Scared your web developer might mention search engine optimisation? Don't be.

You sell homemade jewellery and gifts.

You wrote your website all by yourself and you’re really chuffed with it.

Your Granny said, “Wonderful darling,” but you’re not convinced anyone else has seen it.

Meanwhile...


...in an office just up the road, Mr Perfect-Customer is online. He’s in a hurry. He has 5 minutes, between meetings and he’s searching for a birthday present for his wife.

Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, is about getting your website in front of Mr P-C.

Not enough hours in the day? That’s just an excuse!

Learning from Mummy?

When I started my course  I was super keen and flew through the first 6 chapters submitting my assignments like a 15-year old delivering papers without getting off his bike…

And then, suddenly, I stopped…I haven’t lost interest, quite the opposite, I’ve been reading lots of relevant content on blogs and of course Twitter.  However, my beautiful study plan has gradually slipped and slipped until this week I am in danger of getting behind for the first time.

So, what’s changed?

The impotence of proofreading

I've had a few embarrassing proofreading incidents in my time!

The worst, a good few years ago, was when I offered to make some invitations for Hubbie's parents (he was only my boyfriend then, so I was out to impress!). It was their 40th wedding anniversary and they were inviting all their friends to a party in Shepton Mallet.

Only I thought it was spelt Shepton Mallett.

And I didn't think to check.

Tackling a burgeoning Twitter obsession - The 5 commandments

Part One: 12 Noon

I have a day off today.

To Do List

I was looking forward to spending it studying and writing. Perhaps even sitting in a cafe in manner of real life freelance writer.

My morning has gone something like this:

One for the portfolio – Hanson UKIT intranet pages

Client

Hanson UKIT

Brief

Wording required for a new intranet site to provide key information to other areas of the business.

The client wanted the copy to focus on the people, and give the message that IT is both approachable and easy to work with. He also felt it was important to get across the valuable work that the department was doing to help strengthen the business.

Raising a toddler is great copywriting experience

Cheesy copywriting?

I have now been studying my copywriting course for about a month. I love it, but still worry that without experience it will be hard to get paid work.

I said this to a friend the other night, and her response was,

“You can do anything, you’re a mummy to a toddler!”

This got me thinking – there are a LOT of ways that raising a toddler can get you ready for life as a copywriter.

The #nomakeupselfie - Why it worked, and what Dove already knew

It’s day 6 of the #nomakeupselfie campaign, and the newspapers claim to have uncovered the source – a teenage Mum from Stoke.

Fiona Cunningham wanted to do something to raise awareness of [breast] cancer as it had touched her family. What happened next was an unprecedented viral campaign which has raised more than £8m in less than a week – one of Cancer Research UK’s most successful fundraising campaigns to date.

Picture shared on Twitter by @CR_UK

While Cancer Research may not have come up with the idea, they certainly helped it along, putting their weight behind it and setting up a text number to make it even easier to donate and share.

The premise is a simple one, post a picture of yourself on social media wearing, shock horror, no make-up and make a donation to help beat cancer.

Starting a distance-learning course? What's the first thing you should do?

Buy new stationery of course...

But after that? 

You need to write a study plan.

A brief history of me and study plans

Whether doing GCSEs, A-levels, or uni exams, my routine was always the same:

1. Browse through the rows of stationery in Staples. Buy a pack of different coloured pens, a folder and some post-its.


2. Take them home


3. Lay them out neatly on the desk...Any-one with me here? No? Just me then


4. Make a cup of tea


5. Set about writing a study plan

Comma Confusion

It's amazing, isn't it? As soon as you know that you are being assessed on something, it throws up a massive question mark in your mind as to whether you actually know what you think you know.

Take the pre-course assessment essay I have to write to get onto the copywriting course I chose here. Never have I doubted my use of common punctuation quite so much!

And what was the source of my little punctu-breakdown?

Copywriting - To train or not to train

When considering a move into Copywriting, it is tempting to just have a go and see what happens. After all it is one of those things that, assuming some writing ability, can't be that hard can it?

I have a sneaking suspicion that is not true.