The reason? It uses a kind of overblown, wordy marketing speak which gets in the way. It’s using language like this:

…using the built-in chocolate-making capabilities included with every mega purple widgit

Do you really need the word ‘capabilities’? Try reading it without:

…using the built-in chocolate-making included with every mega purple widgit

I think it’s better without. It also punctures the corporate grandiosity that lurks heavily in the background of such a writing style.

If you’re bothered by seeing ‘chocolate-making’ as a verb, how about this?:

…using the built-in chocolate maker included with every mega purple widgit

Be concise, simple and clear. Your customers will reward you for it.

Triggered by a Tweet by fellow SEO copywriter michellereno that asked what inspires (copy)writers to write. I believe she has also posted a blog entry.

I’m not sure inspiration is really at the core of my writing – see the third paragraph on this page of my personal blog.

And here’s another angle on the same thing. Some years ago, I found a quote attributed to composer Igor Stravinsky:

The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees oneself of the chains that shackle the spirit.

Although some people disagree with my interpretation, what he’s getting at seems so obvious. It’s about having a routine, a process that nails down the trivia and frees you up to produce what matters.

I believe in process for copywriting. Not only does it deliver when it needs to, but by going through briefing, research, key phrase selection, copy plan, drafts and revisions I have the process under control. I move forward in manageable stages sure that what I’m doing is correct.

The solid grounding gives me confidence to produce good copy.

Update: You can find Michelle on inspiration for writing on her blog.

Google Continues to Lead Ranking of Top Sites

Mozilla Organization is Fastest Growing Site Due to Uptake of and Updates to Firefox Browser

The table is worth a scan, if only to confirm the pre-eminence of the usual suspects.

It’s a great one for a specialist marketing consultancy, ad agency, freelance copywriter or journalist. And, of course, it has a couple of great keywords if you’re interested in optimizing the site.

Edit: I didn’t get the asking price, but will be readvertising the domain. In the meantime, I’m open to serious offers.

The result?

Online Identity Calculator (beta)

Your online identity score is 10 out of a possible score of 10.

Congratulations. You are digitally distinct. This is the nirvana of online identity. Keep up the good work, and remember that your Google results can change as fast as the weather in New England. So, regularly monitor your online identity. Read Chapter 11 of Career Distinction for more ideas on how to continue to build your brand online.

It’s good to know my online branding is so strong. Not least, because the score is partly calculated on relevant listings on the first three pages of Google.

How is your online branding?

Edit (21 August): Just out of idle curiosity (yes, I had something better to do…) I found that the first 132 results on Google.co.uk include me – either written by me, or mention me. There are yet more further down.

Typically, many retailers are finding their high-overhead high street outlets are not looking as viable as they did a few years back, as consumers like to shop online from home, when it suits them. Other businesses are finding that traditional print-based advertising no longer works or is cost-effective.

Perhaps that’s the kind of challenge your business is facing, and you’re feeling unsure about what the future holds or what’s involved in getting business from the Web.

I’d argue that the change can be positive. While effective SEO isn’t the 50 quid a month many dodgy dealers may lead you to believe, try comparing a realistic proposal from a good consultant or agency with the cost of a quarter page ad in a print publication that gives you access to the same kind of audience.

An Organic SEO campaign will also have real longevity, not the day, week or month you’ll get from the print ad. While moving to more economical non-retail premises may save your business a packet.

It’s a sobering thought. One that will probably have your business wholeheartedly embracing the possibilities online.

In a word, no. Consider the nature of the battlefield. Google is king of the Web – more than 70% of searches worldwide are on Google. And, in the B2B sphere, probably more.

Google actually prefers older, established sites – it even largely ignores new sites by ‘sandboxing’ them for 9 to 12 months. The big hitters have been there for 10 years or more, and they have thousands of mature links, many of them inevitably of good quality. They’re the kind of sites that will be entrenched in the top positions on popular searches.

Now do you want to take them on? Do you have the budget, stamina and time? Or will you find a better way?

Read the full article Only pick a fight you can win – the first rule of successful Web marketing at Web Positioning Centre.

The point I found myself making was as follows. You must let go of your prejudices about what your prospective customers are expecting. Your key phrase discoveries are acting as very valuable market research. They’re telling you what people are looking for in your market segment.

So if the findings are not wholly in line with your expectations, you should listen closely to what people are telling you about their needs through the searches they’re actually making.

Follow what your potential customers are telling you and you’ll get a better, more effective Web site.

‘Fail fast and fail cheap’ is a piece of advice that’s embedded in Internet culture. It’s also a piece of advice that many Internet entrepreneurs and established businesses fail to fully understand.

Let’s strip away that idea of failing, for a moment. Let’s modify it to ‘launch fast and cheap’. Many small businesses and start-ups soon get carried away with launching and lose sight of how they should be spending their budget.

The article shows how to stop failing fast and expensive.

Just in case some of you got the wrong end of the stick, I’m not advocating giving up or even waiting until Google changes the way it calculates how it’s going to list your site.

There are some things smaller businesses and start-up sites can do to take on the big boys. That means having a highly effective site, marketed with real nous.

Only pick a fight you can win

For a start, you’re going to have to operate smart, and pick a fight you stand a chance of winning. Now, you’re unlikely to want to take on Tesco (Wal-Mart, if you’re reading in the States) by setting up a small general store next door, so why would you want to take on the Tescos of the online world in a similar kind of contest?

I’ve used the example of a financial services company before now. It’s because from time to time we get an enquiry from someone who wants to rank on the first page of Google for ‘home insurance’, ‘car insurance’, ‘pensions’ and ‘mortgages’.

Time to let them down gently. There’s as near to no chance within their budget and patience boundaries of getting them there because every bank and financial institution has been pouring loads of budget into marketing their sites online. Many have been there for years, and just as many of them have thousands and thousands of links. And, for regulated financial products, the poor financial services business will have government sites to contend with as well – Google loves government sites because they’re the ultimate reference for so many matters.

Where’s your niche?

We need to look at what makes them different. Particular product niches or geographical focus, perhaps? It’s basic marketing, not Internet marketing or SEO.

So how can you find a niche where your competitor is weak? What kinds of things can you do that your competitors don’t or can’t? If your business is already running, then the chances are, you already have figured out your niche offline. That’s your starting point for you you’re going to market online.

Or look towards your business plan. A SWOT analysis should lead you in the right direction, but how do you apply those findings online? You could move on by doing a SWOT analysis of your site and products in the online environment.

Pinpointing your opponents’ undefended side

But commission (or do) some appropriate key phrase analysis researching both traffic levels and link competition, and your opportunities should be laid out in front of you. By this, I mean higher traffic key phrases that are relevant to your business, that you should be able secure a first-page listing for on Google because the big boys have ignored those pieces of prime turf.

All you need to do now is implement the SEO campaign.