Internet Marketing - Basic Guide to Copywriting

Copywriting for the Web
If you want to be successful promoting any SERVICE or PRODUCT over the internet, it is critical that you understand the importance of using the correct 'hot words' and clearly expressing customer 'benefits' as opposed to promoting the 'features' of a product or service. Following is a brief extract from my Beginners Guide to Website Copywriting, which you can find by clicking on Internet Marketing Australia

Text is ‘Terrific’
Search engines index and rank the visible text on a web page, they cannot see photographs and other graphics. If you want search engines to find the page you are about to create, include your keyword phrase several times in the page’s text.
NB: However it is most important that you do not neglect your human readers in your quest for that magic “Top 10” search engine ranking. Make sure you stick to the rules of AIDAS we have already explained so that you create attention, generate interest, foster desire and hopefully you’ll get the action you are seeking from your viewer(s).

The critical things are:

• focus on one keyword phrase per page for most impact
• begin your page headline with the keyword phrase
• try to include the keyword phrase in your sub-heading
• begin the first paragraph with the keyword phrase
• ensure that it is used 3 – 7 times in the remainder of the body text
  (*do not over-use your keyword phrase in the body text or you run the risk of being penalised by the search engines for ‘spamming’)

No ‘Instant Gratification’
It can take anywhere from 6 weeks, to 6 months to achieve any sort of ranking by the major search engines. Google was the first to introduce a mandatory ‘waiting period’ of up to 6 months before it will give high rankings to new websites. Now our research indicates that Yahoo, MSN and Ask Jeeves are also ‘side-lining new websites for varying periods of time.

I'm always on the lookout for other publications, websites that can assist beginners with the difficult task of writing effective sales copy for their websites. I gladly welcome any information on other useful sources of material on this subject.