[stylist] New Member Introduction

Sun Dec 25 18:05:55 UTC 2011

Hi Vikas,
First, welcome to the list. This is a fascinating field of writing, which --
to the best of my knowledge -- hasn't been addressed much by our members.
Kudos to you for pursuing it professionally!

I am Donna Hill, a writer for the online magazine Suite 101 and a volunteer
publicist for several divisions of the NFB. My novel, The Heart of
Applebutter Hill, is in the "seeking reviews" stage prior to what will
probably be self-publishing. It features a 14-year-old legally blind
songwriter as its protagonist.

I have read both of your pieces with great interest. I find your writing
clear and engaging. Though I'm not a technical wizard, I am familiar with
search engine optimization and am excited to hear that Google is trying to
get ahead of the scammers.

In terms of criticism, I think some of the sentences are a bit long and
might be better as two separate sentences. Also, I did notice some little
punctuation issues.

In the following sentence from the first article, you have used two periods
at the end of a sentence, instead of one. This is also an example of a
sentence I personally find a bit lengthy.

Block quote
The primary purpose of the Panda Update was to significantly enhance the
search experience not from the perspective of webmasters and website owners
but from the perspective of millions of searchers who use Google every hour
as they attempt to explore the vast labyrinths of the Internet looking for
answers to a zillion questions..
Block quote end

My initial thought about re writing it would be something like:
Block quote
Panda was not developed from the perspective of webmasters and website
owners. Millions of searchers use Google every hour looking for answers to a
zillion questions. The primary purpose of the Panda Update was to
significantly enhance their search experience, as they attempt to explore
the vast labyrinths of the Internet looking for answers to a zillion
questions.
Block quote end

There are several little things in the second article, which I realize has
already been published. I include them merely as a point of reference. In
this next sentence, you have the comma before "especially," but have
forgotten the one after Cheerrios (before "can" and the one before
"because."
Block quote 
That is where a little time invested in coupon hunting, especially for such
a favorite breakfast cereal as Cheerios can pay off because a Cheerios
coupon can really end up saving you more than a penny.
Block quote end

In this sentence, I would have followed ROI with a parenthetical phrase
spelling out whatever ROI means and then using a comma. 

Block quote
There are a few ways in which you can optimize your return on your
investment of time or ROI as the management gurus would like to call it.
Block quote end

One question I have from the first article is in reference to the phrase,
"used dubious content farming strategies such as auto-blogging and stealth
RSS ..."
A year or more ago, I was monitoring some of my article subjects through
Google alerts, and came across a title which looked suspiciously familiar.
Upon visiting the site, I found an article I had written for several
nonexclusive ezines, but with a twist. It was terrible! It read like it had
been translated back and forth into several languages and its concepts made
it back into English as atrociously constructed sentences. I wondered at the
time if there was some robo writer that scanned the web for content and then
re wrote it in some effort to seem like it hadn't been plagerized. 

I shared the story, along  with examples of the original and plagerized
paragraphs, with this group, and we had a little discussion about it. It's
been on the back burner of topics I hope to research someday for an article.

The ironic part is that the site would have more easily been able to simply
copy and use the original without charge. When I saw the term "auto-blog,"
it made me think of it again. Perhaps, you could clear up the mystery?

Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Reach Now
Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2011 9:38 AM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] New Member Introduction

Dear All:

Greetings and a very merry Christmas to you and yours. 

I am a new member to the Stylist mailing list and love to write. I am a
search engine copywriter by profession. Some of you may not know what that
is. Search engine copywriters develop search engine friendly content for
websites on the Internet in strict accordance with content guidelines
frequently posted by the search engines like Google and Yahoo. This type of
highly structured web content helps websites to show up on page one of
search engine results. If your website can find a place on page one of
Google's search engine results for instance, the number of searchers who
will click your link and arrive on your website goes up significantly.
Decision-makers and stakeholders who own websites on the Internet with a
commercial intent love us because we help them rank high on Google.

 Since I live in India and cater primarily to a US audience, feedback from
such a learned group like yours would be most valuable. 

I have posted below the first part of a three part report on the Google
Panda update slated to go live in January 2012. I would love to receive
feedback on this short report. The primary Google keyword I am targeting
is... you guessed right... is Google Panda.

The Google Panda report might be a tad technical for some so I have also
posted a non-technical report for your gracious feedback immediately after
the first submission. You are welcome to comment on both if you wish.   

If there are any other search engine copywriters on the list, I would love
to hear from them off the list. So, without further adieu, here are the two
writing samples:

Thanks in advance,

Vikas
New Delhi
India

The Google Panda Update
Part I

To celebrate the holiday season in our own special way, we bring to you an
exclusive three-part series of reports on a Google phenomenon that has left
virtually no one in cyber space untouched. We are talking of the Google
Panda update. As we will find out in just a moment, no Google algorithm or
"update" as it is called, has shaken up the often confusing world of
Internet search as the Panda. In our three-part introspective on the Panda,
we hope to reflect on three facets of the Panda with a view to eventually
providing you with a set of guidelines on how you may correct the damage the
Panda may have caused your website. If you happen to be one of those
fortunate Internet properties that hasn't been touched by the Panda update,
good for you. We will tell you how to preserve status quo and even suggest
proactive measures you can adopt to improve your rankings on Google
searches.

Google Updates

Past Present and Future

The science of Google Search is not only complex but also a closely guarded
secret much like Coke's formula. However, Google does publish periodic
updates to its search algorithm. The first significant update, called the
Florida Update, was announced by Google in 2003. The Florida Update  was
followed by the Vince Update in 2009 and the Mayday Update in 2010. Another
significant Google update, dubbed the Caffeine Update, was fully implemented
the same year after being launched in 2009. The real action, however, was
still waiting in the wings all set to explode in 2011.

The Business Challenge of Search for Google

The human race is good at beating the system and Internet marketers, also
known as search engine optimizers, are certainly no exception both
individually and collectively. They figured that given a few choice ranking
factors, the process of driving traffic to their websites through regular
Google search, also known as organic search, could be achieved as long as
these key ranking factors were taken into active consideration. The quality
of the website in terms of content, look-and-feel, the user interface,
design and responsiveness were all secondary issues for them because traffic
and advertising sales and not the search experience happened to be their
first and only priority. These Internet-savvy promoters also discovered that
Google was too busy trying to break into social media with Google+ and other
projects to penalize them for stealing content from other websites and
passing it off as their own. One fine morning, Google woke up to  face
reality and launched the Panda. Before they knew it, webmasters were waking
up in shock to steep plunges in organic Google rankings, lost traffic and
possibilities of Google de-indexing. The Panda had finally arrived with a
roar.

>From February 2011, which is when Google announced the Panda Update, up
until October 2011, Google found it necessary to tweak the update on several
occasions. The latest Panda tweak took place on September 27, 2011 and was
labeled Panda 2.5. In case you are wondering why the Panda Update took so
long to implement, the inquiry is justifiable. The primary purpose of the
Panda Update was to significantly enhance the search experience not from the
perspective of webmasters and website owners but from the perspective of
millions of searchers who use Google every hour as they attempt to explore
the vast labyrinths of the Internet looking for answers to a zillion
questions.. Before the update, these searchers were  being served up
websites which left tons to be desired in the content quality department.
Often referred to as scraper sites and content farms, these top ranking
websites used dubious content farming strategies such as auto-blogging and
stealth RSS to display pirated content which in any case was not just
shallow but also poorly written and seldom edited. Genuinely  content-rich
websites weren't able to make it to page one of Google's search engine
results because they didn't know how to play the SEO game-a search phenomena
Google eventually recognized and attempted to correct through the Panda
Update. 

Next month, we will tell you how the Panda has impacted the world of search
and why it took Google almost a year to successfully implement corrective
measures to improve search quality and search experience from a user's point
of view.

end of report//

The next article targets the search phrase "Cheerios coupons" and I
originally wrote it  for General Mills. The article went viral in 2011 and
can be found on all sorts of websites that have to do with coupons,
breakfast cereals and saving money on grocery bills. Here it is: 

Cheerios Coupon Magic that Saves you Money

With an economy that simply refuses to rejuvenate and employment rates that
just will not quit double digits, you have no choice but to cut corners in
just about every sphere of expense. When you have to cut on food, it really
hurts because food was never a luxury to start with. Restaurant dining may
be considered a luxury but not grocery shopping for your family. That is
where a little time invested in coupon hunting, especially for such a
favorite breakfast cereal as Cheerios can pay off because a Cheerios coupon
can really end up saving you more than a penny. Here is how.

Using a Cheerios Coupon to Save Money

As a preamble, let me mention that breakfast cereals were never meant to be
purchased at full price. Kellogg knows that, General Mills knows that and
just about every grocery market chain knows that for sure. That is precisely
why for decades, breakfast cereal coupons, especially Cheerios coupons and
the Sunday coupon supplement in your local newspaper were literally
synonymous. This is true to this day and with the arrival of the almighty
Internet, Cheerios coupons have gone online. In essence therefore, there are
only two ways to save: You can either clip or you can copy and print. We are
here to tell you how to do both smartly so that each time you locate a
Cheerios coupon, you are able to turn printed paper into paper currency.

Clipping a Cheerios Coupon

Although the Sunday newspaper is perhaps the most popular way to collect
Cheerios coupons, there are a few ways in which you can optimize your return
on your investment of time or ROI as the management gurus would like to call
it. First, clip a Cheerios coupon from your Sunday Coupon Supplement and
store it carefully in your coupon wallet. If your neighbors subscribe to the
Sunday paper as well and don't use their Cheerios coupons, do them the favor
of reducing their trash. Don't go running to Kroger's or A&P to redeem your
Cheerios coupons. Wait for Cheerios to go on sale. You might want to
subscribe to the Wednesday paper to make sure that your Cheerios coupons
save you even more. A few national chains such as Piggly Wiggly and Food
World will even double your coupons on designated days which means you can
save on three fronts simultaneously-the cents off Cheerios coupons, the
Wednesday mark down and the doubling of your coupon. Try this just once and
you will become a genuine coupon addict for life which is actually a rare
addiction that happens to be on the positive side of the ledger.

Saving on Cheerios Coupons Online

Now we are talking. There are literally hundreds of coupon websites that
feature Cheerios coupons at one time or another. There is even a website
which General Mills endorses called EatBetterAmerica that will save you
upward of $20 on printable Cheerios Coupons. And wait because there are
other really nice coupon websites too where printable Cheerios coupons are
available for the asking. They include Coupon, woot, slickdeals which is a
net domain, 8coupons which is a coupon aggregating website, RetailMeNot,
CouponCabin, FatWallet and DealCatcher. Just add the Com extension and you
will be all set to save truckloads of cheese on your weekly grocery bill.

 end of article//

_______________________________________________
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http://www.nfb-writers-division.net <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>

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