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Articles from Karon Thackston | Selfgrowth.com
- “Out of Focus” Ads Can Cost You Customers - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2003 from Karon ThackstonAs I was riding down the road last week, I noticed a billboard. As I sat waiting on a stoplight I kept staring at it. I couldn’t help wondering what those people were thinking when they created that thing. It made no sense to me whatsoever. The focus was completely off. They were spending ...
Views: 1106(1 vote) - Keyword Use That Goes Beyond the Search Engines - by Submitted on May 04, 2006 from Karon Thackstonby Karon Thackston © 2006, All Rights Reserved It seems to be a single-sided debate. When you mention keyword use, all thoughts normally go to the search engines. Copywriting, however, is more about your human visitors than it is the engines. In fact, even the mainstay of SEO copywriting ...
Views: 1100 - Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Web Copy - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2005 from Karon ThackstonKaron Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Sometimes learning what not to do is as important as learning what to do. Copywriting is no exception. I oftentimes see copy that is well written, but obviously created by an amateur. How do I know? One or more of the following five ...
Views: 1086 - Copywriting Makeover: The Value of Being Crystal Clear: Part 1 of 2 - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2006 from Karon Thackstonby Karon Thackston © 2006 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the message we most want our customers to hear gets lost in a sea of superlatives. The marketer within us takes over and - before we know it - the core focus of the Web page, brochure or flyer ...
Views: 1083 - Copywriting Makeover: Know Where Your Customers Are In The Buying Process Part 2 of 2 - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com In part one of this article series, I introduced a client of mine (AEwebworks) who suffered from some copywriting traumas. The basic diagnosis was a lack of synergy within the copy, ineffective use of testimonials, a lack of focus on the target ...
Views: 1080(1 vote) - Enough With the Upsells Already! - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2005 from Karon ThackstonKaron Thackston © 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com It happened twice during the same week. All I wanted to do was make a purchase, and they were making every effort to keep me from it (or so it seemed). Why would a business who wanted me to buy from them so badly put enough roadblocks ...
Views: 1076 - Copywriting Makeover: It’s Not About YOU, It’s About THEM - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I’ve always loved scented candles. They help create a cozy atmosphere. They give you a relaxed feeling. And - most importantly - they make your home smell wonderful! So, naturally, I was excited when I was approached to rewrite the index (front) page ...
Views: 1074(1 vote) - Making It Easy for Customers To Choose You - by Submitted on May 22, 2006 from Karon ThackstonKaron Thackston © 2006, All Rights Reserved Isn't it frustrating? All you need is a new computer desk (or whatever you may be currently shopping for), but you can't make a decision you're comfortable with. It shouldn't be this hard, should it? What's holding you back? Probably lack of ...
Views: 1074 - Short Copy: Understanding Its Purpose Can Increase Sales - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I believe it was Mark Twain that once said, "If I would have had time, I would have written a shorter letter." His point being... it takes much more thought and time to write a short, concise piece than a long one. It's true, too! Think about it. How ...
Views: 1071 - Solving the "I Get Tons of Traffic But No Sales" Mystery - by Submitted on Jul 15, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard the statement, “I get tons of traffic, but no sales.” It’s normally followed by comments like: “My site is highly optimized for the engines and my rankings are great. I don’t understand why no one ...
Views: 1060(1 vote) - They're Searching So Why Aren't They Buying? - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2003 from Karon Thackston© 2003 http://www.marketingwords.com There seems to be a common myth regarding site visitors and the buying process these days. I’ve heard this statement more than a few times over the last several months: “My visitors find me when they use search engines. They type in the exact keyphrases I’m ...
Views: 1058(1 vote) - Press Releases Can Increase Search Engine Positioning - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com When you write a press release, what is your ultimate goal? No doubt, getting the information to as many publications and on as many Web sites as possible. The focus lies in moving outward… taking the press release to as many *other* sources as ...
Views: 1053(1 vote) - SEO Copywriting - In the Wake of the “Florida” Update - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword After Google’s most recent update, those in the search engine optimization (SEO) field seem to be standing at attention. As sites that have held long-standing positions in the top 10 flounder and bob around in the search results like a fishing ...
Views: 1052(1 vote) - Copywriting Makeover: Know Where Your Customers Are In The Buying Process Part 1 of 2 - by Submitted on Mar 23, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com When you begin to write copy for any product or service, there are a few things you have to take into consideration. The first is always your target audience: who you’ll be writing to. Finding out about the needs and wants of the audience members, ...
Views: 1047(1 vote) - How Poor Usability Can Kill Your Copy and Conversions - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2008 from Karon ThackstonBy Karon Thackston It's funny how we, as website owners, don't always think like our visitors. A course of action that might seem perfectly obvious to us may stop our visitors right in the middle of their buying process. Take, for instance, e-commerce–type copy. Do you realize that what ...
Views: 1041 - Will Longer Keyphrases Hinder the Effectiveness of Your Copy? - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2006 from Karon ThackstonKaron Thackston © 2006, All Rights Reserved The length of search phrases continues to grow. Back when the Internet was just an upstart, single keywords were the only thing you needed. But in recent years we've seen the number of words used in search phrases triple and quadruple. Rather than ...
Views: 1031 - Optimizing Online Catalog Copy for the Search Engines - by Submitted on May 18, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.marketingwords.com It only makes sense. You have an e-commerce catalog site. You want lots of visitors to come to your site and buy. The best (and most cost-effective) way to do that is with great search engine placement. However, search engines are text machines, and most ...
Views: 1029 - Understanding & Communicating with Your Customers - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2008 from Karon ThackstonIt happens all too frequently with novice copywriters. In fact, many pros also make the same mistake. Telling your site visitors what you want them to know instead of what they want to hear is never a good idea. And, the fact that this happens so regularly truly confuses me because every day ...
Views: 1008 - Stop the Slaughter of Innocent Copy! - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2007 from Karon Thackstonby Karon Thackston © 2007, All Rights Reserved It's one of the worst things to ever happen in the search engine copywriting field: the discovery of keyword density. I won't venture off into a discussion about whether keyword density is still a valid measure of search engine optimized (SEO) ...
Views: 980 - Optimizing Online Catalog Copy for the Search Engines - by Submitted on May 18, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.marketingwords.com It only makes sense. You have an e-commerce catalog site. You want lots of visitors to come to your site and buy. The best (and most cost-effective) way to do that is with great search engine placement. However, search engines are text machines, and most ...
Views: 977 - A Lesson From “The Apprentice” That Can Make You A Master - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I have to admit, I was curious. When I saw previews of a new show called “The Apprentice,” it made me want to at least watch the premiere to see what was going on. Immediately, I was hooked. The whole idea of candidates - from all walks of life, not ...
Views: 976(1 vote) - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 972 - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 969 - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 966 - What Do Your Customers Really Want? Ask Your Competition - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.marketingwords.com It’s not always an easy task. Sometimes discovering what your customers really want is like pulling teeth. It is imperative for any business owner who hopes to develop new products/services or to write effective advertising copy to know what is important ...
Views: 959 - Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All - by Submitted on May 15, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldn’t believe he really felt that way. “Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me?” read his note. After ...
Views: 932 - Optimizing Online Catalog Copy for the Search Engines - by Submitted on May 18, 2004 from Karon Thackston© 2004 http://www.marketingwords.com It only makes sense. You have an e-commerce catalog site. You want lots of visitors to come to your site and buy. The best (and most cost-effective) way to do that is with great search engine placement. However, search engines are text machines, and most ...
Views: 925 - Mastering the Art of Writing Sexy Bullet Lists - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2012 from Karon ThackstonFrom short ecommerce product descriptions to enormously long sales letters; ask any copywriter and they'll quickly tell you that bullet points are one of the most valuable tools in their skill set. Why? Because they almost always get read. Most people (and many professional copywriters), ...
Views: 918 - Matt Cutts Reveals Google's Updated SEO Copywriting Strategy - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2012 from Karon ThackstonBy Karon Thackston I've been suspicious for years now. Just from paying attention to the sites that come up in the search engine results pages (SERPs), I've seen differences. What I was finding was that the top sites didn't always have the exact keyphrase multiple times in their copy. It ...
Views: 899 - How to Optimize Copy When You Can't Use Keywords - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2011 from Karon ThackstonBy Karon Thackston What's the first thing you think of when writing with keywords? Probably one of the first is that keywords and phrases are descriptive of the products and/or services you're writing about. But, what happens in those circumstances where you can't (or don't really want to) ...
Views: 872 - How to Optimize Copy When You Can't Use Keywords - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2012 from Karon ThackstonBy Karon Thackston What's the first thing you think of when writing with keywords? Probably one of the first is that keywords and phrases are descriptive of the products and/or services you're writing about. But, what happens in those circumstances where you can't (or don't really want to) ...
Views: 835 - Using Personas to Draw in More Customers - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2012 from Karon ThackstonBy Karon Thackston What’s the golden rule of copywriting? Know thy target audience. Why? Because you can’t effectively write and/or persuade people that you know nothing about. In order to convince customers that you are the obvious choice to solve their problem, you have to ...
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