Archive for August, 2005


Writing Web Copy for the Non-Copywriter

Tuesday, August 16th, 2005

The 11 Commandments of Writing Web CopyDo you want to attract more clients and sell more online? It’s all in the copy.

While I often recommend that businesses and professionals should hire copywriters to create the copy on their Web site, I know that sometimes this is not possible for a startup.

To that end, I’ve written The 11 Commandments of Writing Web Copy for the Non-Copywriter. This article is required reading for anyone who is:

  • tasked with putting together the copy for their company Web site,
  • wondering why their site isn’t getting good ranking at the search engines, or
  • wants to convert more visitors into clients.

Even those with experience in writing copy in the print world will benefit from Web-specific information, like how to use keyword-rich title tags, why anchor text is so important, and how to make text easier to read on a monitor.

Download your free copy today!

Rich Brooks
Maine Web Design


Yahoo Claims Its Index Bigger Than Google’s…World Yawns

Monday, August 15th, 2005

The Wall St. Journal reported Monday that Yahoo Claims It Tops Google In Range of Search Capability. Basically, they now claim they’re searching 19 billion pages, compared to Google’s paltry 8.2 billion, and Microsoft’s 5 billion pages. (WSJ didn’t put the story online in its public section, but here’s the link to the article at CNNMoney.

Despite Google’s retort that it just isn’t true, does anyone really care about this ongoing pissing match? Microsoft was uncharacteristically quiet in response to Yahoo’s claim.

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How Big a Problem is Click Fraud?

Thursday, August 11th, 2005

Inc. magazine has a sobering report on click fraud: So Many Clicks, So Few Sales.

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Getting Permission for Email Marketing: Active vs. Passive

Wednesday, August 10th, 2005

Recently I’ve had conversations with two separate clients about email marketing and permission. The short version is that these clients want to collect email addresses for marketing, but they don’t see the benefit of going with in email service provider like Constant Contact right now.

Either they don’t have plans to begin sending email newsletters right away, or they want to see how many people subscribe before they invest the effort into creating email newsletter content.

They figure as long as they’re getting permission to market to these people later, what’s the difference?

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The Benefit of Compelling Titles & Headers

Tuesday, August 9th, 2005

DeeringoaksWhat the Portland Park & Rec has to Teach Us About Web Development

I was taking my kids to the wading pool at Deering Oaks yesterday and we walked through a shaded area of big oaks. The area hadn’t been mowed in a while and it looked kind of seedy.

I was wondering if the mowing budget had been used up already when I stumbled upon this sign. I generally don’t read signs, but this title of this one caught my eye…WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?….

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Why Retailers and Etailers Should Be Blogging

Tuesday, August 9th, 2005

Rick E. Bruner has a post about a new blog research report from comScore on understanding your blog audience. While the information is helpful to any business blogger, it should be a real eye-opener for anyone running an e-commerce store.

There’s a number of interesting facts in the report (pdf), but the two that jump out at me are:

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Blogging Posts: To Split or Not to Split

Monday, August 8th, 2005

Gleek_smAs I’ve mentioned, I was recently invited to be a contributing blogger to Rick E. Bruner’s Business Blog Consulting. (As I’ve also mentioned, along side such blogging luminaries I now know how Gleek–the Wonder Twins’ monkey–must have felt along side Superman, Batman, and the rest of the Superfriends.)

Along with the invitation to this group came a decoder ring, a secret handshake, and a list of best practices.

One of the items was a request to use the "extended body" field for
longer posts. The purpose of this is to keep the home page scannable.

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How to Undermine Your Credibility Online

Friday, August 5th, 2005

Would you wear an old pair of pajamas on your first date? A ripped muscle-shirt to a meeting with a prospective client? Flip-flops to meet the president? (OK, maybe that last one.)

Then why would you use a personal or unprofessional email address on your Web site or business card?

It always amazes me when entrepreneurs and businesses acquire a professional domain name but then list an AOL or Earthlink email as their business email.

Your email address is an extension of your brand as much as your logo, Web site or signage. If you’re still using your ISP’s email address as your own, you’re promoting their brand, not yours.

So take off that ratty-old muscle-shirt and put on something more appropriate…like you@yourdomain.com.

Rich Brooks
I Still Support Casual Fridays


Brainstorming Keywords for Better Search Engine Results

Thursday, August 4th, 2005

In this issue of High Rankings Advisor (ish 145) there’s a great guest article by Leann Pass of Increase Ranking.

The article, Using Keywords That Provide Solutions, covers topics that I’ve discussed with clients in the past, and bring up when I put on search engine marketing seminars.

First, ranking well for a keyword is not always a good thing, especially if no one out there is searching for your keyword! (Think sinking the eight-ball in the wrong pocket.)

Secondly, when you’re brainstorming keyphrases, consider terms that represent:

  1. problems your prospects are suffering from
  2. benefits your products or services offer
  3. competition your product or service competes against (although be careful of copyright laws!)
  4. outcomes your prospects want to achieve

There’s also some interesting ramblings from Jill as well in Should You Chase Algorithms?

Rich Brooks
Playing Hard to Get with Algorithms


Business Blogging For Beginners: Just Add Liquor

Thursday, August 4th, 2005

In the most recent issue of Fast Company (August, 2005) Jory Des Jardins interviews Elizabeth Albrycht and Andy Lark in a small piece called Business Blogging for Beginners.

The conceit is that creating a business blog is like hosting a cocktail party. Based on the amount of navel gazing that goes on in the blogosphere, the metaphor is helpful.

The advice isn’t about what platform to use, or pinging, or marketing your blog, but rather good, basic advice on how to improve your blog, all couched in the cocktail party metaphor: "a good hosts connects guests…be authentic…dress business casual…."

I also liked Lark’s term "blinking": posts of snippets of commentary with links. Hadn’t heard that one before.

Rich Brooks
Pass the Bourbon