It seems that what search engines really like is a website that does what it says on the tin, to use the old advertising slogan, and why not use old advertising slogans? After all, if there is one industry that is already completely up to speed with the principles of recycling it is advertising. Just have a look at the current adverts for Bells Whisky and the Skoda Estate….both of which are imitations of a rather good YouTube video that has been doing the rounds for a couple of years, and for which the original producer is unlikely to be credited for his work. I mention this in passing for one reason. When it comes to advertising copy for websites, plagiarism just will not do. The key reason for this is that the search engines are learning to hate one thing above all else, and that is duplicate content. That can be duplicate content within a site, the home page and about us using the same text for example, or between sites where a new site has lifted content directly from an existing site.
It can be very tempting for an inexperienced content writer to take this route, as there has long been a maxim in industry “Why re-invent the wheel?” and if you find a website that says exactly what you want to say, where is the harm in “Borrowing” that material, after all that’s what the big boys in advertising do. Unfortunately, in the online world it doesn’t work that way. If you spend any time using a search engine you will already have spotted that if there are multiple websites using the same content that returns from your search you will see something along the lines of two or three websites listed in the results and a note advising that there are multiple similar results and you can click here to view them. You can probably imagine how many people do that….
So, first principles, if you are writing for a website the content has got to be original. Not necessarily groundbreaking, but at least in your own words. The content needs to be engaging and written in a style that is appropriate to both the website itself and its target audience. There is no point writing content which is full of slang terms and colloquialisms if you are writing for a technology company that focuses on high value business clients, or a private banking group providing services to high net worth clients. In the same vein it is pretty pointless writing as you would for a scientific research paper if your target audience are more familiar with Heat magazine than New Scientist. Taking this point a little further, humour is a great thing, but never forget that what you find funny may not be so funny to the target audience. Aggressive “In your face” humour seldom engages a broad spectrum of any consumer base, although a few gentle chortles can work well.
Above all, avoid anything that could be construed as derogatory or offensive. No matter what your personal views they have no place in the content of a website that you are writing copy for. Having made that clear, you can still be yourself. The bset way of creating content that will work is to allow yourself the scope and confidence to run with an idea. Never forget that content can always be changed if necessary, the first draft is seldom the finished article so put a little of yourself into your work and see what the results are. Oh, and don’t be precious about what you right. You are never going to please everyone and it is easy to become downheartened or dispirited by negative feedback, but just take it on the chin, and carry on with a second draft taking on board any criticism. Content writing is not for the thin skinned and the customer has their own thoughts and ideas that you will have to work around. So, get out there, get writing, and most importantly, have fun….
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