So you have the perfectly designed website: a window through which clientele can peer into the heart of your company or endeavour. It all looks perfect.

But what about the message itself? What does your website actually say about you?

A website devoid of killer content is unlikely to make your readers’ mouths water or want to come back for seconds. Two rounds of bread don’t make a sandwich after all – the filling is vital.

This is where the art of web copy comes into play.

Web Copy: The Art of Online Marketing

My web copy is meticulously tailored to guide visitors through websites with the aim of turning them into customers. I’ll take your message and deliver it in a clear, concise manner which compliments and emboldens your brand identity.

After all: just as a window cleaner without a ladder is limited to bungalows, a pristine website is undermined by a lack of exposure in search engine results.

Increasing numbers of businesses are ring-fencing branding, marketing and advertising as a means to ride out the economic wave.

Web copy, in particular, is a hot commodity as commercial interests scramble to bolster their online presence.

It’s no surprise then that I’ve been busier than the guy who cleans the windows at the Empire State Building.

In the interests of productivity and expediency, I’ve developed a blueprint which guarantees quality web copy every time.

Here’s Ten Things Not To Do When Writing Web Copy

1. Don’t Fall Asleep. As with driving, it’s important to keep your eyes open when writing web copy. If you can’t see the keypad, you may struggle to write.
2. Don’t Take a Shower: Shower time should be restricted solely to the bathroom. Taking a shower in front of your desktop can be electrifying and not in the good way.
3. Don’t Hit The Computer: Writing web copy can be frustrating at the best of times. So take that little anger monster, roll it up into a ball and throw it out the window. Remember: a computer is for life, not just for Christmas.
4. Don’t Eat the Keyboard. Confusing your keyboard with a cheese sandwich is an easy mistake to make. So don’t do it.
5. Don’t Overdo Things: Everyone deserves a break. So have a little time away from your web copy project and go on a fishing trip.
6. Don’t Turn off Spellchecker. Even the most conscientious of spellers need a little Microsoft help from time to time. Search and destroy any mistakes that slip through the editorial net.
7. Don’t use the Word ‘Teddy’ Instead of ‘The’. If possible, avoid replacing instances of ‘the’ with the word ‘teddy’. Should you succumb to temptation your content won’t make much sense at all.
8. Don’t Start Talking to Yourself. If you start talking to yourself, evacuate the office and engage the first person you see in conversation, even if they are juggling dead cats.
9. Don’t Paint the Computer Screen Black. Painting the computer screen black reduces visibility and causes confusion. It’s not a very smart thing to do either.
10. Don’t Lose Faith: Web Copy projects vary in size and depth. Whatever project you are tackling, keep the faith. If a jockey can do it, so can you.

When it comes to speed networking there is a real etiquette one shouldn’t break.

Here’s Ten Things Not To Do When Speed Networking:

1. Don’t’ turn up drunk. You only have a limited amount of time to capture the imagination of the business folk sat opposite. So keep a clear mind and stay off the bottle.
2. Don’t wear a tie on your head. If you’re going to have a Rambo moment, it’s probably best to do so before you leave the office. Keep your personal and professional life separate.
3. Don’t pretend you are stuck in a glass case. Nobody wants to see this. It’s unedifying and frankly people will thing you are insane.
4. Don’t Dance. When I start talking business I often feel my feet start to move. I’ve never gone full-blown John Travolta though and neither should you. That is, of course, unless you are promoting a dance business.
5. Don’t Get Naked. There are many times in the day when we need to take our clothes off. A speed networking gig is not one of those times. So stay modest and draw attention to your business, not your legs.
6. Don’t Talk About Your Model Railway Set. It’s always good to get on personal terms with a prospect client, but speed networking means your time is limited. Therefore, don’t waste half of your 60 seconds jabbering on about the model railway set in your garage.
7. Don’t Eat The Entire Buffet. The buffet is there to be enjoyed, but don’t overstay your welcome at the food table. If you eat all the quiche, prospect clients will be angry. Always share.
8. Don’t Wear Shades. Eye contact is important in all forms of communication. This is certainly the case when it comes to speed networking. Sure you may look cool, but wearing shades in a dark room will leave people asking: why?
9. Don’t Take Your Pet. Speed networking is a place of business, not a vets. So if you are considering taking your pet along, think again.
10. Don’t Talk Backwards. Talking backwards is a real skill but if your prospect can’t understand you, a business partnership is unlikely to emerge.

So there you have it: ten things not to do when speed networking.

And it’s understandable.

What do I write about? What are my readers interested in? What do hope to achieve through blogging? Where are my car keys? These are just a few frequently asked questions thrown in my direction.

Business blogging for business thinkers

The nature of your blog content will depend on the nature of your business. It’s no good writing about polar bears if you’re a landscape gardener. By the same extension, avoid patter about landscape gardening if you’re in the polar bear trade.

Stick to what’s relevant. Business blogging is there to create a two-way relationship between you and your client base.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t rock the boat. As a freelance copywriter, I blog about all things copywriting – I also blog on the subject of film reviews. Why film reviews you ask? You’re right to suggest film review isn’t a direct extension of copywriting. Even so, it’s proved fruitful on a number of fronts.

Firstly, reviewing films allows me to flex my creative muscles and practise what I preach – writing/copywriting. On top of driving traffic to CreativePen, showcasing my copywriting prowess and enhancing my SEO quota, film review also helped build crucial contacts in the entertainment industry.

Writing an effective business blog

This is a complicated question. I’ll give you a few hints and tips as to how I go about blog writing for my clients.

Where to start:

• Think about your business, think about your brand. View your business blog as a direct extension of your branding. Your principles should bleed through.
• Produce a content strategy to define how best to utilise your blog space. This often includes brand principles, key messages, target audience, keyword/key phrase research and analysis.

What’s next?

• Figure out what type of blog will satisfy the needs of your target audience. Is your blog going to be news driven? Is it going to be about you and your product/service? Are you going to have multiple blog categories in order to cover a range of sections? Whatever topics you cover, make sure they are keyword/key phrase heavy.
• Tone is crucial. You need to adapt your conversation so it speaks direct to the reader. Do you want to portray a professional or personal tone? Is humour appropriate? Will technical talk entice your readers?

All of these questions will be easier to answer if you produce a content strategy ahead of time. Plotting a clear travel of direction means that when you come to the writing stage you’ll be better placed to produce a business blog both compelling to read and effective on the marketing front.

Business Blogging: Page Layout

As with any form of copywriting, think about the visual layout of your business blog. Blocks of heavy paragraphs cascading down the page are never appealing to look at. Headings, sub-headings, bullet-points and lists will boil your blog down into content pleasing to the eye. And while you’re at it, why not throw some photos and images in for good measure?

Blogging gives your company an edge

There are, of course, no guarantees when it comes to business blogging. Even so, you can earn a dedicated following which will bring extra custom, business contacts, further your brand and help you climb the Google ladder.

And don’t forget: keep your blog up-to-date with weekly posts if possible.

Long gone are the days of introverted teenagers tapping out their every thought into the box of lights in front of them. Man evolved, the world evolved, now blogging has evolved.

Why should I care about business blogging?

Well that’s a good question. Gather round while we discuss. Blog writing has fast become one of the best ways to market your business online. Don’t just take that from a freelance copywriter. If Microsoft deems business blogging important, then who are we to argue?

I’ve tackled numerous web copy projects for clients and more often than not, I advise on the introduction of a blog page.

Besides creating a two-way conversation with customers, business blogging is a fantastic means of drumming up interest and creating sales.

The benefits of business blogging:

• Blogging communicates crucial information about you, your product and service direct to your target market.
• It’s a great way to build upon your brand principles and take your message to the widest possible audience.
• Parachute keywords and key phrases into the heart of your website on a regular basis. Done correctly, you’ll you climb the search engine ladder faster than a fireman. Google gets a real buzz from regularly updated information.
• Blogging is a great way to make new contacts and secure incoming links. Float a good post in the blogosphere and give people the chance to link back to them.
• If your business is the cake, then blogging is the cherry. A business blog drives traffic to your site, hold visitors’ attention and gives them another reason to come back.
• Finally, keep your blog up-to-date on a regular basis. People are naturally suspicious of the internet, especially when parting with money. So build consumer confidence with regular blog posts. If your website looks well kept and cared for, people are less likely to click on the ‘back’ button.

The skulk of shadowy corners loomed with appeal, the voices of friends and loved ones sounded with an angularity akin to the Wail of the Banshee.

There was only one thing for it. Climbing into a nearby box, I mailed myself post-haste to the Amazon Rain Forest.

Two weeks later, I wriggled free of my cardboard casket with the grace of a drunken belly dancer. I’ve never been a fan of enclosed spaces. “Next time”, I said, mumbling under my breath, “I’ll just buy a plane ticket.”

It took four or five minutes for my eyes to readjust to the glaring light – it seemed like days. During that time, a number of things cast doubt upon my exact location.

The goose bumps on my arms inform me that it was cold. The sound of roaring engines dispelled the notion of some remote forest.

Where was I?

As if awakening from a dream, the haze engulfing my eyes gradually slipped away. There wasn’t a tree, lion or monkey in sight.

Rubbing my eyes more doggedly than a newborn baby, a tall wooden object came into sight. It was my front door.

A dejected acceptance consumed my person, the sweet sounds of “Return to Sender” filled the gap between my ears.

There was only one thing for it. Stepping back into my cardboard abode, I thumbed the digits for Royal Mail into my phone.

“Please deliver parcel to the Amazon.”

Air sea rescue mounted a desperate operation in the form of a spoon but the sodden remains of said biscuit are yet to be found.

Biscuits and writer’s block…?

As I searched desperately for the crumbly castaway in the murky abyss of my coffee cup, it occurred to me some things in life are universal.

Those who partake in the time honoured tradition of biscuit dunking run the risk of sullying their mugs with fallen biscuits. Biscuit density and quality is of course a factor. At the end of the day though, it doesn’t matter whether you are rocking McVitie’s or Tesco’s own brand, we are all prone to losing a biscuit here and there.

Superman’s Achilles’ heel was Kryptonite. Dunkers face the risk of biscuit breakage. So what is it exactly that sends a collective shiver up the spine of the copywriting community?

In a nutshell: writer’s block! There I said it. It’s not a dirty word, its nothing to be ashamed of; it’s something all copywriters must battle from time to time.

Walls are made to be broken…

As with biscuit breakage, there is no scientific formula to excavate your person from the shadows of the writing block wall.

Having worked in the writing trade for the best part of a decade, the Writing Block Monster only rears its ugly head occasionally nowadays. Even so, when the beast does transpire in all its ferocity, I still struggle getting coherent thoughts down on the page.

With web copy deadlines on the horizon, it’s easy to panic. But don’t, this is what the sharp-toothed blockish partition in your mind wants.

It feeds on a diet of fear, so make sure it goes to bed hungry.

Here are a number of methods I find useful in shepherding my mind back to the righteous path of web copy:

1) Come out with your hands up and step away from the keypad! Take a break, have a biscuit (careful if you’re dunking). It may sound overly simplistic, but give your eyes and mind a rest.

2) If your web copy deadline permits, why not leave it till the next day? Things always look different in the morning. Even though you may have temporarily stepped away from the project your subconscious will continue processing information. This will help iron out those creases in your mindscape.

3) Talk to a friend, family member or colleague. Use them as a sounding board to bounce ideas off. I often find fleshing out web copy ideas with others triggers that much need inspiration to keep the Writing Block Monster at bay.

4) Read material related to your web copy project. Not only will this count as research but it could help you view the work through a more positive prism.

5) Rearrange or rewrite the outline/draft for your web copy endeavour. Like a Rubik’s Cube, fiddling often helps the pieces fall into place.

6) Don’t bang your head against the wall. It’s hazardous to your health and you could end up chipping the paint.

7) Fuse your mind with the things you find inspirational. For me, that’s films, literature and music.

The fall of the writing block wall…

Some things are built to last, the writing block wall isn’t. How you scale the wall will depend on you. But scale it you will.

In most cases perseverance and self-belief should dissolve writer’s block faster than a biscuit in a sea of coffee. On the odd occasion, it may take longer.

Whatever the case, just stick with it and remember: unlike mermaids, submarines, goldfish and Olympic swimmers, biscuits don’t like being left in water for too long.

Act 1: The Beginning

Good web copy is all about flow. Once you’ve finished your final draft, sit back and read it aloud. Does it roll off the tongue? Did you hit any verbal roadblocks?

Here’s one thing that is all but guaranteed: if you, the copywriter, stutter along the way, your reader will encounter the same problem.

Such errors can prove more disruptive than an Icelandic volcano. If you keep tripping the audience up you risk disconnecting them from the copy altogether.

And as any good copywriter will tell you: that’s a ‘no-no’.

Act 2: The Middle

There are a number of fundamental devices – besides good writing – I use to instil a free-flowing feel in my web copy.

One such method is to harness the archetypal three-act structure many creative writers use.

There are a number of reasons I like to do this: -

Firstly: the beginning, middle and end modus operandi offers copywriters a paradigm that resonates well in the mind of the majority of readers.

People, whether they know it or not, respond well to the three-act structure. Tap into the emotional selling point of the product or service you are promoting and build a meta-narrative around it.

Tell a story. Work out the start point, the middle and the end. This will invigorate the reading process and help nestle the information better in the mind of the reader.

Secondly: a three act structure allows the river of web copy to flow more freely. On a personal note, while I always have an eye on the overall narrative, I also build this three-tier concept into my copy on a smaller, micro level. So each paragraph I write, for example, will have some semblance of a beginning, middle and end and where possible, I endeavourer to do the same for each individual sentence.

When the ink dries the constituent parts of your copy should come together to function as one homogonous whole. The end result, of course, is free-flowing copy.

Thirdly: story-telling is the most universal form of communication on the planet. People relate to stories, they want to be drawn in, lose themselves momentarily in what you have to tell them.

Act 3: The End

If a piece of web copy is to maximise the potential of a product or service then all of its individual parts must work in unison.

Remember, ducks always fly together.

A lack of structure will leave your web copy dancing more erratically than a Texan oil miner who just struck gold.

So next time you sit down to compose a piece of web copy, shuffle the need for structure to the forefront of your mind.

Hook the reader by introducing the main goals, the setup and inciting incident. Use the middle ground to flesh out the facts and figures then land a knock out blow with an ending the reader won’t forget.