There are some things that you just can't say on a company website. No - I don't mean the kind of words nine year olds look up in the dictionary. What I'm talking about is untethered opinion and general ranting.
Check out my web copywriting blog to see what I mean. And feel free to post a comment if you visit the blog.
What's changed in the last seven years?
September 24, 2009
Although Blackad has been around since 1999, it became a full-time operation in 2002. Which got me thinking: what's the one thing that should have changed in those seven years, but hasn't?
Easy - many clients still start with copy from a printed brochure, leaflet (or whatever) and try to massage it into a website. While it might be appropriate for some clients, for many this is an expensive way to create mediocre websites.
To create a killer website, you need a robust structure and endless discipline. You need to really understand the labels the customer needs to see, and the journeys they're going to take on your site. Not so on a brochure - which can often feel lacking in logic and coherence.
Obviously, some brochures are corking. But many are overly long - to me, they end up feeling like an answer in search of a question.
Start with the website, and you impose rigour - a steely minsdet that will help you create the offline material (like brochures) that needs to work alongside the website. Oh, and it tends to be cheaper too.
Limited - but only by name
December 10, 2008
Since 1999, Blackad has been ticking along quite nicely as a sole trading business. However, becoming an employer made us realise we had to change.
So, we've simply rolled the old business into the snappily-named Blackad Ltd. You'll find all the details on our contact page - including our company registration number and VAT number.
We've also got a new bank account for the limited company. Interesting? No. But definitely good to know if you're thinking of sending us a large sum of monies by BACS.
Gold bullion should simply be delivered to the usual address.
Twenty fingers at your service
December 10, 2008
Say hello to David Atkinson - Blackad's new senior web copywriter.
David was the sole survivor of our sadistic recruitment process. Although he didn't have to bathe in a pool of maggots or snack on bush tucker canapes, he did have to complete the gruelling Blackad copy test.
David can rightly claim to be Scotland's Mr Web Copywriting - he's worked with online copy for yonks. He's also got a great background in financial services, which is handy.
But the hiring spree doesn't end with David.
We're looking to add to the team in 2009 - bringing in another experienced web copywriter and a trainee writer as well. Not just yet though. So hold onto your CVs, my recruitment consultant friends.
Bubble wrap frenzy
December 10, 2008
We're in. After six years running Blackad out of a home office, we've moved into our new premises at 106 Hope Street in Glasgow.
We're sharing a space with the wonderfully named folks at Good Creative, which means we can talk about scamps, kerning and leading without too many eyes glazing over.
New offices. New email hosts. New phone system.
September 01, 2008
With our hiring frenzy in reasonably full swing, I've been taking care of the more mudane tasks - in preparation for the move out of the home office and into a Glasgow city centre location.
We're looking to move in with another creative business, and the initial discussions look very promising indeed. Of course, if you have some space you'd like to fill, contact us for a chat.
I've also moved all of our landlines over to internet (otherwise known as VOIP) phones. There's no change for most customers - they still call 0845 838 0612 or fax 0845 838 0614. However, if you call our land-that-time-forgot number (0141 571 8307), you'll hear a polite request to call the other number instead.
Email's moving too - partly due to an uncharacteristic but scary issue with our hosts last week. When all your emails start bouncing back as undeliverable, it's time to take drastic action. Again, there's no real change for customers - but our virtual team will soon be able to share task lists and calendars.
OK - I realise it's all a bit dull, but these are the necessary evils of making the shift from the back bedroom to the bright lights of a G1 postcode.
Yes. There are great copywriters out there.
September 01, 2008
I'm going through all the applications for our Senior Web Copywriter role at the moment, and the quality is reassuringly high. When I tried to hire someone in 2006, we had a great shortlist - but the longlist was a bit variable. In saying that, we were a lot more precise this time around.
If you applied, we'll be in touch by the end of 3 September 2008.
Can you write better copy than this?
August 09, 2008
I've got a web copywriter job advertised over on my website. Despite bringing on a great writer on contract and relying on another cracking freelancer, Blackad is still working flat out to get through all the work that's coming our way.
My theory is that the ecomomic gloom is forcing marketing departments to switch their spend to the medium that delivers the most results for the smallest spend. That'll be the web.
So, if you're a talented copywriter that works in agency or in-house, have a look at the ad.
And please don't look too closely at the work on the site. We're under some pretty strict confidentiality and intellectual property restrictions with some of our clients. Let's just say that we've been working on some monster sites, and there are plenty more to come.
>> View the web copywriter job ad
Cobbler's child Mk II - the web copywriter's tale
March 07, 2008
The lovely people at Line have just relaunched their website, and rather handsome it is too. (Nicely done, chaps.)
This has got me thinking about my main web copywriting website, and I'm in the middle of mapping out the information architecture for a major update.
Don't get me wrong - the site has served me well in the four-or-so years it's been up there. But the business has moved beyond the constraints of the navigation, and now seems like a good time to redevelop the whole shebang.
I'm obviously going to dedicate a large portion of the site to my web copywriting courses, but I also want to make more of my portfolio. That's because I've worked on some monstrously large sites that I've not even uploaded to the portfolio section, which is a bit embarrassing.
But what I'd really like to do is come up with an IA as impressive as Line's - something that encapsulates what Blackad does from the reader's very first glimpse at the page. (My good friends at The Usability Lab have offered to help - thanks Simon.)
I'm also determined not to go down the route of constructing the whole site as a blog; that just doesn't feel right for the people I want to reach.
And of course, it'll have to be pretty.
As well as redeveloping the IA, I'm also going to completely refresh the content on the existing site. This may seem insane, but I want to test out some of my new ideas (and content) before site relaunches for real. Prepare yourselves for a torrent of activity.
No writing. Just training.
August 17, 2007
Am I busy at the moment? You could say that. I'm working on two huge financial services web copywriting projects, and I've just picked up a massive training job as well. So that's nice.
Unfortunately, the only way I can hope to deliver all this is to shut off the new business tap until November. This means I won't be taking on any new copywriting clients until the storm has passed. So if you were thinking about hiring me for that massive website re-write project - sorry.
The order book is full.
However, the copywriting training side of Blackad is still very much open for business. In fact, I'm going to make an announcement about the courses we run in the near future. (No, we're not about to offer belly dancing classes.)
Free web copywriting seminar - Glasgow
June 20, 2007
What are you doing on Tuesday June 26? I've been asked by the Scottish Usability Professionals' Association (SUPA) to give a talk on web copywriting at Scottish Enterprise's HQ in Glasgow. We only run a couple of these evenings every year, and they tend to be pretty popular.
The fee for non-members is just (£10).
There. Plug over.
>> Book your place on the SUPA website
Copy on the road to nowhere
May 30, 2007
My heart always sinks when I'm told I need to create 'filler' copy for a website. You know the kind of thing: the layout demands a few lines to sit above some panels, or a landing page needs to state the blindingly obvious because the site architecture is a little creaky.
Ask any usability or eye tracking expert, and they'll tell you that people only read copy that moves them on their journey or gives them the information they were looking for. So fluffy intro copy goes unloved and unread.
Which, although a little depressing for copywriters, isn't a problem in its own right. However, when you consider the value of the screen real estate - especially on home pages and landing pages - it's a criminal waste. Add in the complexities of persuading a customer to actually complete a task on your website, and filler copy becomes a real liability.
My advice is to cull copy which doesn't sell or inform. That might sound brutal, but the creeping tentacles of empty copy need to be hacked at and lopped until they submit.
Otherwise, you could be left with a wordy but underperforming website.
Email address horrors
November 22, 2006
When I first launched the new Blackad website in 2004, I wanted to make sure it balanced up decent copywriting with visibility on the search engines. One way of doing that is to put search terms into email addresses. You know, if you are a baked bean expert, your email address might be bakedbeanexpert@blackad.co.uk
I also wanted to filter enquiries from the website - so web copywriting courses would go to one email address, and consultancy enquiries would go to another address. You get the idea.
It got a bit out of hand.
There were around eight different email addresses on the website. And rather than set these up as separate accounts, I just had them funnel into my main email address - which acted as a catch-all account. That was fine for about a year.
But with the relentless march of spam, my inbox was getting clogged up with bad people who guess your email address. It's the same technique used by people who spam your free webmail account: they probably don't know your name, and instead just send out educated guesses of email addresses. If there's not a bighairyarmpit162@hotmail.com, here's bound to be a bighairyarmpit161@hotmail.com. Guess enough addresses and the spam will get through.
So I've just purged the email addresses on my website, and killed the catch-all address. If a nasty spammer tries to guess an email address on my domain, they'll get absolutely nowhere. And my inbox will be free again.
The good news is that the purge seems to be working. This morning I still received a little spam - eight emails - but my host's anti-spam sent them all to my spam folder. Hurrah.
My advice is this: don't have a catch-all email address on your website, and reduce to an absolute minimum the number of email addresses published on your site. It's good for customers too - they don't even have to think about where to contact you.
Which is the best reason of all for sorting the email addresses on your website.
Why have I been so quiet?
November 20, 2006
Don't worry - I've not had a nasty accident (I drive a Volvo). And my health is fine. So the reason for the infrequent blog postings? In one word: work.
On the front page of the Blackad website, I publish a list of what I'm up to at the moment. And right now, that list is dominated by one big project for a seriously large bank.
I've got a couple of other things on the go: a website for a hotel group, as well as ongoing copy for a global web-based brand and a big name in social networking. But it's the bank project that's going to keep me busy into 2007.
The plan is to use this bank project as a bit of breathing space to refresh the Blackad site and refocus the kind of business I take on. We've had a huge amount of success with our web copywriting seminars - as well as our traditional copywriting training courses. Expect to see more on this soon.
I'm going to get back to blogging as often as possible, if only to write down the good stuff I happen upon. See you soon. Or - at the very least - sooner than usual.
People can be very kind
November 20, 2006
I just wanted to say "thanks very much" to Tommy for pointing out a problem with the website. Without getting all technical, the place where we host this blog (Blogger) publishes code which we republish on the main Blackad website. Something funny had happened, which meant the blog postings on my website looked very odd indeed. But I've fixed it now.
Cheers Tommy.
If you don't care, don't call me
August 04, 2006
I took a call this week from a prospective new client. He wanted me to re-write some pages of his (frankly dire) website. It was a personal injury claims/compensation business. You get the idea.
Now, this person wanted to see how effective my copywriting was, but wasn't prepared to look at some of the other issues dragging down his conversion rates. Like a page template from the mutant sales-letter school of design. Or the spammy copy on many of the other pages. Not to mention the appalling SEO, which got in the way of the reader understanding what was being sold.
So I've politely turned the job down. Frankly, the personal injury claims industry isn't something I really want to get involved in promoting. But the main reason was that this prospective client was looking to judge my worth based on the impact of new copy for three or four pages.
That's like repairing the radio on a car with a blown engine. Sure, it'll be a slightly better car, but the neighbours will still laugh at you as you attempt to start it in the morning.
So please, if you're thinking of tinkering with the copy on your site, take the time to step back and make sure there aren't other areas getting in the way of your site's success. And if something really is broken, don't be tempted to put a sticking plaster over the most obvious parts.
Customers aren't stupid - on the web you'll soon get found out. And your attempts at emergency repairs will have been in vain.
No luck with hiring a new copywriter
July 11, 2006
Unfortunately I've not managed to hire the person I was looking for in the recent recruitment frenzy. The person I really wanted has decided to go on a five month world tour instead of plunging straight back into the world of work.
Many of the other applicants were good, but not quite in the same league as this person. And I'm simply not willing to compromise on what will be the most important hiring decision I ever make.
So here are my options:
1. Carry on as before - as a one-person company (I'd rather not... it's too busy)
2. Change the shape of the business (I'd refocus on a particular sector or service)
3. Hire a graduate (with all the ensuing investment in training)
4. Hire someone really experienced (probably through a recruitment consultancy)
5. Bring a partner into the business (obviously a very experienced copywriter)
If you're an experienced copywriter working in an agency - or a freelancer who feels a bit lonely - drop me a line at work@blackad.co.uk
You never know, it could be the most important email you ever send.
To optimise, or not to optimise?
July 11, 2006
I'm just finishing off some web copy for a luxury gift retailer. The problem is with the optimisation: generic terms (like, er, 'luxury gifts) aren't going to give us much success against the competition. Instead, I'm focusing on the individual items, some of which are made by very well-known names.
The idea is simple: rather than an unsophisticated blanket approach, this is optimisation as it should be - targeted. However, we're still going to have a crack at using some of those generic term (as well as optimising for the site name). When the site goes live in August, I'll let you know how well it worked.
It's Friday, so I must be hiring
June 02, 2006
Well, the applications for the web copywriter job have been coming in nicely, thanks very much.
It's been on The Drum's job pages for a week, and the printed version of The Drum hits the desks of Scotland's copywriters today. (After, of course, it's been around the rest of the agency - and picked up some weird food stains along the way.)
The plan is to sift through the new applicants on Monday and Tuesday, then send out a copy test to everyone who makes it past the first cut. The copy test will go out next week.
Wish me luck.
Let's have a heated debate
June 02, 2006
When was the last time you spent the best part of three hours debating the finer points of structuring one area of a new website? For me, the answer is "yesterday", as I was involved in a meeting to kick off a monster of a project.
It made me realise this kind of planning and challenging just doesn't happen often enough with new websites. The proof will be in the copywriting, but I came away from the meeting thinking that some people really do care about this stuff - and that's what makes the difference.
I'm hiring. At last.
May 08, 2006
Finally, my new office is ready to welcome another copywriter into the Blackad fold. I tried to hire someone last year, but gave up due to horrible delays in the building work.
But after that embarrasing false start, I really am ready - salary in the bank, work in the order book and shiny desks arriving from the office furniture people. And about 40Gb of righteous music on iTunes.
So, if you know anyone who might be interested, get them to read my recruitment ad for a copywriter.
No. Sorry. I can't write your website.
March 08, 2006
I've blogged before about my little availability guide on my homepage. The idea is to give people a realistic idea of when they can expect me to start working on any new projects.
At the moment, the date is racked right back until 18 April. This probably looks a little disingenuous - can he really be as busy? Well, yes - he can. What can I say? People want web copywriting courses and website copy.
And the strange thing is, I initially worried that the "No new work until..." date would turn away good business. If anything though, it's had the opposite effect.
This got me to thinking about restaurants. Strange, I know.
Quail eggs vs. web copywriting
There's a weird decision-making process that takes over when I try to decide where to eat if I'm in an unfamiliar place. Of course, I'll try to get recommendations or read reviews - but that's not always possible, especially if I'm travelling on business.
Nope - what I do is traipse around the restaurants and see which ones look busy. In fact, I'd actually choose a busy restaurant over one with a more impressive menu, or more reasonably-priced dishes.
I think my prospective customers are doing the same - rationalising that because I'm busy, I must be good. Which means I get busier. Of course, it helps that I am actually quite good at what I do.
How to use this in your website
People buy from busy suppliers. Make sure your website tells your customers what you're up to at the moment. It helps them understand the kind of work you do - and shows that you're in demand. A bit like looking into the window of a busy restaurant.
How to use this in your emails
Although I don't tell people my "No new work until..." date in my emails, I've got into the habit of including links to my most recent web copywriting projects. At the moment, these are:
- Avis careers website
- Halifax Estate Agency
- Snowlife
- Scottish Leader whisky
- CCL City Training
- CCL Compliance
It's not about bragging rights or anything like that. It's simply a way of letting people have a look at what I've been up to. And it's amazing how many times new clients want to borrow an idea from a site I've worked on in the past.
March 01, 2006
What's 18th century author Tobias Smollett got to do with copywriting for the web? Not a lot, as it happens. Except that I can't get the name of his first novel out of my head when I look at my site statistics.
While most people are searching for things you'd expect (like "web copywriting course") the occassional term leaps out of the page due to its sheer oddness. In the first of a series of characteristically irregular updates, here are the most oddly random search terms which led readers to my website over the last fortnight:
"snooker halls in Aylesbury"
..which is closely followed by:
"Glasgow Burberry"
A bit of digging around reveals the first term is tucked away in a PDF of a brochure I wrote a few years ago - and the second in a gateway page I use to capture people looking for a copywriter in Glasgow. (If you need me to bring my chib to the next briefing session, just ask)
Be careful what you blog
Febuary 08, 2006
I met one of my clients this week to take a brief on editing the copy on their (fairly chunky) website. My client had obviously done his homework by checking up on this here blog - but thankfully the only offending comments he could find were my obsession with Volvo Car Corporation.
In the immoral words of Dudley Moore, "They're boxy but they're safe".
I actually have fond memories of reading David Abbott's 1980s ads for Volvo when I was growing up. Maybe it's a Sunday supplement, middle-class thing, but Abbott's copy really connected with me. I still rave about the tone of voice in these ads today. And much as I admire Innocent Drinks, I find their copy style artlessly copied by lesser brands. David Abbot did something different, and his copy really stands out as belonging to the brand.
The long-winded moral? If you're going to blog, be prepared to take a hammering over your choice of automobile.
I may be gone for quite some time
Febuary 08, 2006
Well, the new business roll continues - with a couple of corking web copywriting wins that I'm not quite at liberty to disclose. At least not yet.
What I can say is that while I've been writing about web technology in education for the last couple of weeks, the next month or so is going to be spent editing another education website - but for a different client.
Then March looks like being taken up with web copywriting for a legal service. Oh, and then I go to Applecross for two weeks of pristine isolation in the West Highlands of Scotland.
The new business wins aren't really news in themselves. What's interesting is that almost every project that lands in my inbox is web copywriting of one flavour or another. And about time too - I've been banging the browser about this for years, and it seems clients really are shifting their attention to the web.
In the meantime, expect the "No new work until..." area of my website to look increasingly off-putting for new clients
How much is that web copywriter in the window?
January 28, 2006
On Friday, a prospective client contacted me through a freelance listings website. She wanted to know my daily and hourly rate. I obliged, but mentioned that the rates are really irrelevant. What most clients want is a price for the job, not a price per unit of time. Otherwise, they end up paying for the web copywriter's inefficiency.
Anyhow, I got an email back saying I was too expensive. Hi-ho. However, I emailed the prospective client again, explaining that because I've been doing this for around 11 years, I'm actually pretty quick.
She kindly relented, and promised to send me some material which I can use to start putting a quote together. The moral? If you're a web copywriter, make sure prospective clients understand how much the job will cost - not how expensive your day rate is.
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