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By Marco Carbajo in Featured

businessCould you use a handful of helpful small business tips to grow your company?

I’m sure you can, and what better way to help small business owners like you then to share some of my favorite tips from our country’s top industry experts in their respective fields.

Below you will find a personal collection of some of my favorite golden nuggets from the country’s brightest minds in the areas of startups, small business, corporate finance, credit, internet marketing, social media marketing, blogging, working online, selling online, branding, and much more.

Now, without further ado, here they are:

1. Lisa Barone of outspokenmedia.com. “If you want people to talk about you, you got to listen to something nine-time Grammy-winner Bonnie Raitt told us way back in 1991. People want to talk and you gotta give ‘em something to talk about.”

2. Chris Brogan of chrisbrogan.com. “I continue to believe that affiliate marketing is the best possible method of extending your salesforce on the web. I think that finding passionate people with applicable communities and audiences and then enabling their ability to profit from selling a product they support into their community is the gold standard of marketing on the web.”

By Paul Summers in Featured

YouTubeAnyone with knowledge of Internet marketing will be aware the vital part driving (targeted) traffic to your website plays. In the traditional sense, if you have a shop selling the finest goods on the market, but it’s hidden away in some back street, the likelihood is that potential customers will not stumble upon it. The same goes online.

If your website is sitting there, but no one knows about it, your chances of sales are pretty slim. There are ways to drive free traffic to your site. Article marketing may be the best known, but another major part of any search engine marketing strategy simply must include YouTube.

Now, we all know YouTube for the variety of entertainment clips and short films available. But there are numerous instructional videos also, that can teach you anything from how to take a great photograph, to how to potty train your hamster! The shrewd Internet marketer can quite easily use YouTube’s services to promote their own products or, if working as an Affiliate, those of a vendor. Here’s how to use YouTube as an important tool in your search engine marketing strategy.

* Create a short informational or promotional video, related to your product. The ideal length is around 60 seconds, but this can vary, depending on the content you want to include. Making a video sounds difficult to a newcomer, but is actually very easy. Most modern PC’s include the application Windows Movie Maker, or equivalent.

It is quick and simple to use, and you just drag and drop your images into the timeline space at the bottom

* You can add narration, just by connecting a microphone (or use your PC’s in built microphone). It pays to write a script to read to, unless you are just following text you have put into the video

* Alternatively, you can just use text, where appropriate. As you drag your images into the timeline, you can choose the text option to insert this before, after, or on the selected image clip

* If you are not narrating, it’s best to add a simple accompanying audio track. Don’t make this too distracting, but a pleasant experience for the listener. Some soft jazz or classical music normally does the trick. Be careful – you can’t just copy music straight from your mp3, because of copyright laws, YouTube will just reject it. You can, however, obtain short royalty-free music on line, from companies such as Sound Dogs, for just a few dollars

* Once you’re happy with the video, you “publish” it onto your computer, ready for upload to YouTube.

You will need to set up an account with YouTube (it’s free) before you can upload your video. If possible, your account name should include a keyword associated with your niche.

For example, using the Hamster example above, your account name might be “HamsterPottyTraining” or similar. An email address will also be needed. Yahoo works well for this, and again try to use your keyword as your account id.

One YouTube video won’t have a major impact, but repeat the process over and over again, with new videos, including links to your website, or related promotional articles, and you should soon see an upsurge in traffic. Utilizing YouTube in your search engine marketing strategy works very well indeed.

Discover how you can learn and apply a successful search engine marketing strategy, by checking out www.summersonlinesolutions.com. Here you will find amazing FREE Internet Marketing Training that takes you step by step through a complete and easy money making process that you can implement from home.

By Nikki Cripps in Featured

copywritingOf course I’m going to defend the importance of copywriters. It’s not just my job, but my passion. Ken’s article was enlightening because it forced me to think further about the role of copywriters and re-evaluate their contribution to the success or otherwise of commercial websites, and it’s always healthy to check out alternative views.

There was plenty to digest in both the article and in the heated comments that followed its publication. Copywriters were quick to jump on the anti-Ken bandwagon, criticize his spelling, and overall crucify him for his DIY/shortcut approach to preparing online content.

And while there were elements of truth in his article, and he picked up three new clients, imagine how many customers he might have attracted if he’d written about the positives a copywriter can add to a website.

There are so many appallingly written websites on the net that there’s plenty of work for us all. Here’s five ways a specialist online copywriter can make a difference:

1) Experience. Good copywriters not only know how to write in perfect English, they also know how the web works, how to prepare sales copy, the importance of keywords and how to use them. Choosing the right copywriter from the hundreds of “experts” on the internet depends entirely on the expectations you have for your site. Just as websites range from high-tech interactive, gaming and multimedia to simple information brochures and basic e-commerce sites, copywriters come in all shapes and sizes. Their skill set will vary according to their experience, background, personal education and knowledge, so do your research, ask to speak to recent clients and don’t rely on their online testimonials or Google reviews.

2) Eye for detail. When I started out as a website copywriter five years ago I deliberately typed misspelled words into Google. Phrases included: “Stationary and Website Design”, “Accomodation”, “Pubic Relations” and my favourite “Copywrite 2005”. Bingo, a business was born. No-one is perfect, myself included, and it seemed cruel to make money from people’s mistakes. But once I’d diplomatically pointed out the errors I picked up work. From there on in I had to rely purely on skill! A half decent copywriter can pick a typo a block away and want to do something about it. Don’t risk alienating potential clients and customers by leaving errors or incomprehensible copy on your website. While perfect spelling might not be high on your list of priorities for your website, poor grammar and spelling could be interfering with your messages.

3) Speed. Once you’ve decided to go online it’s likely you want it all done yesterday. Here’s where a professional copywriter can make a difference to the time it takes to get you up and running. A quick turnaround in content preparation will have you connecting with customers sooner than if you tried to do it yourself. Don’t waste time agonizing over sentence structure, checking the thesaurus and reworking copy.

4) Value for money. The price for copywriting varies wildly from the overpriced and overhyped writers to the bargain basement offerings from developing nations. There is a happy medium that doesn’t charge exorbitant rates for original and unique copy. The bulk of copywriters fall into this category. We just want to make a decent living doing what we do best. Overinflated prices for poor work won’t lead to word of mouth recommendations, repeat work or referrals. Going offshore might save a few dollars but it’s unlikely to be original, will need serious editing by a professional, and fail to resonate with your target market because it has not been written by a local.

5) It’s hard to promote yourself. Unless you’re Donald Trump then talking about yourself doesn’t come easy to most people. Writing about yourself is even more challenging. A professional copywriter can take an external view of your business, analyze your competition and then create copy that positions your online presence in a positive, objective way. They will write about aspects of your business that you take for granted, including points of difference, unique selling propositions, customer service and your personal commitment and passion. As a business owner you intuitively know it is all there, but a copywriter will expand upon it, highlight the good bits and minimize the negatives.

Taking shortcuts or a cheapskate approach to copywriting is akin to DIY graphic design and SEO. It shows. Getting it right the first time not only saves time and money but the end product will look polished and professional, and word perfect.

Nikki Cripps is a Sydney based copywriter who writes exclusively for small business websites. She’s been a journalist, public relations consultant and writer for almost 20 years. She is the owner and operator of www.wordsforwebsites.com.au.

By Stephen Monday in Featured

virusIf you get an email that instructs you that a package has been returned to Fedex and you need to get the label of the package printed and placed back onto the package so it can be retrieved, beware!

When you go to open the zip file and “extract,” the information – you wind up getting a malware/spyware program installed into your computer.

The name of this “software,” is system tools. It is disguised as a “security tool,” to prevent spyware/malware.

It automatically places an icon on your p.c. named “system tool,” and immediate pop-ups start showing themselves which read “Your p.c. has been infected with 27 viruses, click here and get removal tool.”

This is a blatant lie. The only “infection,” you have gotten is the malware – bogus software itself!

It continually pops-up on your screen – interrupting your progress. When you try to close the program it throws yet another pop-up reading “continue unprotected”?

When you close the icon, you still get “balloon,” messages from your tray saying your p.c. has a Trojan virus which is trying to steal your credit card information.

This malware is relentless. It pops-up every two minutes, and is very annoying. Furthermore – when you search for such a “fake security tool removal,” it will let you complete the search, but when you try to purchase a legitimate tool which will remove it, it prevents you from using the tool to “remove,” it – by popping up every time you try and open the removal program.

It also tries to confuse the user by displaying a full page “security tool software,” when you enter your credit card number to buy the removal system.

This “system,” is $97.00 and is a hoax. It does not even exist. I did not buy the security tool software suggested by the pop-up.

What I did have to do, is boot my system into a “safe mode,” (F8) to keep the pop-up from interrupting my purchase of a real removal tool ($29.95)

After installation of the real security tool (Superanti-spyware) I ran a scan on my system – it found 85 trojans, malware, and spyware on my p.c.

This is a superior, major, new malware, which bypassed and got by my McGaff p.c. security system which I always keep running.

This is the very first time in years that something got by my p.c. security and infected my p.c. with malware.

I have removed it, and have had no problem since. I just wanted to warn the good folks out there – there are systems which can get by McGaff, as well as other p.c. security systems – by posing themselves as a Fedex email which my system did not flag.

How to avoid this? If you get such an email from Fedex saying your “package had been returned undelivered,” and to retrieve the label for the package, open a zip file and “extract,” such information, do not fall for it.

I send packages and receive packages fairly regularly, so the email seemed legit. If this information can save only one person from having to go through the headache of buying additional software to remove such a threat for ($29.95) this post is worth it.

I suggest emailing this information to your friends so they too can avoid such a scam. The software removal tool I did buy worked great, and it did take it off of my p.c. but I did not buy it from the company, which installed the fake malware disguised as a “security tool.”

I got it from a separate company, which showed the very icon of the real threat. This post is meant to expose this threat to others, so they do not fall for such scams.

Even with an installed, running, professional security tool (such as I had running) It is possible to be infected with malware. So, happy surfing – and keep your p.c. safe.

Get your FREE sales page evaluation from professional Web Copywriter – Stephen E. Monday Please visit the URL below:
www.AAAWebcopyservices.com. Click the contact us page, then enter the URL of the page you want evaluated, and click submit.

By Michael Tasker in Featured

marketingIt can be easy being guilty of committing online marketing mistakes without realizing what you are losing out on. The term leaving money on the table could not be truer in this instance as you do not realize that, with just a few adjustments to what you are already doing, suddenly the amount of sign ups to your list or sales that you are achieving increases greatly.

You will be committing the gravest online marketing mistake if you do not have a name capture facility on your website. The key to success is to get those interested in what you have to offer onto a list in order to continue the conversation with them. The name capture box requires being located within a prominent position above the fold with an inducement to sign up. This can take the form of a free report, audio or perhaps the first part of a course that you have.

A second mistake is the marketing, or being more precise the lack of it. You should endeavor to be marketing in some format everyday. This can include sending an email to your list, writing a blog post, leaving comments in an appropriate forum with a link back to your website, placing an ad on a related website and writing and distributing an article.

Don’t make the mistake of underestimating the power of article marketing. Do you wish to get on the first page of the search engines utilizing a free method to create quality content that the search engines love? Answering yes is your message to start writing articles. The article requires to be based around one key word and once published it can be a very effective method to increase targeted traffic to your website.

Do you make the online marketing mistake of relying on a single sale? The customer buys but you have nothing else to offer them. The big profits are made on the higher value products and it is often only when the customer has purchased the lower value one that they will then be interested in the higher value product. Too many marketers leave far too much money on the table by not introducing an up sell. As soon as the customer has bought, they are still in buying mode and thus an immediate up sell should be offered. If you have not done this before, you will be amazed at the number of customers who are very willing to take advantage of another product being marketed to them at that very point in time.

When sending out a physical product, make sure that details of an additional offer are included. Whilst you might have already offered the up sell and they may have taken advantage of it, don’t make the decision on their behalf that they will have bought enough. Include an additional offer when you send out the package and let them decide if they want to buy that too.

Another mistake that’s related to the last one is the lazy decision to use only digital format. Research indicates that pricing of digital products can only be successful up to a certain level. Once crossed, customers want to see, feel and use a physical product. Getting the prospect to pay hundreds of pounds or dollars for something that is digital is a very difficult marketing trick to pull off. Convert it into a physical product and then the “thud” factor comes into play, and sales will happen.

Everyone has been or still is guilty of these online marketing mistakes but with a bit of effort they can be quickly eradicated and the result will be more prospects on your list and more customers buying your products.

So your internet marketing efforts are not being rewarded with sales? Have you wanted to try methods but they appear just too complicated? Tired of constantly being sold to? The solutions to your internet marketing challenges start by getting Michael T’s free “Internet Marketing Insiders Report” now at www.infomarketingforyou.com

By Enzo F. Cesario in Featured

copywritingPeople are a notoriously self-interested lot. They avoid activities that don’t benefit them, skip events that bore them, and reject content that doesn’t interest them in some way. They aren’t going to go out of their way to read up on an article simply because it has all the information the author thinks is vital and important if they personally feel that article is a waste of their time. Indeed, nothing is a surer waste of someone’s time than a crappy, poorly assembled article. A piece of copy could have the very recipe for successful nuclear fusion buried on page 14, but if it bored readers away on page 9, no one will ever dig deep enough to find it and society will continue to churn out dirty coal and uranium waste.

This raises the natural question: What exactly is “crappy” content? The short and almost tautological answer is “content that people don’t like,” but simply saying that doesn’t get a writer anywhere. There are many kinds of crappy content, each with its own unique reasons for being a dull and uninteresting lump rather than a well-polished gem of online commentary.

Type 1 – SEO Smash

First, let it be said that there are few techniques as important to online brand marketing at this time as Search Engine Optimization. Google rightly can claim to rule the web by means of its indexing power. A recent merger between Microsoft’s software and the Yahoo! search engine was described in terms of its ability to challenge the reigning king, Google, not on its own merits. So, the ability to get content noticed by search engines through the use of keywords, meta tags, and proper formatting is all a vital portion of the content process.

By Kristin Gabriel in Featured

cloudcompThere is a fantastic business value in cloud computing — lowering costs and increasing business agility. A company’s data is valuable, and vulnerable,so cloud is an especially conducive environment for an online backup service

Most business owners know one of the biggest problems to contend with these days is cybercriminals, who are after money. Stealing data to generate illegal profits is their business. It also means they are not afraid to hijack the computing power of a company’s PCs and servers to steal other people’s data in order to generate a big profit.

In-the-cloud computing offers a secure personal cloud to individual consumers, featuring automatic online backup service and data synchronization of files to a secure online file storage center across multiple Internet-connected devices and computers.

Businesses of all sizes are at risk and successful hacks could be devastating to smaller businesses. They usually have limited IT resources, and just being connected to the Internet is reason enough to worry. In fact, 93 percent of all companies that suffer significant data loss close down within five years.

Today, how can business owners avoid becoming just another statistic? Computer failures, theft, or natural disasters never happen according to a time schedule, so an online backup service needs to protect your data securely with continuous backup in real-time. Files should be automatically copied within moments of you saving them so your data is safe.

You probably want all of your important data files backed up, synchronized, and safe, but also you probably want to be able to easily access and share your files remotely via the Internet. After all, workers in other parts of the world – in offices or working virtually – need to have access to data.

Digital file sharing with colleagues or friends and family should have no limits on data file size and unlimited speed is a must. You should be able to share your media with whoever you want through instant messaging, social networking sites, or email. If you or your employees use multiple computers, it is common to want to access documents, or even photos and videos.

Furthermore, a good online backup service allows you to access these items when on the go from any Internet-enabled computer or mobile phone. Your files need to be synchronized and up-to-date across multiple computers with a special software client that can be downloaded to any device. Your online storage solution should also include encryption, access control, failsafe software, and firewalls.

Social networking means consumers want to sync and share their digital life in real time – simply and easily. Pictures and files are immediately secured, and accessible from any device at your fingertips. Storing irreplaceable photos, music, and documents in a single safe location that’s administered by industry leader in Internet security, will put your mind at ease.

It doesn’t matter which solution you choose, it must be simple to set up and easy to use, and an online backup service must work silently in the background, automatically providing data backup and restoring your files in the event of a disaster, accident, or loss.

Ultimately, cloud storage is about the best insurance plan you can get for your important electronic data. Bur remember, not all cloud security is created equal. Before making a final decision on which online backup service to subscribe to, carefully consider the vendor’s experience in content security so that you will be getting secure online data recovery with continuous access.

Kristin Gabriel is a writer for Trend Micro(TM) – www.trendmicro.com – a global leader in content security. SafeSync(TM) is its economically priced online backup service for storing irreplaceable documents, photos, videos, and music in a single safe location that’s administered by Trend Micro.

By Julie Ann Ross in Featured

videoVideo SEO in social media is growing in acceptance and importance to the consumer. Many companies are turning to different forms of social media marketing to promote online brands. Company websites are becoming more than static brochures. They are changing and growing, featuring more interaction with their audiences. Websites now contain a variety of forums like blogs, discussion forums, blog and page comments, and video. Companies are providing more information and they are letting their customers talk back to them.

Video is now becoming the new way to communicate information. Because we live in a wired – or actually a wireless – world, marketers are turning to both the web and mobile marketing, and video, to tell their stories.

Not only is this a good way to share information and promote your brand, video marketing leads to higher search engine rankings, which means more website visitors and increased sales. Video SEO is following closely on the heels of the video revolution.

Some companies are slow to accept video, let alone video SEO, since it is still relatively new. However, online video and video SEO make perfect sense. Americans spend many hours in front of their televisions. Reality TV has taken television into a whole new direction. People want to see actual reality (or what they believe is reality). They want to experience and learn from what is actually happening, not what is acted out. We have become a visual learning society. So it is only natural that people want to “watch TV” on their computers, including finding new information and communicating. This new evolution of media brings new opportunities to marketing and makes video SEO an important tool in the marketing toolbox.

Video SEO will give you a strong edge in marketing strategy. Not only are you reaching people with the videos you produce, but by hosting your videos on sites like YouTube and Vimeo, and then embedding them on your blog or website, you are giving your site a video SEO boost.

You can give your video SEO efforts a bigger boost if you tag these videos with your chosen keywords, and include links back to the site where the video can be seen (i.e. your site). You can also share links to the video on your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, and post it on your Facebook “Like” page. This will not only expose your video to more people, but will tell search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo that both the video and your website are important.

The more links you get back to your main website, the higher it will appear in the search engine rankings. And because Google owns YouTube, you have the added bonus of your videos being indexed quickly and easily, which can only help your video SEO efforts even more.

Video SEO ends up helping you do a few things at once: promote your products or services, boost your search engine rankings, and help you reach more people by being some of the first in your industry to use these techniques.

The Internet is always changing, which is why you have to stay on top of the technology and tools behind it. Even things like search engine optimization techniques and tactics, including video SEO, are changing all the time – things that were accepted and expected are now not only old news, they can even get you banned from the search engines.

If you find you do not have the time and energy to devote to SEO, then consider an SEO professional. Not only are they well-versed in the latest developments in the search engine world, like video SEO techniques, they know other professionals, like video production companies, that can help you create entertaining and informative videos that keep your visitors’ interest once they arrive at your site.

With 20 years in marketing, advertising and 10 years in internet marketing, Rostin Ventures has refined video seo practices for distribution in social media. www.Rostinventures.com offers video seo, social media marketing and online reputation management services that are affordable and drive search engine ranking through Social Media Optimization, Online Reputation Management, Social Marketing and web 2.0 communities and resources.

By Chip Cooper in Featured

BlogUnfulfilled promises by blog site personnel to remove objectionable materials from blogs continue to create headaches – and increased legal exposure – for blog site operators. A recent case involving craigslist.org teaches a critical lesson for blog site operators: be very careful what you and your personnel promise; be very, very careful.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act

If you’re a blog site operator, you should have a clear understanding of the protections – and pitfalls – provided by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (Section 230).

Prior to the enactment of Section 230, a blog site could be held liable for defamatory posts by its visitors, even if the blog site operator had no knowledge of it. Think about it – posters to your blog often have an axe to grind; many believe that they can post almost any derogatory comment on the Web. Section 230 was passed by the U.S. Congress to provide relief for websites that allow visitors to post comments.

Section 230 was a significant breakthrough for websites that qualify as “interactive computer services.” Today, blogs and blog sites should qualify for protection under Section 230′s umbrella immunity.

Section 230 provides two immunity clauses:

* a website operator may not be treated as the “publisher or speaker” of any information provided by another;

* however, a website operator may be held liable for any good faith action it takes to restrict access to “objectionable” materials.

In 1997, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Section 230 immunity by ruling in the case of Zeran v. America Online, Inc. that Section 230 immunized America Online from suit regarding content posted by third parties, even if there was an unfulfilled promise to remove the offensive material.

Despite the fact that Zeran and other early cases ruled in favor of Section 230′s immunity for website operators, two recent cases show that the immunity is not bullet proof – the most recent one being Scott P. v. craigslist, Inc.

Scott P. v. craigslist, Inc.

Scott claimed that his supervisor was harassing him due to sexual orientation. Scott even alleged that his supervisor created false ads about his sexual orientation and posted them on craigslist.org.

Scott called craigslist and complained about the alleged false ads requesting craigslist to not post future ads that would identify him. According to Scott, craigslist personnel promised to “take care of it.”

About a month later the supervisor successfully posted six new ads on craigslist that identified Scott. Scott then sued craigslist.

Craigslist moved to dismiss Scott’s suit on the grounds of Section 230 immunity, but the motion was rejected based on the doctrine of promissory estoppel, and the rejection was upheld by the California Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Promissory estoppel allows a plaintiff to recover damages from a defendant who makes an unfilled promise on which the defendant reasonably relies to the defendant’s detriment. The significance of promissory estoppel is that plaintiff may recover damages for an unfulfilled promise even in the absence of an enforceable contract.

Conclusion

Scott P. v. craigslist, Inc. and the 2009 case of Barnes v. Yahooo!, Inc. both hold that despite the statutory immunity of Section 230, a website operator may waive the immunity by promising to remove objectionable materials and then failing to live up to the promise.

The lesson for sites with blogs and blog sites – in order to avoid this major pitfall involving promissory estoppel, be careful to avoid promising to remove objectionable material. Don’t even make statements that could be construed to be a promise such as “we’ll take care of it.” The best course of action is to state explicitly that you are “not promising” to remove objectionable content, but that you will “take it under advisement.”

Leading Internet, IP and software lawyer Chip Cooper has automated the process of drafting your website legal forms for website legal compliance – www.digicontracts.com/kits/firewall.aspx . Use his free online tool — Website Documents Determinator — to determine which documents your website really needs. Discover how quick, easy, and cost-effective it is to draft your website legal forms at DigiContracts.com.

By Karon Thackston in Featured

copywritingIt’s a common question. “What copywriting mistakes should I avoid?” There are many, but the 3 I chose might surprise you. Why? Because while these can potentially cause the greatest amount of damage they are not ones most copywriters talk about.

Why? Because these aren’t the “sexy” copywriting mistakes. They aren’t the quick-fix aspects. They require thinking and judgment and work! However, they are the ones that – when implemented correctly – can drastically boost the performance of
your copy and content whether that be a blog post, article, web page, email or other forms of text.

Copywriting Mistake #1 – Writing Without a Plan

Regardless of what you write, you’ll get better results if you perform due diligence with a little prior planning. In fact, if you go through the planning phase of copywriting, chances are the copy will all but write itself. How so?

Because research allows you the opportunity to get to know your target customer, organize your thoughts, outline features, benefits and end results, get your creative juices flowing, and much more. It also allows you to overcome what might otherwise become copywriting mistakes.

Take this article, for instance. When I started, I didn’t just lay fingers to keyboard and begin rambling on. I thought about the topic I’d like to approach. I looked into keyphrases that might be a good fit. (For this piece, I chose “copywriting mistakes” and “copywriting mistake.”)

Then, I gave some thought about what – specifically – I’d like to accomplish in the article. What, precisely, did I want to communicate to you? Those became the “3 copywriting mistakes” mentioned in the headline as well as the outline for my writing.

All that was left to do was fill in the blanks.

The same applies to writing website copy. When you follow a process for outlining features, benefits and end results, researching keywords, and creating a skeleton of what the page should accomplish, it all falls into place much easier.

Copywriting Mistake #2 – Writing About Your Company/Product Instead of To Your Site Visitor

One of my biggest pet peeves – and one of the most common copywriting mistakes I see – is ignoring your site visitors. Indulge me for a minute as I climb on my soapbox.

If someone walked into your office, shook your hand and asked how you could help them, you would not immediately begin to rattle off everything you believed to be a strong point about your product or company. No. What would you do? You’d start getting to know the customer.

You would ask questions. You would find out what their problems/challenges are. You’d get details on specifically what they want to do/accomplish and then you would address their exact issues.

Instead of “we do this and we do that and our company, let us help, we, we, us, us, our, our, our, blah, blah, blah” you would speak to the customer who is seated in front of you. Instead of “we-ing all over yourself,” you’d say something like this:

“Mr. Smith, you can get to where you want to go. It’s not as hard as you think. You can improve the image others have of your company and help reinforce your brand with a system that offers 3 important advantages. First, you’ll find that ____________________________….” You get the idea.

Does that mean you can never use “us” or “we” or “our?” Certainly not! But keep it to a minimum. I’d venture to guess you should you those words less than 10% of the time. After all, it’s not about you. it’s about the ones who have the money: your customers.

Copywriting Mistake #3 – Thinking Copywriting Only Happens on Your Web Page

If you plan to write search engine optimized copy, you’ll have to understand that your copy actually begins in the search engine results pages (SERPs). The title tag and the META description tag create a little advertisement for you in Yahoo!, Google, Bing and the other engines.

Let’s say a surfer types in “black cowboy boots” (for example). The very first exposure that customer has to your web page is what they find in the SERPs. Which of these tag sets grabs your attention?

Black Cowboy Boots – Black Cowboy Boots
Black cowboy boots are manufactured by all of the major cowboy boot makers. This most popular boot comes in various styles depending on your needs.

Black Cowboy Boots – Free Shipping and Return Shipping
Buy cowboy boots with a price guarantee and top rated customer service. You can compare multiple … Dan Post Boots Eel Cowboy – Black (Men’s) $249.95 …

Western Spurs, Tshirts, Western Wear, Art, Posters Black Cowboy Boot with Spurs keychains . Black Cowboy Boot with Spurs Key Chain by White_Wedding. praying cowboy pet clothing praying cowboy dog shirt …

I don’t know about you, but I’d be clicking that free shipping one with the price guarantee!

You have to write your title tag and META description tag as an advertisement. Tell the surfer why they should click to your page as opposed to the other 10,000 in the SERPs. What’s in it for them if they click to you?

So, now you know. And now that you know, you can avoid making the 3 most deadly copywriting mistakes small business owners make.

Are you looking to revamp or build a small business website but aren’t sure where to start? Karon’s book Effective Websites for Small Businesses helps you work with professional to make it happen. Learn more at www.effectiveWebsitesForSmallBusinesses.com.

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