Whenever I’m at my computer, I have Tweetdeck open with column after column of categorised lists of people I follow and saved keyword searches for easy reference. Not just for myself, but also for a number of clients I tweet for. I also regularly check Twitter on my phone.

Personally, I use it mostly to discover interesting content, read breaking news and talk to my peers. That’s what I am getting from it. Because I work alone, Twitter has become my virtual water cooler. A place where I love to hang out.

I’m also giving back in the form of sharing interesting blog posts, developments and other little tidbits and anecdotes some of my followers may find interesting, as well as interacting with my favourite tweeps, responding to their tweets and sharing their posts.

I’m slightly fascinated by the number of followers I’ve built up over the years, but numbers are just that – numbers – and I would never do anything to try to artificially inflate them.

I don’t believe in following everyone back who follows me. That simply makes no sense to me. I only follow people whose tweets I tend to find interesting or useful.

Here are 10 reasons I won’t follow you back on Twitter:

1. You’re an egghead.
   You haven’t set a profile picture. This shows me you’re not taking Twitter seriously.
2. There’s no name, bio, location.
   If you don’t tell me your name, location or who you are, don’t expect me to follow you.
3. You haven’t tweeted.
   If you’ve only ever posted one or two tweets, I can’t judge if I want to follow you.
4. You’re only after the follow-back.
   If you have 2,383 follows and 2,382 followers I know you’re just in it for the numbers.
5. I can’t decipher your tweets.
   Too many hashtags, abbreviated text speak or foreign languages? Not interested.
6. You’re too self-promotional.
   If 80% of your tweets are pushing your products, don’t expect many followers.
7. You tweet way too much.
   Post dozens of tweets in just a few hours and you’ll hog my newsfeed. I don’t want that.
8. You don’t interact.
   If there’s no conversation among your tweets, it seems you only want to talk TO people.
9. You regularly post quotes.
   I’m sorry but I’m definitely not on Twitter to read so-called inspirational quotes.
10. We have no common ground.
    I also won’t follow you if your tweets have no relevance to me personally or work-wise.

I do enjoy discovering interesting new people to follow on Twitter, and I generally make time to check out the profile of a new follower to decide whether I will get something out of following them back.

What I tweet about: Most of my tweets are related to websites, content, online marketing and communications, search engine optimisation, social media, writing and editing – with just a smattering of personal tweets, for example about Coffs Harbour (where I currently live) or travels.

My main aim is for the majority of my tweets to help you improve your website, content and social media marketing and to make all your communication efforts more effective.

If you’d like to see if you find my tweets interesting and relevant enough to follow me, here’s my twitter handle: @contentwriteroz.

Local businesses often need the most help, and I am happy to be of assistance where I can – regardless of what the business or organisation does or sells. Funnily enough, when I look back at my list of clients since 2008, some industries seem over-represented in the wide cross-section of businesses that have come to me for help.

I have had multiple accommodation providers, dentists (such as this Coffs Harbour dentist), accountants and physiotherapists as clients, for instance.

Accommodation websites are among my favourites.

I love working on these websites and improving them - making changes that help real potential guests find the site more easily in Google. The basis for any such SEO work is finding specific keyword phrases that potential customers may use and optimising the site for those keywords.

Although SEO keyword research can be tedious work, I do enjoy finding keyword phrases that may not be the most obvious but are much likelier to be effective and result in actual traffic by the site’s target market.

Importantly, each page on a website can and should be optimised for a unique set of keyword phrases relevant to the topic of that page.

Some NSW accommodation sites I have worked on

Two accommodation providers I am currently helping with their search engine rankings are Yaraandoo and Moffat Falls.

The work should result in more targeted visitors to their websites and ultimately in more bookings.

Yaraandoo is an eco lodge between Ebor and Armidale in Northern NSW.

The website has pages about the accommodation itself and its facilities that make it an ideal destination for functions, weddings, retreats and conferences.

It offers group accommodation for up to 50 people and because it’s located right next to New England National Park, it makes a fabulous bush retreat for a quiet NSW getaway.

For those who have always dreamed of a bush wedding, Yaraandoo is also a beautiful place for country weddings in NSW.

Anyone looking for individual accommodation near New England National Park, for instance for a bush walking weekend, will find a comfy home away from home at Yaraandoo’s self-contained apartment.

Not far from Yaraandoo Eco Lodge & Function Centre is Moffat Falls, which offers a riverside lodge, cottage and cabins.

Because it is right by some of the best trout waters in the state, Moffat Falls is popular with fly fishermen who love going trout fishing in NSW.

Moffat Falls’ accommodation near New England National Park, Ebor and Armidale ranges from basic, rustic cabins to fully self-contained upmarket accommodation.

The lodge and cottage are often used for fly fishing trips and experienced guides are available to give fly fishing lessons or to take anglers on a half or full day fly fishing experience.

Bushwalkers in the nearby national parks also really enjoy the location, facilities and natural setting of Moffat Falls.

SEO tips for accommodation providers

SEO for accommodation can be extremely competitive, particularly in popular destinations.

If you’re too small or too new to compete on something obvious and competitive like “Sydney accommodation”, then think outside the box.

Find your niche. Do keyword research and select some longer and more specific keyword phrases that are less competitive, but really relevant to your type of business and your ideal customers.

Targeting so-called long-tail keywords will make it a little easier for your site to climb to the first page of Google and get more visitors on your site.

And a bonus will be that, because you have gone more niche, those visitors are much likelier to be interested in what you offer. Your conversion rate is likely to be higher from more specific keyword phrases.

Besides optimising different web pages on your site for specific search terms, make sure you get some natural links pointing to those pages, with relevant keywords for that particular page in the link text if possible, as I have done above.

It’s a mistake if all links to your site go to your homepage and they all use the same keyword phrase. Search engines want to see a natural link profile so mix it up a bit and use different word combinations in your link text and try to get incoming links for different pages on your site.

Good luck!

I officially launched by copywriting and web/SEO consulting business on 08/08/08 so today it’s turning 4.

Triple W Communications Pty Ltd, which it’s a part of, is much older than that, but I started working for myself full-time on the 8th of August 2008.

Some stats and observations

In last year’s blog post celebrating my 3^rd business birthday, I noted I had worked for 54 different clients that past year.

That stat has remained almost the same this year (August 2011 – August 2012). A quick count shows I’ve worked for 55 different clients, but it’s worth noting that I have had more repeat work from clients this year than in the year before.

Also, I feel I have been able to strike a better work-life balance in my fourth year. I’ve travelled more (yay!) and spent fewer weekends holed up in my office (yay again!).

I love the control and flexibility my business gives me: I spent 7 weeks in Europe late last year, 3 of which I did no work at all (besides checking and responding to emails) and 2 weeks in Tasmania earlier this year.

New clients continue to find and contact me via my website, which I’m happy to still see performing very well in the search engines. An upgrade has been on the cards for quite some time now, but on the other hand, why fix something that isn’t broken, right?

Here’s what I’ve worked on in Content Writer’s 4^th year in business:

• SEO keyword research and website copywriting
• Rewriting & optimising underperforming website content

• Writing marketing and tourism brochures
• WordPress and Facebook training
• Writing email sales letters
• Rewriting and creating an eBook
• SEO reviews of websites
• SEO tutoring and assignment grading
• Social media marketing
• Writing press releases
• Editing draft copy for brochures
• Creating basic WordPress websites
• Writing e-newsletters
• Website & communications consulting

Going into my 5^th year of doing exactly what I love, there’s not much I would change. I hope and intend to keep doing what I do for a very long time to come.

To find out more about what I do, check out my Content Writer website.

Cheers!
Micky

Top 5 Tips to Grow Your Business

or: Things to Consider when Growing Your Business

or: How to Grow Your Business and Dominate the World!

Twitter is usually filled with such headlines, linking to stories that promise to teach you how to make your business bigger.

Well, guess what? I’m not interested, thank you very much.

Bigger isn’t necessarily better.

I run a small business. It’s successful. I’m happy. My clients are happy. And I wouldn’t want to change a thing.

Here are some reasons why I prefer my business to stay small:

• I am the copywriter people choose to use, so I am the only person doing the writing at Triple W Communications. No staff, no outsourcing, just me – Micky Stuivenberg – the person whose website you’ve found, whose writing style you like, who’s sending you the proposal and quote, who will liaise with you throughout the project and who will do the research, the writing, the editing, the proofreading and the consulting. Everything. WYSIWYG. True transparency. And I plan to keep it that way.

• I have worked at various companies and organisations, and have no desire to go back to such a structured working environment. I purposely chose to run my own small business. I like doing things my way without having to consult or compromise.
• My business is successful. I have not been without a project to work on (and usually with several others lined up) since starting my business back in 2008. Why would I want to change something that works so well?
• Helping small business owners improve their online presence is very gratifying work. I don’t need to work for Fortune 500 companies or Australia’s biggest brands in order to feel important or accomplished.
• I may not command the six-figure salary of a top copywriter but you know what? I don’t need to. I don’t lead a lavish lifestyle and I earn more than enough to make a good living and enjoy life. Living in regional Australia (no, not in “the bush”, I’m in the City of Coffs Harbour!) certainly helps keep living costs down compared to, say, Sydney, Melbourne or “hand-over-that-twenty-dollar-bill-for-your-coffee” Perth.
• I like the flexibility my small business gives me. I like to take time off to travel and discover more of Australia and the world. And we have recently discovered the joys of house swapping. Decisions about putting projects on hold or declining work are mine to make, and mine alone, with no impact on anyone else.
• OK, OK, I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a control freak. And somewhat of a perfectionist. I know I can do a great job for my clients (they continuously tell me so) and I’m not messing with that. Why would I? It’s working.

So… I continue to do my thing and turn down work I’m unable to take on. Funny thing is, the busier you are, the more people seem to want to use you. “Ooh, you’re really busy? You must be good. I’ll wait two months.” (Really? Wow. There are plenty of other fantastic copywriters out there, you know.)

Of course, I realise “growing your business” isn’t necessarily about taking on staff, moving into a larger (or in my case, an actual) office or working for bigger clients. It’s certainly possible to grow a business in other ways. Let’s see, there’s no need to raise my profile further because I can’t take on any more work than I already do. There’s also no need to change focus because I really like what I currently do. So what’s left?

It’s been suggested I could put up my prices. I’ve done that before, and most likely will do so again in future, but now is not the time. It may sound strange but I’m not running a business just to try to earn as much money in as little time as possible. I really love my work, and client satisfaction is my main motivation.

So that’s why I’m not interested in motivational speeches and articles to help me grow my business and conquer the world. As small as my business may be, I feel I’ve already conquered it.

About me:
My name is Micky Stuivenberg and I run a successful copywriting business and web/SEO consultancy. My company is called Triple W Communications and my high-ranking Australian website is titled Content Writer. I work for small business clients all over the world (the ones that I can fit into my schedule, anyway ).

Many websites obviously rank well for their own business name, brand or product names. Unless your branded names are incredibly common, it’s not hard at all to rank well for these, particularly if they are in your domain name or page URLs.

It’s the more generic keyword phrases your target market may be using that you want to know about, so you can optimise your pages for them and get new people (potential customers) who don’t yet know about you to find your website. You want to find the search terms people use when looking for the type of products/services you offer and target those.

Google’s free Keyword Tool is mainly intended for finding good keywords to bid on in AdWords, but is also incredibly useful for uncovering effective organic keywords to optimise your pages for.

When using the Google Keyword Tool, always remember to:

• select the country (and language, if not English) you want to see results for, e.g. Australia
• select the [Exact] match type in the left sidebar (and un-tick Broad) to see numbers for an exact phrase
• type a range of keyword variations and combinations in the search box (don’t forget trying both the singular and plural versions of words, and putting words in reverse order)

Although the numbers you see aren’t all that accurate, they do give you a good idea of which terms are much more popular than others, or find out if the phrases you had in mind don’t get searched for at all – before you spend (waste) time optimising your pages for them.

You should also check out the competition for any phrase you want to use. If 10 million web pages are optimised for that same phrase already, there’s absolutely no use trying to get on page 1 of Google for it – unless you’re willing to spend gazillions of dollars and hire a dedicated SEO to try to get you there over time. It’s more effective to optimise for search phrases that are less competitive (often a bit more specific) so they are more achievable.

I offer keyword research as part of my web copywriting services. Writing web content without knowing what sort of search terms the target market might use to find that kind of information is a waste of a good opportunity to get found online by new potential customers.

A project I recently completed involved keyword research and rewriting/optimising existing copy for a Wooli accommodation provider. They ranked well for their business name but not that well for a range of other search phrases used by their target market.

By optimising other pages on the site for different phrases, we’re trying to get people who are not yet specifically looking for Wooli holiday accommodation to eventually find the website as well, for example if they are searching for weekend escapes NSW and some other terms.

The great thing about keyword research in SEO is that you can uncover excellent opportunities in search terms you might not have considered and to maximise the ‘findability’ of web pages by your target audience. Or at the very least – to get confirmation (or otherwise) that the search terms you were thinking of optimising a page for are indeed logical.

If you need help with your SEO, for instance keyword research and editing/optimising your web pages, feel free to get in touch and ask for a quote. I would be happy to help you.

Micky Stuivenberg of Triple W Communications (trading online as Content Writer) is an experienced Web Copywriter and SEO Consultant.

Some people offering SEO services hammer on about making sure your text has a certain keyword density (e.g. that 3% or 10% or whatever of your text should consist of your targeted keywords).

Well, guess what? That’s nonsense. (And don’t just take it from me, listen to Google. See Matt Cutt’s webmaster video below.)

There is NO magic number when it comes to keyword density in SEO.

Yes, you need to make sure you DO actually mention the keyword phrases you want the page to be found for. Obviously. Preferably a few times. But generally:

You don’t need more than four

Including a targeted keyword phrase in your page content 3 or 4 times is good. If your page is quite long, it’s OK if you mention it once or twice more, but much more than that (e.g. 7 or 8 times or more) and search engines may start to see it as keyword stuffing. And that’s definitely not good for your SEO. In fact, it can hurt your rankings because you may be seen as a spammer.

Keep it natural: read it out loud

I am an SEO tutor at Search Engine College and what we’ve been teaching our SEO students for years is to read web copy you have written out loud to make sure it sounds natural. If you mention your keyword phrase three times in two consecutive sentences, that’s likely to sound stilted and unnatural. So change it.

Remember: if you wouldn’t say it that way, don’t write it that way.

Here’s a webmaster video by Matt Cutt, head of webspam at Google, dispelling the keyword density myth and giving some sound advice on including your keywords in your website content:

So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth.

Are you finding it hard to write web content that naturally incorporates your targeted keyword phrases? I’m a professional SEO web copywriter and I can help you. Find out more on my website.

Because at the time of writing (30 November 2011), not much information is out there yet about this group, I decided to write this blog post about it, so maybe a few more people on the Coffs Coast will become aware of it.

“We want the Mid North Coast to be a first class digital hot spot for talent and digital content,” says Christina Hyde, one of the people behind Short Sharp Digital.

Apparently a big reason behind the launch of the new network is the arrival of super-fast internet in Coffs Harbour next year, or in the words of the organisers: “the NBN is coming and we are getting ready to be part of this expanding digital future.”

Short Sharp Digital says the new industry/networking group will be for digital industry practitioners in the fields of:

• Web
• TV
• Mobile
• Audio production
• Animation
• Education
• Game design
• Writing
• Production
• App development

Now this is quite a wide and varied field and I am unsure exactly what the industry group is going to be doing. But I guess the launch event on Tuesday 6 December should make that a bit clearer.

I also have no idea how the organisers are reaching out to potential members to join the network, or even to just be aware of and come along to the launch event. However, they are asking people who do know about it to forward the invite to any “digital screen practitioners” (what an awkward term…) on the Mid North Coast who may be interested in this. So that’s what I’m doing.

• When: Tuesday 6 December, 6-8pm
• Where: 1/10 GDT Seccombe Close, Coffs Harbour (off Orlando St)
• RSVP: 0412 016 870 or christina@christinahydeconsulting.com

I for one am planning to go to the launch event, just to hear what it’s all about. It would be good to meet some fellow Coffs Coast/Mid North Coast web professionals there.

There’s no destination I know better and have written more about than Coffs Harbour and the surrounding Coffs Coast on the beautiful North Coast of New South Wales. This is where I’ve lived since 2005 and it’s a wonderful part of the world.

The Coffs Harbour Jetty is the city’s most popular suburb and encompasses the harbour, marina and the historic jetty (pier) it’s named after.

This suburb is currently being rebranded as an urban village with the name “Jetty Harbourside”. It really is like a seaside village but it has everything you need plus it’s just 3 minutes by car from the Coffs Harbour City Centre and 5 minutes from the airport.

I love “my” Jetty suburb and I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to write the copy for a new brochure promoting the Jetty Harbourside village to both visitors and locals.

My personal top 3 of favourite things about the Jetty Harbourside: Great walks, gorgeous views and plenty of cafés.

The brochure/guide will be made available at shops, businesses, hotels and tourist attractions around Coffs Harbour, but I’ve uploaded the PDF of the brochure here for you to have a look.

• Coffs Harbour Jetty Harbourside brochure (guide/map/directory)

For more information about the destination, visit CoffsCoast.com.au, the official Coffs Harbour visitor information website.

If you need a professional copywriter for your project (e.g. brochure or website, not just travel-related!), check out my print copywriting and web copwriting services and contact me, Micky Stuivenberg, for a quote.

My business has enjoyed steady success right from the start and I’m still really happy doing what I do. There has never been a moment that I have been without work – but luckily enough I have been able to take a few short breaks while putting new projects on hold for a while.

I have however also sacrificed quite a few evenings and weekends to work and my goal for year 4 is to plan my work better and not to agree to deadlines that are too tight, so that there is enough time to finish work during normal business hours.

Because my website continues to perform very well in search engines, more clients than I can take on find me via Google and I have never needed to advertise my business.

Some quick stats about Content Writer’s 3rd year in business:

• Total number of clients I worked for between August 2010 and August 2011: 54

• Breakdown of clients:
  • 30% local (Coffs Coast NSW)
  • 50% rest of Australia (Mostly NSW, VIC, QLD)
  • 20% overseas (6 different countries)

Projects I’ve worked on over the last year include:

• researching and writing the complete content for new websites
• writing persuasive and optimised content for individual pages (often homepages)
• rewriting and optimising existing web content that didn’t perform
• creating effective small business websites (WordPress and HTML sites)
• setting up social media profiles and managing Facebook and Twitter accounts
• regular updating and maintaining of client websites
• consulting clients about their websites, usability and SEO
• grading SEO students’ assignments for Search Engine College
• rewriting and editing printed marketing materials.

Here’s to going after what you want, doing what you love, and never stopping the learning process.

Cheers – and bring on year 4, I’m ready for it!

NB – Want to know more about what I do? Check out my Content Writer website.

Social media marketing plays an increasingly large role in marketing your business online.

Unfortunately, there are still many people in business that don’t quite know where to start with Facebook, Twitter and other social media marketing channels. Or they’ve started and are stuck – not knowing how to make the most of social media for their business.

On 4 August 2011, I gave a presentation about social media marketing for businesses to about 100 women at an event organised by the Coffs Coast Business Women’s Network in Coffs Harbour NSW, Australia.

I had so much information to share but was only able to scratch the surface in the half an hour that I had.

But for everyone who was there and want to view the full presentation in their own time – and for everyone who couldn’t be there – I’ve now made the slides available online.

The presentation includes some useful links to websites and tools to make social media marketing a bit easier for you and your business.

My presentation is available here:

• Social Media Marketing Presentation

Of course, these tips don’t go into too much detail either as they’re only the slides with the main points from my presentation.

Need help with your social media marketing?

I offer a range of social media consulting, management & training services as part of Triple W Communications.

If you think you may need some help to set things up properly or to help you manage your social media marketing, please get in touch. I’ll be happy to discuss your requirements and goals and send you a customised quote to suit your needs.