When websites go wrong

Earlier on today, our homepage went decidedly wonky. Not ideal, as we'd just tweeted out a request for people to vote for us in the Drum 2012 Freelance Survey. (You can vote for Blackad if the fancy takes you.)

After a bit of detective work - and some laser-guided coding advice from David at Mayfield Digital - we got it sorted. Or rather, we took down the blog feed on our homepage.

Why? Because the feed from Blogger.com had temporarily started spewing out dodgy HTML, with missing close tags and all sorts.

We then got all over Twitter and Linkedin to tell people what was wrong; a web copywriter with a broken website isn't going to be your first choice.

It's all fixed now - the problem was solved almost as quickly as it appeared. Now all we need to do is shore up some of the old links on our 'work' page, and the old site should see us through until the relaunch in March.

Fixed?

Sorry folks - a little test to see if Blogger is playing nicely again. It was feeding broken HTML to our website, causing all sorts of horror.

A little test

So, our homepage is broken. This is just a little test to see if a new blog post sorts it out.

Wish us luck.

Vote Blackad. Or we start chopping off fingers.

No pressure. Really.

But if you want to stop David from taking the butter knife to my digits, you need to do EXACTLY as I say:

1. Visit the Drum's 2012 Freelance Survey
2. Vote for Blackad
3. Rest a while, knowing you've done your bit

Of course, David accepts cash bribes too. But it's easier just to vote for us. Wouldn't you say?

Abandon site

It's a bit embarrassing. After being the first people we knew to have a blog, we let the old girl fall into disrepair. She's not been updated in over two years. In fact, the whole website's looking a bit tired.

Why we didn't blog. Why we're starting again.

We've not been sitting around: in fact, we've just been outrageously busy. And, to be honest, a little complacent: when the work's rolling in, what's the point in creating even more demand?

That last question almost answers itself: the point is to remind people what you do (write big websites, in our case), show our expertise (financial services, retail, leisure, tech and whisky) and change minds when people have us pigeonholed.

New site. New ways.

Built to work beautifully on mobile, our new site will be the sum of everything we've been banging on about for the last ten years. For a web copywriter's site, it's very graphic. It's also very usable and accessible - something else we're militant about.

It's due in March (yes, 2012).

Survey - coming your way soon

We're preparing a load of blog posts and guides - exploring how agencies and clients can get the most from their digital copy. So that means no tripe in the style of 'Top 10 SEO mistakes you're probably making'. Instead, we'll take a very considered look at the problems our clients tell us they need to solve.

But we want to know what you think too. Are you haunted by the same planning issues, project after project? Are your agency and your writing team at odds over copy length? What's the best way to get briefs from your product specialists?

We're going to post a very quick online survey to find out what you need.

Should be an eye-opener.

What's changed in the last seven years?

Although Blackad has been around since 1999, it became a full-time operation in 2002. Which got me thinking: what's the one thing that should have changed in those seven years, but hasn't?

Easy - many clients still start with copy from a printed brochure, leaflet (or whatever) and try to massage it into a website. While it might be appropriate for some clients, for many this is an expensive way to create mediocre websites.

To create a killer website, you need a robust structure and endless discipline. You need to really understand the labels the customer needs to see, and the journeys they're going to take on your site. Not so on a brochure - which can often feel lacking in logic and coherence.

Obviously, some brochures are corking. But many are overly long - to me, they end up feeling like an answer in search of a question.

Start with the website, and you impose rigour - a steely minsdet that will help you create the offline material (like brochures) that needs to work alongside the website. Oh, and it tends to be cheaper too.

Limited - but only by name

Since 1999, Blackad has been ticking along quite nicely as a sole trading business. However, becoming an employer made us realise we had to change.

So, we've simply rolled the old business into the snappily-named Blackad Ltd. You'll find all the details on our contact page - including our company registration number and VAT number.

We've also got a new bank account for the limited company. Interesting? No. But definitely good to know if you're thinking of sending us a large sum of monies by BACS.

Gold bullion should simply be delivered to the usual address.

Twenty fingers at your service

Say hello to David Atkinson - Blackad's new senior web copywriter.

David was the sole survivor of our sadistic recruitment process. Although he didn't have to bathe in a pool of maggots or snack on bush tucker canapes, he did have to complete the gruelling Blackad copy test.

David can rightly claim to be Scotland's Mr Web Copywriting - he's worked with online copy for yonks. He's also got a great background in financial services, which is handy.

But the hiring spree doesn't end with David.

We're looking to add to the team in 2009 - bringing in another experienced web copywriter and a trainee writer as well. Not just yet though. So hold onto your CVs, my recruitment consultant friends.

Bubble wrap frenzy

We're in. After six years running Blackad out of a home office, we've moved into our new premises at 106 Hope Street in Glasgow.

We're sharing a space with the wonderfully named folks at Good Creative, which means we can talk about scamps, kerning and leading without too many eyes glazing over.

New offices. New email hosts. New phone system.

With our hiring frenzy in reasonably full swing, I've been taking care of the more mudane tasks - in preparation for the move out of the home office and into a Glasgow city centre location.

We're looking to move in with another creative business, and the initial discussions look very promising indeed. Of course, if you have some space you'd like to fill, contact us for a chat.

I've also moved all of our landlines over to internet (otherwise known as VOIP) phones. There's no change for most customers - they still call 0845 838 0612 or fax 0845 838 0614. However, if you call our land-that-time-forgot number (0141 571 8307), you'll hear a polite request to call the other number instead.

Email's moving too - partly due to an uncharacteristic but scary issue with our hosts last week. When all your emails start bouncing back as undeliverable, it's time to take drastic action. Again, there's no real change for customers - but our virtual team will soon be able to share task lists and calendars.

OK - I realise it's all a bit dull, but these are the necessary evils of making the shift from the back bedroom to the bright lights of a G1 postcode.

Yes. There are great copywriters out there.

I'm going through all the applications for our Senior Web Copywriter role at the moment, and the quality is reassuringly high. When I tried to hire someone in 2006, we had a great shortlist - but the longlist was a bit variable. In saying that, we were a lot more precise this time around.

If you applied, we'll be in touch by the end of 3 September 2008.

Can you write better copy than this?

I've got a web copywriter job advertised over on my website. Despite bringing on a great writer on contract and relying on another cracking freelancer, Blackad is still working flat out to get through all the work that's coming our way.

My theory is that the ecomomic gloom is forcing marketing departments to switch their spend to the medium that delivers the most results for the smallest spend. That'll be the web.

So, if you're a talented copywriter that works in agency or in-house, have a look at the ad.

And please don't look too closely at the work on the site. We're under some pretty strict confidentiality and intellectual property restrictions with some of our clients. Let's just say that we've been working on some monster sites, and there are plenty more to come.

>> View the web copywriter job ad

Cobbler's child Mk II - the web copywriter's tale

The lovely people at Line have just relaunched their website, and rather handsome it is too. (Nicely done, chaps.)

This has got me thinking about my main web copywriting website, and I'm in the middle of mapping out the information architecture for a major update.

Don't get me wrong - the site has served me well in the four-or-so years it's been up there. But the business has moved beyond the constraints of the navigation, and now seems like a good time to redevelop the whole shebang.

I'm obviously going to dedicate a large portion of the site to my web copywriting courses, but I also want to make more of my portfolio. That's because I've worked on some monstrously large sites that I've not even uploaded to the portfolio section, which is a bit embarrassing.

But what I'd really like to do is come up with an IA as impressive as Line's - something that encapsulates what Blackad does from the reader's very first glimpse at the page. (My good friends at The Usability Lab have offered to help - thanks Simon.)

I'm also determined not to go down the route of constructing the whole site as a blog; that just doesn't feel right for the people I want to reach.

And of course, it'll have to be pretty.

As well as redeveloping the IA, I'm also going to completely refresh the content on the existing site. This may seem insane, but I want to test out some of my new ideas (and content) before site relaunches for real. Prepare yourselves for a torrent of activity.