Article Writing: SEO, Expert Authors and the Dumbification of the InternetWritten by Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com
Article authors who use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords to attract attention and falsely position themselves as experts, are like impurities in water, clogging up pipes. This is indeed a sorry situation. Unlike days when internet was young, if you want to find good information, you have to filter out dirt first.When you do web research using keywords, do you generally have to read anywhere from 4-7 articles on one particular topic before finding one written by an intelligent human being? SEO abuse is making it more and more difficult to locate people with real expertise and valuable insights. It's a growing problem, to say least. But in terms of information-gathering, how do we pick through chaff and get to gold? Use Specialized Terms in Your Keyword Search When I'm in research mode, in addition to keywords, I use specific and/or specialized terms in my web searches. This helps me scope out authors with real knowledge as opposed to BS artist looking to make a quick buck. It works for me, and it can work for you as well. For example, let's say you're a writer, and you want to learn proper protocol for submitting a query letter. If you search using words 'query letter,' know what's going to come up? A million and one hits, majority of which will be ads, which serve no purpose if you're trying to learn something new. But if you type in 'query letter' and 'format' and 'cover page' all in same search box, you may be able to find some really helpful information from publishing experts who know everything there is to know about query letters. Make Sure Your Specialized Terms are Still Considered Special It's worth noting that specialized terms often evolve into keywords as their meaning becomes widespread. Unfortunately, as evolve in popularity, they devolve with respect to informational value. In old days, if I wanted to find a good article about nutrition and immune system, I might look up 'free radical fighters'. It was something that only real nutrition specialists knew about. In today's more health-conscious world, term 'free radical fighters' is wildly popular. Where it was once strictly textbook terminology, it's now a "buzz word," used to advertise things like shampoo. As such, it's become a 'dumbed down' term; a fancy word that's being thrown around, and as a result, you see it in lots of places where there's nothing 'specialized' at all! Consequently, if I do a web search using this keyword, it's going to take me several tries before finding detailed information that I can actually learn from.
| | Freelance copywriters on the Internet: How to tell the difference between heaven-sent and hackWritten by Adam Barone
If you’re hunting for a good freelance copywriter and have never done it before, or if you have but find yourself needing another for first time in a while, I don’t envy you. This “brave new” e-world has turned your once straightforward search of a neatly stacked file of brochures and introductory letters into a bothersome wade through a mucky world of half-baked online listings and search results which only seem to list those freelance copywriters who are experts in SEO, or at least know what heck it means (search engine optimization).You: “I just need a good freelance copywriter to write this product launch brochure who’s not going leave me hanging or make me ask for another round of financing.” Google: “Results 1-10 of 44,700 for brochure copywriter (0.17 seconds).” And that’s not even a very popular search term. Yet, with 44,700 doors (or thousands more depending on your search) to choose from, what are chances you’ll click one that leads to: •A freelance copywriter who plays nice with designers and doesn’t charge a first-born child •A freelance copywriter who knows when and where to offer their expertise on how to communicate a message •Creative, cliché-free, differentiating, success-enabling copy that is turned in clean and on deadline It’s probably better than a 1-in-44,700 chance, but you’re still more likely to fall short than be wildly ecstatic about your freelance copywriter decision unless you add a few points of structure to guide you through online chaos: 1.Look at freelance copywriters further down list. Unless you’re specifically looking for an SEO copywriter, how high a freelance copywriter or a link to a freelance copywriter ranks in search results is not indicative of how good that copywriter may be. Search engines rank web sites according to formulas of keyword saturation in site copy, meta tags, links and other places. Not how well a freelance copywriter’s work achieved his client’s objectives. Spend some time at this. There is more to marketing, branding and advertising worlds than Internet, and there are many worthy and successful freelance copywriters who work in offline world, but have only a token presence on Net. Go ahead and look at top-ranked freelance copywriters, but investigate others as well. Look at who their clients are, work they do, brands they’ve worked on, what their site is like and testimonials from past and current clients. That should give you a good gauge. Or if you like advertising a specific company do a search for “CompanyX AND copywriter.”
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