Writing content for the web is a highly specialized form of professional writing - much different than writing brochures, reports and other company literature. That's what a Dallas interior decorator found out recently after she paid a prominent web designer more than $7,000 to create her Internet presence.



Her dazzling website was complete with flash graphics and images of the sensational homes she decorated. But for all the trouble and expense, her website didn't generate traffic. "It was like giving a party and nobody came," she said.

"Nobody came" because what little copy her website did have, was embedded in fancy graphics - making it unreadable to search engines. In the end, the decorator didn't give up her stylish web design, but she did engage the services of a web site copywriter to beef up her content with keyword saturation.

High search engine ranking absolutely depends on the quality copy a web site copywriter can produce. Before long, the decorator's website had traffic to spare and she was taking her pick of high-end design jobs.

What happened to the Dallas decorator is not unusual. Many business owners pay big bucks for a snazzy website, then leave the skills of a web site copywriter out of the equation - risking their entire investment . With a web site copywriter at the helm, a company finds the "right words" to bring in buyers for their products or services.

The "right words" are those strategic keywords and keyphrases embedded in content. These words and phrases are the language web surfers type into Google and other search engines. Live in Des Moines and need a plumber? Type in "Des Moines plumber" or "plumber Des Moines" and you'll find a host of plumbing companies who were smart enough to use these keywords to drum up moneymaking traffic on their websites.

Another example: An Atlanta, Georgia remodeling contractor's website wasn't paying its way so he hired a web site copywriter to turn it around. She did extensive research on his site and interviewed him at length about the specific kinds of remodeling jobs his company offered.

From there, she came up with a group of keywords and phrases that focused on his unique specialties. Besides the obvious broad keyphrase, "home remodeling Atlanta," she zeroed in on "Atlanta custom cabinet maker," "custom cabinet maker Atlanta," "Atlanta tub installation" and "tub installation Atlanta". Other keyphrases she selected were "Granite countertops Atlanta" and "Atlanta granite countertops".

The contractor was confused. "Some of these phrases sound almost alike," he told her. "What could possibly be the difference between "granite countertops Atlanta" and "Atlanta granite countertops"?

"Nothing to you and me," said his web site copywriter. "But in the eyes of a search engine the difference means night and day." She educated him about other Internet realities. "In a well-optimized website," she told him, "search engine placement and keyword advertising account for most web traffic.

Targeted keywords increase the chance that your website will achieve top ranking. When that happens," she said, "you're suddenly in the company of qualified buyers."