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Content writing errors

March 5, 2013 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

Content writing for business

Yes great content writing

Common content writing errors in business documentation.

Content writing is the coalface of your business and online presence. There are some errors in content writing that keep presenting themselves. It is useful to keep reminding ourselves of these – after all it makes good writing sense. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business writing, Grammar Tagged With: business documentation, business writing, content writing, copywriting, grammar, online writing, writing

Keep ahead of search engines by using great SEO website content

November 7, 2012 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

Original, clear and concise SEO website content

The answer is simple – high quality original seo website content. Written content that provides value to readers and potential customers is your best safeguard against future search engine changes like Panda.

Well, probably, the answer should be high quality original content is a great start to keeping your website visible and relevant to the online community. Search engines want to see well managed websites with information that informs readers about your particular product or service.

Know your keywords

Know your keywords; they are the heart of your SEO website content. Identify a few words that are relevant to your products and input them into Google’s Keyword tool to see what the global and the monthly searches are for that word and also the competition. Think about variations of the words that make sense for your business and put them in the perspective of someone conducting a search on your product. Some examples could be ‘how to set up blog posts’, ‘seo content writing’, ‘web content writing services’.

Don’t forget to track your keywords and their success or otherwise. Monitor and analyse your keywords and see what is working for you – don’t just leave them there and hope for the best. Your keywords can become the base for your seo website content pages and blogs. In the end, it does all contributing towards your branding and professional image you want to create.

Blogs

Blogs are a great way to keep your website relevant and fresh with great content writing. They can utilise tools of your website SEO like meta description and tags, and orientate around your keywords. They will inform your readers on your business products and services and if interesting enough, will invite readers to link to your website, thus providing backlinks.

Blogs are conversational and must be easy to read, clear and concise. Don’t forget to illustrate the benefits to your clients not just your services or products. At the end of the day, your readers will become your customers if they think you or your products are making their life easier and providing value. It is not always just about the dollar.

Product launches are also a great subject for your blogs or website content. You are the expert in your field, so if there is a new product or service available, tell your readers, but tell them in ‘everyday speak’, not technical jargon. Your customers will appreciate you keeping them up to date and aware.

Write naturally and let your keywords fall where they will in the writing of your soptimised website content. Use keyword variations and make sure they show context for your product e.g. content writer and copywriter.

Visual Content

Another useful method to keep your website and your blogs current and relevant is using visual content like video content and clear images of your products. Google likes this as well – so everyone will be happy.

Guest blogging

Guest blogging or articles on your website or blog is also another great idea. These writers will have a different perspective to you and will bring their own stream of readers and followers. Of course, you can always blog on someone else’s website and link back to your great content.

A definite no-no

A definite no-no is to write one great article and then use it on multiple sites by just rearranging a few words.  We all know this has been done in the past – but the news is it no longer works. Google, and in particle, Panda, put an end to this.

Another story

Above all, write for your readers. Make sure it is logical, concise, clear and not full of typos. Clear and concise means no rambling – but then, that is another story.

 

Filed Under: Website Tagged With: blogs, branding, branding and blogs, business, business writing, content writing, SEO, website content

Modern business writing is powerful and can be creative

Business writing is not the same as conversation.

‘How did you find your steak?’

‘I moved all that lettuce and there it was. What! You asked how I found my steak. Well, say what
you mean.’

We get away with a lot in conversational language as environmental context, body language and eye contact are there to support our intended meaning.

However, in written communication and business writing, there are only the words, tone and the context created in that document.

I very much like a term I heard recently, ‘the living language’. Whilst there are different interpretations of the term, I feel it describes the development of language.  Language
is alive, changing all the time, and yes, it can be challenging at times.

Social media is changing the language and grammar of young minds and who knows where it will end. N. James (2007) says about language development that one generation’s ‘barbarism becomes the next generation’s common usage’. Mmmm.

The move away from history’s very formal, stifling and overdressed language (which perhaps still is used to bewilder and maybe bully readers) to the concise writing of plain English, where we say what we mean (persuasive though it maybe) can be confronting to some of us.

There is a relationship in business communication between shorter words, clear sentences, document presentation and an improved response and efficiency. Why? Because the message is clear and people understand. It makes sense.

Creative design in business writing

Creative design is now available to us in the preparation of our everyday documents and it does impact on our communication strategies in business. Good design is very influential in written messages and a wise writer uses it to full advantage.

  • Typefaces, spacing, white space, layout, headings, formatting, bulleted lists, hyperlinks, graphics and images are all part of document design and we have them at our fingertips.
  •  Then there is the choice of words, grammar and punctuation. Have you seen the words ‘advance planning’ in promotional documentation?  What planning is retrospective? What is ‘alternative choice’? Is not choice about an alternative? Overdressing words is a false economy and merely adds to the heaviness of the document’s tone by introducing clutter.
  •  Some writers use clutter to impress readers. Clutter relates to unnecessary detail or unnecessary words in your document and serves to hide or diffuse the impact of a message. Instead of saying ‘the purpose of this report is to outline’, try ‘this report outlines’.  ‘John is responsible for managing the department’ reads better as ‘John manages the department’.
  • A useful tip to separate contributing words from clutter words is to get that red pen and read your document quickly; intuitively underline words you think are important or central to your argument. This should give you an outline on which to develop up an improved paper with no clutter.

Promote integrity and trust in your business communications. Say what you mean but be respectful. People read between the lines and honest communication rings very true.

Personally, I like punctuation. It is so powerful. How would you punctuate this unassuming and lame sentence?

‘A woman without her man is nothing.’

  1. ‘A woman, without her man, is nothing.’
  2. ‘A woman: without her, man is nothing.‘

I like the 2nd one personally. The unassuming sentence is now powerful.

But then I have motive, agenda and am being a little bit of a bully.

To be published www.flyingsolo.com.au February 2012.

business writing

Great business writing is a feather away

 Modern business writing is so powerful.

Good business writing is your communication success story

Good business writing means no waffle.  

Plain English is the key

Plain English is the key to good business writing

Are you the worst at business writing?

Snoopy knowingly and willingly plagiarised the first few words to a notorious and dreadful opening sentence for an even worse novel called “Paul Clifford”, written by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton in 1830. The words were “a dark and stormy night” and snoopy was sitting on his kennel rooftop with his typewriter.

Thirty ago, “A dark and stormy night”, sparked off a bad writing contest and over 30,000 wretched writers have aimed to claim fame with their winning bad sentence. Visit the website www.bulwer-lytton.com/  for further amusement.

So it seems there is fame and fortune to be found in writing bad sentences.

However, bad sentences are not that productive or rewarding in business.

Would you rather read:

It is incumbent upon management to display appropriate behaviour and verbalise what is consistent
with the messages that are being conveyed via your business communication
methodologies.
(James, N. 2007)

Or: As a manager, you should always demonstrate the communication methods of your business. (James, N.  2007)

Plain english is good business writing

I attended a short seminar on Plain English writing recently and it felt like the sun had finally shone  through my years of accumulated grey and dense cloud (or should I say fear and absolute dread) since my school days in fear-filled  grammar classrooms. Coming from an academic and health background, my burden with heavy writing has been tiresome.

Finally, I have a systematic structure on which to develop business writing that has clarity, efficiency, is readable and yet persuasive. It is called Plain English.

Writing is creative and meant to be fun; otherwise, why has it persisted since forever. Sometimes I think people would rather walk on hot coals than write words. Sometimes when they do write those words, the words and their meanings are so complex and obscure—and then there is the tone.

Yet the flexibility of words is such a powerful tool it can be utilised in business so successfully. We don’t necessarily want to be an Orwell, Greene or Austin. However, maybe not Bulwer-Lytton either, although he did coin a few well used cool phrases like “the almighty dollar” and “the pen is mightier than the sword”.

Written communication is a key business communication strategy, whether it is in reports, copy, newsletters, emails or websites. It  reflects the quality of your business product, attention to detail and emphasises quality management.

Clear communications can save time, stress and money in the workplace and in the business community, and contribute to improved processes and efficiencies.

What is Plain English?

Plain English is a flexible and efficient writing style that readers can understand in one reading. It combines clear,  concise expression, an effective structure and good document design. (Plain English Foundation)

Some easy plain english rules:

  • Think about your readership before you write and write to them. Focus on your reader and make it relevant, easy to read and  unambiguous.
  • Put your main message in the opening paragraph with supporting information.
  • Use a formal but friendly tone, and active voice rather than passive voice. ‘You can submit by Friday’ rather than ‘It is suggested that consideration be given to submitting by close of business Friday’.
  • Avoid jargon even if it is in-house communication.
  • Be direct and clear using short, familiar words. Sentences of around 15-20 words are good, but a variance in sentence length is good as well.
  • Correct grammar, punctuation and spelling.
  • Effective editing and proofreading processes.
  • A simple structure for a non-complex document is
    • identify the issue
    • discuss the implications
    • discuss your conclusion
    • identify a call to address the issue.

The Writing Shed. October 2011

© Copyright. No reprinting of article permitted without direct permission from R. Osborne.

 Good business writing makes great sense.

Resumes, Content Writing, Business Books

The Writing Shed is at present on extended leave. We will be back in business in a couple of months. Apologises.

Are you looking for a scribe to write your resume and cover letter?

Are you looking for any content writing?

Are you looking for a scribe to write your business book?

Do you want authority and credibility beyond your networking?

The Writing Shed can:

  • write your resume and cover letter so you get the interview for that dream job
  • write your blog posts that promote your subject matter and your organic web traffic
  • craft professional articles that can be published in your name
  • interpret complex health information into easy to read articles that engage with your community audience
  • create web copy that boosts your organic web traffic
  • conference abstracts and presentations
  • edit anything you write to ensure it shines and is grammatically correct.

This is what our valued clients say about us:

  • An excellent resume and cover letter. Thoroughly recommend. A. Stockley. 2020
  • The draft resume and cover letter look great. No changes, perfect as is.  L. Donnelly 2020
  • Received the resume and so quickly. Nice work and thank you. D. Andrews 2020
  • Fabulous service and at such short notice. Great resume. R. Beckford. 2019
  • I asked Rose to redo a Cover Letter that had been done professionally elsewhere  Her work involved a 2-hour interview where details of my career were unpacked, and the resulting document was comprehensive and targetted. I would thoroughly recommend. R. Cook. 2019
  • Thanks, Rose. You make me sound awesome. I can fire off applications tonight. Thanks So much. T. Herbert. 2019
  • Rose is very good at resumes. I couldn’t have done it myself. Thoroughly recommend. Too easy.  D. Smith 2019.
  • An excellent resume, so quick and so thorough. I couldn’t believe it could look so good. S. Pryce. Sydney. 2018.
  • Wow, I didn’t think I was that great. An excellent resume and I thoroughly recommend Rose for her quick and efficient work.  H Finkers. Sydney. 2018
  • Yeah!!!!!  My abstract was accepted by AHA and I’m a speaker at their World Conference in September.  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP. Jan Sky, BEHAVIOUR CHANGE SPECIALIST http://www.execstateid.com.au/  2014
  • Sometimes a copy editor seems like a luxury, but I’ve used Rosemary twice now and each time it has not only been a fast and professional service, but I’ve also learnt so much that raises the quality of all my work.  J. Canty-Waldon. Consultant in Strategic Leadership e:  www.jcw.com.au  2014
  • I would just like to thank you so much for your work in my promotion application. I am really impressed by the enhanced quality after your editing in the document, especially when the work needs to be done in the last minute. I was worried that I might not have enough time to submit a quality application, but your prompt and perfect service had made this a reality. From your service, I feel I have also learnt and developed my writing skills. I am relaxed now because I know where to go in the future when I have more work to be edited. J Yao. Finance Discipline | Business School. The University of Sydney 2013
  • The Writing Shed is a very useful tool for me as a professional historian. It’s great to have someone who can provide suggestions for changes to the tone and style of my work, as well as accurate grammatical corrections. The very quick turn around times is a bonus in my busy working life. Jodi Frawley  PhD Environmental Historian  The University of Sydney. 2013
  •  Thank you for doing such a great job with my manuscript, Rosemary. You were very efficient, objective and helped me clear up a lot of things. Thank you for your patience with my manuscripts dry topic and for helping to make it sound more interesting. Thank you     Esta Lessing. Business Analysis Excellence Pty Ltd.  2013

Read more testimonials

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Phone Rosemary 0407 487 495

Email info@thewritingshed.com.au

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