What is Organic Search Engine Optimization?

Organic SEO is a difficult thing to explain at times. Just the words seem vague and abstract, but organic SEO methods are far from abstract. They are carefully crafted, keyword strategies that can change your web site dramtically. Although organic methods of attracting the search engines often take more time to produce results, the results are long lasting and can lead to Internet success. Services such as article writing and syndication, professional blogging, press release writing and digital dissemination, keyword analysis and web site content development are just some of the organic search engine marketing strategies companies like ours can develop and execute.

Writing for Niche Markets

One of the things many people forget when writing their web site content is to consider carefully the target markets they are addressing. Contrary to what many people think, there is no one size fits all solution. Different kinds of personalities, ages, genders and regions think, understand and communicate differently because they have their own unique expectations. It is essential that you know who the web site is speaking to and what kind of dialogue consumers are looking for. For most businesses there are multiple target markets they want to address, each of these is a niche. It is essential for your web site to offer avenues of communication appropriate for all of your niche markets. It sounds like a big job but it is the difference between your web site becoming a functional and powerful tool or simply a site for people to scan over and move on. Although many business owners and entreprenuers believe they have already identified their niche markets on their own, it is always important to have a professional sit down with you and not only identify these niches, but to discuss how to reach them specifically.

Web Site Marketing: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

The days of “If you build it they will come..” are over on the Internet. Fierce competition and advancing technologies make the Internet a growing source for information and a growing tool for communication. As more and more people around the world get online you must make a plan if you want to achieve Internet success. One of the key steps is to uncover and investigate your niche markets. Niche marketing will not only increase your profits and your botttom line over the long term, but in the future it will provide incredible insight into your customers and their behavior. This kind of information is highly valuable and changes the way you make marketing decisions.

DIY Crowd Listen UP

Sidhe Communications: Web Site Writing Experts

The partners of Sidhe Communications have been writing for the web for a decade now. Since both Sarah and I have experience in writing for print media, we know there is indeed, a huge difference between this and digital media work. After years of cultivating a different set of skills for web site writing, we are just about ready to bring the tech and professional communities a series of classes focused on commercial web site writing.

Teaching at University of North Carolina Asheville

In addition to my role as co-owner of Sidhe Communications, I teach writing and research part time at the University of North Carolina Asheville. I personally critique a great deal of information throughout a semester, with about 20 students per class and four formal writing assignments a semester. I also teach writing in a prison setting, in Morganton NC, through the University’s Distance and Extension Education program. I could write a whole blog on prison teaching alone, but I won’t. Let’s suffice it to say that these students are a challenge for me, but well worth the time I spend in the classroom with them.

The City of Asheville Converts to CMS to Serve the Public Better

About two months ago I attended a meeting with Lauren Bradley, a City of Asheville representative and Elaine Fox, the Director of Distance and Extension Education at UNCA. We were discussing the development of a business writing class geared towards professionals. At this time, I spoke up, and emphasized my experience in web site content development. Lauren turned to me and said, “After the business writing class is over, we’d like you to develop a class on web site writing, too. You see, right now, we are about to convert to a CMS web site, and we need to make sure individual departments are trained to produce copy for the web site.” I agreed, and later, over a cup of coffee, Elaine Fox encouraged me to develop this course.

Web Site Writing and the Curriculum

The next step was approaching Gwen Ashburn, Chair of the Literature and Language Program. Luckily, I have a great rapport with Gwen, and she shares my vision of serving the community at large. She was very excited to hear about the prospect of a web site writing class. I scanned UNCA’s catalogue. I reviewed the Media Arts Program, Mass Communications, and even Computer Science departments course offerings. A website writing class was nowhere to be found in our curriculum.

I have been teaching at the college level for ten years. Within the last five, I have wanted to teach a website writing class. With the resources of academia behind me, I am now realizing my dream. My class has been approved and is already underway. The schedule is April 30th to June 4th. The class is Website Writing and Content Development and is designed specifically for the City of Asheville, a service organization.

Over the past ten years, there has not been that much intersection between my life as a web site development and promotion specialist and higher education. This year, on the cusp of such great change, and with the popularity of organic search, I feel the time is right to merge my creative and business life with my academic life. I am honored that Gwen Ashburn and Elaine Fox are supporting me, and placing me in such a visible role with the City itself.

Blogs About Website Writing Class

Over the course of the next month or so, I will be blogging about the Web Site Writing class, and some of the real issues that companies and organizations are facing implementing a CMS website. I will always honor my students’ privacy and will keep issues that are confidential private. At the same time, I will offer my readers a glimpse into the real challenges of asking any type of employee who is not specifically trained in Web Site Writing, to take on this task, and to do it properly and effectively.

A Return to the Basics of Writing

In developing this course, I see a real need to return to the basics of writing again. Even for a professional, college educated, or self-educated audience, it makes sense to start and end with the foundations of good writing. These basic skills include: the ability to summarize, properly cite sources, write appealing and descriptive headlines, subheads and photo captions, and write in short, concise language. Specific web site writing skills taught include an overview of keyword research and writing and writing with internal and external links.

As CMS systems gain in popularity, and search engines continue to crave content, the need to develop these skills will grow.

More Web Site Marketing and Writing Classes in Development

In keeping with our philosophy of helping small to medium sized businesses compete in the Internet marketplace, we are developing website writing and marketing classes that are affordable, at only $75.00 per student per 3 hour session.

The partners of Sidhe Communications will be developing and deploying a whole series of classes about website writing and web site promotion in the coming months. We will begin with a class on Commercial Website Writing, designed to help the website owner or company representative develop persuasive marketing content to sell products or services. Sarah Benoit will follow this with a class on Article Writing and Article Marketing. Article writing and marketing is one of Sidhe Communications’ most effective web site promotion techniques to boost keyword density and create infinite back links, as well as establish a writer’s expert status online.

Realize and Implement the Power of Writing Catchy, Engaging Content

For me, 2007 is not just the year of organic search. This year, I’d like to offer my expertise as an educator to assist the online marketing community in getting back to the basics. Let’s realize the power of writing good content together. Trust me, I will convince you that original ideas are currency on the Internet. Expressing ideas clearly can yield fantastic results on the World Wide Web. I’ll provide some solid examples to prove my point, over and over again. The partners of Sidhe Communications look forward to teaching geeks and other professionals how to write effective content for the web.

Elizabeth Kirwin
Partner & Co-Owner
Sidhe Communications