SEO copywriting

It has long been stated by Google themselves that quality copy is what adds value to your website and helps you rank well in the search engines. Better search engine rankings results in more visitors and potential customers to your website, blog or Facebook page.

Hot Copy provides articles that are original and written by professional, experienced SEO copywriters who understand the important factors for good search engine rankings.

If you’re interested in copy for your website, contact us today – we write articles on a variety of topics that you can use on your blog, website, Facebook page, newsletters and emails.

You could also use articles we provide as press releases or submit them to article directories and social bookmarking sites.

How to get started:

• Decide on the main topic/s of the article/s you want
• Determine how many articles you need
• Request a quote from us

We will perform keyword research and write your articles with good SEO principles in mind.

Contact Tony today for a quote on SEO copywriting.

Our involvement:

• Strategic planning
• Newsletter creation and sending
• Online portal management

Visit the Brands and Branding online portal at http://www.brandsandbranding-online.co.za/.

Tony also freelances as a digital marketing consultant and strategist who will give you advice on how to improve your rankings in the search engines and get targeted visitors to your site who become customers. He enjoys spending time with his family on weekends, and is nuts about all thing SCI-FI and good music.

Tony owns and manages the following websites:

Healthy Organic

Caprica Digital Business Consultancy

Digital DIY

Read more about Tony Lopes

Please use the form below to contact Tony:

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The golden rule is this: people don’t READ online, they SCAN.

In the fast-paced world of Internet-browsing, people don’t read your carefully-crafted prose as if though they are snuggled up with a James Patterson novel. There’s no time for that…people want the bottom line in record time or else they’re going to move on.

The key to writing online is cunning use of formatting so that your copy doesn’t feel long-winded and heavy.

Long-winded example:

Coffee is a brewed beverage that is made from the seeds of the coffee plant. These seeds are commonly known as coffee beans. Coffee is grown in more than 70 countries around the world. Green coffee beans, which are unroasted, are an important agricultural commodity and form the cornerstone of many economies on Earth. The caffeine found in coffee seeds acts as a stimulant in humans. This makes coffee one of the most sought-after beverages in most countries.

Easy-to-scan web copy:

Did you know the following interesting facts about coffee?

• Coffee comes from the seeds (or beans) of the coffee plant
• Coffee is grown in more than 70 countries world-wide
• Green coffee beans are traded as one of the most important commodities in agricultural economies
• The buzz you get from drinking coffee is from the caffeine found in the coffee bean

Remember to keep the most important information at the top of the page and get to the point quickly. Start off with the main idea of the article.

Use one main heading per page that describes what the page is about. This is important for search engines too.

Divide your article into sub-headings that show the topics of the article.

Most importantly, keep the content short and to the point.

Today I decided to investigate all the major search engines and social bookmarking sites to find out which freelance writing sites are most popular. As a freelance writer it is important to stay on top of these kind of things – you never know when new writing markets will open up.

The site that cropped up time and time again was….

http://www.freelanceswitch.com

There are tons of useful resources in the list below, though – enjoy!

The Search Engines

I’ve decided to limit my search to Google since it completely dominates Yahoo and Bing. Sorry Yahoo. Sorry Bing.

Google.com:

“freelance jobs”:

1. http://www.ifreelance.com/
2. http://www.freelancejobs.org/
3. http://www.freelancejobsearch.com/
4. http://www.gofreelance.com/
5. http://allfreelance.com/
6. http://www.contractedwork.com
7. http://www.guru.com/
8. http://www.freelancer.com/
9. http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
10. http://www.sologig.com/

“freelance writing”:

1. http://www.freelancewriting.com/
2. http://freelancewrite.about.com/
3. http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
4. http://www.freelancercareers.com/
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freelancer
6. http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/
7. http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/
8. http://www.chrisblogging.com/
9. http://www.prospectsolution.com/
10. http://www.yudkin.com/flfaq.htm

Google.co.za:

“freelance jobs”:

1. http://www.careerjet.co.za/freelance-jobs.html
2. http://freelanceincome.co.za/
3. http://www.jobspace.co.za/jobs_at/freelance
4. http://www.bizopportunity.co.za/bizopps3.html
5. http://www.sawn.co.za/
6. http://www.jobs.co.za/job-seekers/jobs/41/freelance-translators-editors-and-interpreters
7. http://freelancentral.co.za/
8. http://www.indeed.co.za/Freelance-jobs-in-Johannesburg,-Gauteng
9. http://jobs.2oceansvibe.com/
10. http://www.wowjobs.co.za/jobs-freelance-jobs

“freelance writing”:

1. http://www.sawn.co.za/
2. http://hotcopy.co.za/
3. http://www.futureshock.co.za/FAQs.htm
4. http://www.safrea.co.za/home/
5. http://directory.searchza.com/entertainment_industry_journalism.html
6. http://www.bigtimerecruitment.com/Freelance_Writer_Jobs.cfm?CategoryName=Work%20from%20home&event=BrowseJobs:3&JobProfileID=501&UserRegion=true&CategoryID=78
7. http://www.bizcommunity.com/Forum/196/39/17076.html
8. http://freelancentral.co.za/index.php?option=com_cdi&task=search&category=Writing
9. http://www.shirleycorder.com/
10. http://www.zoopy.com/video/4lt4/freelance-writer-jobs-online

Social Bookmarking Sites

Digg:

“freelance jobs”:

1. http://freelanceswitch.com/finding/the-monster-list-of-freelancing-job-sites/
2. http://www.noupe.com/tools/15-incredible-mac-apps-for-freelance-web-designers.html
3. http://theappleblog.com/2008/10/28/demand-for-iphone-developers-up-500/
4. http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/07/fox_has_fact_writers_because.html
5. http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/freelance-nation-why-permanent-jobs-may-not-come-back/19319743/
6. http://marketinghackz.com/a-webworkers-guide-to-effective-marketing/
7. http://freelancefolder.com/6-easy-ways-freelancers-can-save-money/
8. http://delimitdesign.com/news/freelance-design-jobs-marketplaces/
9. http://www.foundvalue.com/blog/50-must-reads-job-hunters-telecommuters-freelancers-220
10. http://www.odesk.com/blog/2009/02/the-freelance-economy-according-to-odesk/

“freelance writing”:

1. http://valleywag.gawker.com/tech/myspace/what-news-corp-doesnt-want-you-to-know-about-myspace-condensed-edition-199668.php#more
2. http://freelancefolder.com/20-must-read-blogs-for-freelance-writers/
3. http://www.badlanguage.net/how-to-be-a-freelance-journalist
4. http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/11/20/10-must-have-tools-for-communicating-with-clients/
5. http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-save-time-hiring-a-freelancer
6. http://freelancefolder.com/fifty-free-resources-for-freelance-writers-bloggers-and-others/
7. http://www.sparkplugging.com/freelance-parent/67-freelance-niche-writing-markets-you-may-have-never-considered/
8. http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/juicing-the-freelance-market
9. http://www.spoonfeddesign.com/top-20-websites-to-find-work-as-a-freelance-designer
10. http://sthig.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/03/the_ten_command.html

Delicious:

“freelance jobs”:

1. http://freelanceswitch.com/
2. http://www.freelancer.com/
3. http://www.guru.com/
4. http://www.authenticjobs.com/
5. http://www.odesk.com/w/
6. http://freelanceswitch.com/finding/the-monster-list-of-freelancing-job-sites/
7. http://www.krop.com/
8. http://www.vworker.com/RentACoder/DotNet/Default.aspx?blnDidRacRedirectToVworker_RequestParm=true
9. http://programmermeetdesigner.com/
10. http://www.crowdspring.com/

“freelance writing”:

1. http://freelanceswitch.com/
2. http://www.guru.com/
3. http://freelanceswitch.com/general/101-essential-freelancing-resources/
4. http://www.mediabistro.com/
5. http://www.triond.com/
6. http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
7. http://www.freelancer.com/
8. http://www.ifreelance.com/
9. http://24ways.org/2008/contract-killer
10. http://www.gyford.com/phil/writing/2006/10/26/a_beginners_guid.php

Reddit:

“freelance jobs”:

1. http://maxkle.in/us-freelancers-are-pretending-to-be-from-phil/
2. http://www.odesk.com/blog/2009/02/freelance-job-growth-accelerates-in-the-us/
3. http://maxkle.in/us-freelancers-are-pretending-to-be-from-phil/
4. http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/9qc44/to_all_the_entrepreneurs_startups_freelancers_etc/
5. http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9css5/three_years_ago_i_quit_my_fulltime_programming/
6. http://allforces.com/2009/01/27/on-the-job-turns-3/
7. http://lifehacker.com/5436821/how-to-start-freelancing-without-quitting-your-job
8. http://freelanceswitch.com/general/top-10-reasons-you-should-quit-your-job-today-and-become-a-freelancer/#more-51
9. http://www.reddit.com/r/Design/comments/70dta/im_an_experienced_graphic_designer_looking_for/
10. http://freelanceswitch.com/humour/20-types-of-freelance-work-identified-and-explained/

“freelance writing”:

1. http://fleetstreetblues.blogspot.com/2009/10/sceptical-hacks-guide-to-social-meeja_08.html
2. http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/8i052/what_are_the_best_websites_for_earning_some_extra/
3. http://freelancewrite.about.com/b/2009/03/06/freelance-home-writers-dont-bother-295-not.htm
4. http://www.reddit.com/r/self/comments/9fdu0/does_anybody_make_a_decent_living_from_content/
5. http://freelanceswitch.com/finding/putting-twitter-to-work-for-your-%20freelance-writing-%20business/
6. http://freelancefolder.com/no-tech-skills-give-freelance-writing-a-try/
7. http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/2007/10/does-blogging-pay-less-than-traditional-freelance-writing/
8. http://www.thewriterscoin.com/2008/02/08/freelance-writing-setting-your-rate/
9. http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/2008/08/back-in-the-day-how-the-internet-changed-the-freelance-writing-business/
10. http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/2007/11/23-places-to-find-freelance-writing-jobs-and-freelance-blogging-jobs/

Stumbleupon:

“freelance jobs”:

1. http://www.ifreelance.com/
2. http://www.guru.com/
3. http://writinghood.com/writing-business/freelance-job-sites-creating-a-freelance-profile/
4. http://www.allfreelance.com/freelancing_blog/2007/10/10/huge-list-of-147-freelance-job-boards-sites/
5. http://www.allfreelancework.com/
6. http://www.wisecrunch.com/2009/12/06/top-10-paying-and-most-trusted-freelancer-sites/
7. http://www.freelancewriter101.co.uk/2009/12/what-will-you-do-when-you-are-out-of.html
8. http://freelancersoasis-blog.com/2009/11/how-to-avoid-freelance-scams-online/
9. http://twitwall.com/view/?what=060A090F07
10. http://www.studio1c.com/website-design-blog/225-top-freelance-website-design-and-developer-job-sites.html

“freelance writing”:

1. http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
2. http://www.ifreelance.com/
3. http://freelancefolder.com/20-must-read-blogs-for-freelance-writers/
4. http://hubpages.com/hub/Four_Secrets_Of_Freelance_Writing
5. http://writetodone.com/2008/11/06/branding-101-how-to-promote-your-blog-like-the-big-guys-do/
6. http://absolutewrite.com/
7. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/490401/how_i_made_70_for_90_minutes_of_work.html?cat=3
8. http://www.squidoo.com/WritingSites
9. http://factoidz.com/how-to-write-a-winning-factoid/
10. http://thewritingmall.blogspot.com/2009/08/building-blocks-of-powerful-writing.html

SEO copywriting is writing web content with the objective of attracting visitors to your site through search engines and then persuading them to become customers.

If you want to DOMINATE in the search engines as a web copy writer, you need to LOVE SEO just as much as Paris Hilton loves this hamburger. Which is obviously quite a bit.

Here’s how:

• Specify unique META CONTENT for each page = META TITLE, META DESCRIPTION and META KEYWORDS
• Write about 1 main topic per page = MAIN KEYWORD
• Include links to 4 or 5 related topics in the content of the page = SECONDARY KEYWORDS
• Have enough CONTENT DEPTH = 300 to 400 words per page
• Build up enough CONTENT BREADTH = about 300 pages per website
• Blog daily about interesting, topical stories that will get people talking = FRESH CONTENT
• Promote your content on SOCIAL BOOKMARKING sites such as Digg, Reddit and Stumbleupon
• Cluster pages  into related topics = LOGICAL CONTENT ARCHITECTURE
• Include related media on the page = IMAGES AND VIDEO
• Add related navigation (links to related pages on the site)  to improve the overall QUALITY SCORE of the page
• Perseverance and hard work will pay off – this is the SECRET SAUCE

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization – it’s a collection of ongoing actions you need to take in order to use the power of search to your advantage.

Some of the SEO actions are shown in the following diagram – do not be afraid of this for I will explain:

Let’s begin:

1. Initial Analysis

You really need a plan – just like Captain John “Hannibal” Smith from The A-Team, you have to love it when a plan comes together. This means outlining the objectives of the website: who are your potential customers and how do they normally use search engines to find information about the product or service you are offering. People generally do a bit of research before they buy anything online – whether it’s to confirm something they heard about from a friend or saw on TV, or to compare prices.

You need to figure out who your customers are and how they behave online.

2. Keyword research and analysis

When people search for something in a search engine, like Google, they type in a word or phrase they hope will tell the search engine what they are looking for. This is called a keyword (or keyphrase) in SEO terms.

Good search engines like Google will try and match the keyword that a person searched for with the most relevant pages about that topic. e.g. someone searching for cat litter will see a list of web pages that are as relevant to the topic of cat litter as possible, according to the rules (or algorithms) that the search engine uses when bringing back a set of search results.

Without heading down an overly technical discussion, what is important to remember is this:

Search engines must be convinced that your web page is relevant to the topic people are searching for. You can’t just drop Google an email saying that your webpage is all about gardening books – Google will evaluate your web page and determine the relevancy of your page to the topic. It measures your web page based on a number of relevancy factors – and these factors change from time to time which is why SEO is such an interesting thing to be involved in.

Getting back to keyword research: you need to create a list of keywords that you think people will use to find your site. Each page on your website should be optimized for a unique main keyword – the PRIMARY KEYWORD for that page. Deeper in the content of the page you would have 4 or 5 RELATED KEYWORDS that link to related pages.

e.g.

Main/primary keyword: organic vegetable gardening

Related, secondary keywords: organic fertilizer, worm farms, mulching, organic pesticides

Do you get the picture?

3. Competitor analysis

This is obviously important – you want to check out what your competitors are up to so that you can counter-attack with an even better strategy. Or you can pat yourself on the back and laugh at their mistakes. Either way, competitor analysis from an SEO point of view means getting a view of the following:

• Where are your competitors getting links from?
• What kind of content are they adding to their sites?
• How often are they adding content to their sites?
• How are they doing in the search engines? Are they outranking you on the search keywords you are trying to rank for?

4. Sitemap and RSS feed inclusion

Let the search engines know when you update your site by submitting your sitemap (usually an XML version) and your RSS feed.

5. Search Engine and directory submission

Not really that important anymore since Google is going to find you if you’ve got a quality site. Still, doesn’t hurt.

6. Social Bookmarking

The benefit of submitting your pages and posts to social bookmarking sites like Digg, Reddit and Stumbleupon (among many others) is that you get to promote your content to some of the most active communities online. This results in more visitors to your site and more awareness of your brand.

7. Blogs and Press Release Creation

The reason your website should have a blog is primarily so that you can quickly and easily let your readers know about the latest news/product/service/event. You also give people an opportunity to have their say when they comment on your blog posts. Blogs result in fresh meaningful content, which results in greater relevance and better rankings.

ePR (or Web PR) is the electronic version of the press release. There are many press release and news portals out there dying to get their hands on a juicy stories and spreading the word. If you have something to say, submit your story to an ePR portal or 10 and you’ll start getting more traffic and links to your site.

8. Articles submission

Yes, all the world loves free content and none more so than the article sites out there, eZinearticles.com for example. What you get in return for giving them free content is links to your site and more brand awareness. Not a bad thing, but don’t base your entire strategy on article site submissions.

9. Link Popularity

It goes without saying that if your content is interesting/funny/controversial/inflamatory/newsworthy or instills some kind of interest or emotion, you will get people linking to your page. Links to your site is like voting YES to your site and this adds credibility and trust – which means you will start ranking better in the search engines.

Link bait is a term used to describe content that is so good it just attracts links like crazy.

1o. SERP Report

SERP – which stands for Search Engine Results Page, not an abbreviation for SERPENT -  is where people see the results of the searches they perform on search engines. The Google SERP has most relevant, trusted sites appearing first – the higher you rank in the SERP the more traffic you’ll get. Ranking well for your keywords is one of the ways you will know if your content is doing its job. Getting tons of customers is of course the ultimate purpose – but doing well in the SERPs is a great measure.

Coming soon:
The Sound of Music Guide to SEO keyword research

About the Author

Tony Lopes enjoys long walks on the beach and watching Battlestar Galactica. He is kept off the streets by working as Copy and Content Manager at Osiris Trading and at night he is a freelance writer and blogger. He emits zombie-like sounds between 6 and 7 am.

This image was created from the tags and categories of content on this website.

This concept finally managed to reach my Inbox today in the form of a forwarded email from our Head of Marketing extolling the virtues of transcreation. Must be important, right?

So what the hell is transcreation and why does Apple think it’s the cat’s whiskers? It’s summarized as translation that is culturally relevant and that resonates with a local audience. Everything you write needs to be placed in a local cultural perspective. When you transcreate you make your translation much more relevant to a local audience and thereby you achieve maximum impact.

Find out more about transcreation.

Here’s a great summary from http://japanese-web.com/31/do-you-believe-in-transcreation/

So, what’s the difference between translation and adaptation?

• Adaptation supports marketing. Translation is much more general.
• Adaptation involves changing both words and meaning but keeping the attitude and persuasive effect. Translation involves changing words but keeping meanings.
• We describe successful adaptation with words such as “bold” and “creative.” We describe successful translation with words such as “faithful.”
• Adaptation inevitably requires a team (or a series of teams). Translation can be done by an individual (though independent proofreaders are often involved).