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Why ‘keeping it simple’ is sometimes the right decision for your website

June 27, 2012

As business owners we have to weigh up the choices we make about our marketing budgets. Getting a return on the advertising dollar is all important in these tough financial times. So as a small business, can you justify spending 8-10K on a website? Well it depends on what you […]

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The ‘print friendly’ website, what is it, and why should you care?

April 18, 2012

Having a print-friendly website can be a huge competitive advantage. If your website information prints out nicely, people will be impressed and they will be able to understand your offer so much better than the competition’s offer. As an example, I’ve frequently turned up at meetings with prospective web design clients who have printed out pages from this website and have commented on how nice it was to have them print out perfectly. So much easier to read and understand.

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How to add more interesting fonts to your website – introducing Google Web Fonts

April 3, 2012

One of the more frustrating aspects of web design has been the lack of support for anything other than ‘web safe’ fonts. Hence the reason why so many websites were initially designed using Times New Roman, Georgia, or Arial (just a few of the most popular web safe font options). […]

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Your New Year website check list – 20 essential checks you should make on your website for 2012

January 9, 2012

While you’ve been away on a break over the holiday period your website may well have hit a few snags – or you may have been so busy at the end of the year that a few things have been overlooked. The start of a New Year is an excellent time to run some quick checks of your website to make sure everything is in good working order.

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How to be prepared for an earthquake or other natural disaster

July 7, 2011

I originally wrote this blog the week following the February 22, 2011 Christchurch earthquake. It was 11 days out from ‘quake day’, and we didn’t have power, running water or sewerage. Many people can’t begin to imagine what that must be like – and I was one of them. Back […]

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SEO Copywriting 101 – how to write for the search engines

March 1, 2011

You should always consider search engine optimisation (SEO) issues when drafting your website copy. My recommendation is that you write in a ‘natural style’ for your target audience, while keeping an eye on the keywords and phrases you use. It can be a delicate balance. Though the two goals are […]

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Using the Active Voice in your Writing

March 1, 2011

Writing in the active voice as opposed to the passive voice makes your writing more concise and readable. Your message will be more to the point. Writing in the active voice also uses less words than writing in the passive voice. The active voice focuses on the subject or the […]

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How to Include Calls to Action in your Website Copy

March 1, 2011

Imagine a shopping cart without an ‘add to cart’ option? It would be ridiculous wouldn’t it? Then why do so many websites not even ask for enquiries! A call to action is simply asking someone to do something, such as: fill in an enquiry form complete a questionnaire purchase a […]

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How to use powerful and influential words in your web copy

March 1, 2011

It’s easy to get stuck in a ‘word rut’ where you keep using the same words over and over again. It helps your writing considerably if you vary your copy with an interesting mix of powerful phrases. Unless you are a natural word smith then you will need some help. […]

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Using Personalisation in Website Copy Writing

March 1, 2011

When writing for the web you can afford to be less formal with your language. After all, you are not drafting an annual report or asking for money from your bank manager. So avoid referring to your business in the ‘third person’. Third Person: “Since 1995 Acme Publishing have published […]

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The ‘what’s in it for me’ key to web copy writing

March 1, 2011

What’s in it for me, is the question that everyone is silently asking themselves as they go through the decision making process. You need to answer it. Will you help them save time? Or save money? Or both? Will this improve them as a person? Will it benefit their business? […]

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How to define your Unique Selling Position (USP) Online

March 1, 2011

Your unique selling position (or proposition) is what sets you apart from your competition. So what is your USP? It could be the personalised service you offer, the speed of your delivery, or the depth of your knowledge about a specialist area. Once you have identified your unique selling position […]

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