Search Engine Optimization, or SEO to make it less of a mouthful, is all about making your site as friendly as possible to search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing.  The more you guys are buddies then the higher the ranking of your mutually loved website on their search engine pages.

It's a bit of a game, really.  But this is a serious game that can mean money.  Your money.

Does SEO really matter?

If you don't consider SEO then you obviously don't care if someone finds your website or not.  And if your website is one of the tools you are using to generate new clients then your lack of care is costing you money.

When someone types the words they have chosen to search with into Google or any of the popular search engines, certain websites will pop up at the top of the page and you really want one of them to be yours.

A key study has found that 62% of users click on a search result in the first page of search results and a full 90% click on a search result within the first three pages of search results.  So, basically, if your website isn't listed in the first three, you're toast.

Don't be discouraged, SEO is like a puzzle.  It's an interesting challenge (and I mean that)

It's okay if you don't really want to spend the time finding out about SEO and personally optimizing your site.  That's when I come in handy, but if you do then here are a few pointers to get you going.

Think about your keywords

The words that you use in your content and meta tags will tell the search engines what your website is about.  They will use this to classify your website and place it under certain banners so that when the 'searcher' types in their search words, if you have included these in you content and meta tags then you will be found.

Content matters (a lot!)

You want people to come to your website?  Then content matters.  The words that you choose are powerful and should be well thought out.  If your wording is dull or misleading then your audience will find it so and they won't come back.

Links also matter (a lot!)

Every time a person comes to your blog and leaves a comment, that provides a link.  If you join a directory, that provides a link.  If you create articles and place them on high traffic websites such as Article Dashboard then you are creating links - free links.   When the search engines crawl through your site, the more links and traffic to and from your site makes them think it is important and relevant.  This moves your site up the pages in the search engines, exactly what you are aiming for.

Start blogging

Oh how dull, how time-consuming, can't be bothered, too many already on the net...sound familiar?  The benefits of a blog are that if you provide relevant, informative content you just might get yourself an audience.  Do that and you have repeat visitors to your site and that can mean money.  If you are selling a product, you want people to keep coming back.  Perhaps you have something new, something you want your customers to know about.  Blogs that keep them revisiting your site on a regular basis will advertise your new products, for FREE!!!!!

Start optimizing now!

Don't just put a website on the Internet and forget SEO, it may mean that your website is never found and never read.  What a waste.

Sometimes pets just seem even more lovable!

It was late March that I got a message from the Pet Industry Association. They wanted help with a Code of Practice for the operation of boarding establishments. I'm sure all you pet lovers have wondered, every time you placed your beloved in a dog or cat boarding facility, will they be looked after? Will little sweetie tinkabelle be okay?

As one of the side benefits of being a writer - a genuine love of learning new information - I got to discover that, actually, my pet would be very well looked after. Tinkabelle, really would be okay.

So, again, what's this got to do with copywriting. Well, the thing is that opportunities can come from anywhere, and if you are true writer you will be interested in them.

I'm, personally, interested in pretty much anything. I found it fascinating to read about and edit the correct exercising, food and cleaning techniques that must be used by boarding facilities. I looked my pets over when I viewed the diagrams detailing whether a pet was obese, emancipated or exactly right.

But what really got me was the fact that no matter how old or new a facility was, it was the genuine care of your pet that mattered the most!

I'm looking forward to writing the next code of practice for pet shops. I'm sure I'll find it just as intriguing and informative.

Copywriting is about everything and anything. Well, to me it is.

My favourite is Gifted Girls Got The Gab! It's a forum for women about women. Your voice can be heard above the crowd and any post you send will be read by an ever increasing audience as word gets around.

Do yourself a favour and subscribe today, post today and be a part of this fantastic community today!

Why set goals?

Research has shown throughout the ages that those who write down their goals (don't just think them...too easy to forget!) achieve greater success than those who don't.

'What keeps me going is goals.' - Muhammad Ali

The thing about having a goal and writing it down is that you now have something solid to work towards.  We all dream, which is great.  Many of us dream and dream and dream.  We dream big, we dream small, but what we really, secretly want is to see those dreams come true.

Write them down.

Hands up who's seen the movie 'The Bucket List'?

When the main character (now what was his name?) finds out he's dying, he decides to create a list of all the things he's always wanted to do.  Creating a 'bucket list' is a great idea, but do you really want to wait till you're gasping your last breath?  Nope?  Didn't think so.

How about you create that list now.  There is a wonderful book called Creating Your Best Life by Caroline Adams Miller and she describes the benefits you can achieve by creating your bucket list, and others, right now, right this instance!  Doing something about achieving all your secret dreams right now, all the sooner to enjoy your rewards.

Here's to putting myself on the line

Okay, so we're talking about setting goals and writing them down.  Well, I'm going to write mine in the world's notebook right here on this blog.

This year my writing business is going to be successful enough to send myself and my daughter on a one month holiday to Europe.  'Bout time I caught up with the rels.

Now what do you think I'm going to be writing about this time 2010?

Whenever I get a new assignment, I'm like a dog wagging its tail.  I've been given the go-ahead to delve into an exciting subject (exciting to me, anyway) that I have perhaps never thought of or don't really know much about.

Here I am being paid to find out new stuff.  Fantastic!  I've always loved trivia, which doesn't in any way mean that the web content you've asked me to write is based on trivia.  It's just that element of quickly finding out enough about the client's industry or product to create compelling text that their clients will love.

I'm interested in everything.  You can ask me to find out about garden hose.  Did you know that the most popular form of garden hose is the 'Never Kink - Self Straightening' hose?  I'm really curious to know why, although I think I can probably guess.  I'm sure I would prefer a 'Never Kink - Self Straightening' hose too, but actually a quick search finds that these are 'no-nonsense great hoses that won't disappoint'.  Terrific, I want one already!

I'm beginning to think that someday my brain will explode and out will flow tiny facts on every subject imaginable.  Hope someone is there to tap into that knowledge!

Okay, I'm not particularly trying to do the 'good girl, at-one-with-the-universe' personification of the year, I'm just saying that I look around and things make me feel either good or bad.  Then I work with these things.  Is that too spiritual for you?

Every single minute of every day I'm interested in the world.  I"m interested during the morning news programs, I"m interested in the traffic jams on the way to work and I sure was interested when meeting some business women for the first time at lunch today.  What a fantastic group of people and what a lot of information to share!

To be honest, when writing copy or journalistic articles you have to find the topic you are researching interesting and I do!  I love anything, anything new.  I'm fascinated by your product, really interested to find out who you are and I really, really want to know what you want to achieve.  Really.

So, that's it.  Inspiration?  Look around, it's there anytime you take a moment.  All you have to invest is time.