We have been creating copy that informs, builds trust, convinces, and converts since 2011

To professional writers and marketers, copywriting is a unique form of writing designed around sales and brand development. However, the term has come to mean so much more in a broader marketing sense. Most non-professional writers now see website copywriting as covering nearly every form of written content you might find on a website.

Using the broader definition, Connotations can create any kind of content you need for your site. We can write blog posts, informational articles, product reviews, product descriptions, short memes, testimonials, and textual snippets. Whatever you need to fill out the text space of your website can be produced by our skilled writers. Please note that various forms of content serve different purposes. When you use us as your website copywriting services of choice, please be prepared to help us understand your goals and objectives.

Connotations is always happy to work with new customers just starting the ordering process. Contact us using the contact box on any of our service pages or call and speak to one of our representatives. Should you choose to contact us online, we can respond via e-mail or a callback – it’s your choice.

The purpose of our first contact is to gauge what kind of content you need and what your goals for that content are. We can then take it from there. We may need to ask follow-up questions from time to time in order to make sure we stay on track.

If you are a current Connotations client, you can order new content via e-mail or through our contact forms. If the content involves new requirements we are not already aware of, we will need the details of those requirements.

Deadlines are a very important part of our industry. As such, we appreciate as much lead time as possible in order to deliver your work on or before the agreed deadline. We look for a few days to a week or more for smaller jobs; we may need several weeks or longer for large jobs.

Also bear in mind that a job can be as small as one piece or as large as hundreds of pieces. The size of the total project will determine delivery dates. A one-piece job doesn’t need to be ordered a month out, but a project requiring hundreds of pieces totalling thousands of words should be ordered that far in advance. Rest assured that when you use our webcopy service, we will do everything we can to accommodate your needs in terms of deadlines.

Connotations is happy to take projects that are ongoing. We currently have quite a few clients for whom we write content on a daily or weekly basis. It’s all up to you and your requirements. All we ask for ongoing content is that you provide us with a regular schedule we can depend on. That makes it easier for us to schedule the work on our end.

Should you order ongoing work and your needs change, please make a point to inform us of those changes as soon as possible. Connotations’ schedules work several weeks in advance for most jobs. Occasionally, we have to schedule things several months out to accommodate larger projects. Therefore, changes in your needs may affect other projects we have in the pipeline. We appreciate your cooperation when it comes to scheduling needs and changes.

Website copy that fits the traditional definition is usually short bursts of information designed to promote sales. That means we’re talking about things like product descriptions, sales pitches, category snippets, and landing page blurbs. There are generally no copyright issues to worry about as long as the website owner is not copying and pasting protected information from another site.

For the record, copying and pasting from other sites is considered a black hat practice for content creators. We don’t do it. You should know that you are ultimately responsible for any and all content that is published on your site. If you do use protected information from other sites, you may run into copyright issues as a result. Always check with content owners before you reuse anything that is not original to you or that you did not contract with us to create.

Our website copywriting services are designed to provide clients with whatever written content they need to fill out their sites. Having said that, there’s no particular volume of content that site owners should be targeting. Content volume is left entirely up to the goals of the website and the needs of its regular users.

Our only recommendation in terms of volume is that website owners update frequently. Updates are the only means by which search engines know that website owners are still putting effort into maintaining their online spaces. Sites that are infrequently updated tend to plummet in the rankings while those that receive regular updates tend to do better. Don’t focus on a particular volume, but do focus on updating regularly.

Websites should be updated regularly in order to achieve maximum search engine results. As such, we recommend standing orders of website copy for any clients who order things like blog posts and informational articles. Both forms of content are the bread-and-butter of website updates. As for other forms of website copy, they can be updated based on need. For example, new product descriptions for a retail website need only be ordered when the products actually change. The same would apply to things like company information, contact pages, offered services, and so on.

The call to action is an important SEO tool used for the purposes of conversion optimisation. If you are not familiar with the term, conversion optimisation is the practice of encouraging casual website visitors to become paying customers. That is exactly what the call to action does.

Our webcopy service uses calls to action in order to prompt a website visitor to make a decision about the information he or she has just absorbed. It is a useful tool for blog posts, informational articles, advertising copy, and just about any other form of web content. However, the call to action must be used appropriately and in context.

A well-formed call to action prompts the website visitor to do something without directly challenging him or her. Why? Because visitors that feel as though they are being challenged are likely to leave a site quickly – without becoming a paying customer and with a negative impression in the mind. To avoid this kind of scenario, a call to action should be direct enough to be clear but subtle enough to seem a suggestion rather than a challenge. When used correctly, it is a powerful tool.

SEO experts often talk of keywords and their placement within text. They do so with good reason. Keywords are the bait that writers and SEO developers use to attract search engines. The better the bait, the more successful the expedition.

A good keyword is one that is regularly associated with the topic at hand. Let’s take electronic cigarettes as an example. The e-cigarette industry has exploded over the last five years to become a worldwide phenomenon now worth more than USD $3 billion annually. When people talk about e-cigarettes, the words they use include terms such as ‘vaping’, ‘tank systems’, ‘cigalikes’, and ‘e-liquid’.

If we were to write a blog post for an e-cigarette customer, we would look to use these words throughout the text. As keywords, they link the content to the topic of e-cigarettes in order to tell search engine algorithms what the page is about. If the search engines successfully figure it out, that particular page will rank very well for those specific keywords.

In order to make the bait as attractive as possible, we like to include keywords in the title, first paragraph, last paragraph and several other places scattered throughout the text.

Perhaps you have noticed that web-based writers make frequent use of sub-headings and bullet points. This is no accident. It is done in order to break up text so that it is more readable to the average visitor.

Studies have shown that the average internet user spends very little time on a given web page reading content thoroughly. Instead, they skim pages looking for relevant information that can help answer their questions or point them in the right direction. They only stop and read thoroughly if skimming proves fruitful enough to pique their interest.

Sub-headings are used to give the reader a summarised explanation of what a given paragraph is about. Bullet points complete the picture with a few additional details. When done properly, readers who are just looking for basic information get what they need very quickly. Those who have a mind to read in depth are invited to do so by the summarised sub-headings and bullet points.

Without breaking up the text, a writer has but a slim chance of convincing the average web user to read a piece of content in its entirety. This is the reason why web-based writers use sub-headings and bullet points.

Web copy and advertising copy are similar inasmuch as both are designed to promote products and services with a soft sell approach. Yet there are subtle differences that can determine the effectiveness of how they are used. Allow us to explain.

Advertising copy, in a generic sense, is any kind of written text put together for the purposes of selling a product or service. The platform for the text is irrelevant for purposes of definition. Whether you see the written word on a billboard, poster, your smart phone, or an ad on a web page, it is all advertising copy. This sort of copy existed long before there was an internet.

Web copy, on the other hand, is a form of advertising copy that is created to take advantage of the unique aspects of online marketing. It can take the form of product descriptions on a retail page or product reviews intended to promote one product choice over another. The web copywriter must know how to soft sell the product in question, and he or she must also know how to structure the text in order for it to be search engine friendly.

We are asked all the time about the SEO practices we employ in our content creation. Our clients want to know because using certain black hat practices can cause a website to run afoul of Google and the other search engines. Right from the start, we want to say that all of the SEO practices we employ are white hat only. Connotations will never knowingly violate search engine policy or protocol by delving into the black hat arena.

As for the specific practices, please understand that Connotations is only involved in the content creation aspect of SEO development. Our SEO practices are limited as such. The practices we implement include proper keyword placement, keyword density as ordered by the client, creative use of titles, use of sub-headings and bulleted lists, calls to action, and the implementation of localisation techniques.

Our most important SEO tool is that of creating content that is highly relevant and useful. Relevance improves search engine rankings while usefulness drives traffic by encouraging readers to engage with our content. These two practices, combined with the others listed above, enable Connotations’ website copywriting services to create content that is SEO friendly in every aspect.

Connotations web copy services always follow any keyword density requests made by our customers. Beyond that however, there are no specific keyword density rules we follow. There is much debate across the entire spectrum of SEO about whether or not keyword density is important, and we do not envision a day when everyone agrees.

The standard rule of thumb we see published quite often is a 1% density. That would mean a single keyword would appear one time for every 100 words of text. In truth, there is no hard and fast rule. Even Google’s Matt Cutts has been quoted as saying that he wishes people would stop obsessing over keyword density. It is not that density plays no role in SEO results; it is just that the overall quality of a piece of content is more important.

In short, the density of your chosen keywords should be relative to the topic of your content and how it is presented. Everything you write should flow smoothly and naturally irrespective of keywords and their density. If it does not, the density of your keywords will not matter very much.

Unlike the keyword density question, there are some very specific guidelines about placing keywords and phrases within SEO targeted text. This is because Google and the other major search engines use computer algorithms to analyse text for the purposes of determining relevance. Moreover, because computers do not have the benefit of human thought, they can only analyse text by comparing words.

Placing keywords and phrases in specific positions helps search algorithms better analyse topic and relevance. Therefore, the place to start is the title. The title of the page tells the search engine what a piece of content is supposed to be about. Including a keyword is always a good idea. Repeating that keyword in the first and last paragraphs provides additional clues that help search algorithms analyse content. From there, it is a matter of placing keywords within the text wherever this is appropriate and logical.

Google also likes keyword derivatives. Such derivatives give the algorithm more concrete evidence of context and relevance. The combination of well-placed keywords and a few derivatives can go a long way toward achieving the search engine ranking you are looking for for any given page.

Creating web-based content requires a tremendous amount of research due to the vast number of subjects we are expected to write about. Our webcopy service may be covering green energy on one day and Scottish boat tours on the next. On any given day, we have to research numerous topics about which we do not have enough personal knowledge to credibly write. Know that we do everything we can to make sure all of the information we present is accurate.

The internet makes our research much easier today than it would have been in the past. In fact, most of our research is done online. However, we must be very particular about the sources of information we choose. We must always use credible sites with information that can be verified elsewhere.

From time to time, we are known conduct research through government agencies, educational institutions, and news outlets. Again, most of the information they provide us is found online. Nevertheless, using these kinds of sources adds further credibility to the information we are presenting. Without credible and verifiable sources, we would not be able to create content that our clients and their website visitors could trust.

To answer this question effectively, let us break it down into two parts, beginning with the B2B component. B2B is an acronym that stands for business-to-business. Its counterpart in the content creation industry is business-to-consumer (B2C) copywriting.

Let’s say one of our clients is a mass producer of after-market car parts. They aren’t selling those car parts to retail customers who like to repair the own cars. They are selling to distributors and repair garages. Their copywriting needs to be targeted to those kinds of customers.

The copywriting component simply describes the kind of content we’re talking about. Copywriting is about providing the kind of information needed to make a sale. Therefore, B2B copywriting is about producing effective copy that encourages business customers to consider purchasing a specific product or service.

B2B copywriting is similar to other forms of copywriting in some ways, very different in others. The differences lie mainly in the target audience and the kinds of topics covered.

As B2B copywriting is targeted to business and corporate clients, the language used can be very different. Industry terminology would be used where similar content for retail customers would be more apt to use common vernacular. Furthermore, this kind of copywriting tends to be more technologically targeted to the specific industry to which it relates.

Topics for B2B copywriting are also more limited. Connotations wouldn’t produce a generic business piece for a project in which the client was looking for a more targeted topic. In many cases, clients give us the topics rather than asking us to come up with them on our own.

In a word: absolutely! All kinds of online content can be used to improve SEO performance across the board. The key to maximising SEO is not developing a certain category of content; it is creating your content in such a way as to meet the standards of search engine algorithms from Google, Bing, Yahoo! and others.

Connotations produces SEO-friendly B2B copywriting by constantly adhering to the most up-to-date industry standards. We use targeted keywords and phrases, we make use of headings and subheadings, we utilise bulleted lists where appropriate, and we strive to make sure all our content is relevant and linkable. Connotations will never knowingly employ black hat practices to promote B2B copy for SEO purposes.

Technically, no. Connotations does produce both white papers and case studies for our clients, but they are offered under entirely separate services. Why? Because B2B copywriting is a very specific kind of copywriting that differs from white papers and case studies in length, structure, and purpose.

Copywriting is a kind of writing that produces short, descriptive content for sales purposes. Case studies and white papers are just the opposite. They are rather long pieces intended to provide a lot of information and detail. We categorise them separately so that our clients are better able to understand what they can expect when they place an order with us. If you ever have questions about what B2B copywriting actually looks like, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.

B2B copywriting is a form of writing that entails multiple goals. The first goal is one of providing some sort of relevant and useful content that will help establish better relationships with customers. To that end, we believe B2B content should in some way inspire. Readers should be inspired to think of things in different ways; they should be motivated to do things differently; they should be spurred to be more creative.

The second goal of B2B content is to increase conversion rates by establishing authority. B2B customers are looking for the kind of information that tells them a vendor is worth getting to know and, ultimately, doing business with.

If your B2B content does both these things, it will be beneficial to your business. Connotations would be more than happy to create effective B2B content that will engage with your customers and establish your authority as their vendor of choice.

From time to time, we have clients who offer products and services both to retail customers and business clients. As such, they utilise both B2B and B2C writing. One is not necessarily more important than the other – unless the client places more emphasis on one of the two groups.

B2B writing is characterised by creating content suitable to other business enterprises that might use the company’s products or services. It may be different from B2C in terms of structure and presentation, but the result is still one of reaching potential customers with your message. Obviously, a company that does little or no business at the retail level would choose B2B over B2C writing.

In the world of SEO, it is critical to understand your audience so that you know how to target them with content. That means demographics are very important. If you’re trying to reach a millennial audience, for example, you want your B2C copywriting to reflect their values and life perspective. A different presentation would be appropriate for an older demographic consisting of people in middle age or their pensioner counterparts.

When our clients place a B2C copyrighting order, we can only create content based on demographic information they provide or our own best guess. We would prefer not to guess. The more information clients can give us regarding their target audience, the better we can create effective content that will achieve the desired goals.

The word count question is one we hear a lot in relation to B2B writing. Like other forms of online content, word count is not as important as it once was. What is more important is the quality of the information offered in a piece of content. This is especially true in the B2B setting. B2B clients are looking for real value. And being that B2B customers are businesses and professional organisations, they are more adept at discerning the difference between quality and fluff. Always prefer quality over a particular word count for B2B writing. Word counts only make a difference when B2B writing involves guest posting on sites with specific requirements.

B2C is an acronym that stands for ‘business-to-consumer’ (or ‘business-to-customer’ in some circles). Therefore, B2C copywriting is a form of content creation that generates highly descriptive, sales-oriented copy targeted at retail consumers. One of the most common forms of B2C copywriting are the product descriptions that accompany items on a retail website. For example, we serve several clients who specialise in all-natural skin care products targeted mainly at women. We may produce descriptive copy for each of their products as well as new copy when additional products are released. B2C copywriting can also include things such as sales slogans, social media blasts, promotional adverts, and landing page content. In essence, copy is any kind of content designed to convert casual visitors into paying customers with as few words as possible.

Connotations works very hard to provide all our writing services at a price customers can afford. We believe we remain competitive in this regard. Having said that, claiming that our B2C copywriting services are expensive or inexpensive is not possible. We price every job separately. Pricing your job would involve a brief conversation to determine exactly what you are after. Furthermore, pricing depends on the kind of content you order, how detailed it must be, the total volume of the job you are offering, and other factors. You can be confident that we will do everything we can to make our services as amenable to your budget as possible. If we can make it happen for your business, we will.

The best way to place a B2C copywriting order with us is to contact us through this website or call and speak to one of our representatives. We will respond to your inquiry via e-mail or telephone. If you are not sure exactly what you are after, we recommend calling us directly. This gives us an opportunity to ask the kinds of questions that will give us the information we need to complete your order. It also offers you the chance to ask questions of us. You’ll find our phone number listed on any page across the top of the website. When placing an order, please be prepared with all the details necessary to thoroughly explain what you need.

Connotations follows a specific process for producing B2C copy. It starts with taking the order from the customer. When we accept orders, we also take the time to ask questions to thoroughly understand what the client needs. There are some instances in which follow-up questions are necessary. Once we have a B2C copy order in hand, it is assigned to a writer capable of completing the work. That writer produces the content, which is then submitted to the client for approval. At that point, it’s up to the client to decide whether to accept the work or send it back for revisions. Our goal is to make sure every client is satisfied before billing. Therefore, we are more than happy to make revisions requested by the client.

The fact that B2C content is clearly aimed at consumers makes it imperative that content producers consider conversion rates when creating content. Connotations writers can be counted on to do just that. All our B2C content is intended to enhance the client’s ability to reach potential customers with information that will encourage them to make a positive decision before leaving the website. This is not to say that B2C content guarantees better conversion rates. It does not. Content is just one of many factors that play a role in determining whether casual visitors are converted to paying customers. B2C content that is well written and appropriate is content that encourages website visitors to do something with the information they gleaned. That is the ultimate goal.

As a firm with years of experience in online marketing and B2C writing, we can help clients identify target audiences to a certain degree. Please bear in mind that we are not experts in every sector. The experience we do have might be helpful to you in understanding who you should be targeting B2C content toward, based on the business you are involved in and the kinds of customers you usually sell to. We do our best to use our experience to the advantage of our clients. To that end, it never hurts to ask. If we have previous experience that will help you identify your target audience, we would be happy to share it with you.