5 Things to Know About Writing For SEO

Mar 08, 2010 Comments

Writing for SEO – It’s all about search engine optimization these days – writers are explicitly asked to use certain keywords in the title of their articles (to be used on web pages) and also sprinkle them liberally in the body so that search engines will pick up them when they trawl the web and display them on the front page of the results. In short, everyone who writes content for the web wants their pages to earn a high rank. But before you start to shove words into your article and assume that’s what SEO is all about, read these essential tips you need to know about optimizing your writing for search engines:

• You must attract audiences: The first thing to do is to get people to visit your website. You do this by focusing on the placement of your keywords and choosing your website’s content based on your niche and what people want from that niche subject. You must also come up with catchy titles that make people want to click on your link and take a look at what’s inside – remember though, that the title should not be misleading and should stay true to the kind of content people associate with your website.
• You need to get people to come back: Now this is the really tricky part – most writers find that they can get people to visit once, but when it comes to getting them back, they fall short of expectations. This is because their articles flatter to deceive more often than not – the titles are great and the site is displayed on the first page of the search engine results, but the content is just pure rubbish or bordering on it. If you want to get people to come back, write articles of good quality, articles that do not repeat the same things over and over again and which use SEO keywords intelligently (it’s not obvious that they’re keywords) to rather than randomly.
• You need to get your facts right: Just because you’re on the web, it’s not right that you don’t pay attention to quality. You often see writers churning out articles that adhere to word limits and SEO rules but which are sadly lacking in accuracy or quality. When this happens once too often, you end up losing your audience.
• You need to be grammatically correct: No one likes to read bad writing; so even if your ideas are good and you have the facts down correctly, even if you’ve achieved top SEO status, when your writing is grammatically incorrect, it makes for a discomfiting and uneasy ready experience. If grammar is not your forte, then get a qualified editor to clean up your work before you publish it.
• You must provide content that’s needed: And finally, although it may be your website and your prerogative to decide what to put on it, unless you cater to the needs of your audience, you’re going to be left with no readers at all. So write content that you know people want to read, and watch your popularity soar.

10 ways of generating interest in your readers

Nov 11, 2009 Comments

If both the roads are safe and the drive smooth, would you take the shorter way or the longer one? Time is short and sweet, definitely the shorter one, most of us would agree. Longer distances are good if you are on a vacation, you want to tune yourself with the nature and spend some quality time driving. Now, think your reader is the driver of the car and the roads the writing. If you are penning down something for the daily news, columns about technology, climate, retail etc, reports, etc – your reader will like the short road. For novel, thesis, poetry, stories or sometimes elaborate literature articles – the longer route with minute details, flowery language is the key. It’s as simple as GIVE WHAT THEY WANT. So, here we go, giving you what you are looking for – 10 ways of generating interest in your readers:

• Identify your reader – If you know your reader well, you can work in that direction.
• Interesting headlines – If you have a nice headline in tune with your article half the battle is won. Headlines should be appealing and innovative.
• Opening batsman is important – A good start is as important as the opening batsman to his team. A good start will ensure that the reader begins to read your work.
• KISS – Keep it short and simple. We all know about this golden rule, but do we always follow it? This is the key to the shorter route.
• Avoid jargon – Only when absolutely necessary use jargons and technical terms.
• Visual appeal – Break your article into short paragraphs and use a readable font. Readers, usually lose interest in long winding paragraphs.
• Flowery language – Again, if this is what your article and reader demands, put it to good use.
• Give facts – State facts and numbers as much as you can; as it gives your reader the real picture.
• Examples – Oh, my personal favorite. Give examples and try to relate the subject with the reader. Examples help them to identify with the topic and generate curiosity and interest.
• Closing paragraph – It is the general tendency to read the start and end; and glance through the middle of the article. Write an impressive closing paragraph, which will the hearts of your audience.

Use these golden rules as per your need, just to correct as per the need of your reader and you sure have a winning piece.

10 Reasons NOT to become a writer

Nov 10, 2009 Comments

Yes you read correctly. The word “NOT” is too clear to go unnoticed. Scanning random articles on the internet, on ‘writing’, I came across lots of pieces wherein I was being goaded into ‘101′ ways to write effectively or being told about its top ‘25′ benefits and sometimes also being reminded about the ‘few’ essentials to keep in mind if I was to build a profitable writing career for myself. While all of that was very good advice( I also love sharing my own experiences with “how-to” articles like these), I think first and foremost, an aspiring write MUST answer the most fundamental question – “WHY DO I WANT TO WRITE?”

I thought of and listed below a few reasons why many budding writers take up writing in the first place and if you answer ‘yes’ to any of these, then either re-think your answers, choose not to answer the questions, lie to yourself or re-visit the whole writing business idea. I’m not exaggerating.

1. I LOVE Shakespeare and want to be like him someday: Heady goal! And good to know that you aim high, but if becoming a splitting image of the famous bard is the ONLY reason driving you to take up writing as a career, think again! It takes a LOT of natural talent to be like William S and also, he lived in a time when there was only the pen (although that has trials of its own)! No TV’s no radios, not as much competition as one would have to face these days (not undermining his capabilities in any way…I’m a BIG Shakespeare fan myself). But you have to be realistic. Morphing into a modern day Shakespeare is possible, but very difficult and you have got to have a reason stronger than that.
2. I want to be famous: A stylized version of the above mentioned point with many more connotations and possibilities. And a high probability of the same end result. There is a famous spiritual concept which essentially says that one must not be attached to the fruit of one’s actions, but only perform the action (to the best of his abilities). All aspiring writers should make this the mantra of their lives. And this applies to basically everything in life. Whatever you do, if you do it just for the sake of attaining fame, you probably won’t get famous at all and even if you do, it won’t last and even if it does last, there will be a part of you which will always know that you didn’t do justice to your work.
3. I want to get rich: A subset of point number 2. And equally disastrous. I would be wrong in saying that writers don’t get rich. Dan Brown and JK Rowling among others would raise their legendary eyebrows if they heard me make an absurd statement like that. It is a known fact that lots of novelists, short story writers, biographers and even freelance writers have made plenty of money, thanks to lots of efforts, time, luck, more time and a lot more effort. But I doubt they started out with that aim in mind. I firmly believe they began writing because of sheer love for the art. If you want to make money, get a high paying IT job, become an investment banker, go to a French culinary school and become a world famous chef, but do not get into writing solely because you want to get rich. For most writers, writing is a time consuming, low paying (at least in the initial years) and sometimes heart breaking affair. So think again.
4. I used to write in school: Yeah? So? If you really think that having written a few poems in school and a handful of funny short stories in college are enough to make you a published writer overnight, I’m sorry to burst your little bubble. It doesn’t work. Writing is a skill that has to be honed and sharpened each and every day. It doesn’t just “come” to you overnight. It takes a LOT of hard work, a LOT of time, MANY rejection letters and a good many years of patience and undying faith in your abilities and aspirations. To those who go through these trials by fire, and still emerge victorious with a stronger determination, I wish you all the luck! You are on your way to becoming successful writers.
5. I’m fed up of my day job: Woah! That sounds like something that 90% of the world’s working population is saying at this very moment. If everyone with a boring job quit their work to retreat into the solitude of their homes to become writers, not only would the world become a much quieter place, but at the same time, there’d be chaos on every level of the global economy! Most people who currently hold a day job, but WANT to write, are usually advised to continue writing on the side and I must say, that is VERY sound advice. To such budding writers, I would say, “Get a foothold in the business, get your bearings and when you feel financially stable and emotionally independent, quit your job and take up writing full time-but until then have a steady source of income to feed your dreams of becoming a writer.” To the rest of you guys who want to write because you hate your jobs, I’d say, “Don’t do it! You’re making the biggest mistake of your life.”
6. I want to make my family proud: Neil Armstrong’s family was proud! But he wasn’t a writer; he just helped mankind take the metaphorical giant leap. My family’s proud of me and I’ve never even set foot in a rocket ship-neither am I another Chetan Bhagat (yet). If you want to make your family and friends proud of you, then do fantastically well at something you’re really good at or alternatively something that you are passionate about. Don’t use writing as an excuse to sort your life at every turn. Do what you want to do. And the pride will emerge unhindered.
7. I like to express myself this way: This is one of the most common reasons people want to spend their time writing. And I agree, it’s one of the best ways to let one self go. There are few mediums of expression that work as well as writing does. However, I staunchly believe that this alone is not a reason to turn to writing as a career. It may be a good reason for some people, but on an average a freelance writer has to spend hours researching markets and stories, structuring, editing etc. For the daily grind in a freelancer’s life, there is usually little space for expression. However, with creative writing it does help, but to reach a stage where creative writing is profitable for you and where you are known well enough, it takes time. So if you want to write simply for expression, do it as a hobby. If you want to turn it into a full-fledged career option, rethink, revise and review the strategy.
8. I want to see my name in print: Lots of people don’t really want to get famous, but they harbor a dominant fascination to see their names in print-either under an article in a newspaper, a filler in a magazine or on the back portion of a hard cover novel with one of those pictures of the author in a philosophical pose, finger on the chin and a faraway look in the eyes. Lovely thought. Very romantic idea. But not the right way to go about doing it. Wanting to see your name in black and white may be the motivation and the drive you need to keep working at it and churning out material in bundles. But very often in such a case, where ambition alone fuels work, the quality of the work suffers. And once the trained eye of your audience (or editor as may be the case) begins to see the difference, you literally fall in popularity and may find it very difficult to pick yourself up again. My advice would be to write as well as you can. And again, the name in print will follow.
9. I have a luxurious ‘work from home’ dream: Ah! The age old desire for the perfect job. Flexible work hours, wake up when you want to and sleep whenever you wish, go to work in your pajamas, be your own boss, have a beautiful study with a mahogany/oak desk, a little green lamp on the side, surrounded by carved wooden cabinets stuffed with books, glass window overlooking a lake…watching the swans while you type. It’s amazing how Hollywood movies imprint themselves on our minds and weave their ways into our dreams. The scenario I painted for you is the average dream of just about every second writer you’ll ever hope to come across. It’s the Universal Dream of writers worldwide (I dream of the oak desk too!) However it takes significant accomplishment to get the desk and even more efforts to get a room big enough to hold the humongous quantities of books. Don’t even get me started on the amount of work you’ll have to put in to get the swans! There are hundreds of thousands of writers worldwide and each one has to put in his fair share of struggles and strife to earn a comfortable living. You will too, in all probability, so keep your goals realistic.
10. I love books and I love to read: That’s wonderful! Devour as much as you can get. But I have to tell you, that just loving the smell of a new hard cover book, or the rustic look of an antique one, loving to read or being fascinated with libraries and book collections, are indeed pre-requisites to becoming a good writer, but not reason enough to decide to be one in the first place. Every writer must read. He/she must incorporate as much of reading into his/her lifestyle as the writing. But if you drop everything to write, just because you visit your local library every two seconds, you may find out along the way that you’re either not good at writing or you just don’t like it as much as reading books. So if you love to read, do so by all means. Just don’t let that motivate you into switching to a full-time writing career. It may do you more harm than good.

I know that by now, I must have deflated your enthusiasm for the writing arena almost completely and my sincerest apologies if I did. That was not the intention. My aim in sharing these thoughts with you was to enable you to get a clearer picture of what YOU want from a writing career. For me it boils down to just one simple truth. I LOVE TO WRITE. And that’s why I’m doing it. And NOTHING compares with the satisfaction I feel after I’ve completed a well rounded article, poem or story.

I firmly believe that if one is passionate about something, one should go after it as if one’s life depended on it. If writing is your passion, if your head is exploding with ideas, if you see alphabets doing little jigs in front of your eyes, if you dream at night about things that you immediately turn into possible storylines, then by all means go ahead and write! If you want to become a writer simply because you LOVE to write and have even a smidgen of faith in your capabilities, go for it! I wish you luck!

10 ways of generating interest in your readers

Nov 03, 2009 Comments

If both the roads are safe and the drive smooth, would you take the shorter way or the longer one? Time is short and sweet, definitely the shorter one, most of us would agree. Longer distances are good if you are on a vacation, you want to tune yourself with the nature and spend some quality time driving. Now, think your reader is the driver of the car and the roads the writing. If you are penning down something for the daily news, columns about technology, climate, retail etc, reports, etc – your reader will like the short road. For novel, thesis, poetry, stories or sometimes elaborate literature articles – the longer route with minute details, flowery language is the key. It’s as simple as GIVE WHAT THEY WANT. So, here we go, giving you what you are looking for – 10 ways of generating interest in your readers:

1. Identify your reader – If you know your reader well, you can work in that direction.
2. Interesting headlines – If you have a nice headline in tune with your article half the battle is won. Headlines should be appealing and innovative.
3. Opening batsman is important – A good start is as important as the opening batsman to his team. A good start will ensure that the reader begins to read your work.
4. KISS – Keep it short and simple. We all know about this golden rule, but do we always follow it? This is the key to the shorter route.
5. Avoid jargons – Only when absolutely necessary use jargons and technical terms.
6. Visual appeal – Break your article into short paragraphs and use a readable font. Readers, usually lose interest in long winding paragraphs.
7. Flowery language – Again, if this is what your article and reader demands, put it to good use.
8. Give facts – State facts and numbers as much as you can; as it gives your reader the real picture.
9. Examples – Oh, my personal favourite. Give examples and try to relate the subject with the reader. Examples help them to identify with the topic and generate curiosity and interest.
10. Closing paragraph – It is the general tendency to read the start and end; and glance through the middle of the article. Write an impressive closing paragraph, which will the hearts of your audience.

Use these golden rules as per your need, just to correct as per the need of your reader and you sure have a winning piece.

How Online writing services can increase your website’s conversion rate

Mar 18, 2009 Comments

Few weeks back I read an interesting article where Amrit, who is an  online writer explained how online seo content writing can prove to be beneficial to website owners and  webmasters. I have been into online writing services since past 3 years, but it’s been few articles that prompted me connote “Wow! I like it. Let me  save the url and bookmark the site.” I experienced two things out of this which I want to share with my readers;

1. I found an informative article to express my views.
2. The site found another DAILY reader (which is me) and eventually traffic because I will definitely share Amrit’s work with my readers, SEO Clients, my friends and contacts.

Well I think now you are able to understand how great and unique content can fetch good traffic. You don’t need to use exquisite vocabulary or ‘hard English’. It’s only simple words, explained in a very thoughtful manner. With SEO Copywriting, you should be able to make your potential clients visualize lots of traffic which will increase by time and Amrit’s site is a real good example of this.

How important is SEO Copywriting?

SEO Copywriting Analysis is very important for your site. Creating search engine friendly content is one of the priorities to pace for higher rankings. If you want your site to EXIST in this tough internet marketing world, you must go for professional online writing services. It is very important to build search engines friendly website that search engine robots/spiders will crawl and index. SEO Online Copywriter finds out the loopholes in your content and confirms that the content and keywords are evenly poised. SEO Copywriting helps your site to compatible in both ways i.e both from viewers and search engines point of view.

How experienced online writing services can tremendously help improve a site’s conversion rate?

We classify visitors as good or bad visitor. The trick is to drive the right kind of traffic in. Getting the right people on your websites are more important. Here are few points to be kept in mind:

1. SEO Online writing services is a compulsory for your site(s) because QUALITY matters.  SEO Copywriting provides high-profile quality search engine optimized content that improves the conversion rates of a site. SEO Content provides an edge over the other existing non-optimized sites.
2. How to build search engines friendly website that search engine robots/spiders will crawl and index it? Well SEO webpage writer shows you how to find the right keywords using keywords research to improve sales and traffic generation. Researching and Selecting Keywords, Keyword Density and Keyword Optimization are vital parts of the entire content. So without a knowledgeable SEO Writer, you will not be able to embed such things in your webpage content.
3. Links are also indispensable part when we speak about website, traffic, content etc.; SEO Copywriting facilitates to create inbound links to your website and guides on how to link your page both internally and externally to gain higher traffic and greater sales leads.
4. Experienced online SEO writer develops an understanding of your target audience and about what drives them to buy.  A good SEO Copywriter handles objections of your potential customers may have from their purchasing decisions. regarding your website like best and specific info on choosing best key phrases, creating great keyword rich marketing copy, ideas for best Titles and Meta tags suiting your domain’s content and keywords

An online writing service is essential for your dream project.SEO expert makes in-depth analysis regarding your website. Choosing best key phrases, creating great keyword rich marketing copy, ideas for best Titles and Meta tags suiting your domain’s content and keywords are the core working areas of the SEO Copywriter’s and that’s BANG ON target!

Higher Traffic + Higher Conversion rates = Excellent SEO Copywriting+ Strategic internet marketing+ Quality website design

That’s the key!

Maximizing Your Web Presence in a Tough Economy

Mar 13, 2009 Comments

As we all watch the economy go from terribly bad to even worse, many are left wondering how to make the most of their existing company resources. For many companies, the idea of investing in marketing services of any kind is offensive as so many face major cutbacks and even layoffs.

However, the show must go on and every company must examine the marketing materials they already have developed and how they can breathe new life into them without taxing scaled-down budgets. One of the best marketing vehicles to leverage in new ways is the company Web site. This highly-versatile medium allows huge flexibility and scalability, cost-effective updates, and worldwide reach.

The idea of a fluid, regularly-updated Web site is foreign to many businesses where Web copy remains static, with only the most vital information provided. The reason for the bland copy on most sites is a lack of internal resources to dedicate to writing new content.

Web content is time consuming to develop and requires a skill set and understanding of how the Web and Internet searches work. If the writer does not understand the complexities involved, the Web site’s content will be ineffective and it will not be found quickly through Internet searches.

While it may seem counter-intuitive to outsource Web writing, it can be a very cost-effective option for Web copy development and one with a significant return on investment. But, all Web copy writers are not created equal. If you choose to work with a freelance Web writer, be sure they possess the following skills.

• SEO. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves embedding industry-specific keywords into Web copy to help prioritize it in Web searches. If this is not done, the Web site will be buried several pages into a Web search.
• Editing. While good writing skills may seem like a no-brainer as you choose a freelancer, it is also important that they be strong editors. You do not want to edit your own Web copy and a typo is inexcusable on the World Wide Web.
• Selling. Web sites should spur sales (or at least inquiries about your company). Spinning a great company story that drives home its unique differentiators will garner more interest than “Contact Us.”
• Blogging. Talking about your company and industry is a great way to build thought leadership. Good freelance writers know how to leverage news and industry trends to develop effective blog content.
• Communication. Freelance writers work offsite and the client has less control over the time they spend on projects or how they are billed. Demand good communication and frequent updates from your freelance writers.

What’s in a Typo Anyway?

Mar 10, 2009 Comments

Believe it or not, we used to write letters by hand to one another using an instrument called a pen. Today we use mobile phone texting, social networking, email, internet blogging, chat rooms and anything else electronically ‘plugged in’, to copiously communicate.

And what about the infamous spell checker, huh? But there isn’t anything wrong with that though, is there? No, of course not, I for one embrace technology. As Jack Aubrey of the Surprise said, “What a wonderful modern age we live in!”

However, in my online writing, lecturing, design, and research ventures I do see one continually, rather disheartening element present. Too often I see evidence that we seem to be writing as though we are less educated than the millennium we live in would represent, and much less sophisticated than the technology we use to communicate with. Typo’s, misspellings, and bad grammar seem to have become an everyday occurrence!

It is not at all unusual for someone to ask a friend if this outfit or that tie looks alright, or to proudly show off ones new mobile phone, or boast about your latest computer upgrade. Chances are pretty good that today or yesterday you talked to, texted, or emailed someone about the latest blog you wrote or read, but when was the last time you asked someone to proof read something for you? When was the last time you took a moment to check if that email you just wrote really made good sense? Eh?

You are most likely here at Amrit’s online writing website because you are interested in professional web content and writing services, whether you are a potential customer or a writer yourself seeking to learn more about SEO content, blog writing, or professional online writing of any sort, no matter which side of the proverbial fence you are on, I think we all agree that good spelling and grammar are important, no matter how stuffy it might feel to say it out loud.

By now you might be asking, “Gosh, what kind of people does this person associate with anyway?” Well I’ll tell you that just yesterday I received an email from an esteemed, university educated colleague who erroneously used the word ‘right’ for ‘write’. Need I say any more?

Researching the unknown while writing content

Mar 02, 2009 Comments

Okay, so you’ve said yes to a project which demands background knowledge that you do not have. You sit at your desk and you sweat, just a bit. You say to yourself, “Right, I’m reasonably intelligent, mature, responsible and a professional; I can do this….I think.”

As a College Lecturer, Writer, and Multimedia Designer, research is at the very core of all I do. When researching, in a sense it makes no difference what subject or topic, technical or otherwise, that I need to learn about because I follow a few simple rules.

1. Internet – dare I say it! But wait, humor me here because like it or not, the information highway has become a phenomenally indispensable tool to writers and researchers however, it continues to have limitations. I use it to view relative news, historical and current events, and for helping me to start my bullet point list of topics or issues, making notes along the way about anything I want to explore in depth.
2. Reference my own library, both the bookshelf and digital archives – Researching a topic I know nothing or little of, chances are pretty good that I do not have much in my own collection to reference, but I always do a quick check, especially of my digital library, as for some odd reason, I know almost by heart everything on my bookshelf, but my digital archives are a different animal. I suppose it is the tangible versus intangible equation.
3. Libraries – Lovely places to go and seek the unknown. Libraries can provide more historical and modern information than you can shake a stick at. Many are computerized, have microfiche files, and above all, Librarians who are truly interested in their work and will seek publications for you with a smile. A good Librarian loves a hungry mind.
4. Location, Location, Location – Find at least 1, even 2 sites that can be visited to view or experience real world examples, or to find inspiration about your subject. I find this step invaluable to my research as not only does it get me away from the books, but I almost always learn something unexpected that you don’t get from sitting in an office or a library. Meaningful discoveries can also come in the form of an idea or revelation while having that cappuccino and staring out the window afterwards…
5. Blogs and Technical Help Websites – Coming full circle back to the Internet, blog & technical chat-type rooms on the World Wide Web always make me think of the coffee houses of the 17th century where men (sorry ladies) gathered to discuss business and political matters. You can go to these cyber cafes, blog and technical help sites, and talk with others who are there because they have a vested interest in your particular subject, sharing their knowledge with all who are equally interested. There is an extremely good reason why this entry is last on my list of research activities though, as it is especially helpful to visit internet chat, blog, and technical help sites after you’ve gained some knowledge of your subject because it is then that you can engage in meaningful conversations that actually expand your knowledge.

I happen to love doing research. Writers and researchers are birds of a feather. We are adventurers and explorers not at all unlike the pioneers of the past and present who expand our knowledge of all subjects and disciplines. Remember that courage usually comes after the deed, not before! When you begin to grasp your subject, your confidence is renewed and you wonder why you ever doubted yourself in the first place. So the next time you feel daunted by researching the unknown, it may help to remember that you are not alone, that you are one amongst many others exploring and researching it too, even if for the first time. 

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