We all know that web copywriting needs to be brief to be effective (although AB testing will sometimes prove otherwise...). But if you are a marketer experienced in writing copy for print or direct mail, in which other ways should you change your style? In this interview, Anne Caborn of digital consultancy CDA takes us through the main issues experienced print copywriters need to consider. Anne Caborn is co-founder and director of Content Delivery & Analysis, a strategic digital consultancy. Q1. 1. What are the main differences in successfully writing for web compared with print [Answer: Anne Caborn, Co-Founder Content Delivery & Analysis] There are a number of key differences but there are two critical ones when you"€™re talking about web (as opposed to email). The first is you are having a conversation online. It"€™s auditory both…

We all know the Long Tail is important to keyword research for search engine marketing. This recent keyword analysis by Hitwise from US data showed that top 1,000 search terms account for just 11% of traffic: Top 100 terms: 5.7% of the all search traffic Top 500 terms: 8.9% of the all search traffic Top 1,000 terms: 10.6% of the all search traffic Top 10,000 terms: 18.5% of the all search traffic We all see similar patterns in our own / client's web analytics, with the majority of individual referrals from tail keyphrases. But how can we understand the long-tail phrases we need to target and refine our existing approach?

Pattern recognition through stems and qualifiers

I have always believed that successful keyword research and copywriting for SEO is down the analysts "pattern recognition" based on finding the main stem terms and qualifers using this type of structured analysis and format: <pre-qualifier(s)> + [stem(s)] + <post-qualifier(s)> +- <cheap> +-…

Website design optimisation and testing books Since I wrote my first book on web marketing 10 years ago, success in online marketing has required an ever more detailed approach as the discpline matures. Specialist books on search engine optimization have been established for many years, but in 2008 we saw several new books on landing page optimisation to improve web design and messaging of which these are the two "must-haves" IMO. I recommend Bryan Eisenberg's book if you work for a small-medium business and are planning on using Google Analytics for testing your sites. I recommend Tim Ash's book if you work for a larger business and want to audit your existing testing approach or are starting to plan a website testing programme. Before we get to the two main reviews, I also recommend: [amazon-product text="Brian Clifton's book on Google Analytics" type="text"]/0470253126[/amazon-product] particularly if you are personally involved with configuration,  or want to know how to use…

I'm talking about increasing response through personalisation at an upcoming Redeye Email marketing workshop, so just thinking through the variables in response to a question from an IDM graduate who asked: I sat in on an agency briefing this morning re: email marketing to a number of different segements (trialists/registrants/subscribers etc) to promote new section of a web site, and the agency guy said that in just the past few months they had noticed that using personalisation on emails (and acknowledgement in copy of which segment they came from) was no longer a good idea, and could depress response....??? This seems to go against everything else I have been hearing - is this what you're finding too..?? Dave's answer: Personalisation is a balancing act between these variables which all email marketers control. If you look at campaign response this way, you can see that personalisation can quite…

I have finally made time to read the Google Starter Guide to SEO PDF which was published in November. This is a summary of the recommendations. I had a quick check back in November to see whether it added to conventional wisdom on best practice, i.e. what any competent SEO would advise. On a second, detailed reading, it doesn't add anything to standard best practice, but its value is in educating non-SEO specialists through it's summary of the main issues and nice use of examples. It also helps validate your advice, so make relevant sure content owners and designers take a look. If you haven't had a chance to read ityet, I can save you time - these are the main issues addressed.

Summary of Google-recommended SEO practices

Some of the important points from the Google Starter Guide which we find are often neglected by designers or content owners are: 1.…

Make 2009 the year for engagement analytics

Which resolutions have you made about your online marketing in 2009? With less budget available for investment in media in many organizations in 2009, it makes sense to resolve to engage more of the visitors you attract to your site. Improving on-site engagement is a worthwhile area to focus on which requires relatively limited expenditure. With Google Analytics freely available to all businesses to help them review and improve engagement, you should look at whether you are really getting the most from your site statistics. In a companion article on How to configure Google Analytics for marketing, I give specific advice on how you should configure Google Analytics to get the most from it. Google Analytics provides great insights from the moment you install the Google tracking tags, but specific configuration to setup the site to track performance for your own business will give…