Ethereal Pen Productions

I do a considerable amount of Web site copywriting, much of which involves search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. In preparation for business Web site revisions, nothing I say to new clients shocks them more than to hear that their existing site’s top ranking on Google may be a lie.

Blame it on cookies.

Browsing the Web means accepting cookies, small computer files your browser uses that contain information about Web sites visited, passwords, logins, selected Web page features, and so on. By tracking where and how a user navigates a site, cookies make sites seem smarter, often altering a displayed page to suit a user’s esoteric tastes. This explains how a site knows you love U2 or Godiva chocolates even when you are not logged in. The cookies tell them so.

Google uses cookies, too, tracking where a user surfs. When a user is logged into Google and searches, the results page now offers the option to raise the ranking of a particular search result by clicking on an up-arrow icon next to the result’s hyperlink, or a user can remove it from future results by clicking an “X” icon. That’s one way to raise a result’s page rank for that user on that local computer.

But what most people don’t realize is that much of that ranking happens automatically on a local computer. Repeatedly browsing to a site will raise its page rank in Google by way of the cookies. And since most business owners visit their own Web site often, the next thing they know, their site is number one on Google. Amazing!

Here’s the catch: The Google cookie on their local computer makes that so.

The real truth is that the site may be buried twenty pages into Google, and this is what potential customers actually see—or don’t see. The site owner sees #1; customers never find the site at all because they typically only scan the top twenty results. The customer’s Google cookie hasn’t been repeatedly biased toward the site the way the business owner’s has.

Is your Web site a top ten winner on Google for real? Or has that little cookie been feeding you false info?

See  if you’ve been hoodwinked:

• Close any tabs/windows in your browser that may be displaying your business’s Web site.
• Use your browser’s “Delete Cookies” function to delete all cookies associated with Google and DoubleClick. (This function varies by browser, so consult the browser’s “Help” menu for details. Be forewarned, killing cookies will delete login and password info for Google accounts.  It may even be wise, if you have not deleted your cookies in a long time, to simply delete ALL the cookies your browser has stored, not just Google’s. In addition, Google has affiliates whose cookies may also boost page rank, so a global deletion may be necessary, as these affiliations change over time. Added benefits of deleting all cookies include a possible speed boost when browsing and freed hard drive space. My advice? Delete them all.)
• Restart your browser.
• Go to Google.
• Enter the search keywords that normally result in a top ranking for your site.

Don’t be surprised if your site is nowhere to be found in the results.

If your site went from hero to zero in Google after kissing cookies goodbye, don’t panic. And don’t rush to pay Google for a higher ranking, either. You can take steps to raise your site’s ranking through proper SEO techniques that won’t put a monthly drain on your income.

Ranking high in Google for your industry’s keywords means prospective clients find you. And that means revenue. Let me know how I can help you achieve better search engine results for your Web site.

One of the most glaring issues I encounter with those seeking a new or improved Web presence is the tendency to oversell. Occasionally,  a client wants a Web site to tell potential customers everything they believe a prospect needs to know.This runs counter to the old aphorism:

Why buy the cow when you can have the milk for free?

Old, yes, but still true. Web sites that are not intended as end-user retail sites (e.g, Amazon.com, Buy.com) often give a customer too much info, failing to close the sale while providing the customer all the facts needed to ask better questions of a competitor. The result is a lost sale.

A smart copywriter works with clients to keep it simple. A smarter one draws customers into a unique client story, one that leads thirsty prospects to figuratively ask, “How can I get some of your delicious milk?”

Remember: Hire a writer who will help you sell the milk, not the cow.

At its core, the corporate world’s greatest need is to bridge the gap that separates people from people or people from products. In the world of diplomacy, when nations seek to accomplish similar goals, they call for an ambassador.

A good writer is a company’s ambassador. An ambassador must  understand the graceful melding of human nature and the right choice of words—often the difference between friendship and war. For this reason, savvy business leaders need a writer who understands people, their motivations, their personal likes and dislikes, the essence of who they are.

If your writing team lacks a feel for your target audience, sugar-coated writing won’t bridge that gap. If your engineering group is writing to your end users, the average consumer, your message will be lost.

You need an ambassador. You need a writer who understands the power of words and the needs of people.

If your company Web site doesn’t show up on the first page or two of Google, you’re losing money.

With the Internet saturated with businesses battling for clients, persuasive site copy isn’t enough. A copywriter needs to know principles of search engine optimization (SEO) and work closely with Webmasters and graphic designers. Content throughout your site must consistently employ the keywords that best describe your product or service or else your clients will never find you.

A client of mine requested a site refresh. After noting that searches using industry-standard keywords placed the site five or six pages deep on Google, I outlined proven SEO strategies to boost his page rank without resorting to buying placement. By optimizing all site content, the updated site landed consistently on the front page of Google.

It’s no longer enough to have a Web site. Without top placement in search engine results, your site might as well not exist. Your customers know what they are searching for. Ensure they find it at your site and not your competitors’ by hiring a writer who knows SEO.

We have a new president. Regardless of how any of us voted, the 2008 election heralded the advent of a new, though decades old, style of marketing.

It’s not the power of the self-centered I.

It’s not the authoritarian talkdown of You.

It’s the power of community found in We. And we haven’t heard it much since World War II.

The generation assuming control lives by We and isn’t impressed by narcissistic business-speak. The B.S. detectors run hot and heavy in acolytes of We. If corporate ethics scandals, unchecked consumerism, and the bogeyman-making mythos of the anticapitalists of the last decade have taught the upcoming generation anything, it’s “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.”

Audiences for the message don’t want to hear I. Nor do they want corporations to lord their products and services over them, so forget You.

“We are the generation….”

“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

“Change we can believe in.”

Does your company understand the power of We ?

In the community of We, no space exists for messages like “Our company is there for you.” Saying means nothing; doing means the world. Companies can’t impress clients with cheap talk. What works is to deliver so that clients speak the message themselves: “They were there for us.”

The world of We also eliminates skeletons in the closet. Transparency rules. Any message that reads like a snowjob will melt under the critical examination of the new generation. Putting the downside—the portion of the product or service most likely to set off the B.S. detector—in the spotlight appeals to We, especially when the weakness itself can disarm objections.

For many, We is a strange, new world. Does your company know how to speak its language?

We do.