3: Finding your voice

Now you know who you’re targeting, all you have to do is talk to them! (Not sure who you’re targeting? Go back and read Part 2: Target audience)

You can set the register – informally known as ‘tone of voice’ – by imagining the conversation in your head. If you’re aiming your copy at people of retirement age, no matter how forward thinking they are, you’re unlikely to start your letter with, “Yo! Wassup?!” It’s all a question of appropriacy.

Read full article »

Writing for SEO

I’m often asked whether I can write for SEO. SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation to give it its full title, is the latest trend. Everyone will tell you that you won’t get your site found without it, and people spend hundreds — if not thousands — of pounds to ensure that they come within the first page of a search engine’s results.

But while it’s true that your website should be structured in a way that makes it easy for both spiders and humans to gather information — pages properly labelled, title tags and alt tags in place — I’m going to stick my neck out and say that copywriting for SEO is a bit of a fuss over nothing.

Read full article »