usually provide better-quality results and are more reliable. Look through their samples and testimonials, apply for a free quote, use live support to discuss the order – long story short, take advantage of all options the website provides.

You can also search online business related forums, like Digital Point, where dozens of writers post their offers daily. Learn more about writer’s experience and reputation by requesting a portfolio. Some writers have samples of their work on their sites or blogs; others may give you links to their previous projects. Each forum is a community, so you can also easily check the writer’s reputation by reading the feedback on his/her services.

Although there are enough pros among independent writers, copywriting agencies are more preferable, as they feature higher output and a wider range of niches to specialize in.

Step 2. You place an order.

Outline the task as precisely as you can. It would be very helpful if the quote request included the following:

– service you need (e.g. SEO writing, copywriting sales letter, blog entries writing etc);

– number of articles/posts and words per each of them;

– target audience description;

– further project details (like keywords to use, (brand) names to mention, desirable style of writing, format etc);

– timeframe (how soon you need it to be done);

– and supporting documents/link to the website where the copy will be published, if any.

Even if you discussed everything online, you’d better make up an invoice where all these points are clarified, and send it to the writer’s email. Many people don’t want to trouble themselves by concluding legal contracts, but sending an invoice is easy and always works as a kind of guarantee.

Apart from the technical aspect of placing your order, there are also some delicate issues that you shouldn’t avoid however. As a rule, the most sticking point is the uniqueness of content. How can you be sure it will be 100% original?

– Make it clear when placing your order, say explicitly, “unique SEO articles”. Do explain what you mean by “unique content”, for example: “I need custom researched copies written from scratch.”

– Notify the writer that you will check the content using plagiarism tools. Although some elite authors may take it as a grievous insult, this method makes sense while hiring a new writer with whom you have never dealt before.

– Ask to provide you with a list of sources the copywriter used for the copy.

– Keep away from going too far, as the freelancer may think you don’t trust him/her and just refuse to work with you. Your goal is not to sacrifice the credibility and good relations with your writer for some strict rule being obeyed, but to build them.

Another important consideration is to settle beforehand who will have the full rights for the copy, whether the copywriter wants to leave his/her signature or agrees to work as a ghost writer.

Step 3. You check the result.

Make sure you can contact the writer via instant messenger or phone. Use your email inbox for receiving materials, and choose more effective communication facilities to know how your project is moving forward.

You might also ask to send the work in batches, so that you can revise the first one and make remarks, if necessary.

A professional copywriter will usually allow up to 3 proofings without charging an extra fee for editing.

If you really liked the result, don’t be lazy – take time to leave a testimonial on the writer’s website, add a positive feedback to his/her forum profile or just send a thank-you letter; it will help you to build harmonious and confiding relations with your writer.

Do you agree that the above is enough to ensure you’ll be getting high-quality results? Please feel free to share your opinion and thoughts!

Image by Pink Sherbet Photography

Copywriting 911 has already written about plagiarism and how the infringer can be beaten using DMCA. However, not every webmaster who published duplicate content is a shameless scammer. Some of them don’t even suspect that the lovely and amazingly cheap article they bought is just a word-by-word snippet from Wiki. Long live freelancers! I bet most of you guys have faced this problem at least once. Considering online marketing, good content – is the one that is at least unique, so let’s look at the best-known duplicate content checkers on the Web.

1. Copyscape

What? That’s a recognized leader in the plagiarism checker niche. To use the free online version you have to upload the file – it will be easier if you use a blog platform to publish your text, check the text and then delete it. But keep in mind that Copyscape pings Google’s indexed and archived sites, so for your test pages this may be ineffective. Today free Copyscape search is limited to 10 requests per one IP address monthly (compared to 20 initially). Premium version costs $0.05 per search and requires either the text or the URL to be pasted.

+ Copyscape deals not so much with full sentences as with separate word combinations. Even if the clause was divided into several parts and some conjunctions were inserted to cover up the traces, Copyscape will detect it very fast.

– The tool isn’t as reliable as one may wish. Though it claims to track 2000 words at one time, we’ve found Copyscape to be fully effective only for 500 words or even less, otherwise the results may be inaccurate. Even if the screenshot proudly informs you the text is “copyscape passed”, that still doesn’t guarantee it is 100% unique on the Web (let alone offline sources which aren’t considered by Google-oriented Copyscape).

2. Article Checker

What? A well-known tool in the webmasters’ community. Using Article Checker you can track articles (just paste the text into the whitespace), documents (with .txt extension) and websites. The checker searches Google and Yahoo for matches, yet in Yahoo its results are more profound.

+ It’s free, simple and available online.

– Unfortunately, Article Checker can only track full sentences, so some results just aren’t displayed.

3. Plagiarism Checker

What? Actually I know at least two tools under this name. First let’s talk about the one on the domain plagiarismchecker[dot]com. This online tool operates with Google and Yahoo and implies a common “copy-paste” mechanism. The domain is basically meant for students and authors, containing helpful articles on plagiarism and related issues, however, it can be useful for webmasters as well.

+ It’s easy-to-use and free. In addition, the new Plagiarism Checker option allows to check web pages, which makes it compete with Article Checker.

– Unlike similar tools, Plagiarism Checker has rather strict word-count limits; thus, you can track not more than 32 words at one time. So it won’t be good in long text tracking, but still can be applied to random search.

4. The Plagiarism Checker

What? Another educational software designed by the University of Maryland, yet webmasters can also take advantage of it. Enter the text, click the “check” button – and get a rather accurate list of results with links to the original sources.

+ The Plagiarism Checker is freely available online and effective.

– Doesn’t highlight the duplicate sentences in the original copy, so it takes some time to find the matches.

5. Plagium

What? A standard duplicate content tracker.

+ Available 24/7 and free.

– The text should be less than 1000 characters, but not too short. The number of requests is limited as well.

6. DupeFree Pro

What? Actually this tool is about comparing two texts rather than finding matches on the Web. Nevertheless, it is able to make 5 random phrase searches per user at the three main search engines.

+ DupeFree Pro is helpful for SEO: it calculates keyword density and gives a list of related keywords. Free for download.

– Isn’t so effective for plagiarism tracking in the Internet as Copyscape or Article Checker.

Other tools. Of course, there is a plenty of other content trackers, many of which are free and available online. Just explore the Web – and, who knows, maybe you will find some masterpiece of plagiarism checking?

Any alternative?

You must have heard about random search, or using search engines as content checkers. It’s quite easy: all you have to do is to copy and paste a random sentence into, say, Google and click “search”. Although many authoritative authors and webmasters prefer this simple method to special plagiarism tools, random search still has its weak points. Just take into account the name itself – “random” – and you’ll better understand its drawbacks. What if the random sentence you googled wasn’t plagiarized, but the next one – which you decided to skip – is really duplicate? All in all, random search doesn’t give any guarantee, though it is truly simple and free.

Choosing reliable writers, as well as the right freelancer policy, minimizes your chances to pay for plagiarized content, yet let’s discuss it in the next entry.

Image by AMICHAELMURRAY