Web copywriting - the good and the not-so-good

When websites go wrong

2012-01-26T23:12:00.004Z

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?

2012-01-26T17:06:00.002Z

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

2012-01-26T16:45:00.002Z

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.

2012-01-26T16:04:00.002Z

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:

Visit the Drum's 2012 Freelance Survey
Vote for Blackad
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

2012-01-21T15:47:00.004Z

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?

2009-09-24T09:51:00.003+01:00

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

2008-12-10T14:48:00.002Z

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

2008-12-10T14:37:00.002Z

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

2008-12-10T14:32:00.002Z

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.

2008-09-01T11:50:00.002+01:00

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.

2008-09-01T11:46:00.003+01:00

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?

2008-08-09T19:15:00.003+01:00

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

2008-03-07T23:52:00.003Z

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.

No writing. Just training.

2007-08-17T17:43:00.001+01:00

Am I busy at the moment? You could say that. I'm working on two huge financial services web copywriting projects, and I've just picked up a massive training job as well. So that's nice.

Unfortunately, the only way I can hope to deliver all this is to shut off the new business tap until November. This means I won't be taking on any new copywriting clients until the storm has passed. So if you were thinking about hiring me for that massive website re-write project - sorry.

The order book is full.

However, the copywriting training side of Blackad is still very much open for business. In fact, I'm going to make an announcement about the courses we run in the near future. (No, we're not about to offer belly dancing classes.)

Free web copywriting seminar - Glasgow

2007-06-20T22:19:00.000+01:00

What are you doing on Tuesday June 26? I've been asked by the Scottish Usability Professionals' Association (SUPA) to give a talk on web copywriting at Scottish Enterprise's HQ in Glasgow. We only run a couple of these evenings every year, and they tend to be pretty popular.

The fee for non-members is just (£10).

There. Plug over.

>> Book your place on the SUPA website

Copy on the road to nowhere

2007-05-30T11:04:00.000+01:00

My heart always sinks when I'm told I need to create 'filler' copy for a website. You know the kind of thing: the layout demands a few lines to sit above some panels, or a landing page needs to state the blindingly obvious because the site architecture is a little creaky.

Ask any usability or eye tracking expert, and they'll tell you that people only read copy that moves them on their journey or gives them the information they were looking for. So fluffy intro copy goes unloved and unread.

Which, although a little depressing for copywriters, isn't a problem in its own right. However, when you consider the value of the screen real estate - especially on home pages and landing pages - it's a criminal waste. Add in the complexities of persuading a customer to actually complete a task on your website, and filler copy becomes a real liability.

My advice is to cull copy which doesn't sell or inform. That might sound brutal, but the creeping tentacles of empty copy need to be hacked at and lopped until they submit.

Otherwise, you could be left with a wordy but underperforming website.

Email address horrors

2006-11-22T09:39:00.000Z

When I first launched the new Blackad website in 2004, I wanted to make sure it balanced up decent copywriting with visibility on the search engines. One way of doing that is to put search terms into email addresses. You know, if you are a baked bean expert, your email address might be bakedbeanexpert@blackad.co.uk

I also wanted to filter enquiries from the website - so web copywriting courses would go to one email address, and consultancy enquiries would go to another address. You get the idea.

It got a bit out of hand.

There were around eight different email addresses on the website. And rather than set these up as separate accounts, I just had them funnel into my main email address - which acted as a catch-all account. That was fine for about a year.

But with the relentless march of spam, my inbox was getting clogged up with bad people who guess your email address. It's the same technique used by people who spam your free webmail account: they probably don't know your name, and instead just send out educated guesses of email addresses. If there's not a bighairyarmpit162@hotmail.com, here's bound to be a bighairyarmpit161@hotmail.com. Guess enough addresses and the spam will get through.

So I've just purged the email addresses on my website, and killed the catch-all address. If a nasty spammer tries to guess an email address on my domain, they'll get absolutely nowhere. And my inbox will be free again.

The good news is that the purge seems to be working. This morning I still received a little spam - eight emails - but my host's anti-spam sent them all to my spam folder. Hurrah.

My advice is this: don't have a catch-all email address on your website, and reduce to an absolute minimum the number of email addresses published on your site. It's good for customers too - they don't even have to think about where to contact you.

Which is the best reason of all for sorting the email addresses on your website.

Why have I been so quiet?

2006-11-20T15:37:00.001Z

Don't worry - I've not had a nasty accident (I drive a Volvo). And my health is fine. So the reason for the infrequent blog postings? In one word: work.

On the front page of the Blackad website, I publish a list of what I'm up to at the moment. And right now, that list is dominated by one big project for a seriously large bank.

I've got a couple of other things on the go: a website for a hotel group, as well as ongoing copy for a global web-based brand and a big name in social networking. But it's the bank project that's going to keep me busy into 2007.

The plan is to use this bank project as a bit of breathing space to refresh the Blackad site and refocus the kind of business I take on. We've had a huge amount of success with our web copywriting seminars - as well as our traditional copywriting training courses. Expect to see more on this soon.

I'm going to get back to blogging as often as possible, if only to write down the good stuff I happen upon. See you soon. Or - at the very least - sooner than usual.

People can be very kind

2006-11-20T15:32:00.000Z

I just wanted to say "thanks very much" to Tommy for pointing out a problem with the website. Without getting all technical, the place where we host this blog (Blogger) publishes code which we republish on the main Blackad website. Something funny had happened, which meant the blog postings on my website looked very odd indeed. But I've fixed it now.

Cheers Tommy.

If you don't care, don't call me

2006-08-04T19:42:00.000+01:00

I took a call this week from a prospective new client. He wanted me to re-write some pages of his (frankly dire) website. It was a personal injury claims/compensation business. You get the idea.

Now, this person wanted to see how effective my copywriting was, but wasn't prepared to look at some of the other issues dragging down his conversion rates. Like a page template from the mutant sales-letter school of design. Or the spammy copy on many of the other pages. Not to mention the appalling SEO, which got in the way of the reader understanding what was being sold.

So I've politely turned the job down. Frankly, the personal injury claims industry isn't something I really want to get involved in promoting. But the main reason was that this prospective client was looking to judge my worth based on the impact of new copy for three or four pages.

That's like repairing the radio on a car with a blown engine. Sure, it'll be a slightly better car, but the neighbours will still laugh at you as you attempt to start it in the morning.

So please, if you're thinking of tinkering with the copy on your site, take the time to step back and make sure there aren't other areas getting in the way of your site's success. And if something really is broken, don't be tempted to put a sticking plaster over the most obvious parts.

Customers aren't stupid - on the web you'll soon get found out. And your attempts at emergency repairs will have been in vain.

No luck with hiring a new copywriter

2006-07-11T15:07:00.000+01:00

Unfortunately I've not managed to hire the person I was looking for in the recent recruitment frenzy. The person I really wanted has decided to go on a five month world tour instead of plunging straight back into the world of work.

Many of the other applicants were good, but not quite in the same league as this person. And I'm simply not willing to compromise on what will be the most important hiring decision I ever make.

So here are my options:

1. Carry on as before - as a one-person company (I'd rather not... it's too busy)
2. Change the shape of the business (I'd refocus on a particular sector or service)
3. Hire a graduate (with all the ensuing investment in training)
4. Hire someone really experienced (probably through a recruitment consultancy)
5. Bring a partner into the business (obviously a very experienced copywriter)

If you're an experienced copywriter working in an agency - or a freelancer who feels a bit lonely - drop me a line at work@blackad.co.uk

You never know, it could be the most important email you ever send.

To optimise, or not to optimise?

2006-07-11T15:01:00.000+01:00

I'm just finishing off some web copy for a luxury gift retailer. The problem is with the optimisation: generic terms (like, er, 'luxury gifts) aren't going to give us much success against the competition. Instead, I'm focusing on the individual items, some of which are made by very well-known names.

The idea is simple: rather than an unsophisticated blanket approach, this is optimisation as it should be - targeted. However, we're still going to have a crack at using some of those generic term (as well as optimising for the site name). When the site goes live in August, I'll let you know how well it worked.

It's Friday, so I must be hiring

2006-06-02T09:04:00.000+01:00

Well, the applications for the web copywriter job have been coming in nicely, thanks very much.

It's been on The Drum's job pages for a week, and the printed version of The Drum hits the desks of Scotland's copywriters today. (After, of course, it's been around the rest of the agency - and picked up some weird food stains along the way.)

The plan is to sift through the new applicants on Monday and Tuesday, then send out a copy test to everyone who makes it past the first cut. The copy test will go out next week.
Wish me luck.

Let's have a heated debate

2006-06-02T08:59:00.000+01:00

When was the last time you spent the best part of three hours debating the finer points of structuring one area of a new website? For me, the answer is "yesterday", as I was involved in a meeting to kick off a monster of a project.

It made me realise this kind of planning and challenging just doesn't happen often enough with new websites. The proof will be in the copywriting, but I came away from the meeting thinking that some people really do care about this stuff - and that's what makes the difference.

I'm hiring. At last.

2006-05-08T14:53:00.000+01:00

Finally, my new office is ready to welcome another copywriter into the Blackad fold. I tried to hire someone last year, but gave up due to horrible delays in the building work.

But after that embarrasing false start, I really am ready - salary in the bank, work in the order book and shiny desks arriving from the office furniture people. And about 40Gb of righteous music on iTunes.

So, if you know anyone who might be interested, get them to read my recruitment ad for a copywriter.

No. Sorry. I can't write your website.

2006-03-08T12:37:00.000Z

I've blogged before about my little availability guide on my homepage. The idea is to give people a realistic idea of when they can expect me to start working on any new projects.

At the moment, the date is racked right back until 18 April. This probably looks a little disingenuous - can he really be as busy? Well, yes - he can. What can I say? People want web copywriting courses and website copy.

And the strange thing is, I initially worried that the "No new work until..." date would turn away good business. If anything though, it's had the opposite effect.

This got me to thinking about restaurants. Strange, I know.

Quail eggs vs. web copywriting
There's a weird decision-making process that takes over when I try to decide where to eat if I'm in an unfamiliar place. Of course, I'll try to get recommendations or read reviews - but that's not always possible, especially if I'm travelling on business.

Nope - what I do is traipse around the restaurants and see which ones look busy. In fact, I'd actually choose a busy restaurant over one with a more impressive menu, or more reasonably-priced dishes.

I think my prospective customers are doing the same - rationalising that because I'm busy, I must be good. Which means I get busier. Of course, it helps that I am actually quite good at what I do.

How to use this in your website
People buy from busy suppliers. Make sure your website tells your customers what you're up to at the moment. It helps them understand the kind of work you do - and shows that you're in demand. A bit like looking into the window of a busy restaurant.

How to use this in your emails
Although I don't tell people my "No new work until..." date in my emails, I've got into the habit of including links to my most recent web copywriting projects. At the moment, these are:

It's not about bragging rights or anything like that. It's simply a way of letting people have a look at what I've been up to. And it's amazing how many times new clients want to borrow an idea from a site I've worked on in the past.

2006-03-01T09:45:00.000Z

What's 18th century author Tobias Smollett got to do with copywriting for the web? Not a lot, as it happens. Except that I can't get the name of his first novel out of my head when I look at my site statistics.

While most people are searching for things you'd expect (like "web copywriting course") the occassional term leaps out of the page due to its sheer oddness. In the first of a series of characteristically irregular updates, here are the most oddly random search terms which led readers to my website over the last fortnight:

"snooker halls in Aylesbury"

..which is closely followed by:

"Glasgow Burberry"

A bit of digging around reveals the first term is tucked away in a PDF of a brochure I wrote a few years ago - and the second in a gateway page I use to capture people looking for a copywriter in Glasgow. (If you need me to bring my chib to the next briefing session, just ask)

Be careful what you blog

2006-02-08T21:13:00.000Z

I met one of my clients this week to take a brief on editing the copy on their (fairly chunky) website. My client had obviously done his homework by checking up on this here blog - but thankfully the only offending comments he could find were my obsession with Volvo Car Corporation.

In the immoral words of Dudley Moore, "They're boxy but they're safe".

I actually have fond memories of reading David Abbott's 1980s ads for Volvo when I was growing up. Maybe it's a Sunday supplement, middle-class thing, but Abbott's copy really connected with me. I still rave about the tone of voice in these ads today. And much as I admire Innocent Drinks, I find their copy style artlessly copied by lesser brands. David Abbot did something different, and his copy really stands out as belonging to the brand.

The long-winded moral? If you're going to blog, be prepared to take a hammering over your choice of automobile.

I may be gone for quite some time

2006-02-08T21:03:00.000Z

Well, the new business roll continues - with a couple of corking web copywriting wins that I'm not quite at liberty to disclose. At least not yet.

What I can say is that while I've been writing about web technology in education for the last couple of weeks, the next month or so is going to be spent editing another education website - but for a different client.

Then March looks like being taken up with web copywriting for a legal service. Oh, and then I go to Applecross for two weeks of pristine isolation in the West Highlands of Scotland.

The new business wins aren't really news in themselves. What's interesting is that almost every project that lands in my inbox is web copywriting of one flavour or another. And about time too - I've been banging the browser about this for years, and it seems clients really are shifting their attention to the web.

In the meantime, expect the "No new work until..." area of my website to look increasingly off-putting for new clients

How much is that web copywriter in the window?

2006-01-28T01:28:00.000Z

On Friday, a prospective client contacted me through a freelance listings website. She wanted to know my daily and hourly rate. I obliged, but mentioned that the rates are really irrelevant. What most clients want is a price for the job, not a price per unit of time. Otherwise, they end up paying for the web copywriter's inefficiency.

Anyhow, I got an email back saying I was too expensive. Hi-ho. However, I emailed the prospective client again, explaining that because I've been doing this for around 11 years, I'm actually pretty quick.

She kindly relented, and promised to send me some material which I can use to start putting a quote together. The moral? If you're a web copywriter, make sure prospective clients understand how much the job will cost - not how expensive your day rate is.

Usability, web copywriting and the real world

2006-01-26T14:20:00.000Z

I was out visiting a prospective client yesterday, and the team were happy to share the results of some recent usability studies on their current website.

I'd already had a look at their site before the meeting, and there were no real surprises in the report. All the usual suspects were there:

people didn't know where a link would take them
tone of voice was dull and partonising in parts
content was arranged by type, not subject
content was about policy and background, as opposed to real world information

Anyway, it was incredibly interesting to see people comment on the tone of voice, and describe how they'd struggled to find the information they needed. Priceless stuff.

It then struck me that most clients don't involve their web copywriter in this way. OK, maybe that's because most new websites aren't built on the back thorough usability testing - but it was great to see everything being done properly.

Usability - what the web does well
All this got me to thinking about usability in the car journey back to my office. The thing is, most big websites these days are ridiculously easy to use. It seems the efforts of Jakob Nielsen and the User Interface Engineering people have had a real effect.

OK - so we all still happen upon appalling website. For example, my 68 year old step-father recently asked me to book a couple of holidays for him. These were very expensive trips, and yet there was no summary if the itinerary on the "make a payment" page. In other words, there was no way of telling if we'd made a mistake entering the trip dates, and were perhaps about to pay thousands for the wrong holiday.

Result? We had to start the whole process again - V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y.

Web usability vs. real world usability
I've often trumpeted the claim that it's easier to accomplish some tasks by talking to a person over the phone or turning up in person - as opposed to using a website. Take filing my UK tax return for example. For me, it's easier to hand everything to my accountant. The alternative is to request security PIN numbers, create accounts and all sorts of other nonsense.

Real world=easier.

I'm sure this will change. And don't get me wrong - the web is fantastic for some tasks, like comparing car insurance quotations, buying airline flights (gotta love BA.com) and even comparing the price of new cars.

Some products are a pig to use
Hang on a minute. It's not just the web that has problems. Some real world products are horribly difficult to use.

Petrol usability horrors
Want an example? I pulled into a petrol station today, waiting a good while to get a pump on the same side as my petrol cap. The customer in front of me couldn't get the first pump to work, so he edged his car forward to the next one. I moved forward too, then got out of the car to ask him if the pump was faulty. He said it wasn't pumping any petrol - but it looked like the second pump was proving just as reluctant.

Then I noticed a sign on both these pumps: "PRE-PAY PUMPS ONLY. MAKE PAYMENT BEFORE PUMPING FUEL"... or words to that bureaucratic effect. By this time, the first customer has given up. I go into the petrol station and speak to the cashier. I ask how this works. She tells me I have to pay in advance (buying, say, Â£30 of petrol...)

"Oh", I say, "does it just stop pumping when I've reached Â£30, then?". Some chance. In fact, you have to pump the precise amount that you've paid for - and we all know how tricky that is. Go under the amount and you've paid too much. Go over and you have to hot-foot it back to the cashier to settle the balance.

Bonkers.

How on earth is that good for the customer? First of all, the sign on the pump didn't include clear instructions - and it wasn't flagged-up at all when I joined the queue of cars. Thinking about the web, it's a bit like not showing where a link will take you - then confusing the heck out of the customer with an unfamiliar procedure.

Toshiba Gigabeat
I bought a Toshiba Gigabeat MP3 player last summer - after years of resisting an iPod.

I liked the fact that it had a large hard drive, colour screen and neat design. The sound quality is fabulous too.

Oh, and I was really keen on downloading tracks from Napster using Napster-to-go. This is a subscription service: for around £15 per month, you can download as much legal music as your hard drive can carry. The only downside (and it's a big one) is that you can only listen to this music if you keep paying the subscription.

Getting tracks onto the Gigabeat is a grim affair. The Toshiba software is prone to crashing, even on my brand new high-spec PC. And as for transferring the tracks from Napster? Horrible. Slow, painful and inconsistent - it was more trouble than it was worth. I just want to download my music onto the PC and have my MP3 player sync with it automatically. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so.

And another thing - the Gigabeat's menu system isn't intuitive in the slightest. After a bit of practice I can get it working pretty well, but other family members find it a chore. For me, an MP3 player should be easy to use straight out of the box. Needless to say, the Gigabeat's now on eBay. Once it's sold, I'm buying a video iPod.

Rant over
Maybe the petrol station owner and Toshiba should go on a web usability course. Because just as I don't re-visit poor websites, I won't be using customer-confusing petrol stations or MP3 players again.

Web copywriter - some optimisation lessons

2006-01-24T21:39:00.000Z

Lots of the pages on my site are optimised for the phrase "web copywriter". Handily enough, this means my main website usually ranks in the top three for the Google search engine results page for this phrase. Sweet.

Clients often ask what they can do to improve their rankings after I've written their search optimised copy. Well, here goes with some thoughts.

Inbound links from relevant sites
The most obvious answer is this: get some good quality (and relevant) sites linking in to yours. In some sectors, it's simply enough to contact friendly site owners and suggest a bit of reciprocal linking. The key here is to choose sites with a high Google PageRank - and which have content really closely related to your sector.

The name of the link text the linking site uses is really important. If you sell amber necklaces , a perfect inbound link to your site would look like this:

Pol Store Amber necklaces

There are other ways of doing it, but the main point here is that the link term you want to optimise for is in the link text itself.

Help the search engines and directories help you
I won't get into the whole "when to submit your site/when not" debate. However, there are a couple of big search engines and directories where you really need to submit your site details. These are:

DMOZ (which forms part of the Google Directory)
Yahoo

Another tool you should consider is the Google Sitemap. This is a brain-free way of sending all the relevant pages in your site to Google, and finding out what Google makes of your site. Very handy. This also contradicts my usual advice to avoid submitting your site to Google. In the past, sites that Google found by itself received a higher ranking than ones people had actively submitted.

Last of all - keep it clean, folks
Lastly, and most obviously, you need to keep working that site in order to climb up the rankings. Remove deadwood; publish fresh news; add new pages - you get the idea.

Obviously there's a whole lot more you should do - like keeping track of the competition and reviewing your search phrases. In fact just the three little projects on this post should keep you busy for days. Just remember to keep things in proportion, and have a little patience while the directories and search engines get to know your site.

The results will be well worth the wait.

Will Google AdSense make you rich?

2006-01-20T14:40:00.000Z

As you can see, I've decided to bolt some Google AdSense ads onto my blog. The reason? Believe it or not, I'm not just in it for the money. If my experience of selling Amazon titles on my copywriting books page is anything to go by, I can expect a steady trickle of income over the months. That's "trickle", folks - not "unremitting deluge of cash"

Or to put it another way, the Porsche Cayman will just have to wait.

It's really just there as a test, and it gives me a really quick way of seeing how many impressions my blog pages are getting. (I run a proper analytics package on the main Blackad website - and it's nice to get some reliable stats on the blog too)

Let me know what you think. Do the ads detract from the blog?

The ads are about as far as I'm prepared to push the blog. It's main purpose is a way of venting my spleen, and sharing some interesting information I've picked up along the way.

I sure as hell won't start endorsing weird "become a copywriter in four hours" programmes that you see some other web copywriters enmeshed in. No way.

My programme will turn you into a copywriting genius in just two hours.

Search - what's going on?

2006-01-19T22:55:00.000Z

As as web copywriter, I've been offering search engine optimisation with my regular copywriting for the last couple of years. But it seems to have really taken off in the last few months.

The reasons? From the BBC News website to Time Magazine, search engine optimisation is now a legitimate subject for the mainstream media.

But there's another important reason. As I see it, many clients are going through the process of replacing an old (usually Flash-only) website, and are discovering why they performed so badly on the search engine results pages.

(FACT: one leading Scottish design consultancy doesn't even appear on the results pages for Google - even if you search for their very unusual name, and the city they're based in. Bonkers.)

The result? Almost every client is now asking for at least some search engine optimisation along with their web copywriting. For me, it's as good as it gets: a service where clients don't just get a warm glow, but a measurable result that's down to web copywriting and web copywriting alone.

Of course, I don't pretend to offer some of the more specialist search engine optimisation services - such as link building campaigns, or cleaning HTML code. But if a site's built properly, and the client follows my link building guidelines, the results are almost invariably very good indeed.

Oh, and I get to send a slightly bigger invoice to the client. Yippee.

Honesty box

2005-11-23T13:56:00.000Z

As you might have noticed from the Blackad homepage, I've taken to letting people know what I'm working on at the moment. Over the last few months, I've also started publishing the first date that I can take on new work. There's a gem of an idea here. Let me explain.

I'm really making the effort to explain to clients exactly what they can expect when they hire Blackad to do their web copywriting. That means examples of my work, client testimonials and the like. I think it also means giving people an idea of when they can expect their work. Makes sense, doesn't it?

It also helps protect the web copywriting projects I'm working on at the moment. The truth is that it's all too easy to say you'll squeeze in a little job here and a quick job there - usually work that the client needs yesterday. These rush jobs invariably jostle with the big jobs that have been booked in for a while - which isn't very clever.

By nailing a notice to the homepage, hopefully everyone will know what to expect. New clients will realise that I'm genuinely busy, and not being sniffy if I can't turn their work around in a day or two. And existing clients will realise that I take their work so seriously that I'm willing to put up an "out to lunch" sign while I'm finishing their copy.

Oh, and there's more honesty to come. I'm finishing off some amends to the website, which will introduce a brand new section and move around a few pages into the bargain. The new section will allow people to pay instantly by credit or debit card - and that means publishing fixed prices for certain types of work.

Price lists on a copywriter's website? You must be joking.

Suck it and see in Edinburgh

2005-09-16T15:07:00.000+01:00

I've been up to my eyeballs over the last couple of months, which explains the lack of posting. Sorry.

One site that kept me busy was for some luxurious accommodation in Edinburgh. The apartment (and the website) is owned by the very lovely Debbie and Philip. Despite having more strings to their bow than Leonardo da Vinci and Stevie Wonder combined, they didn't know too much about the web.

I did some pretty hefty keyword research on Wordtracker to get the whole shebang right from the start. Now all we have to do is wait and see what Google has to say.

Nerve wracking, isn't it?

Applicants beware

2005-09-16T14:54:00.000+01:00

You probably haven't missed our plea to hire a web copywriter. Well, the trawling is over - and I'm now ready to send all our copy test to all the not-so-lucky people on the shortlist.

So, if you applied, blank out some time in your diary. And be prepared to sweat a little.

Where did all the good web copywriters go?

2005-08-19T08:36:00.000+01:00

Web copywriting training is a big part of our business. So we're always on the scout for well-written websites - to help our delegates see how it should be done.

And here's the problem: when it comes to copywriting, there aren't that many great websites out there.

I keep going back to the same old sites, and trust me, I've tried to find more recent examples. (Zopa and Skype aside, there's not much happening out there)

So what's the reason for all this mediocre copy? I think lots of site owners still go down the "let's shove our brochure copy on the web" route. They know it's wrong, but with time and budget pressure, it's an easy way out.

Then there's the fact that most web design consultancies don't have in-house copywriters. How weird is this? Not that weird at all, if you think about it. Although copy is the stuff people come to a site to see, it doesn't take long to write even quite a substantial website. So what's the point in having an in-house writer you might only use for one week out of four?

That's why I started in business in the first place - to offer a sensible alternative. Each year, more and more clients hook into the idea of letting an experienced web copywriter loose on their site.

Then again, an even greater number of sites are flung together without a writer getting within editing distance of the copy.

Which, I guess, means I need to get out there and tell the world about the joy of web copywriting. I may be gone for quite some time.

(JUST LIKE THE PREVIOUS POST, I'VE HAD TO RE-PUBLISH THIS ONE. BLAME THE SPAMMER WHO POSTED JUNK IN REPLY TO A COUPLE OF POSTS)

Still looking to hire a web copywriter

2005-08-19T08:33:00.000+01:00

I'll keep this short. Business is booming and I need another copywriter to join me in Glasgow, Scotland.

You'll need to have worked as a copywriter in an agency (ad, design or marketing) for at least two years. I might just consider you if you've worked client-side, but you'll need a fabulous portfolio.

he job is office-based, although you'll be able to work from home for some of the time. It's a permanent, full-time job. However, part-time might be an option. Wages = good. Bonus = amazing.

You can apply through the Blackad website. End of shameless advertisement. Normal blogging will be resumed as soon as possible.

(I HAD TO REPOST THIS TODAY BECAUSE SOME ARTLESS FOOL POSTED SPAM AS A REPLY TO THIS POST. DOLT. THANKS TO GEORGE FOR POINTING IT OUT)

Web copywriting course - a case study on search engine optimisation

2005-06-13T10:38:00.000+01:00

Search engine copywriting is full of lots of rules. (My "web copywriter Scotland" post gives you an idea). There's lots to know - from how many times you repeat a keyword to getting links to your site and choosing your keywords in the first place.

So I thought I'd share some results from one of my own pages - on web copywriting courses.

These are real, live workshops - built from scratch for each and every client. In other words, we're not peddling ebooks or distance learning courses. And there lies the first problem - my research tells me I need to get found by people searching for "web copywriting course" and similar phrases. But with all this competition, it could be tough.

So here's what I did:

Worked hard to build a list of key phrases (like "web copywriting course") that I can prove people are searching for
Asked some clients what phrases they'd use to find a course
Whittled down the list to just three key phrases per page of my website
Wrote a clear and descriptive page title which uses these key phrases
Wrote a meta description which tells the reader what to expect when they click from a search engine results page through to my site
Used the key phrases as close to the top of the page's body copy as possible
Used key phrases in the sub-headings and links
Made sure the site's internal links were named to include the key words

OK - so there's a bit more to it than that. But this list of eight tasks has pretty much gotten my web copywriting course page to the top of Google. And it's brought in three new clients for the courses in June alone - not to mention a stream of good quality prospects looking to book courses in July and August.

The trick now? Not to get too cocky - and to keep working at it.

Clients ahoy

2005-06-13T10:02:00.000+01:00

Gosh. It's been ages since the last blog update. The reason? It's the old "lots of copy, not a lot of writer" equation - which I'm tackling by hiring another copywriter.

(Since you ask, the recruitment drive is going well. I've talked to some fascinating people, and I'm keeping the application process open until the end of July.)

On the new business front, I've picked up a client in the States - a very posh ecommerce site with a great tone of voice. My task? To make it even better. Eeek.

I've also picked up a big public sector website in Scotland, as well as brochure work for a massive manufacturing company. Then there's the alternative fuel website and the three web copywriting courses I'm booked in to deliver before the end of June.

The moral? Well, as usual, there isn't one. But what's really interesting is how much of this work has come though the Blackad website - as opposed to referrals. If it keeps going like this, I won't just be hiring one new copywriter. I'll be hiring an army of them.

Web copywriter Scotland

2005-04-28T00:30:00.000+01:00

Optimising to get found by the search engines (and, er, customers) isn't always easy.

The phrases I know will do well (like "web copywriter scotland") are bleedin' difficult to weave into free-flowing copy. Without, that it, sounding like a complete berk.

So I'm playing around with a few techniques, and shamelessly test, test, testing every change until I get up those rankings. Speaking of which, the Blackad homepage is now one of a couple of my pages with the a glorious ranking of five from Google PageRank. Yippee.

Normal service has been resumed

2005-04-22T09:48:00.000+01:00

Are you the eagle-eyed type? You may have noticed some odd glitches with the way my blog appears on the homepage of my website - all my own doing, I must confess.

Thanks again to Cameron at Realise for sprinkling some code on the problem, and sorting everything out. Phew.

"Work here, it's good"

2005-04-05T00:07:00.000+01:00

The subject of this post is nicked from an award-winning ad created by my first employers, Barkers.

Now I'm looking for someone to join my happy little band (er, me) - either full-time or part time.

I won't babble on about the briefs and the benefits. Take a peek at the Blackad website to see what we're all about. Then drop me an email and bleedin' well apply.

Two weeks, two big sites

2005-04-01T09:10:00.000+01:00

I've already banged on about the Total Futsal. Well next week another biggie goes live - for an IT company. It's been interesting seeing the differences between the two sites.

Total Futsal was one of those sites where I had to write absolutely everything, right down to email confirmations and the like. On the IT company's website, I've not only written the bulk of the copy, but some mini guidelines to help them update the site.

For example, I've put together templates which show how job vacancies and news stories should be structured. You get the idea.

The IT company site is also an unusual mix of business-to-business and business-to-consumer copywriting. In this case the two audiences are similar, but want very different information - hence an uncharacteristic switch of tone between these two areas of the site.

The way I've thought about it is to imagine one person who represents the company - and that's the person writing the site. They then switch from full-on personality and informal mode to a slightly more reserved tone of voice.

I think it works. But I would say that, wouldn't I?

Once the site goes live I'll post a link and you can judge for yourself.

Futsal crazy

2005-03-27T12:48:00.000+01:00

I've just finished writing the Total Futsal website - thanks to my friends at MMI/Limone. It's a joint campaign between Tennent's and the Scottish FA - the idea is to get Scotland enjoying this skilful, fast-moving game.

(For those that care, it's the job I refered to in my Sworn to Secrecy post)

I can honestly say I haven't had so much fun in ages. It was a chance to apply all the lofty ideals I tell people to follow in my web copywriting courses, and I can immodestly say I'm rather chuffed with the results.

It's all about tone of voice - trying to get inside the Tennent's brand and do justice to the TV ads and outdoor campaign.

So what do you think?

Sworn to secrecy

2005-03-19T19:00:00.000Z

On Friday, I took a brief for a really sweet website project. It's for a lovely big brand, and it's as high profile as it gets. (It's also pretty sensitive - hence my cloak-and-dagger reluctance to name the brand)

The only problem? My client needs to see some initial copy for Monday. Eeek. Guess I'd better stop blogging, and get back to writing website copy. Wish me luck.

The simple guide to how busy I am

2005-03-11T01:00:00.000Z

Here's a simple way to find out if you can get me to lower my prices for web copywriting.

Simply check to see if I'm updating my blog every few days. If I am, chances are there's not too much work about, and you can batter down my fees with no bother at all.

And if I haven't posted for weeks on end? This usually means I'm stupidly busy. When I say "busy", I mean too distracted to get my invoices out.

Right now, I'm in that happy place between ticking over and busy. Sweet.

The ego has landed

2005-02-08T22:19:00.000Z

Ah - I couldn't resist the headline. There goes what little shred of credibility I had left.

Anyway, this is another post about those pesky landing pages, which I've appeared on about before.

Well, I've tweaked them a little more, and the results have been pretty good.

The main terms I'm optimising for are:

copywriter (and copywriting) glasgow
copywriter (and copywriting) Scotland
copywriter (and copywriting) Scotland
web copywriting course

What I've noticed is that Google doesn't give these pages a very high page rank, but is returning the landing pages in searches. Then again, we've been told by to googleplex to treat page rank scores as "entertainment". Yeh - they're a great way to spend an evening.

Anyway, the plan seems to be working. They're not spam pages - and it wouldn't make sense for me to integrate them into the main site content. So I'm quite happy to risk derision from my peers.

Two different customers, two different sites

2005-02-05T15:55:00.000Z

I've just finished the first draft of a site for a business product that's sold through intermediaries.

Our approach was to build a site with two main navigation items on the home page - along the lines of "I'm and intermediary" and "I'm a business".

Although the content was really similar across the two areas of the site, the tone of voice wasn't. The intermediaries are extremely experienced people - while the businesses are small start-ups. So the business copy is very personal and reassuring - while the intermediary copy is all about establishing kudos.

Which is interesting, since I don't normally recommend using different "verbal identities" across a site.

I think it's looking pretty good - I'll let you know if the client agrees.

Savvy clients

2005-01-18T17:20:00.000Z

Last week, a client asked me to tender for a big web copywriting project. The brief was very comprehensive - covering audience motivations, tone of voice and a fair bit of useful background information.

What I found most telling was the insistence that the copy is accessible. I couldn't agree more.

Even sorting out link text is a good start. So if your site says "click here for web copywriting courses", change it to "Visit the Blackad website to find out more about our web copywriting courses". If you're sending people to an external site, say so. And if the link points to a download, say what type of file it is and how big it is too.

Now all I have to do is make sure I apply all this to the tender.

Fingers crossed.

Rare sighting

2005-01-06T20:33:00.000Z

Every so often, a website copywriting job doesn't turn out right. Thankfully, I can truthfully say it's a very rare occurrence over at Blackad. However, we're working on a site just now that's thrown up a fair share of issues.

The main problem? Structure. It's become apparent that the proposed sitemap just isn't going to service the client's business. And it's going to make writing the copy very difficult indeed.

Thankfully, Blackad and our partner on the site have mapped out a way forward, and we're now well and truly back on track. Once we're done, hopefully the client will think it was worth the effort.

When is an optimised site not an optimised site?

2005-01-06T20:31:00.000Z

I recently completed the first phase of the copywriting for a client's new website. They're very keen on search engine optimisation (or "optimization" for my North American friends), but aren't too sure how to go about it.

I talked them through how I can help, including finding in-demand keywords and phrases which are under-supplied. I also explained that I would need to write some of the meta data, specifically the page title and the description tags.

Now the site is ready for testing, but I noticed my carefully constructed page titles had disappeared. It seems the web developers don't think they matter. I gently challenged them about this, and they said they tend to put in their own meta data.

This causes me a problem, as my copy will be less likely to do the job it's designed for. In the end, I've explained the situation to my client - and hopefully it will be resolved soon.

It's strange that some people in the industry aren't keeping up with developments in the search engine and directory market. Instead, they rely on outdated information, and pass it off as fact. If there's one thing I've learned about search engine optimisation, it's that there's always more to learn.

Is it just me, or is web copywriting growing up?

2004-12-04T00:06:00.000Z

This week I popped along to Tidalfire in Edinburgh to chat to their customers about web copywriting.

It was a free event, and we packed out the room. In fact, we had another roomful of people who couldn't get onto the list, so we're running another event in January 2005.

Could it be that web copywriting's time has finally come?

Some things are just better on paper

2004-11-26T20:17:00.000Z

I'm not one of those web zealots who insists that the shiny new technology is better than the older, darker ways.

In fact, I reckon some things are better on paper. Novels for example. And greetings cards.

Whenever I get sent an e-card (even a brilliant one from people like Realise, MMI or Chunk), I still feel a little unloved.

Heck - maybe I'm just too needy.

That's why I'm going to send out a good, old-fashioned Christmas card to my clients and suppliers. Admittedly, the card will point them back to my website, where they can enter a competition. (We'll make a charity donation on behalf of the winner.)

Admittedly I've also commissioned some new festive animations for my homepage. So maybe I'm an unreconstructed web saddo after all.

50 per cent of you hate this blog

2004-11-21T16:49:00.000Z

Well, you might do.

I've just finished a quick survey for one of my web copywriting seminars. I posted it online and got the attendees to tell me how much they know about the subject and what causes them the most pain.

The results are in, and proving mightily useful. So much so, that I'll soon be publishing a thirty second survey for you to air your views on this blog. The same goes for the Blackad website.

What's more, I'm going to publish the general trends right here. Look out for the survey over the next couple of weeks.

The number you have dialled has not been recognised

2004-11-21T16:41:00.000Z

The Blackad website has just been reviewed in The Drum - a Scottish trade magazine for the marketing industry. The reviewer (a marketing consultant called Sarah McNaught) was very kind about the site, although The Drum managed to print the wrong URL.

Doh.

Instead it points to some charmless squatting site.

So, on the one hand my site got a good review. But on the other, everyone will think it's been taken down. Excellent.

Sinister rumblings from Google Adwords

2004-11-18T01:28:00.000Z

I'm running a small Adwords campaign to get the Blackad copywriting site noticed for those terms which are near impossible to optimise for. You know - the ones using Google bombs, link farms and the like.

Anyway, the cheeky blighters at Google told be one of my ads broke their rules. I've looked at it again and again - there just isn't anything to object to. The only thing I can think of is it's just a touch lateral. (It used the adjective "juicy" to describe a training course. It's hardly "FREE MONEY - APPLY WITHIN".)

Now, I don't normally use adjectives in my copy. They're pretty shallow. However, those Adwords campaigns need a little spice. After all, what's the point in an ad that doesn't stand out?

Over to you chaps at the Googleplex.

Eerie goings-on

2004-11-15T13:59:00.000Z

The lighting-fast Cameron at Realise has just added in a nifty feature which automatially re-publishes my blog on my website. So what you see here is always exactly what you see back at the Blackad ranch.

How's that for up-to-date content?

Landing pages. The work of the Dark Lord? Or not?

2004-11-15T13:02:00.000Z

On the one hand
Aaargh - landing pages are horrible, aren't they? Especially the ones which spam the search engines and lead to links page after links page.

On the other
Mmmm. Landing pages are quite useful. Especially the ones which allow you to keep nice copy on your site, but still maintain a decent presence on Google. Have a peek at my web copywriting course page and tell me what you think.

And yes, it's linked to from the site map - so Google is happy, as are the usability and accessibility boffins.

26 quid

2004-11-10T22:15:00.000Z

I've recently joined a new-ish organisation for business writers. It's called 26, and so far I've gone along to one top-notch seminar and met quite a few intriguing people.

Anyway, this post is nothing but a shameless plug for them. Take a look at their site, get out your cash and join. The cost? To you squire, £26.

The name? It's the number of letters in the alphabet. See?

Why blog, Bob?

2004-11-06T16:27:00.000Z

A couple of years ago, I wrote the website for a consultancy business. They've kindly asked me to write the next incarnation of the site, and we've been having a good old debate about the "B" word.

That's "Blog", by the way.

The thing is, it's essentially a one person business. They do some fantastic work, and people tend to buy them on reputation and their personable, professional style.

That's why I reckon the MD needs a blog. This would be an utterly personal vent - in contrast with the site, which still needs a certain level of professional distance. (I don't mean the site needs to be dry and boring, but I don't think their customers are quite ready for something that's completely personal.)

Apart from this, a Blog is so much better than a news section . In a one person business, it just feels like corporate jewellery - nice to look at, but ultimately vapid.

Incidentally, this here blog now neatly publishes itself on the copywriter blog page of my own site. "Hoo-ha", as Mr Pacino would say.

A new Mercedes

2004-11-06T16:13:00.000Z

A new client happened upon my site yesterday, and got in touch to discuss some online and direct mail work. While obviously a very switched-on business person, the client was unable to say how well their current site was doing.

They didn't even have access to basic site logs - and other things made it very difficult to track the effectiveness of the site.

No wonder so many businesses are still wary of the web. If suppliers are prepared to develop sites which are difficult to measure, their clients will never know what could have been.

Incidentally, the site in question was poorly optimised (swap in "optimized" here, my North American friends) for search engines, and I don't think they'd even thought about accessibility.

It was slightly uncomfortable, but I made sure the client went away knowing things need to change. Because, frankly, the only reason a commerical website exists is to deliver more profits for the site owner. So they, in turn, can go out and order a shiny new hulk of German metal.

The sooner we chase out the unaccountable cowboys, the sooner the internet will be taken seriously by everyone in business. Then us copywriters can start thinking about which colour of leather to specify for our new SL320.

A long time on the web

2004-10-21T19:49:00.000+01:00

I've just come back from a holiday in the north of Scotland (Newtonmore, if you're interested). It was great, if a little cold at this time of year, but that's hardly the point of the blog.

The thing is, we stayed with my friend and former colleague Shirlie Geddes. Along with her husband Chris, she runs the Coig Na Shee guest house - a very grand former hunting lodge on the outskirts of the village where they shoot a lot of the Monarch of the Glen TV series.

Coig Na Shee means "A fifth of fairy land" (...or something like it) in Gaelic, and the name really does justice to the place and the building. Shirlie and Chris have created something very special.

I wrote Shirlie's website around a year ago, and it's funny looking back to see what I'd do differently. There's definitely some extra search engine optimisation work required (the optimised page titles I wrote somehow got lost in the publishing process).

What's more interesting is how theit website will come to reflect the business. For example, they get tons of repeat visits. And their (offline) comments book is full of genuinely cracking reviews. Shirlie's also getting around 80 per cent of her business from the website - including a Google Adwords campaign.

So, we need to make the site reflect these facts, and get it working even harder for them. Should be fun - and perhaps an excuse to visit this beautiful part of Scotland.

It's tough being a web copywriter.

Repurposing. Innit lovely?

2004-10-09T01:55:00.000+01:00

I'm editing a series of business start-up guides for a customer. These will be printed, but will also be published as PDFs on the client's website. This online/offline publishing means I need to make them work well wherever they're viewed.

Unfortunately, there's not the budget or the time to create two versions. So, I've agreed with the client to approach this like a web copywriting project. That means lots of sub-headings, short sentences, a personal tone and all the usual hallmarks of web copy.

Anyway, it's a 45,000 word project and I've only done 6000 so far, so I really should be going.

Content management horror

2004-10-01T22:03:00.000+01:00

I wasted three hours today wrestling with a client's unruly content management system. The lesson? Ask the copywriters when you're writing the functional spec sheet. And make sure stability and speed are given more weight than some whizz-bang feature or other.

Let me run that past my agent

2004-09-21T20:45:00.000+01:00

The glamour. My company (Blackad Copywriting) is looking to broaden its customer base. At the moment most of our work comes from Scotland, but we want to get more direct client work from London. Specifically, we want to up the amount of web copywriting work we do from around 75 percent of turnover to 90 percent.

So what have I done? I've only just gone and appointed an agent to scout for work on our behalf.

This has the effect of making me feel very special, and not a little precious.

If I address you as "dahlink" on the phone, only to slam the phone down in a fit of histrionic rage, you'll know why.

Update? Schmupdates.

2004-09-16T21:37:00.000+01:00

It's been a busy week at Blackad, which explains why the blog has been neglected.

Today I was doing pretty much my favourite part of the job - running a copywriting course for a long-term client.

The courses take a while to prepare, as each one is built from scratch. But it's great to see people picking up the skills, as well as giving them an insight into what I have to do to get their copy right.

When I got back to the office I had an email waiting from a large financial services institution who also want a quote for some training. And I've been asked to speak at a conference in December on, guess what, copywriting training.

Spot a pattern here?

Cameron Milne, take a bow

2004-09-09T20:42:00.000+01:00

I've just taken delivery of Xento - a content management system created by Cameron Milne at Realise.

Cameron has been working on Xento in his spare time for the last two years, and my company (Blackad) is the first live client.

It's definitely the best content management system I've ever used for small-to-medium sized sites. Many of the systems I use have far too many redundant features - and using these beasts is like wading through a McDonald's milkshake.

OK - so you need to learn a little HTML to use it properly, but that's no great hardship.

Now, I must get back to tweaking my site.

I will testify

2004-09-03T20:24:00.000+01:00

Testimonials? Years ago, the copywriter within would instantly sneer at their very mention. No longer.

I've got a bunch of them on the Blackad website, and the web statistics show that people really like this page. Why? Because it's believable stuff - and as close to a review of our services as you're going to get. I've included links back to our clients' websites - so visitors can check out the credentials of my clients.

Trust - it's what the web needs.

In saying that, I think testimonials work best on a business-to-business site like ours. On a consumer site, you just don't believe them. (Let's face it - no sane consumer would ever allow their email address or website to be printed alongside a testimonial. All you usually get is "Chad Stringhooper from Texas" - if that.

Now, consumer review sites like epinions and ciao are very different. The reviews are long, and plenty of people contribute. It feels balanced. You want to believe.

So is it any wonder it's rumoured that companies are lurking in these consumer sites, planting false reviews? Nasty.

Nostalgia

2004-08-31T15:45:00.000+01:00

We've launched the new Blackad website. Let us know what you think. Spot the deliberate (honest) typos for a chance to win a half day web copywriting session for your UK-based business. Email us via the contact form on the site. Usual terms and conditions apply. Copywriters can go up as well as down. Not suitable for small children.

Funnily enough, some poor souls miss our old site. Fear not - it's saved for eternity on the old site archive.

Cutting edge?

2004-08-26T23:04:00.000+01:00

I was copywriter-in-residence with a client today, putting together a trade site for a new retail development. The site looks great (nice one, David), and we really went to town on the copy.

This is unusual in trade sites. Most play it dull - and I reckon dull is dangerous. In fact, the safest way to approach anything creative is to take risks. That way, you stand a chance of surprising and delighting your audience.

But let's be honest, the real tests will be:

Will the client buy it?
Will the copy work

I'll let you know.

Ta very much

2004-08-25T16:28:00.000+01:00

I just bought a bit of audio equipment from www.hificables.co.uk

The nicest part was a personal email to say thanks - and explaining how fast I would receive my order. They even reminded me to be in to sign of it. Nice.

It's a far cry from the efforts of automatons writing order acknowledgement emails at other shopping sites.

Web-only-words

2004-08-24T22:27:00.000+01:00

I went out for a drink tonight with a writer who - wait for it - has only ever worked online. That's quite incredible really. No press ads. No brochures. Just websites.

Is this a good thing? Probably. The internet needs writers who understand how people view information online. Then again, it also needs a kick up the backside from outside the industry - sometimes sites can be oh-so-worthy, but oh-so-dull to boot.

Me? I'm glad I started on the printed page, but I'm also happy to have been writing for the web since 1997. Everything feeds off something - mixing it up is A Good Thing.

Setting the tone

2004-08-22T23:42:00.000+01:00

I was up in Aberdeen on Friday, seeing a new client (thanks Miles). I'm writing their website, so the first thing we had to do was work through their draft site plan. It was really pretty good - but a lot of the content was buried, something we've now sorted.

But the most interesting thing was discussing tone of voice. We've got some nifty data on the target market, so we know what media they buy. On the way home, I picked up an armful of magazines and started looking for little tricks we can use on the site.

Is this stealing? No - far from it. The idea is to create a tone that's 100 per cent original, but sits in the context of what people are used to. It's a bit like a mood board, but for words. Try it.

The sweet, sweet horror

2004-08-05T19:54:00.000+01:00

Web copywriting for senior corporate people
Are you human? Do you have a personality? Not, it seems, if you're the reader of a big business-to-business website.

Whereas the offline guys (think of the UK's Financial Times and The Economist) have an engaging tone, the online copy aimed at senior business people is often dull, dull, dull.

Think about it - that's the opposite of what you'd expect on the web. Short copy should become shorter. The tone more personal. The distance between reader and writer that little bit closer.

Why be dull?
Are these writers afraid of something? The answer is probably "yes". They're afraid of annoying their client. It's easy to write some bland copy that will sail through the review process.

And it's just as easy for this copy to pass by unnoticed by the audience the writer is doing such a bad job of second guessing.

The press guys have got it right
Newspapers need to sell copies. Their editors know this. So they make sure the content isn't just bang-up-to-the-minute. It's got to have a personality - it's got to hook the reader.

So here's my advice: check out the tone of the quality press before settling down to write another dull piece of copy aimed at senior corporate people.

That way, we might actually end up selling something.