Proof of my SEO writing skill . . .

Several months ago, I rewrote the copy and meta tags on my website to improve SEO for my site. Today, I was thrilled to see my hard work had paid off and Perfectly Write had climbed high in search engine rankings.

On Yahoo, I was either second or first for UK searches on the following terms: proofreader, copy editor, proofreader editor, proofreader London, proofreader Kent, copy editor London, copy editor Kent and copywriter Kent. On Lycos, I was first for three of these terms, second for three, and fourth for two. On Google, my page rank for these terms ranged from first to 20th. For almost every result on the three search engines, I was placed above any other commercial website that offers copywriting, copy-editing and proofreading services.

So clearly the SEO writing that I employ on my website and its code does the trick. I'm glad, because this helps reassure my clients that my formula for SEO copywriting is tried, tested and proven.

Now I'm off for some fish and chips to celebrate . . .

The writing muse

When I was a child, I was fond of art but would become very frustrated very quickly by my inability to translate the image in my head onto the paper. In my head was a Van Gogh; on the paper a splodge. Learning to let go of such frustration and trust the process (and my muse) has been a journey for me.

Copywriting for a living is a funny old business. Obviously, I love writing (not much point being a copywriter otherwise), but writing my own stuff for my own amusement is very different from writing for a client. Why? Well, rather than waiting for your muse to seek you out, you have to get out there and find it on a daily business (and some days my muse loves to play hide and seek!).

I recently proofread a book called Muses, which got me thinking more deeply about how to be in touch with my own. And thanks to some heavy pondering, some experimental writing exercises and a willingness to change my attitudes to 'work' writing, I have found my muse visits much more frequently.

None of this means I don't believe my writing is my own, but I have long been fascinated by the writing process. Today, I sat down and wrote five marketing documents in one go. Before I began, I had a vague idea how I expected them to turn out; as I wrote, I felt myself relax and stay in the moment, going with the flow of my ideas and typing like fury to keep up; and at the end (as is always the case), I was pleasantly surprised by the direction I'd taken and the final result.

Writing must be structured, planned and well-formed. However, on the flip side of this, writing must also be creative and from deep inside. It's about balance. You have to trust that muse to take you there - even if there is somewhere rather different to your expectations.

And that ends today's deep and meaningful moment . . .

Leave the complex writing to Dickens...

Good writing is clear, concise and simple. Good writing is not about how many fancy, long words you can ram in a 70-word sentence. It's not about feeling smug that your reader will need a dictionary to fathom your meaning. It's definitely not about confusing, boring or exhausting the reader, or trying to appear clever.

When I write, I try to keep it simple. I know that my readers will be more impressed by copy that's accessible and easy to understand than pompous writing. Just because I know a longer, weightier word for something, doesn't mean I have to use it. I trust that people know my worth as a writer and my intelligence without shoving a regurgitated dictionary down their throats.

Sometimes, it's appropriate to use formal language, for example my terms and conditions are worded formally. But formal writing can still be simple and clear, something which too many people forget.

I was once approached by a student who wanted me to rewrite his theses to make it 'more wordy'. His well-written plain English work was losing him marks from his university tutor because it wasn't 'complex enough'. I was rather glad I couldn't take on the project (it would constitute plagiarism) as to deliberately complicate text seems ridiculous to me.

If you want to win a literary award for a beautifully-written but fairly incomprehensible novel, pick up that dictionary. If you want copy that sells or informs, don't be afraid to keep it simple.

Should copywriters, copy-editors and proofreaders be experts in the material?

This is a common question. Clients often feel reassured hiring a writer, editor or proofreader with a background in the genre of the material.

Obviously, this makes the process easier, but I'm always keen to show clients that any copywriter, copy editor and/or proofreader worth their salt will be flexible and practised in researching their subject matter. Thanks to the Internet, checking facts and reading up on particular areas is easier than ever, and most editorial and writing professionals refer to a bulging shelf of reference books, dictionaries and style guides.

You'll often be hard-pushed to find a freelance writer or editor with an exact background that matches your material, and for that very reason freelance writing and editing is all about adaptability and learning new things daily. Part of the make-up of a successful professional editor and writer is their research ability, and their willingness and commitment to making the effort to learn about new things.

For copywriting there are, of course, some areas where a specialist writer may be required, but the majority of copy can be provided by a skilled and flexible copywriter. For copy-editing and proofreading, there are few limits on the type of material suitable. Editing and proofreading is a process applicable to all material, and as long as a thorough dictionary or glossary is available, there is no reason why a professional copy editor and proofreader can't effectively and efficiently check the material.

Flexibility creates variety, and it is this essential component of the editor and writer's job that I enjoy most. This year alone I've gained a wealth of knowledge, an eclectic mix that demonstrates my adaptability as a freelance proofreader, editor and writer. Here's a snapshot: Romans, parenting, animation, property investment, drugs awareness, GCSE curricula, pesticide testing, anxiety, gardening, environment, economics, grammar, Doctor Who, football, muses, digital marketing. And that's just the non-fiction . . .

The difference between copywriting, copy-writing and copy writing

This is where most of my clients come unglued - hyphenated (copy-writing), spaced (copy writing) and compound (copywriting) words.

If you look at my website, you'll see my three key services are exactly these sorts of tricky words: copywriting (copy-writing, copy writing), copy-editing (copy editing, copyediting) and proofreading (proof-reading, proof reading) - and this includes permutations like copywriter, copy editor and proofread.

Sometimes, this is a matter of style and is open to interpretation; sometimes there is a right style and a wrong style. So how do you know the difference? Two words: the dictionary.
Copyediting, for example, is not correct, but copy editing and copy-editing are, although most dictionaries agree the correct style is copy-editing.

Because there are no clear rules governing styles such as these, you're only hope of getting it 'perfectly write' is to pick a dictionary, and then stick with its particular style. I use Oxford style (although you may go with Chambers or Penguin), which means I style my services copywriting, copywriter, copy-editing, copy editor, copy edit, proofreading, proofreader, proofread.

The golden rule, however, is consistency. Pick a style for a word or phrase, check it in a dictionary, then stick with it in your writing. Nothing is more off-putting for a reader than a copywriting service by a professional copy-writer.

Keep it simple

Years ago, I took a course in film studies. On day one, the lecturer said something that has stuck with me all these years: ‘People don’t take film studies seriously as an academic field. That’s why we make it as complicated as possible.’

When writing for an audience, simplicity and clarity are key. The only person you impress by mystifying your copy is a code-breaker.