Welcome back. I did not realize how much the word ''impact'' is overused in the media until Wilma Mathews mentioned the trend. I thank and credit her for suggesting I use it as a topic in an EWA. And here it is. I hope this issue of my newsletter impacts your word choices going forward.
Note: If you would like to consult past EWA issues, visit my blog on my LinkedIn profile.
As a hurricane approached the East Coast last fall, the American public got hit with a hurricane of a very different kind, as announcers and weather reporters overused the word ''impact'' in describing the storm's effects.
Using ''impact'' as a noun, there were the storm's economic impact, erosion impact and flood impact. Using the word as a verb, the storm impacted the coast as it came ashore; and was about to impact communications, roads, beaches, fresh water supplies, the electric grid and nearly every other resource. In addition, using the word as an adjective, the hurricane was ''impactful.'' That sounds pretty weak for a Force Three hurricane, don't you agree?
If you begin to listen for the word impact, you begin to hear it everywhere. It seems to spring out of nowhere like bunny rabbits at Eastertime.
Do these impacts sound familiar?
Economic impact
School-shooter impact
9/11 impact on our sense of safety
Foreign government debt-default impact
Impact of Middle Eastern tensions
Business hiring impact
Stock market and bond market impacts
NFL concussion-controversy impact
Unemployment or job-creation number impact
The impact of the jobless report
Earnings impact
The lingering impacts of the recession
The delegate-count impact
Mortgage foreclosure impact
Tornado impact
Global warming impact
Oil spill impacts
The impact of multiple deployments
Here's my thesis: This word is overused. Many synonyms for the word will do just as well, if not better, but the media has fallen into a rut. Overdependence on the word is not only journalistically lazy; it is non-descriptive. It vaguely refers to something without committing the speaker or writer to saying anything specific.
Here's my suspicion: Confusion over affect/effect usage is one cause for the popularity of impact. No one is ever confused over the use of the word impact.
Something about the word appeals to elite media types in the U.S. and on the B.B.C (at least the U.S. version of the B.B.C. I sometimes listen to). It sounds important; it carries a sense of gravitas. It is a noun that takes adjectives nicely and sounds quotable. It has what I call a ''meta-aura'' about it. It sounds intelligent and makes a reporter who uses it appear knowledgeable.
The primary use as a noun is to describe a collision, ''the moment of impact,'' for example. Other words that might work just as well: bang, blow, bounce, buffet, crash, crush, kick, knock, rock, shock, strike and stroke.
Today, as a noun, impact is used as a synonym for aftermath. Other words beside aftermath that could be used just as effectively: aftereffects, aftershocks, lingering effects, effects, long-range consequences, pay offs, results, and upshots.
As a verb, reporters could describe how one thing affects another, or how it crashes, jolts, kicks, strikes, smashes up, implode, or explodes something else, a myth, for example.
As I said at the top, I hope this EWA impacts your use of this word and causes a smashup in your word choice, which causes you to swear off use of this word for the foreseeable future, at least for the next five minutes.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Seldom-used Words
Welcome back. I'm diverting from my series on web writing to discuss a subject close to my heart, venerable words that are passing from the scene, words that some might call obsolete, and words largely replaced by more common cousins. Seldom-used words, if we remember to use them on occasion, can lend style, tone, depth and character to our writing.
Note: If you would like to consult past EWA issues, visit my blog on my LinkedIn profile. You can also find the same content at: http://excitingwritingblog.blogspot.com
It is rare for writers or speakers to use ''seldom'' today. Today people use ''rare'' or ''rarely.'' The idea for this ExcitingWriting Advisory was sparked by Gina's mother, Zelma Whitlock, when Gina and I visited her last Christmas. She used the word ''seldom'' on several occasions. She caused me to realize I could present to my readers a bouquet of seldom-used words that would make a contemporary and appealing arrangement.
One might argue: ''seldom'' is good for artistic writing, novels, short stories and the like; but does not have application in business writing or speaking. I beg to differ. Imagine a CEO speaking at an investor conference saying, ''We have seldom seen these set of circumstances before.'' Now imagine the same CEO using the word ''rarely'' in the same sentence: ''We have rarely seen these set of circumstances before.'' ''Seldom'' adds gravitas without in any way adding fussiness or fastidiousness. I argue that it lends character and draws one in rather than puts one off.
The words ''hasty'' and ''rapid'' have largely been replaced by ''fast.'' The only place we see ''rapid'' used today is in conjunction with ''transit.'' I am in favor of using ''hast,'' ''hasty'' and ''rapid'' from time to time to add color and character to writing. Look at the difference in impression one gets from using the phrase ''rapid advancement'' instead of ''fast improvement.'' ''Rapid advancement'' sounds more distinguished, don't you agree? If one is against a proposal, suggesting that its implementation ''may be hasty'' calls up the expression we all know: ''Haste makes waste.'' This is a tactic often used by politicians, by the way.
The only places we see ''slender'' used today are in romances and in names of weight-reduction-dieting products. It's been replaced by ''thin'' and the less-often-used ''slim.'' But slender has lyrical possibilities when combined with the word ''thread.'' We've all heard the expression, ''holding on a by a slender thread.'' It could be used in business as well as in artistic applications. ''The business was just barely holding on to its slender profit margins,'' for example.
''Solemn'' has been replaced by ''serious,'' but should not be forgotten. Like the word ''seldom'' it comes from a different era, but can lend an august tone that borders on sacred and religious, when used properly.
''Assist'' and its cousin ''assistance'' have been put out to pasture by the word ''help,'' but in my opinion it can be a valuable word. ''Help'' gives the connotation that the person requiring the help is helpless. Not so much with the word ''assist.'' If you were in a store and a salesman or saleswoman came up to you asking, ''May I assist you?'' would you be more disposed to begin a conversation than if the person said, ''May I help you?'' A Nordstrom's salesman by the name of Jon taught me this when I sold women's shoes at Nordstrom's a few years ago. At the same time, we should not forget that the word ''assistance'' at one time was used to refer to social welfare. For some who grew up during those trying times that word can have uncomfortable associations. They would prefer to be helped rather than obtain assistance.
No one today uses the word ''pep'' even though the term ''pep rally'' and the brand name ''Pepto-Bismol'' derive from it. My father often used the word ''pep.'' No one has ''pep'' today. We have ''energy,'' ''vigor,'' or a sense of vitality. Perhaps there could still be life in the word ''pep.'' Do you agree?
A few others come to mind, like ''gorgeous,'' but they are not as interesting to me. I was once told that in the 1930s the word ''gorgeous'' was used much less than is today; that it was used exclusively by women. A male writer would never use the word, even to refer to a woman. I wonder if that is so. Gorgeous hasn't fallen out of usage; thus, using it doesn't lend any special style, in my opinion.
I am not suggesting that we attempt to resurrect old usages of words that have been forevermore changed from their 1930's meanings such as ''gay'' and ''swell.'' Gay used to mean festive; swell used to mean great or excellent. Those words have new meanings. Read Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald. You will find those words used with their old meanings.
I got the original idea for this EWA from Zelma Whitlock last Christmas (she gave me quite a gift), but it was confirmed for me just a few weeks ago when I read Rules of Civility, a novel by Amor Towles, which takes place in the late 1930s (a marvelous work; I highly recommend it) and when I briefly met Mr. Towles at a Dallas Museum of Art Arts & Letters event.
I am sure my ever helpful and unerringly smart readers will send me lists of seldom-used yet still esteemed words. To my mind, the trick is in finding largely forgotten words that communicate effectively without at the same time putting a distance between the communicator and audience. ''Fastidious'' need not apply.
Note: If you would like to consult past EWA issues, visit my blog on my LinkedIn profile. You can also find the same content at: http://excitingwritingblog.blogspot.com
It is rare for writers or speakers to use ''seldom'' today. Today people use ''rare'' or ''rarely.'' The idea for this ExcitingWriting Advisory was sparked by Gina's mother, Zelma Whitlock, when Gina and I visited her last Christmas. She used the word ''seldom'' on several occasions. She caused me to realize I could present to my readers a bouquet of seldom-used words that would make a contemporary and appealing arrangement.
One might argue: ''seldom'' is good for artistic writing, novels, short stories and the like; but does not have application in business writing or speaking. I beg to differ. Imagine a CEO speaking at an investor conference saying, ''We have seldom seen these set of circumstances before.'' Now imagine the same CEO using the word ''rarely'' in the same sentence: ''We have rarely seen these set of circumstances before.'' ''Seldom'' adds gravitas without in any way adding fussiness or fastidiousness. I argue that it lends character and draws one in rather than puts one off.
The words ''hasty'' and ''rapid'' have largely been replaced by ''fast.'' The only place we see ''rapid'' used today is in conjunction with ''transit.'' I am in favor of using ''hast,'' ''hasty'' and ''rapid'' from time to time to add color and character to writing. Look at the difference in impression one gets from using the phrase ''rapid advancement'' instead of ''fast improvement.'' ''Rapid advancement'' sounds more distinguished, don't you agree? If one is against a proposal, suggesting that its implementation ''may be hasty'' calls up the expression we all know: ''Haste makes waste.'' This is a tactic often used by politicians, by the way.
The only places we see ''slender'' used today are in romances and in names of weight-reduction-dieting products. It's been replaced by ''thin'' and the less-often-used ''slim.'' But slender has lyrical possibilities when combined with the word ''thread.'' We've all heard the expression, ''holding on a by a slender thread.'' It could be used in business as well as in artistic applications. ''The business was just barely holding on to its slender profit margins,'' for example.
''Solemn'' has been replaced by ''serious,'' but should not be forgotten. Like the word ''seldom'' it comes from a different era, but can lend an august tone that borders on sacred and religious, when used properly.
''Assist'' and its cousin ''assistance'' have been put out to pasture by the word ''help,'' but in my opinion it can be a valuable word. ''Help'' gives the connotation that the person requiring the help is helpless. Not so much with the word ''assist.'' If you were in a store and a salesman or saleswoman came up to you asking, ''May I assist you?'' would you be more disposed to begin a conversation than if the person said, ''May I help you?'' A Nordstrom's salesman by the name of Jon taught me this when I sold women's shoes at Nordstrom's a few years ago. At the same time, we should not forget that the word ''assistance'' at one time was used to refer to social welfare. For some who grew up during those trying times that word can have uncomfortable associations. They would prefer to be helped rather than obtain assistance.
No one today uses the word ''pep'' even though the term ''pep rally'' and the brand name ''Pepto-Bismol'' derive from it. My father often used the word ''pep.'' No one has ''pep'' today. We have ''energy,'' ''vigor,'' or a sense of vitality. Perhaps there could still be life in the word ''pep.'' Do you agree?
A few others come to mind, like ''gorgeous,'' but they are not as interesting to me. I was once told that in the 1930s the word ''gorgeous'' was used much less than is today; that it was used exclusively by women. A male writer would never use the word, even to refer to a woman. I wonder if that is so. Gorgeous hasn't fallen out of usage; thus, using it doesn't lend any special style, in my opinion.
I am not suggesting that we attempt to resurrect old usages of words that have been forevermore changed from their 1930's meanings such as ''gay'' and ''swell.'' Gay used to mean festive; swell used to mean great or excellent. Those words have new meanings. Read Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald. You will find those words used with their old meanings.
I got the original idea for this EWA from Zelma Whitlock last Christmas (she gave me quite a gift), but it was confirmed for me just a few weeks ago when I read Rules of Civility, a novel by Amor Towles, which takes place in the late 1930s (a marvelous work; I highly recommend it) and when I briefly met Mr. Towles at a Dallas Museum of Art Arts & Letters event.
I am sure my ever helpful and unerringly smart readers will send me lists of seldom-used yet still esteemed words. To my mind, the trick is in finding largely forgotten words that communicate effectively without at the same time putting a distance between the communicator and audience. ''Fastidious'' need not apply.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Clean Up Your Act, I
Regular readers of my newsletter know that since last August I have been issuing monthly EWAs designed to help you improve your search engine optimized (SEO) web-writing skills. With this issue, I shift to writing best practices that have application in many areas including web writing.
A mistake I see commonly made by practitioners of corporate communications, especially investor communications, is using the possessive pronoun ''their'' to refer to something belonging to a singular noun.
First, read the following four sentences:
GM reported improved earnings on their overseas operations.
In some cities, the public does not support their schools.
The company issued an explanation, but investors found their response inadequate.
The medical team based their decision on proven science, not emotion.
What problem do all these sentences have in common? Their subjects are singular:
GM
Public
Company
Team
However, the possessive pronoun used later in the sentences is plural, ''their.''
If you start with a singular subject, you should use a singular pronoun, for example, ''its.'' That's the rule. The corrected sentences will then read:
GM reported improved earnings on its overseas operations.
In some cities, the public does not support its schools.
The company made an explanation, but investors found its response inadequate.
The medical team based its decision on science, not emotion.
Why do so many communication professionals use ''their'' when doing so is ungrammatical? (I've noticed that on-air reporters on CNBC commonly make this mistake.)
I have a theory: We shy away from using ''its'' in reference to a company or a public because it is gender neutral. We know that a company or corporation is comprised of and directed by people. We hate to deny their humanity.
We have no problem using ''his'' or ''her'' when referring to personal possessions:
She reported poor earnings on her overseas operations.
He improved on his personal-best time.
We hate to refer to a company as an ''it'' even though, in this context, that is exactly what it is. Likewise, we hate to think of a team of people as an ''it.'' After all, they're human beings, not a bunch of ''its.''
That's the reason investor relations specialists always refer to ''the company'' instead of ''it'' in their communications.
Complicating matters further is Mitt Romney's statement last summer that ''corporations are only people.'' I think I know what he means by that, but he's incorrect. Corporations are not people. Corporations are legal constructs created by people. I can't imagine Mitt himself having any difficulty agreeing with me on that.
Now that we know what is grammatically correct, something tells me you still don't feel comfortable using ''its'' in these cases. Actually, neither do I. There's another way around the problem that avoids the grammatical error.
One can change the subject to the plural in order to use the plural possessive pronoun, ''their.''
Read these transformed, ''their-friendly'' sentences:
Many companies reported poor earnings on their overseas sales due to the dollar's strong showing in currency markets.
In some cities, the citizens do not support their schools.
Companies can try to explain their results until they are blue in the face, but one fact remains:
The doctors based their decision on science, not emotion.
If you don't feel comfortable using ''its,'' you can simply leave the personal pronoun out, or replace it with an article. Then you have:
GM reported improved earnings on overseas operations.
In some cities, the public at large does not support schools.
The company issued an explanation, but investors found the response lacking.
The medical team based the decision on science, not emotion.
So now you know! If the subject is singular, don't use ''their.'' If you don't like ''its,'' make the subject of the sentence plural, or leave out the personal pronoun. There is no reason you ever have to use ''their'' even if it is their idea!
Note: I was amazed to learn that in the UK people commonly refer to possessions of newborn babies as ''its.'' For example, ''Look at its face! Look how cute it is!'' In America, our aversion to using a neuter pronoun would have us saying, ''Look how cute he is!'' or, ''Look how cute she is!'' Don't you agree? I believe this is the case.
Next month: Clean Up Your Act, II: How to shorten and strengthen your sentences.
As always, I appreciate your comments. Feel free to drop me a line any time.
A mistake I see commonly made by practitioners of corporate communications, especially investor communications, is using the possessive pronoun ''their'' to refer to something belonging to a singular noun.
First, read the following four sentences:
GM reported improved earnings on their overseas operations.
In some cities, the public does not support their schools.
The company issued an explanation, but investors found their response inadequate.
The medical team based their decision on proven science, not emotion.
What problem do all these sentences have in common? Their subjects are singular:
GM
Public
Company
Team
However, the possessive pronoun used later in the sentences is plural, ''their.''
If you start with a singular subject, you should use a singular pronoun, for example, ''its.'' That's the rule. The corrected sentences will then read:
GM reported improved earnings on its overseas operations.
In some cities, the public does not support its schools.
The company made an explanation, but investors found its response inadequate.
The medical team based its decision on science, not emotion.
Why do so many communication professionals use ''their'' when doing so is ungrammatical? (I've noticed that on-air reporters on CNBC commonly make this mistake.)
I have a theory: We shy away from using ''its'' in reference to a company or a public because it is gender neutral. We know that a company or corporation is comprised of and directed by people. We hate to deny their humanity.
We have no problem using ''his'' or ''her'' when referring to personal possessions:
She reported poor earnings on her overseas operations.
He improved on his personal-best time.
We hate to refer to a company as an ''it'' even though, in this context, that is exactly what it is. Likewise, we hate to think of a team of people as an ''it.'' After all, they're human beings, not a bunch of ''its.''
That's the reason investor relations specialists always refer to ''the company'' instead of ''it'' in their communications.
Complicating matters further is Mitt Romney's statement last summer that ''corporations are only people.'' I think I know what he means by that, but he's incorrect. Corporations are not people. Corporations are legal constructs created by people. I can't imagine Mitt himself having any difficulty agreeing with me on that.
Now that we know what is grammatically correct, something tells me you still don't feel comfortable using ''its'' in these cases. Actually, neither do I. There's another way around the problem that avoids the grammatical error.
One can change the subject to the plural in order to use the plural possessive pronoun, ''their.''
Read these transformed, ''their-friendly'' sentences:
Many companies reported poor earnings on their overseas sales due to the dollar's strong showing in currency markets.
In some cities, the citizens do not support their schools.
Companies can try to explain their results until they are blue in the face, but one fact remains:
The doctors based their decision on science, not emotion.
If you don't feel comfortable using ''its,'' you can simply leave the personal pronoun out, or replace it with an article. Then you have:
GM reported improved earnings on overseas operations.
In some cities, the public at large does not support schools.
The company issued an explanation, but investors found the response lacking.
The medical team based the decision on science, not emotion.
So now you know! If the subject is singular, don't use ''their.'' If you don't like ''its,'' make the subject of the sentence plural, or leave out the personal pronoun. There is no reason you ever have to use ''their'' even if it is their idea!
Note: I was amazed to learn that in the UK people commonly refer to possessions of newborn babies as ''its.'' For example, ''Look at its face! Look how cute it is!'' In America, our aversion to using a neuter pronoun would have us saying, ''Look how cute he is!'' or, ''Look how cute she is!'' Don't you agree? I believe this is the case.
Next month: Clean Up Your Act, II: How to shorten and strengthen your sentences.
As always, I appreciate your comments. Feel free to drop me a line any time.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Selecting the Best Keywords for your Website
First, a short review of what we've already covered in past EWA issues regarding key words.
Two key terms you should be familiar with:
Search volume refers to the number of times any keyword is searched. You're looking for key words with high volumes because those are the ones a lot of people are searching on. They're popular. In a past EWA, I likened high search volume key words to busy street corners when selecting the location for a brick-and-mortar store. You want key words that get high traffic.
How do you determine the search volume of any key word or phrase? Go to Wordtracker.com (at http://www.wordtracker.com) and enter in any keyword or phrase. You'll see the number of searches per month.
Keyword difficulty refers to how many websites use any given keyword or keyword phrase. You don't want a very high difficulty score on your keywords. Why? It will indicate that you would have stiff competition from other websites using that same keyword.
You can use the SEOmoz keyword difficulty tool (at http://www.SEOmoz.com) to determine level of difficulty.
Key thought: You want your key words to rank high in volume but relatively low in difficulty score. That way you'll be offering what a lot of people want but relatively few are supplying. In the world of websites, that's a competitive advantage.
Another fact: We may often think of keywords as single words, but they are usually combinations of keywords, called keyword phrases, rather than individual key words.
Okay. Let's assume you have come up with a list of key words you want to use in your website content. Should you use them all? Not necessarily. You may want to finesse your key word phrases. Here are a few best-practice rules you can follow in choosing the best ones:
Method 1: Try using longer, more specific keyword phrases. For example, not just cars, but used cars; and not just used cars but foreign used cars. To quote The Yahoo Style Guide, a good resource in these matters, "The smaller your website and the fewer the links pointing to it, the more likely you are to need longer keyword phrases for optimal success." Another example: a doctor (a high volume term) might consider localizing with the town where he or she practices; for example, "doctor in Richmond, VA"; or even better, "general practitioner doctor in Richmond, VA," or "GP in Richmond, VA."
Method 2: Use a high-volume keyword together with a low-volume (high difficulty) key word in a single phrase to achieve a balance of volume and difficulty. For example: If you're selling science lab protozoa you might combine the common word, "free" with the less common term "protozoa." In the same way for a very different website, you might combine the high volume term "quality" with the higher difficulty term "dessert toppings" to create the keyword phrase "quality dessert toppings."
Method 3: Always consider what page you're on when deciding what key words should appear on it. Put your highest volume keywords and keyword phrases on your homepage. Put individual subject keyword phrases on your category pages. For example, a used foreign car parts website might optimize the entire site for "used foreign car parts," but it might optimize the BMW parts page with "BMW used foreign car parts" as a keyword phrase.
Next Month: How to clean up and pare down your web writing for optimal SEO results.
Two key terms you should be familiar with:
Search volume refers to the number of times any keyword is searched. You're looking for key words with high volumes because those are the ones a lot of people are searching on. They're popular. In a past EWA, I likened high search volume key words to busy street corners when selecting the location for a brick-and-mortar store. You want key words that get high traffic.
How do you determine the search volume of any key word or phrase? Go to Wordtracker.com (at http://www.wordtracker.com) and enter in any keyword or phrase. You'll see the number of searches per month.
Keyword difficulty refers to how many websites use any given keyword or keyword phrase. You don't want a very high difficulty score on your keywords. Why? It will indicate that you would have stiff competition from other websites using that same keyword.
You can use the SEOmoz keyword difficulty tool (at http://www.SEOmoz.com) to determine level of difficulty.
Key thought: You want your key words to rank high in volume but relatively low in difficulty score. That way you'll be offering what a lot of people want but relatively few are supplying. In the world of websites, that's a competitive advantage.
Another fact: We may often think of keywords as single words, but they are usually combinations of keywords, called keyword phrases, rather than individual key words.
Okay. Let's assume you have come up with a list of key words you want to use in your website content. Should you use them all? Not necessarily. You may want to finesse your key word phrases. Here are a few best-practice rules you can follow in choosing the best ones:
Method 1: Try using longer, more specific keyword phrases. For example, not just cars, but used cars; and not just used cars but foreign used cars. To quote The Yahoo Style Guide, a good resource in these matters, "The smaller your website and the fewer the links pointing to it, the more likely you are to need longer keyword phrases for optimal success." Another example: a doctor (a high volume term) might consider localizing with the town where he or she practices; for example, "doctor in Richmond, VA"; or even better, "general practitioner doctor in Richmond, VA," or "GP in Richmond, VA."
Method 2: Use a high-volume keyword together with a low-volume (high difficulty) key word in a single phrase to achieve a balance of volume and difficulty. For example: If you're selling science lab protozoa you might combine the common word, "free" with the less common term "protozoa." In the same way for a very different website, you might combine the high volume term "quality" with the higher difficulty term "dessert toppings" to create the keyword phrase "quality dessert toppings."
Method 3: Always consider what page you're on when deciding what key words should appear on it. Put your highest volume keywords and keyword phrases on your homepage. Put individual subject keyword phrases on your category pages. For example, a used foreign car parts website might optimize the entire site for "used foreign car parts," but it might optimize the BMW parts page with "BMW used foreign car parts" as a keyword phrase.
Next Month: How to clean up and pare down your web writing for optimal SEO results.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Why You Should Choose Chuck Lustig to Write All your Marketing Communications
I've been issuing these ExcitingWriting Advisories once a month for more than ten years. Faithful readers will attest that I rarely use this forum as a platform to directly hawk my wares. I would rather demonstrate mastery through thought leadership, and anyway it's a little unseemly to yell, "Chuck for sale" in a crowded, public place. It might cause a riot.
This is important: I've observed a tension between SEO web copy requirements and branding copy requirements, a tension that I am perfectly suited to leverage for the benefit of my clients.
What is this "tension?" Simply this:
SEO copy requires conventional words and groupings of words that consumers, clients or customers are likely to fill into Google search boxes. Think of them as generic words or phrases. The better the key words on your website align with the terms or words in the minds of the people you are serving, the higher your website link will rank in search engine results.
Branding often requires creative groupings of words, taglines and headlines, that are not necessarily the first words a consumer, client or customer is likely to think of when doing a Google search. This creative words often contain a surprise or secondary meaning that people commonly relate to as "clever" or "creative."
To give a few current examples:
A headline for a Korean Air ad: "Experience global networking on a whole new scale." The Google search engine doesn't know that the word "networking" is being used here as a pun—a network of aviation routes—so it throws it in with Cisco and throws it out when someone enters "networking" into the Google search box.
A headline for BNY Mellon Wealth Management: "What's that ticking sound in your portfolio?" What is a Google search engine to make of that? Will it classify BNY Mellon Wealth Management as a watch manufacturer?
My view is stark and simple: SEO web copy favors plain, straight, "uncreative" descriptions. Branding often involves superiority claims and metaphors, which are often lost on SEO search engines.
When you select Chuck Lustig as your website content creator, you get the benefit of a strategically-focused branding expert combined with the talents of an SEO web-content expert. Who better to manage the competing needs of branding and SEO content on the web? Answer: No one.
Correction
My October EWA incorrectly stated that a search engine ranks a website based in part on "the number of links to other websites" and "the websites it is linked to." Harry Lennard of Advance Web Promotions (LINK: http://www.advance-web.com/) reports that "…the linking information…is almost reversed. In fact, what is really important is the number, relevance (subject matter), and importance of the sites that are linking to your site. Anchor text, the words that are hyperlinked, is also very important. Outbound links may play a small role in SEO, but the inbound links is what really counts and everybody focuses on."
Here's the lesson: You can't boost your search engine results very much by linking to other web sites. The true test of influence and relevance on the web is how many websites link to your site.
Also, Pat Rosson questioned my use of the word "methodology" (also in last month's EWA). Why use a complicated word like that when the simpler form of the word, "method," gets the job done with fewer letters.
It seems the word "methodology" is preferred today over the word "method;" yet, unless an author is talking about a study of methods, using the word "method" is a better choice because it is a simpler word.
Next month: Keyword selection strategies.
This is important: I've observed a tension between SEO web copy requirements and branding copy requirements, a tension that I am perfectly suited to leverage for the benefit of my clients.
What is this "tension?" Simply this:
SEO copy requires conventional words and groupings of words that consumers, clients or customers are likely to fill into Google search boxes. Think of them as generic words or phrases. The better the key words on your website align with the terms or words in the minds of the people you are serving, the higher your website link will rank in search engine results.
Branding often requires creative groupings of words, taglines and headlines, that are not necessarily the first words a consumer, client or customer is likely to think of when doing a Google search. This creative words often contain a surprise or secondary meaning that people commonly relate to as "clever" or "creative."
To give a few current examples:
A headline for a Korean Air ad: "Experience global networking on a whole new scale." The Google search engine doesn't know that the word "networking" is being used here as a pun—a network of aviation routes—so it throws it in with Cisco and throws it out when someone enters "networking" into the Google search box.
A headline for BNY Mellon Wealth Management: "What's that ticking sound in your portfolio?" What is a Google search engine to make of that? Will it classify BNY Mellon Wealth Management as a watch manufacturer?
My view is stark and simple: SEO web copy favors plain, straight, "uncreative" descriptions. Branding often involves superiority claims and metaphors, which are often lost on SEO search engines.
When you select Chuck Lustig as your website content creator, you get the benefit of a strategically-focused branding expert combined with the talents of an SEO web-content expert. Who better to manage the competing needs of branding and SEO content on the web? Answer: No one.
Correction
My October EWA incorrectly stated that a search engine ranks a website based in part on "the number of links to other websites" and "the websites it is linked to." Harry Lennard of Advance Web Promotions (LINK: http://www.advance-web.com/) reports that "…the linking information…is almost reversed. In fact, what is really important is the number, relevance (subject matter), and importance of the sites that are linking to your site. Anchor text, the words that are hyperlinked, is also very important. Outbound links may play a small role in SEO, but the inbound links is what really counts and everybody focuses on."
Here's the lesson: You can't boost your search engine results very much by linking to other web sites. The true test of influence and relevance on the web is how many websites link to your site.
Also, Pat Rosson questioned my use of the word "methodology" (also in last month's EWA). Why use a complicated word like that when the simpler form of the word, "method," gets the job done with fewer letters.
It seems the word "methodology" is preferred today over the word "method;" yet, unless an author is talking about a study of methods, using the word "method" is a better choice because it is a simpler word.
Next month: Keyword selection strategies.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
How to Write SEO Content, Part III
This month I begin with a few facts about SEO copywriting, and then give you a best-practice methodology for brainstorming a long list of relevant key words. Next month, I'll describe how to select the best keywords from the list. The month after that I'll cover best practices for weaving those keywords into your web copy.
A few facts
SEO stands for search engine optimized. SEO web writing ranks high in search engine results. The higher its rank the more likely your website will flag down potential customers; the better its business value.
When a search engine decides where to rank your website given your key word choices, it may take into account more than 200 factors, some of which have nothing to do with the copy itself:
In order to determine which keywords are best for your website, prepare a keyword spreadsheet with the following headings: keyword, search volume, keyword difficulty and current ranking.
Keyword does not mean that you should only list single words here. Most of the time when people do a Google search, they enter in two or more words. Your keyword spreadsheet should reflect that fact.
Search volume refers to the number of times any given keyword was searched. You want a high-volume keyword that is relevant to your website. It's just like picking a location for a brick-and-mortar retail outlet: You want to place it on a busy corner so you have more traffic. Keywords with high search volumes are just like busy street corners.
Keyword difficulty refers to how many websites use that keyword. It is an indicator of how difficult it would be for your website to rank high in search engine results when using those keywords. You don't want a very high difficulty score on your keywords. Why? It indicates you will have stiff competition from other websites when using that keyword. You can use the SEOmoz keyword difficulty tool (at http://www.SEOmoz.com) to determine keyword difficulty.
Current ranking means exactly that: When you fill in any keyword on your current website, where does your website rank in the listings.
Important: You want your keywords to rank high in volume but low in difficulty. Finding those keywords and weaving them into your your copy gives you the best chance of materially improving your search engine rankings.
Remember: The best keywords are usually not a single word, but rather a combination of two or more words. It would not be just cars, but used cars; and it might be foreign used cars.
Here are the steps to follow in compiling your keyword spreadsheet:
1. First brainstorm a list of relevant keywords for the website. It might be helpful to go on direct competitor websites to see what keywords those organizations use. Note what words appear in the headines and subheads on each page. They are important.
2. Go on either Trellian's Keyword Discovery, Google AdWords, or the Wordtracker Keyword Research Tool. Trellian's is good. They have helpful video tutorials explaining how to use their service. http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/
3. For each keyword you enter, the tool suggests other keywords and gives a data volume. Use it as a brainstorming tool.
4. As you are brainstorming keyword possibilities, remember to think as a client, consumer or customer would when filling words into a Google search engine. For example, avoid using technical terms unless you are selling to a technical audience.
5. Chart each possible keyword or keyword phrase on your spreadsheet. This way it will quickly become apparent which keywords are searched the most and have the highest search volume but, at the same time, the lowest search difficulty.
6. Test the difficulty of your potential keywords. A common word like ''coin,'' will have a very high difficulty score, however the name of a specific coin, for example, ''Buffalo head nickel'' will have a much lower difficulty level. A website that is optimized for specific kinds of rare coins will get better results than those that use only the general term.
7. Based on the results from Keyword Discovery, begin to put together longer, more specific keyword phrases. Instead of birdcages, try ''designer birdcages,'' or ''elegant birdcages.''
8. After extensive brainstorming, look through your list of keywords for those that may be low in volume but that repeat throughout your list.
9. See if you can combine keywords that are high volume with keywords that are low volume to create just the combination you are looking for: a balance of relevance to your business and frequency of use.
Note: I've found The Yahoo! Style Guide to be an excellent resource when it comes to keyword selection methodologies.
Next month: How to select the best keywords for your website.
Novel Writing News: Over the last four months, I have rewritten my first novel and changed the title. It is now entitled, One Hour of Passionate Kissing. Literary agents have been far more receptive to my rewrite. A number have expressed interest in reading it. At this time, however, no agent has chosen to represent it.
A few facts
SEO stands for search engine optimized. SEO web writing ranks high in search engine results. The higher its rank the more likely your website will flag down potential customers; the better its business value.
When a search engine decides where to rank your website given your key word choices, it may take into account more than 200 factors, some of which have nothing to do with the copy itself:
- The number of links to other websites
- The websites it is linked to
- The rankings of those websites it is linked to
- The subject matter of those websites
- The ages of the websites it is linked to
In order to determine which keywords are best for your website, prepare a keyword spreadsheet with the following headings: keyword, search volume, keyword difficulty and current ranking.
Keyword does not mean that you should only list single words here. Most of the time when people do a Google search, they enter in two or more words. Your keyword spreadsheet should reflect that fact.
Search volume refers to the number of times any given keyword was searched. You want a high-volume keyword that is relevant to your website. It's just like picking a location for a brick-and-mortar retail outlet: You want to place it on a busy corner so you have more traffic. Keywords with high search volumes are just like busy street corners.
Keyword difficulty refers to how many websites use that keyword. It is an indicator of how difficult it would be for your website to rank high in search engine results when using those keywords. You don't want a very high difficulty score on your keywords. Why? It indicates you will have stiff competition from other websites when using that keyword. You can use the SEOmoz keyword difficulty tool (at http://www.SEOmoz.com) to determine keyword difficulty.
Current ranking means exactly that: When you fill in any keyword on your current website, where does your website rank in the listings.
Important: You want your keywords to rank high in volume but low in difficulty. Finding those keywords and weaving them into your your copy gives you the best chance of materially improving your search engine rankings.
Remember: The best keywords are usually not a single word, but rather a combination of two or more words. It would not be just cars, but used cars; and it might be foreign used cars.
Here are the steps to follow in compiling your keyword spreadsheet:
1. First brainstorm a list of relevant keywords for the website. It might be helpful to go on direct competitor websites to see what keywords those organizations use. Note what words appear in the headines and subheads on each page. They are important.
2. Go on either Trellian's Keyword Discovery, Google AdWords, or the Wordtracker Keyword Research Tool. Trellian's is good. They have helpful video tutorials explaining how to use their service. http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/
3. For each keyword you enter, the tool suggests other keywords and gives a data volume. Use it as a brainstorming tool.
4. As you are brainstorming keyword possibilities, remember to think as a client, consumer or customer would when filling words into a Google search engine. For example, avoid using technical terms unless you are selling to a technical audience.
5. Chart each possible keyword or keyword phrase on your spreadsheet. This way it will quickly become apparent which keywords are searched the most and have the highest search volume but, at the same time, the lowest search difficulty.
6. Test the difficulty of your potential keywords. A common word like ''coin,'' will have a very high difficulty score, however the name of a specific coin, for example, ''Buffalo head nickel'' will have a much lower difficulty level. A website that is optimized for specific kinds of rare coins will get better results than those that use only the general term.
7. Based on the results from Keyword Discovery, begin to put together longer, more specific keyword phrases. Instead of birdcages, try ''designer birdcages,'' or ''elegant birdcages.''
8. After extensive brainstorming, look through your list of keywords for those that may be low in volume but that repeat throughout your list.
9. See if you can combine keywords that are high volume with keywords that are low volume to create just the combination you are looking for: a balance of relevance to your business and frequency of use.
Note: I've found The Yahoo! Style Guide to be an excellent resource when it comes to keyword selection methodologies.
Next month: How to select the best keywords for your website.
Novel Writing News: Over the last four months, I have rewritten my first novel and changed the title. It is now entitled, One Hour of Passionate Kissing. Literary agents have been far more receptive to my rewrite. A number have expressed interest in reading it. At this time, however, no agent has chosen to represent it.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
How to Write SEO Content, the Sequel
Last month we covered some SEO web writing basics. A key thought: The business value of a website is directly proportional to how high it ranks in key word search engine results.
Example of SEO Business Value
Let's imagine you are a travel agent in Phoenix, AZ: If you enter ''travel agent phoenix'' into a Google search box and press enter, a key metric of your website's business value is where your link appears among the results. This is called ''PageRank.'' If your link is among the top ten, directly below the sponsored sites, then you've hit pay dirt. Your website is likely to attract hits. If it appears between link eleven and twenty, it's not as likely your website will get any hits, unless someone already knows of your travel agency and is doing a Google search in hopes of being reminded of your business name. That often happens. If the link to your website comes in twenty-first or worse, forget it. Your website has negligible business value beyond being a domain placeholder.
What are sponsored links? Businesses engage with Google for a fee to purchase certain key words and be guaranteed of getting first, second or third place listing at the very top of the search results when someone enters those key words in the Google search engine. You can think of sponsored links as paid advertisements. Anyone can purchase them.
Organic Results vs. Sponsored Results
When I'm discussing copywriting strategies designed to get your website to wind up in the top ten links, I'm talking about ''organic results,'' not ''sponsored results.''
By the way, Google Search is the search engine most often used on the World Wide Web. That's why I always refer to it.
The Role of the Spider
The question I've always wondered about and never seen explained: How does Google or any other search engine know how to spit out the correct links after someone fills in a specific key word? The answer is the spider. Google sends out spiders that search the web, randomly crawling over websites, so to speak, annotating which key words are associated with which links and storing them in a database. A search engine is nothing more than a lightning fast database that offers up its spiders' findings the instant you click on your Google search box. The World Wide Web would be virtually unusable and meaningless without search engines.
Here's an important fact that relates directly to effective web copywriting. A spider only analyzes the first 65 words on any given web page. So, make certain your key words appear within those first 65 words. You should pepper key words and key word phrases throughout the first few sentences on each web page. When key words appear 66 or more words into the page, they have no impact on PageRank.
Best Practice Methodology
Let's discuss web writing best-practice methodology for a moment. When writing a website, the first priority is to assemble a list of key words and a list of the pages the website will include. Before writing the first word of the website, the writer should understand which key words are expected to appear on each page, and, if possible, in what priority order of frequency.
Data about the frequency of use of search terms is available on Goggle Analytics, Google Adwords, Google Trends or Google Insights for Search. It makes no sense to use a key word in your web copy that is infrequently used. And it makes every bit of sense to use popular key words.
For example, my EWAs appear on the web in the form of both my Blogger blog and Wordpress blog. I know that ''SEO'' and ''web writing'' are popular key words used by folks looking for useful information and freelance copywriters. Notice which words I use in the first 67 words of this EWA.
Interesting fact: Data about the frequency of use of search terms used in Google searches have been shown to correlate with flu outbreaks and unemployment levels. Key word searches provide statistical information faster than traditional reporting methods and government surveys.
Interesting fact: The ''I'm feeling lucky'' button on the Google Search page was always meant to give users a quick method of getting results but bypassing the search engine results page with its sponsored links. I always assumed it was a branding tool designed to give an alternative to selecting a Google branded search. About one percent of the time, people prefer ''feeling lucky'' and skipping the sponsored links. In 2009 Google removed the ''I'm feeling lucky'' button for a time, and its absence sparked a public uproar.
Next month: Tactical web writing rules.
Example of SEO Business Value
Let's imagine you are a travel agent in Phoenix, AZ: If you enter ''travel agent phoenix'' into a Google search box and press enter, a key metric of your website's business value is where your link appears among the results. This is called ''PageRank.'' If your link is among the top ten, directly below the sponsored sites, then you've hit pay dirt. Your website is likely to attract hits. If it appears between link eleven and twenty, it's not as likely your website will get any hits, unless someone already knows of your travel agency and is doing a Google search in hopes of being reminded of your business name. That often happens. If the link to your website comes in twenty-first or worse, forget it. Your website has negligible business value beyond being a domain placeholder.
What are sponsored links? Businesses engage with Google for a fee to purchase certain key words and be guaranteed of getting first, second or third place listing at the very top of the search results when someone enters those key words in the Google search engine. You can think of sponsored links as paid advertisements. Anyone can purchase them.
Organic Results vs. Sponsored Results
When I'm discussing copywriting strategies designed to get your website to wind up in the top ten links, I'm talking about ''organic results,'' not ''sponsored results.''
By the way, Google Search is the search engine most often used on the World Wide Web. That's why I always refer to it.
The Role of the Spider
The question I've always wondered about and never seen explained: How does Google or any other search engine know how to spit out the correct links after someone fills in a specific key word? The answer is the spider. Google sends out spiders that search the web, randomly crawling over websites, so to speak, annotating which key words are associated with which links and storing them in a database. A search engine is nothing more than a lightning fast database that offers up its spiders' findings the instant you click on your Google search box. The World Wide Web would be virtually unusable and meaningless without search engines.
Here's an important fact that relates directly to effective web copywriting. A spider only analyzes the first 65 words on any given web page. So, make certain your key words appear within those first 65 words. You should pepper key words and key word phrases throughout the first few sentences on each web page. When key words appear 66 or more words into the page, they have no impact on PageRank.
Best Practice Methodology
Let's discuss web writing best-practice methodology for a moment. When writing a website, the first priority is to assemble a list of key words and a list of the pages the website will include. Before writing the first word of the website, the writer should understand which key words are expected to appear on each page, and, if possible, in what priority order of frequency.
Data about the frequency of use of search terms is available on Goggle Analytics, Google Adwords, Google Trends or Google Insights for Search. It makes no sense to use a key word in your web copy that is infrequently used. And it makes every bit of sense to use popular key words.
For example, my EWAs appear on the web in the form of both my Blogger blog and Wordpress blog. I know that ''SEO'' and ''web writing'' are popular key words used by folks looking for useful information and freelance copywriters. Notice which words I use in the first 67 words of this EWA.
Interesting fact: Data about the frequency of use of search terms used in Google searches have been shown to correlate with flu outbreaks and unemployment levels. Key word searches provide statistical information faster than traditional reporting methods and government surveys.
Interesting fact: The ''I'm feeling lucky'' button on the Google Search page was always meant to give users a quick method of getting results but bypassing the search engine results page with its sponsored links. I always assumed it was a branding tool designed to give an alternative to selecting a Google branded search. About one percent of the time, people prefer ''feeling lucky'' and skipping the sponsored links. In 2009 Google removed the ''I'm feeling lucky'' button for a time, and its absence sparked a public uproar.
Next month: Tactical web writing rules.
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