Cut Which Words and Why?

Stephen King isn’t the only writer who taught me the importance of editing, something I mentioned in my last post.  William Zinsser’s acclaimed book On Writing Well made a huge impact.  The main takeaway when I read the treasured volume is always:  Write simply and concisely.  Zinsser says, “Can any thought be expressed with more economy?”

Especially when it comes to blog posts, articles, and web pages for the Internet, writing should be done with economy.  People have the world at their fingertips; they don’t have to put up with websites that have rambling or garbled communication.

Writers like me are hired because businesses want to be at the top of search results.  What do search engines look for when deciding which websites to place there?  Google is looking for “high-quality sites that users will want to use and share.” 

Since the inception of the Internet, site builders have used every sneaky tactic possible to get around the search engine analytics and land at the top.  These illegitimate schemes are almost always found out, and the websites are penalized – they are dropped from search engines altogether.

Good writers are hired by businesses willing to play by the rules and build excellent websites.  What is needed, when it all comes down to it, is well written, engaging, and informative material.  Awesome graphics are nice, but that’s not usually enough to keep people coming back for more. 

The words a good web writer chooses include keywords but without keyword stuffing.  The words a good writer cuts are those which are unnecessary or bombastic.

Say Something Already

How does a business rise to the top of millions of search engine results?  One answer is that their websites and blogs actually say something in a way that is very readable and informative.
 
Communicating effectively with written words is not a simple task.  An important aspect of producing great copy that begs to be read is:  editing (a.k.a. cutting out unnecessary words).
 
An unforgettable lesson I learned from reading prolific author Stephen King's book On Writing was to unmercifully cut out unnecessary words.  Most people who visit websites are there because they want to know something.  If they begin reading but find nothing helpful, they will quickly leave the site and try another. 

On the other hand, if they discover the very answers they are looking for plus a lot more helpful stuff, they will stay.  In fact, there is a good chance they will bookmark the page or even share the page with their friends on Facebook or Twitter.
 
A copywriter who produces good results for employers is no doubt good at making sure their copy cuts straight to the business of saying something helpful, informative, or interesting.
 
The way I work on writing assignments:

·    Begin by researching the topic and reading much more information than the word count needed for my copy.

·    Organize the information to be used in a way that makes good sense.

·    Use bullet points when appropriate and avoid large paragraphs—in other words, I strive to make the article seem easy and not cumbersome to read.

·    Edit and edit again.

 
 

 

Words That Go Pow

Loving words has come as naturally for me as choosing Blue Bell Ice Cream from the dairy freezer at the grocery store.  Logophiles like myself find words simply scrumptious.  When I got the opportunity to write for a living -- thanks, tanked economy -- I dove in and found that all of my hopeful preparation has truly paid off.

For instance, I am aware that I confused my topic -- a love of words -- with a need to explain what the big deal is about Blue Bell Ice Cream to anyone who doesn't live in or hasn't visited Texas.  It's an ice cream made in Brenham, Texas, that puts the taste of all other brands to complete and total shame.  Okay, sure, I haven't eaten every brand under the sun, but I'm still confident I'm right on this point.

Also, what was my "hopeful preparation" for writing?  Well, even though I had a frustrating situation in which I earned two Associate Degrees that are not appreciated as a potential equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree (at least in the job market), I opted to educate myself through local libraries as opposed to returning to college.  I read/studied hundreds of books on writing, joined writers' clubs, participated in critique groups, and won some poetry competitions.  

So now I use my love and understanding of words to drive traffic to blogs and websites.  I've had success, too.  Most of my customers report an explosive increase in their number of site visitors, once I become their regular writer -- several have grown from around 30 hits per day when I started to over 400 within a short time.  Their businesses are booming, too, by the way.

Artfully arranging words and choosing those with the most impact, such as keywords, makes the words go "pow!"  Looking for one of the best blog writers?  In reviews posted on my profile page on the website where I obtain the bulk of my employment, it has been said that you, dear reader searching for top blog writers, are looking for me, Stevie McHugh.  

Contact me at thesteviemchugh@gmail.com.