10 Things to Expect from Your SEO Copywriter

From the perspective of a business owner, webmaster, or marketing manager, the change exhibited by the Internet is profoundly exciting, yet profoundly disturbing. The information (and misinformation and disinformation) it offers, the business benefits it promises, and the rules it is governed by change at such a rapid rate that it's almost impossible to keep up.

These changes have led to a growing appreciation of the value of quality web copy. This appreciation has, in turn, led to an influx of opportunistic 'copywriters' promoting themselves as website copywriters or SEO copywriters. Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few excellent SEO copywriters out there, and you should definitely shop around. The purpose of this article isn't to scare you; it's to help you find the SEO copywriter who'll deliver honest service and excellent results.

So with that in mind, take a look at the following ten tips. These are the things you have a right to expect from anyone wearing a name badge that reads "website copywriter", "SEO copywriter", "internet copywriter", or "web copywriter"… (See also 10 Things to Expect From Your Website Copywriter and How to Make the Most of Your Website Copywriter.)

1) An understanding of SEO

Obviously, your SEO copywriter must have a solid understanding of the essentials of Search Engine Optimization. They must know that ranking is essentially the result of a website's relevance (i.e. keywords) and importance (i.e. inbound links). There are a whole lot of other factors involved, but if your SEO copywriter doesn't understand these two basics, you should look elsewhere. If you'd like to ensure your SEO copywriter knows a little more than just the basics, take a look at SEO for CEOs, Writing SEO Copy, SEO Trade Secrets, Web Copy - How Much is Enough?, and How to Top Google by Writing Articles for some clues as to what you might like to ask in order to assess their knowledge.

2) Proven experience

The proof is, as they say, in the pudding. It's not enough that your SEO copywriter can talk the talk; they must also be able to walk the walk. Ask to see some examples of websites for which they've obtained some good rankings. Note that it may be very difficult to find an SEO copywriter who has actually worked on both keywords and link generation, so if you find one who has, and they write well, snap 'em up! They'll have a very broad and useful working knowledge of search engines.

3) An understanding of how many keywords to use

You don't want to fill every page up with every keyword you're targeting. This simply dilutes your site's relevance and reduces readability. Ask your SEO copywriter how many keywords they would recommend targeting on each page. Hopefully they'll suggest no more than 3, preferably 2. By targeting 2 keyword phrases per page, you can use them a lot without impacting readability.

4) Clear agreement on who will provide keywords

Someone needs to perform a keyword analysis in order to figure out what words you should be trying to rank highly for. Your SEO copywriter should be able to do this for you, but it's quite often more cost-effective if someone a little closer to the business does it. Either way, make sure your agreement with your SEO copywriter makes it very clear who is performing this task. Don't assume the SEO copywriter is going to do it, because they may assume you're going to do it, and then you'll blow your budget.

5) Keywords or keyword phrases

Expect your SEO copywriter to offer some advice regarding how specific you should be with your keywords. In most industries, the competition for keywords is so fierce that you'll be forced to target very specific keywords in order to rank – at least at the outset. For instance, if you're in IT, you probably wouldn't start out by targeting the keyword "IT". The competition is immense (at the time of writing, there were approx 3,240,000,000 results for this search in Google.com) and the IT giants already dominate the search engines for this keyword. Instead, try using a more specific keyword phrase like "IT infrastructure consulting new york" (at the time of writing, there were only around 4,000,000 results for this search in Google.com). The other benefit to targeting more specific keyword phrases is that you'll generate more relevant leads.

6) Agree on word count per page<


7) Density targets & measure

SEO of a web page is NOT guess-work. A good SEO copywriter will talk about density measures. This is a measure of the number of time the keyword phrase appears on the page. It's expressed as a percentage of the total word count of the page. So if your page has 200 words, and your keyword phrase appears 10 times, its density is 5%. As a rule of thumb, your SEO copywriter should be aiming for a density of approximately 5% for your primary keyword phrase and 3-5% for your secondary keyword phrase. If your density measures are much higher than this, readability will be reduced, and you'll risk being perceived as spam by the search engines. Make sure your SEO copywriter understands keyword density, is prepared to state the target density for each keyword phrase, and is also happy to be measured by that standard (should you decide to measure).

8) Where to place keywords

The question of keyword placement has been the subject of much debate amongst SEO copywriters. While it is still unclear how much impact placement has, there is a general consensus that it has SOME impact. Be sure that your copywriter is aware of this impact. Popular opinion has it that keywords are more effective if they appear in headings, bolded text, links, and generally toward the beginning of the page.

9) Some comment on structure & links

Websites are generally better indexed by search engines if their spiders can traverse the entire site using text links. This means your SEO copywriter should be linking each page to every other page using text links. If your site is complex, this may be impractical, so your SEO copywriter will need to create a hierarchical structure for your site. First, they should break your subject material down into categories. Then for each category, they should write a summary page. These summary pages should be accessible from higher level pages via text links. They should also be accessible from each other. Each summary page should link – using text links – to a number of pages discussing the finer details of the category. And each detail page in a particular category should link to every other detail page in that category (once again, using text links). This way the spiders are able to travel from the top of your hierarchy to the bottom, and from left to right across any level.

10) Don't believe grand promises

SEO copywriters can play a significant role in increasing your search engine ranking. But they can't do it overnight. By optimizing your site for your target keyword phrases, an SEO copywriter is simply declaring the relevance of your site. If you engage an SEO copywriter to write helpful articles containing a byline with a link back to your site, you can then submit these articles for publication on the Internet, and this will steadily increase your ranking. But if an SEO copywriter tells you they can dramatically increase your ranking in a matter of hours or days, be wary. NOTE: Your SEO copywriter should be able to submit your articles to various submit sites on the Internet. These sites are closely watched by hundreds of thousands of publishers of e-newsletters and article pages from all around the world. High quality articles are quickly snapped up and published prolifically. And each time your article is published, you've got another link back to your site, thus increasing the importance of your site (to the search engines). If you'd like to submit your own articles, your SEO copywriter should be able to sell you a list of 50 or more submit sites for as little as USD$99.

Conclusion

An SEO copywriter is a valuable addition to your marketing function. But you need to make sure you choose wisely. When you know what questions to ask, the battle is half won.

THE SECRET COVENANT OF THE ILLUMINATI

"An illusion it will be, so large, so vast it will escape their perception.

Those who will see it will be thought of as insane. We will create separate fronts to prevent them from seeing the connection between us. We will behave as if we are not connected to keep the illusion alive. Our goal will be accomplished one drop at a time so as to never bring suspicion upon ourselves. This will also prevent them from seeing the changes as they occur.

"We will always stand above the relative field of their experience for we know the secrets of the absolute. We will work together always and will remain bound by blood and secrecy. Death will come to he who speaks.

"We will keep their lifespan short and their minds weak while pretending to do the opposite. We will use our knowledge of science and technology in subtle ways so they will never see what is happening. We will use soft metals, aging accelerators and sedatives in food and water, also in the air. They will be blanketed by poisons everywhere they turn.

The soft metals will cause them to lose their minds. We will promise to find a cure from our many fronts, yet we will feed them more poison. The poisons will be absorbed through their skin and mouths, they will destroy their minds and reproductive systems. From all this, their children will be born dead, and we will conceal this information.

The poisons will be hidden in everything that surrounds them, in what they drink, eat, breathe and wear. We must be ingenious in dispensing the poisons for they can see far. We will teach them that the poisons are good, with fun images and musical tones. Those they look up to will help. We will enlist them to push our poisons.

"They will see our products being used in film and will grow accustomed to them and will never know their true effect. When they give birth we will inject poisons into the blood of their children and convince them its for their help. We will start early on, when their minds are young, we will target their children with what children love most, sweet things.

When their teeth decay we will fill them with metals that will kill their mind and steal their future. When their ability to learn has been affected, we will create medicine that will make them sicker and cause other diseases for which we will create yet more medicine. We will render them docile and weak before us by our power. They will grow depressed, slow and obese, and when they come to us for help, we will give them more poison.

"We will focus their attention toward money and material goods so they many never connect with their inner self. We will distract them with fornication, external pleasures and games so they may never be one with the oneness of it all. Their minds will belong to us and they will do as we say. If they refuse we shall find ways to implement mind-altering technology into their lives.

We will use fear as our weapon. We will establish their governments and establish opposites within. We will own both sides. We will always hide our objective but carry out our plan. They will perform the labor for us and we shall prosper from their toil.

"Our families will never mix with theirs. Our blood must be pure always, for it is the way. We will make them kill each other when it suits us. We will keep them separated from the oneness by dogma and religion. We will control all aspects of their lives and tell them what to think and how. We will guide them kindly and gently letting them think they are guiding themselves.

We will foment animosity between them through our factions. When a light shall shine among them, we shall extinguish it by ridicule, or death, whichever suits us best. We will make them rip each other’s hearts apart and kill their own children. We will accomplish this by using hate as our ally, anger as our friend. The hate will blind them totally, and never shall they see that from their conflicts we emerge as their rulers.

They will be busy killing each other. They will bathe in their own blood and kill their neighbors for as long as we see fit.

"We will benefit greatly from this, for they will not see us, for they cannot see us. We will continue to prosper from their wars and their deaths. We shall repeat this over and over until our ultimate goal is accomplished. We will continue to make them live in fear and anger though images and sounds. We will use all the tools we have to accomplish this. The tools will be provided by their labor. We will make them hate themselves and their neighbors.

"We will always hide the divine truth from them, that we are all one. This they must never know! They must never know that color is an illusion, they must always think they are not equal. Drop by drop, drop by drop we will advance our goal. We will take over their land, resources and wealth to exercise total control over them. We will deceive them into accepting laws that will steal the little freedom they will have. We will establish a money system that will imprison them forever, keeping them and their children in debt.

"When they shall ban together, we shall accuse them of crimes and present a different story to the world for we shall own all the media. We will use our media to control the flow of information and their sentiment in our favor. When they shall rise up against us we will crush them like insects, for they are less than that. They will be helpless to do anything for they will have no weapons.

"We will recruit some of their own to carry out our plans, we will promise them eternal life, but eternal life they will never have for they are not of us. The recruits will be called “initiates” and will be indoctrinated to believe false rites of passage to higher realms. Members of these groups will think they are one with us never knowing the truth.

They must never learn this truth for they will turn against us. For their work they will be rewarded with earthly things and great titles, but never will they become immortal and join us, never will they receive the light and travel the stars. They will never reach the higher realms, for the killing of their own kind will prevent passage to the realm of enlightenment. This they will never know.

The truth will be hidden in their face, so close they will not be able to focus on it until its too late. Oh yes, so grand the illusion of freedom will be, that they will never know they are our slaves.

"When all is in place, the reality we will have created for them will own them. This reality will be their prison. They will live in self-delusion. When our goal is accomplished a new era of domination will begin. Their minds will be bound by their beliefs, the beliefs we have established from time immemorial.

"But if they ever find out they are our equal, we shall perish then. THIS THEY MUST NEVER KNOW. If they ever find out that together they can vanquish us, they will take action. They must never, ever find out what we have done, for if they do, we shall have no place to run, for it will be easy to see who we are once the veil has fallen. Our actions will have revealed who we are and they will hunt us down and no person shall give us shelter.

"This is the secret covenant by which we shall live the rest of our present and future lives, for this reality will transcend many generations and life spans. This covenant is sealed by blood, our blood. We, the ones who from heaven to earth came."

"This covenant must NEVER, EVER be known to exist.

It must NEVER, EVER be written or spoken of for if it is, the consciousness it will spawn will release the fury of the PRIME CREATOR upon us and we shall be cast to the depths from whence we came and remain there until the end time of infinity itself."

The Warning signs of Online Fraud and How to avoid it

The number may seem grim for Web-based commerce. In 2004 in the Unites States alone, computer users logged in more than 207,000 Internet fraud reports to the U.S. Internet Crime Complaint Center. If you look hard at this number, you may be astounded, and a good bit frightened, by the implication. You may ask, "Is it really safe to buy and sell at an online site?"

Put simply, the answer is: yes. The Internet is an incredibly powerful tool for business, so you can't pass it over just because of a few crooks and conmen-even if they do seem like they're behind every pop-up window and banner ad. The truth is that you can create opportunity and make more money online than you could lose in fraud.

Better yet, you could lose absolutely nothing if you know the warning signs of fraud and the tricks to avoid danger during your Web-based business dealings.

Whether you're looking to buy or sell goods online, the first-and the best-way to fight fraud is prevention. There are certain warning signs to watch for, which should set off a chorus of alarms and flashing red lights in your head. Don't do business with this person! For buyers, these potential warning signs can be when a seller:

• asks you to pay through non-traceable avenues, such as Western Union or MoneyGram, or a third party, or via an overseas address. You should ask yourself-and the seller-why he or she won't accept payment options that are traceable and convenient for you.

• posts an image on his auction or classified ad that's obviously from an outside source. Sometimes these images may not even match the type of item, let alone the brand, that the ad features.

• sells a typically expensive item at cut-rate prices, which is a good indicator that it could be counterfeit.

• refuses to provide tracking numbers when you purchase an item. Tracking numbers are another way to trace a valid transaction.

• offers only excuses, instead of help, when your purchased item doesn't arrive at your doorstep.


If you're a seller, you ought to be wary of signs of a suspicious buyer, such as when a buyer:

• asks to pay only some of the fee, offering to the pay the rest sometime in the future. This is the old excuse from Popeye's friend Wimpy, who always could be heard saying, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." Wimpy never paid Tuesday.

• sends you a cashier's check for more money than the agreed price "by mistake." In this scam, the buyer then asks you to repay him the difference by personal check, wire transfer, or money order-before you find out that the cashier's check didn't clear. Believe it or not, this scheme works because cashier's checks can be cashed before they bounce
• sends you a cashier's check for the correct amount of money but then demands a refund, requesting that you repay with your own money. See the scheme above for how this trick works.

These warning signs, of course, are only for a handful of the frauds and scams out there. Conmen are good at what they do, trying to separate you from your money. That's why it's best to always follow these golden rules of online commerce whenever buying or selling on an Internet auction or classified site.

Keep your common sense. No matter how good a deal seems, or how much clients say they want to pay, always remember the old adage: "If it sounds too good to be true…."

Do your business locally. Try to buy and sell from your neighbors as much as possible. It's safer, more convenient, and better for your local economy. What's more, it saves you the trouble of dealing with foreign vendors and buyers. Though they may be legit, dealing with them can be complicated because of different legal systems and customs, which can make any conflict difficult.

Seal the deal with plastic. Paying for items with credit cards, and allowing your customers to charge for purchases, is a great all-around business decision. Under U.S. law, all plastic purchases are protected from fraud and allowed to be disputed in case of problems.

Meet at the middle man. Intermediary services are virtual middle men that protect both buyers and sellers from cyber shysters. Services like Escrow act as a holding pen for both payment and sale items until both the buyer and seller are content. Only then will Escrow finish a transaction.

Purchase with PayPal. As Escrow and credit cards do, PayPal guards against fraud for both buyers and sellers. It's a secure and reliable way to transfer money over the Internet. No wonder PayPal is the most popular online money transfer service.

As you can see, the odds are actually in your favor when it comes to doing business on online classified or auction sites. The resource of the internet is far too valuable than to be taken away by a few crooks and conmen. It simply comes down to being smart, sensible, and observant whenever buying or selling on the Web. Then again, that's what all good business is about, whether you're doing it in a mall or on the information superhighway.
 

How To Spice Up A Boring Blog Life!

There is nothing worse than coming across a boring blog. The difficult thing is that what is boring to one person might be interesting to another. Therefore, you really need to focus on your readers when creating new text and posts for your blog. If you want the blog to be successful, you cannot simply expect your day to day activities to be enough information to keep the readers interested. If you post that you went to the grocery, came home, and then ate dinner, you can expect the readers to be bored out of their minds. If you find humor in your activities or if you tell them in an interesting manner, you might keep their attention even when using the same day to day activities. If you want to spice up a boring blog, you can also use these tips to get things moving in the right direction.

Allow Comments

One big mistake boring bloggers make is to not allow comments. You should always allow people to comment on your blog. You may not always like what they have to say, but their comments alone will help your blog seem more interesting to anyone who reads it. If you want to be sneaky, you can even comment on your blog yourself, using a different name. This can quickly create a controversy that some readers will appeal to. Try being honest and letting the readers comment themselves, but if all else fails, use the sneaky approach to break the ice. Once one person makes a comment, others will be more likely to comment as well. This will help get things going and make your blog a place to bounce ideas off of others.

Ask Questions

Another great way to provoke your readers to participate is to ask open-ended questions. You can do this throughout your blog or at the end. This will be seen by readers as an open invitation to respond. Your questions will get them thinking about what you have to say, whether or not they respond. They will be more likely to come back to your blog to read more about your comments later on. Everyone has an opinion on everything, so go ahead and ask your readers straight out what theirs is.<

Use Pictures

If you want to connect more with your readers and keep them interested, try adding pictures to your blog. Adding pictures is simple through your blogging software. Get a digital camera if you don't already own one so you can update your pictures frequently. By adding pictures that go along best with the content of your posts, you will be connecting with your readers on a more intense level. They will be more entertained and you will have a more interesting blog. Just be sure that you don't overdo it on the pictures. Place them in appropriate places and don't use massive pictures or else you might take the risk of having a blog that take ten minutes to load. Do be sure that you use close-ups however. You wouldn't want to use pictures that were impossible to see on the screen.

Be Personal

When writing your posts, you should always act as if you were talking to a great friend. Some people create boring blogs by writing as if they were writing a textbook. This is a huge mistake. People most often read blogs because they want to be entertained or gather interesting information or opinions. They do not want to read a blog that sounds like a textbook. Try to be a little personal in your blog. Let your own personality shine through. Allow your individual humor to be seen in each post. Your readers will appreciate your honesty and love you for your casual style.

Use these great tips to spice up your blog if it is hitting the boring stretch. A boring blog is one that pains people to read. Keep in mind that successful blogs will make people laugh, think, contemplate, and gain useful information. You can do all of this using these tips. So, get to work and completely transform your boring blog today! You will see an improvement in your traffic and likely enjoy blogging a lot more than before.

Some Tips For Women Traveling Alone

Each country and culture has their own views of what is appropriate behavior for women. Although you may not agree with these views, it is wise to abide by the local laws and customs to avoid problems. Please become familiar with the laws and customs of the places where you wish to go.

Here are two examples of situations you may encounter:

It is illegal in Laos to invite Lao nationals of the opposite sex to one's hotel room.

Foreigners in Saudi Arabia have been arrested in the past for "improper dress."

Women traveling alone can be more vulnerable to problems in certain cultures. Keeping in mind the following information can help make your trip as safe and rewarding as possible.

Preparing for your trip

Passports & Visas: Make sure your passport is still valid or apply for a new one long before you plan to travel. Make sure you have the right travel documents and visas for your destinations. For information on individual countries' entry and exit requirements, refer to our publication Foreign Entry Requirements.

Your Destinations: Make an effort to learn about the locations you plan to visit, their culture, and any problems that might be occurring there.

Many exciting and exotic destinations may have very conservative views about women.

Being a foreigner makes you stand out; a woman traveling alone can be even more of an oddity in some places.

What to Leave Behind: Leave a detailed itinerary and a copy of your passport's identification page with a friend or relative at home. Include names, addresses and telephone numbers where you will be staying. Leave a copy of your flight and ticket information with them as well.

You may wish to establish certain check in dates when you will either call, e-mail, fax, etc. to let someone know that you are all right. But remember that if you happen to miss a check-in, your loved ones may assume that you are having a problem or are in trouble.

Leave any valuables, extra credit cards and jewelry - even fake jewelry - at home.

Thieves often won't know the real from the fake until after they take it, so why risk your personal safety?

Health: Make sure you have adequate health insurance coverage while abroad and that your coverage includes medical evacuations. Your policy might not cover you overseas and you may need to purchase traveler's insurance.

If you have any condition that might develop complications- especially if you are pregnant, check with your doctor before you go abroad. If you experience complications, a medical evacuation might still take several precious hours to arrange.

If you take prescription medication, make sure you have enough to last the duration of the trip, including extra medication in case you are delayed. Always carry your prescriptions in their labeled containers as many countries have strict anti-trafficking laws and might be suspicious of pills in unlabeled bottles. Bring your prescription information and the names of their generic equivalents with you just in case.

Off you go

Safety and Security: Use common sense and be alert and aware of your surroundings. If you are unsure in general about the local situation, feel free to check with the American Citizens Services section of the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate for the latest security information.

Don't announce that you are traveling alone! Some guides for women even advise wearing a wedding ring if you're single. If you feel like you're being followed, step into a store or other safe place and wait to see if the person you think is following has passed.

Do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for someone to double check for you to see if all is safe. Display confidence. By looking and acting as if you know where you're going, you may be able to ward off some potential danger.

Ask for directions before you set out. No matter how modest your lodgings are, your hotel concierge or other hotel staff should be able to help. If you find yourself lost, do not be afraid to ask for directions. Generally, the safest people to ask are families or women with children. Getting the right information may save you from ending up in a potentially unsafe area.

Hotels: Choose a hotel where security is good and transportation is readily available and nearby. Check that all the doors and windows in your room have locks and that they work. If you feel uncomfortable, ask hotel security to escort you to and from parking lots or your room at night. Always use your peephole and common sense about letting strangers into your room.

Clothing: There is no doubt that fashion makes a statement. Unfortunately, not everyone will interpret how you dress the same way you would. What you consider casual clothing might be seen as provocative or inappropriate in other cultures. Thieves might choose you over another potential target based on your style of dress or the amount of makeup or jewelry you are wearing. Other might single you out for harassment or even physical violence because they find your clothing offensive, based on their cultural norms. By taking your cues from local women, or at least by dressing conservatively, you could save yourself a great deal of trouble.

Use common sense, do your homework before you go, and have a safe and fun trip.