Content Writer Micky's Blog

Archive for the ‘My Business’ Category

I was recently asked to become a part-time online Tutor at the well established Search Engine College. I have now started in that role and am really enjoying it!

I currently tutor about half a day per week, mostly grading student assignments, which I do on top of my regular work writing and editing copy and doing SEO and websites for clients.

Search Engine College is a respected international company that offers short self-study and certification courses in Search Engine Optimisation and related disciplines.

I have taken six of their courses myself and have been a Certified Search Engine Optimiser since January 2008.

Search Engine College founder Kalena Jordan announced my appointment in her Ask-Kalena blog at the end of April 2009. There’s a blurb about me on the SEO Tutors page of the Search Engine College website.

The SEO and search engine marketing courses are flexible, easy to follow and incredibly useful for getting a good grasp of how to make websites successful. Should you be interested, check out the range of courses available on the Search Engine College website.

If you’d like someone to help you optimise your website so it will rank better and you’ll get more visitors and potential customers, feel free to contact me, SEO Content Writer Micky Stuivenberg, to discuss what I can do for you or visit my website first.

As a professional Website Copywriter, I get almost daily emails from people asking me if I can write clear, persuasive and optimised content for their business website.  Sure I can. But what is involved? What do I need from you and what can you expect of me?

Here are 10 Steps in Hiring Me to Write or Rewrite and Optimise your Website Content:

1.  Send me an email & tell me exactly what you need.
Include as much information as possible, such as answers to these questions: 

• What website is it for (URL and/or explanation)?
• How many pages do you need me to write (if possible with the page names/topics)?
• Roughly how long do you want the pages to be?
• Is it writing from scratch or rewriting/editing existing content?
• Will you give me enough information to base the content on or do you expect me to do research?
• Who is your target market and where are they located?
• Do you know what SEO keywords you want me to use or do you want me to do keyword research?
• What is your timeframe?

2.  I will email you a quote.
The quote will briefly set out what I will do and what’s included. If I don’t have enough information to prepare a quote, I will email you back with questions and I’ll send you a quote once I have the answers.

3.  You accept the quote.
Send me an email to say you would like to hire me for your project.

4.  I email you my Terms & Conditions and an Invoice for the deposit.
My standard Terms & Conditions document sets out what is included and protects both you and me in case of any misunderstanding. I require a 50% deposit of the estimated total fee before starting the project. I will also give you an indication of when I can start and how long I think the job will approximately take.

5.  You accept the T&Cs and pay the deposit. 
You can scan and email the signed Terms & Conditions document or simply confirm in an email you accept them. For the 50% down payment, I prefer a direct deposit into my bank account. However, I also accept payment by cheque, PayPal or credit card (also via PayPal).

6.  I confirm receipt and request further input from you. 
You would have already emailed me some information in order to give you a quote, but I may require further input at this point to actually do the writing. Please send me everything you think may help me to understand your business, products and services and to help me write good content for your website. 

Things that may be useful could include:
(not everything may be relevant for all projects)

• Link to your current website, draft new website on a test server or screenshot of your web design.
• Overview of all pages you need written with dot points of what each page should cover.
• What your USP (unique selling proposition) is, i.e. your ‘competitive edge’, and what your most important or most popular services/products are that you want me to highlight.
• Copies of relevant marketing materials, company brochures or publications.
• List of SEO keywords and phrases you want to target (word combinations you would like to be found on when people type them in search engines such as Google).
• If you know your direct competitors in your area, please give me links to their websites. 

7.  I start writing your web content. 
I will consider how best to present your company. I’ll write clear, professional and persuasive web copy in chunks that are easy to digest, and use important SEO keywords throughout the content and in suggested META page titles. Throughout the process, I will remain in touch with you and I will ask you questions if anything is not entirely clear. I will not write content based on assumptions but will always clarify things with you to ensure I get it right the first time.
 
8.  I will email you the draft content.
Depending on our arrangements, I normally send people the content in a Word document.

9.  You email me your feedback and I make revisions if needed.
All my clients so far have been very happy with the copy I have written for them, but sometimes I’m asked to change or tweak a couple of paragraphs. One round of revision is included in my services, and I’m more than happy to make changes where needed based on your feedback. You need to provide your feedback within 7 days, or with large projects within 14 days, for me to make the changes, so that the subject matter is still reasonably fresh in my mind.

10.  Final step: I close the project and send you the final invoice. 
I will close the project and send you the final invoice 7 days (small projects) or 14 days (larger projects) after sending you the content, or earlier if you don’t need changes or any changes are done sooner than that. Payment of the outstanding amount is due 7 days after the date of the final invoice.
 
What’s next? This is usually where you give the final content to your webmaster and they incorporate it into your website. I love it when clients alert me when the new content is up so I can see the final result. I also often write about finished projects on my blog and link to client websites using SEO keywords, which helps with their search engine rankings.

Want to know more?

If you think you may be interested in hiring me to write your SEO Website Content, please email me, Content Writer Micky Stuivenberg, with as much information you can give me as per item no. 1 above.

For more information about my services, visit my Content Writer website, refer to my standard hourly rates, see my SEO copywriting portfolio or read some client testimonials.

Is your small business easy to find in Google? No, I don’t mean by typing in your exact business name, that’s easy. Does your business come up on the first search results page when you type in the kinds of products or services you offer, perhaps in combination with the town or city you’re located in or your service area?

Not only are more people going online to search for certain products, services, shops and restaurants, Google is also increasingly moving towards a more locally oriented search engine. You may have noticed getting more and more search results targeted at your local area, lately often even without entering your location in the search box. Google seems to recognise that many people are actually searching for a business or service in their local area.

What do people type into the search box? 

A very common way that people search is by typing the general service or product they’re after into the Google search box, followed by their city or town. Example: “sports physiotherapists Coffs Harbour” or “Italian restaurants in Sydney”.

What can you do if you are a local business and have a website?

Make sure that those common search terms for your kinds of products or services plus your location or service area (these important terms are referred to as the SEO keywords you target) appear on your website. That way Google can make that match and your website comes up in the search results.

You should know that search engines can only understand actual words in the HTML code, they cannot interpret the meaning of images, graphics, video or Flash files. That’s why it is very important to use all the keywords that people may use to look for your services liberally throughout the text on your website and in your page titles and headings, among many other things. If your business is local, also make sure you include your full address and telephone number on your website, possibly even on every page.

Bottom line: Optimise your website for search engines and you’ll rank well in the free search results and won’t have to spend money on Google Adwords.

What if you have a business but DON’T have a website?

Don’t worry. Although you’ll always perform better online if you do have your own website, there are still many things you can do to appear in the search results in the categories your business is active in. There are dozens of websites where you can list your business for free, often with a description of your products and services, location, contact details and a link to your website if you have one. Even if you don’t offer online transactions, many people do their research online and select a business before picking up the phone or visiting the outlet.

Where to list your business?

If you only have time to list your business on 1 website, make it Google Places (a listing on Google Maps that was previously known as the Google Local Business Center) Sign up for a free account and you can add a description, contact details, opening hours and even images and video.

Very importantly, in Google Places, you can select up to 5 categories you wish to appear under, and place your business on the map. So now, when people search for your type of business in Google (the search engine that accounts for about 90% of all online searches), your company will be included in the search results and your location will even be shown on a map! To include your business, go to http://www.google.com/local/add

But wait, there’s more. Once your business appears in Google Places/Maps, people can also leave reviews. Ask your loyal customers to spend a few minutes online to leave a good review, and not only does your business show up, but it will appear higher in the list, and potential customers will get a good impression of your business too!

Other local online directories where you can submit your business details for FREE – whether you have a website or not – and that may show up (and sometimes even rank well) in search engine results pages, include: AussieWeb, HotFrog, StartLocal and TrueLocal. These are some of the major ones for the Australian market. Other countries will have other popular local, regional or national directories. Also look out for major local and regional directories. And if you do have your own website, make sure to add a link to it, and if possible include some keywords within the link.

Be aware that after adding your free listing, you may get a call from a sales rep who will try to sell you a premium, advanced listing. Just be firm and resist if you’re not interested. Your free listing has no strings attached.

So take advantage of the free listing opportunities available on the Internet and you’ll see that more people will find you, even if they had no idea you existed. And if you have a website, make sure it is optimised for search engines so it will show up in relevant search results.

If you need help optimising your website, you can contact me, Micky Stuivenberg, a certified Search Engine Optimiser and Website Copywriter, for advice and rewriting of your content and page titles or making any other changes needed to rank higher for your targeted SEO keywords.

For the wide range of SEO, web design, copywriting and editing services I provide, please refer to my website at www.contentwriter.com.au.

I live in Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in Australia and I love it here. I have been writing content, stories and editorials for Coffs Coast Marketing for several years now, helping to promote the Coffs Coast region – which is what the area around Coffs Harbour is called – to tourists and visitors.

But there are many things that are so lovely here that I just feel like sharing with more people. Not just visitors, but also people who have lived here a long time, or who have just moved here.

That’s why in January, I decided to start a blog about Coffs Harbour activities and fun things to do here, written mostly from personal experience and featuring my own photos. The URL of the website is www.thingstodoincoffsharbour.com.au

I announced the start of this new website/blog in my post of 7 January 2009 as part of my New Year’s Resolutions. Somehow I thought I would be able to manage writing several new posts per week, but unfortunately I simply don’t have the time for that. However, some of my favourite pastimes are up there already and I will keep trying to write and publish one new blog post each week.

A lot of the activities are outdoors and many are free of charge. For instance, you’ll find some nice nature walks which feature fantastic views and end at a great café or restaurant.

Being a WordPress blog, it uses categories and tags so it’s easy to navigate and find topics of interest. So if you like walking, you just click on the word walk in the tag cloud on the right and you go to the page with all the stories that mention walks around Coffs Harbour.

Because the website is still very new, you can expect new stories to be added all the time. By subscribing to my RSS feed, you don’t have to keep coming back to check for new ideas for things to do in Coffs Harbour but you’ll be kept up to date via your RSS reader.

Blogs aren’t just for fun. They are really good examples of attractive websites with continually updated content and an easy to use Content Management System. Having a blog can work extremely well for your business!

If you’re interested in starting a blog but aren’t sure where to start, contact me via my Content Writer website and we can discuss how I can help you.

I manage and update the content of websites for various clients across the globe. Many of these businesses don’t have the in-house skills, the software or the time to update their own websites. So I do it for them, at a minimal cost to them. Because I’m an expert in this, it doesn’t have take me too long to change content on a website. And I only charge for my time spent.

One of the sites I’ve recently updated again is the Coffs Coast Waste Services website. This regional domestic waste collection and recycling business has just published new bin collection calendars and a new ‘Waste-Wise’ booklet for residents.

I’ve posted the new materials and have made some changes to other content that had become outdated on some of the inside pages. While I was at it, I also changed some of the page titles for SEO purposes, to try and rank higher in search engines for certain relevant keywords and search phrases.

If you have a website that needs updating, as a one-off or on a regular basis, contact me at Content Writer to discuss the options, or read more about the possibilities and my charges on my web page about my Web Content Updating Service.

Also read this related blog post for further information.

Among the things I do, besides writing content, SEO and creating websites, is public relations and writing media releases. Between mid January and mid February, I spent four weeks filling in for the media officer at the City Council of the city I live in, Coffs Harbour. This is something I had done previously in my job managing the Council’s websites.

The past few weeks have been a bit crazy, first with the horrible bushfires in Victoria and then with some areas of Coff Harbour and surrounding areas being flooded when we had more than 200mm of rain in two days.

Russell Crowe, who has a home in Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour, and spends time there with his family now and then, was here for an NRL pre-season match of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, a team he partly owns.

During a live fundraising telethon broadcast nationally, he announced an iniative to raise funds to build a new community centre in one of the fire-ravaged areas in Victoria. Coffs Harbour City Council was to be the organiser and call centre for the appeal.

That ensured we had a couple of very busy days after that, organising all legalities, getting information up on the website and sending out media releases. (See the first Russell Crowe bushfire appeal media release and for further info see the second one.)

Other aspects of the job were responding to media enquiries, arranging interviews and photo opportunities, and editing and proofreading documents and letters from Council’s many departments and facilities before they were published or sent out.

One morning, I got to witness the release of Dodger, a koala who had been hit by a car several months ago and broke his leg. He had undergone surgery with the financial help of Council and was nursed back to full strength by members of WIRES, our local wildlife rescue organisation. The members of the local media, Dodger’s carers, the vets who had operated on him and myself were all very pleased to see Dodger quickly and happily climb up high into the tree he was released in. Let’s hope he stays in the forest and away from the highway! The release got good coverage in the local papers and on a regional television channel. (See the press release I wrote that led to the media covering the story.)

Anyway, just a little story to illustrate that public relations and press releases are part of what I do. If you’re looking to get a story out there, I may be able to help you. I have many years’ experience as a journalist and in public relations and know how to write an effective media release.

Get in touch with me, Micky Stuivenberg, Content Writer, if you need help with your public relations in Coffs Harbour, the NSW Mid North Coast or elsewhere.

A copywriter is a copywriter… right? Wrong! A copywriter specialising in print copywriting such as brochures doesn’t necessarily have the skills and knowledge needed to be a good copywriter for websites.

Sure, a ‘normal’ copywriter knows how to write a good piece of text that’s engaging and persuasive. But website copywriting involves a lot more than that.

A good website copywriter (in addition to writing good copy and understanding marketing):

• knows all the tricks to writing specifically for the web,
• knows how people behave online and how best to target and engage them,
• stays up to date with the latest best practices for websites and web content,
• is skilled and experienced in SEO and how to optimise web content in a natural way,
• ideally is also able to advise you on other matters relating to your website, such as design and usability.

These are just a few of the things you should expect from your web copywriter.

My name is Micky Stuivenberg. I’m an experienced website copywriter and content specialist. I’m also a web content editor, website consultant and certified Search Engine Optimiser.

Are you not getting many people on your website? Or are they leaving as soon as they arrive? Or maybe you have a new website but aren’t sure about the content.

Let me help you write your website content to make sure you’re using the right words and formats to get found in search engines, attract visitors, give them the information they want and convert them into customers.

I have been writing for the web since 2000 (see about me or portfolio) and know exactly what’s involved.

Don’t spend any more time struggling, let’s discuss what I can do for you. Let’s get you some structured, logical, optimised, well-written and easy to read website content! Contact me.

At the start of a new year, I’ve made a few resolutions – or really, a list of things I’m determined to do in 2009, career-wise.

They’re all related to my diverse profession as a copywriter, website consultant, search engine optimiser, content specialist, public relations consultant and freelance journalist.

• After finishing an inspiring course run by wellknown journalist Valerie Khoo (SMH and other publications) of the Sydney Writers’ Centre, I’m determined to do more work as a freelance journalist in 2009. I’ve been a journalist before and have had my articles published, but not yet in Australia. This year, I’ll write more feature stories and WILL get some published in mainstream Australian publications!
• I know that having testimonials on your website helps your business. I too like to read feedback from clients on other companies’ websites to get a better feel for the business and its products or services. So over the next few weeks/months, I’ll contact some of my clients who have already told me they’re very happy with my services and try to get a few paragraphs from them to put on my website on a new Testimonials page.
• Starting a blog is a great idea. It lets you easily add fresh content to your website… if you post something new regularly, that is! I know I haven’t been blogging all that much yet, but this is also something that I’ll be trying to do in 2009: updating my blog more often.
• I regularly get emails asking for quotes for certain website, SEO or copywriting projects. I email back and forth with these people to really understand their requirements, and carefully construct an email with a quote that’s well thought through. Sometimes, I don’t receive any response, and I imagine these people had contacted many businesses requesting quotes, and they just happened to have found another service provider. However, deep down I know I shouldn’t assume that. What if the project is on hold? What if they misplaced my quote? What if my explanations weren’t clear enough or my quote not detailed enough? I have decided I should and will follow up on quotes I send out if I haven’t heard back within, say, a week, just in case I can do anything else to convince the potential client that hiring me for their project is a great idea!
• I live in Coffs Harbour on the East Coast of NSW, Australia, where I’ve been since early 2005. I love it here, our region is so beautiful! I often get frustrated by the lack of correct and up to date information available online about things to do and see in Coffs Harbour. Why isn’t all this available on the internet? Locals and visitors should be able to read about all those beautiful Coffs Harbour attractions and activities. So I’ve decided to start a blog to tell the world about our piece of paradise. My new blog is called ‘Things To Do In Coffs Harbour’ and is available at  www.thingstodoincoffsharbour.com.au. I’m not sure yet where I’ll find the time but I’m going to try to put up at least 4 or 5 new topics every week (I’ve just launched it a few days ago so don’t expect much just yet…)
• I’ve just found out there isn’t much available in terms of public relations providers in my area. In addition to my website, content, SEO, copywriting and journalism experience, I’ve also been involved in marketing communications and public relations. I know how to write an interesting media release that has a good chance of being picked up by the media rather than chucked in the bin. I’ve worked in the media myself too and know what’s expected. So that’s another area that I’m planning to target this year – public relations consultancy and the writing of media releases (press releases) for the regional market. Of course, I can and am happy to write media releases for businesses all over the world, but this is a niche that is easier to break into and I’m planning to create and optimise a special page on my website called Coffs Harbour public relations consultancy and media releases.

So there you have it, no fewer than 6 new year’s resolutions that I’ve set myself in order to make my Content Writer business (as part of Triple W Communications Pty Ltd) even more successful in 2009. I’ll report on the achievements of these targets throughout the year!

Have you had a website built by a web design company, but don’t have any good way of updating your website? Is the information on your website old and wrong? (if so, you’re losing customers – guaranteed!)

You may recognise yourself in one of these situations, which are quite common, particularly among small business owners:

• You have every intention of putting new info on your website regularly, but just cant’t find the time to actually do it.
• You’ve tried to update your website with new content but don’t know how to use the software.
• You’ve had your web designer update your website for you before, but aren’t happy with their services (either because of what they charge you or because they don’t put any real effort into it, or both).

Don’t worry: There’s someone out there (me!) who is a professional Web Content Editor with lots of experience, and who’s happy to take website updating out of your hands.

I can be your dedicated Web Content Manager from as little as $30 per request.

I generally use Dreamweaver to update websites without Content Management Systems, or if you do have a CMS, I can use that too if it’s web-based.

The way I charge for making changes to your website is by time spent, and I charge A$60 per hour. Small textual changes won’t even take an hour, but my minimum fee is $30 (to cover emailing back and forth with you about your requirements, logging into the system, making the changes, uploading it, checking it online and emailing you to let you know).

You can hire me for a one-off website updating service, or just email me regular changes (e.g. new restaurant menus, different opening hours, special temporary offers, holiday messages, etc.)  and I’ll take care of the rest for you.

The most important thing is that you KEEP YOUR WEBSITE UP TO DATE at all times. You’re losing customers every day you delay it! Contact me, Content Writer Micky, now to discuss your website content.

Writing for websites is different from any other kind of writing.

Visitors to websites don’t spend a lot of time reading text on a website. They quickly scan the page with their eyes and will leave in just seconds if they don’t see anything that interests them or that answers the question they had.

Web content has to ensure people quickly find what they’re looking for. They have to know immediately that they’ve come to the right page, otherwise you my have lost them forever.

Here are some important web writing tips to start with:

• Organise your copy in a logical way.
• Immediately cut to the chase. Don’t use more words than necessary. Keep sentences short.
• Put the most important information right at the top.
• Use bullet points, subheadings and bolded text or different colours to make it easy for visitors to quickly ‘scan’ a page with their eyes (everyone is in a hurry).
• Use a professional writing style but a friendly, personal tone of voice.
• Target the writing specifically to the visitor of your website, your potential customer.
• Optimise content for search engines (search engine optimisation or SEO) and use relevant keywords and keyword combinations to help increase your search engine ranking.
• Use hyperlinks in the text to guide the visitor to related or important pages, such as the ‘buy’ or ‘sign up’ page. Make sure the link label explains clearly where the visitor is taken (e.g. don’t link the words ’click here’).

My name is Micky Stuivenberg. I have been writing successful website content since 1999. Why not discuss your website content with me - an experienced and professional SEO-certified web copywriter - and see how I can help you?

Many company owners or staff who write their own content don’t approach it from the point of view of the visitor or customer. There’s industry jargon, vague ramblings or the all-important keywords are missing (the words people use to search for your products or services).

A professional web copywriter, like me, approaches your content from the point of view of your target audience, your potential customers, and makes sure the web content speaks directly to them.

By getting your words right, you’ll get more visitors on your website, they will stay there longer and are likelier to come back again, sign up to your newsletter or RSS feed, contact you or buy your products.