The Number Of Total World Websites Is Over One Billion! How Can Yours Succeed?

Hire a web writing specialist.

You'll hear it again and again.  Content is king.  The more quality content your website contains, the more traffic you'll get and the better you'll do at converting sales when you get it.

But that's only part of the truth.

The whole truth is:  Written content is king.  Your website may look great.  Killer logo.  Slick graphics.  But in most cases it's still the writing that does the heavy lifting.   If the writing isn't good, your site will fail.

I'm a professional website content writer with two sites of my own

I've been a freelance writer for over a decade.  I run two of my own boutique websites, so I know what small businesses need: reliable services at rates that don't eat up all the profits.  

I Understand Writing For The Internet

I'm familiar with SEO best practices, basic HTML, keyword and key phrase analysis and long tail marketing -- all from a writer’s perspective.  In other words, I'm always aware of the search engines, but I write for human beings.

Nowadays, you can use automated programs to build a great looking website by yourself, but filling it with engaging "Search Engine Optimized" content -- that's something a computer can't do for you.

I'm The Right Mix Of Value And Expertise

There are some bargain-basement "McContent" sites out there with an ever-changing crew of underpaid associates.  You don't really know who's churning out your copy.  I'm a boutique. Unless we agree otherwise, I will do all of your work personally.

On the flip side there are high-priced web copy "gurus" with more established sites than I have. Some of them are excellent, if you can afford them.

Here at EPIC, I'm positioned in between those two extremes.  I offer quality writing and professional customer service at a reasonable price.

The name of this company encapsulates my mission.  Some websites enjoy epic success while others sputter along for a brief moment in time.  You don't want your website to be a low-budget period piece.  You want it to be epic.  My mission is to help you make that happen.

Sincerely,

Doug Davidson
Founder
EPIC Web Content


SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY BLOG

Does Your Small-Business Website Need To Rank Well On Google?

As someone who touts his search engine optimization skills, I’m about to shoot myself in the foot.  I’m going to do so by answering a question:

Does your website really need to rank well in Google searches in order to help your small business?

The short answer is:  no.

Even a website that barely shows up on any Google search can still be a very useful and productive element of your business strategy, in the following ways:

It can help you respond to Craigslist posts and other want ads. 

You can link directly from your reply posts to your site.  Most web-based want ads (especially those on Craigslist) receive many, many, many replies.  You need to stand out.  A link to a professionally written website gives you a big edge up on those who can’t provide one.

It helps you fine-tune your product and your market.

Creating a website can work in much the same way as drafting a business plan.  Having to identify what services/products you offer and why they’re worth anyone’s time and also having to think about what segment of the online population actually wants to hear what you have to say – all that effort can help you discover what your business is all about.

It gives you a presence you need.

Any legitimate venture simply requires a website these days.  And not just any website will do.  One-page slapped together sites don’t sell anything.  You don’t need a complex website.  But you do need a well-thought-out design with persuasive wording.

All that said, here’s the addendum to my short answer:

While a website doesn’t need to rank well on Google to improve your business, if you want the really big bucks, and if you want to make any kind of real money from website ad revenue, then, yes, you do need to rank well on Google.   How to do that is a subject for numerous other articles.

How To Write A Blog – Five Lessons From Screenwriting

I’m a professional blogger, and also a screenwriter.  My experiences in the intensely competitive film industry have taught me a few things.  Here are five lessons from screenwriting that apply equally well to blogs:

1.   Suspense is your friend.

When writing a screenplay – or a blog – you need to give your readers multiple reasons to keep reading.  One way to do this is to hold back information.  People are naturally curious.  If you have a secret, they’ll want to know it.  To that end, later on in this post I’ll reveal a seriously embarrassing personal detail.

2.  Brevity reigns.

You can’t waste time.  In screenplays.  Or in blogs.

3.  It’s pointless if nobody reads your stuff.

In screenwriting, if you can’t get read, you can’t get work.   An unread  blog is just as futile.  One great way to gain exposure for your blog is to use titles people are likely to search for.  The title of this blog includes the phrase How To Write A Blog.   That phrase is searched for on Google an average of 4400 times a month in the United States alone.  Are you thinking this way when choosing titles?  If not, your blog may be lonely.

4.  You need a solid framework.

Good movies have a careful design.  They have three acts.  They have a plan for how things will proceed.   In the same way, blogs need a coherent framework.  Hence the frequent use of a numbered list.

5.  Always be clear.

When writing a screenplay, you can’t afford to be vague.  You’ve got to make sure your readers can digest your scripts quickly and easily, or you’ll lose them.  The same is true for blogs.  It’s best to avoid difficult or obscure language that most won’t understand. 

For example, if I tell you, “my woozler is unusually rendoculated,” you probably have no idea what I just said.  Which is too bad because, as promised, I just shared with you my mortifying personal detail, and by choosing obscure words I lost a chance to give my blog some serious shock value.  In this case, fine by me.

Making A Website Work -- Advice For Social-Media Phobes

You’ve created a new website.  Congratulations!  Having a web presence can be a fulfilling and potentially lucrative experience.  

Perhaps you’ve heard that social media is a great way to promote your site, but the idea of it causes you anxiety.  Fearless web warriors – this article isn’t for you.  But if LinkedIn puts a lump in your throat and Twitter makes you twitchy, read on.   I’m about to address each of your concerns.

Concern Number 1:  I’ll Be Out There!  It’s Like Public Speaking!

If you’re concerned that your words will suddenly be available to thousands of greedy eyes – a virtual crowd scrutinizing your every move – don’t be.  If you’re new to social media, you’ll actually have the opposite problem.  You’ll have to work to find an audience. 

For example, until you have a whole lot of Twitter followers, many of your tweets may go unseen entirely.  So don’t worry.  You don’t need to rewrite that seven-word sentence seventeen times.  Go ahead and send it out.  By the time you have a large audience, you’ll have already proven yourself as a worthwhile web commentator.

Concern Number 2:  People Will Respond To Me With Mean and Nasty Comments!

That almost never happens.  It has never happened to me.  Certain writers write to stir up controversy.  They enjoy crafting the kind of incendiary phrase that invites bitter retorts.  If you’re relating to this bog entry, I’m guessing you’re not that kind of person.  While there are a few rotten, ill-tempered types out in the world (and on the web), social media is populated by many kind and generous souls who will help you on your way.  I’ve been lucky enough to virtually meet a bunch of them.

Concern Number 3:  I’ll Be Mocked Mercilessly For My Lack of Friends!

First, see my answer to Concern Number 2.   There simply aren’t a lot of merciless mockers out there.   Second, it takes time to build up social media connections, and anyone who’s done it knows that.  The people you see with 500+ LinkedIn connections or 10,000 Twitter followers have been at it for a while.  You’ll get there eventually, but you’ll have to start with just a few.  It’s no big deal.  It’s actually a good way to begin, because there’s less pressure when there are less people viewing your content (see my answer to concern number 1).   You’re building something, and if you’re helpful and courteous to others, you’ll be amazed how much assistance and generosity you encounter.

How To Build A Website – Strategies For Your New Web-Based Business

Some new website owners spend so much time on color schemes, borders and online Feng Shui that they forget what’s most important: the words they’re using to communicate with visitors.  Here are three tips for getting the words right:

Don’t Assume Too Much Or Too Little Knowledge

First, figure out your target market.  Focus not only on what these Internet users want, but also on what they know.  You don’t want to talk over visitors’ heads.  You’ll lose them within a few sentences.   But you don’t want to talk down to them either.  In most cases, common sense will tell you what the average person in your target market knows about your product.  When in doubt, ask for feedback from others.  You can’t please everyone in this regard, but if you spend some time on it, you can draft language that speaks on the right level.

It’s Not About You

The concept of “audience” is a crucial element in all forms of writing.  Seasoned writers write for a specific audience, and if a joke or clever point doesn’t speak to that audience then it doesn’t make the cut.  Even if you think it’s the most insightful thought ever uttered, if it doesn’t resonate with your specific audience, it’s useless. 

This is even more true when it comes to website writing.  The web is broken down into millions and millions of audience-specific nuggets.  People find your site because it serves some specific purpose.  They don’t care about anything else.  They don’t care if you’re funny.  They don’t care if you’re clever.  They care about the goal they’re trying to accomplish.  Whatever helps them do what they want – that, for your customers, is the cleverest thing you could say.

Write For Your Visitors, Not The Search Engines

This is a point made in many discussions of SEO (i.e., “Search Engine Optimization”).  Because you probably don’t want to wade through a dozen geeky web treatises, I’ll make the point here in the simplest terms possible:

You probably know that you need to include certain keywords on your site so that Google users will find you when they search.  You may also know that Google ranks sites so that the “best” sites for a given keyword will pop up on top of the search results.  Nowadays, most experts agree that there’s no magic formula for how many instances of each keyword to include in your text.  You do need to know which relevant phrases people are searching for.  And you do need to include some of those phrases on your site.  But beyond that, your primary focus should be on the wants and needs of your visitors.  If your website and business are useful to others, you’ll eventually gain prominence on the Internet.