How changing one word can help you win more sales

The other day I was speaking at a workshop organized by Royal Mail. After my talk, the chairperson asked ‘What is the one thing that you will do differently when you go back to the office’. When the people in the room gave their answers, almost every third person said the same thing. They all intended to change one single word in their copy because they were convinced that doing so would improve sales instantly. I was pleased they had picked up this tip from my talk since the correct use of this particular word is very powerful. It’s also extremely simple, so anyone can do it to their own copy, right now. I described it as ‘changing’ one word, but in fact, it’s even easier than that, because all you do is delete it.

And the word is….

But what is the word?…

How to create original Google-friendly copy for product pages

It’s been a few weeks now since Google shook the SEO world with what has come to be known as the ‘Panda/Farmer’ update . This massive change to the algorithms saw some websites plummeting in their natural search rankings overnight. Although most of the commentary was about how it affected content sites, retailers also lost out. Why? Because they were using manufacturer’s copy rather than writing large amounts from scratch. In Google’s eyes it makes for a better visitor experience if all the copy is original, unique and well-written. Most retail sites that have been hit prefer to keep quiet about it, for obvious reasons. One leading SEO expert said, “I can tell you there were some retail sites that lost out but I can’t quote any as I have signed Non-Disclosure Agreements.” The most well-publicised retail site to suffer was Play.com. Another retailer prepared…

I met Mel Henson at last year's ECMOD conference where we discussed the pleasure and pain of book writing. She was hard at work on a new book on copywriting: [amazon-product text="Flicks & Clicks: How to Create Websites and Catalogues that Sell More" type="text"]1907722041[/amazon-product]. There are relatively few new books on online copywriting and if you want to review your approaches, I highly recommend it. It's full of practical tips and examples blending on and offline copywriting. So, we arranged to have a chat about what works and what doesn't in online copywriting.I hope you find Mel's ideas helpful? What are your pet hates or peeves with online copy? 1. What inspired you to write "Flicks and Clicks?" When I first specialised in copy for home shopping, I discovered that there is real ‘science of…

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…