I thought I would make Friday the day when I offer five, specific, topic-focused pieces of information that I've used or found helpful during the week. This week, being my first week, I've chosen my topic at random. In future weeks however, I'll be providing a better summary of what has come across my screen in the form of articles, websites, videos, seminars or anything else that might be useful to you (or me!) as a writer.

This week I'll start with those five things that deal with writing content for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), or copywriting. These two are not one in the same, though they are often used that way. Writing for SEO utilizes the use of keywords and search terms used effectively throughout a piece of written work, while not detracting from the quality, tone, or voice of the content. This requires careful revisions and time to master, but the results are well worth the effort. Web content that is properly written for SEO will draw not only search engines, but readers as well.

Copywriting by definition is the conceptualisation of the many forms, theories, and ideas in a marketing campaign. Within this practice, a copywriter will weave copy throughout all of the marketing platforms used in the campaign. The copy will speak to the credibility of the company, the effectivness of the product or service, and touch upon the consumer's desire to obtain it. Copywriters use the language of marketing to tell a story and spark the public's intrigue.

So, now that we have some idea of these two topics, whether I'm writing content for SEO or working on a copywriting piece, here are a few tools that I've found pretty useful this week. Not including those that are irreplaceable to me as a writer like Thesaurus.com and the obvious Google Keyword and Trend stuff.

1. The first is called Cliche Finder. I will reluctantly admit to a penchant for cliche'd language now and then. Who hasn't ever gotten up 'at the crack of dawn' with their 'back to the wall' because they had 'nothing to write home about'? This handy little gadget will let you know when you're pushing the envelope, stepping over the line, and basically abusing our most famous socially acceptable colloquialisms. And if you're writing for SEO or copywriting, you don't want to use anything that's been overused. 'Damn skippy' *smirk*

2. Next on the list is a plug-in for your Wordpress blog called Zemanta. This week I finally took the time to merge my blog with my website and over the next few weeks I am sure to be making changes to some of the content and plug-ins, so finding this little gem was a treat. The plug-in works by connecting you to blogs with higher authority in your topic areas. Used as a research tool, for reference and linking purposes, you can increase your visibiity and share-ratio. You have to use it though, it's not automatic, but according to the article where I found it, this is another where the effort is rewarding.

3. An article on SocialMediaToday that caught my interest dealt with social media being considered the future of SEO. While the article doesn't claim to have all the answers, at least in terms of local search results there is some merit in the idea that your connections, friends, and family will turn to their social media platforms, like Facebook or Twitter, for information about local restaurants, events, services, and products more often than they will use Google search. If you're writing for content, SEO, or copywriting, this is handy information as writing for specific local search terms will start to yield more results on those venues.

4. The eventual demise of Google Reader. Okay, I know it's a few months off, but this one has me a little upset. I curate a LOT of content during the week, and that little reader has been my steady partner for many years. I know there are others out there, but honestly, I rarely see more options than Google when I'm subscribing to someone's blog feed. I did try one out, but I don't think I'm ready to jump ship or make any recommendations yet one way or the other. I'll have to keep you posted on this one.

5. Finally, I read an awful lot this week about the demand for content writers and what to expect in the future. I come across these kinds of things constantly, but I'm beginning to see a steady increase in the market specifially now. Of course this is wonderful news if you're a writer, or even if you need content or articles written. On the other side of the coin, there are going to be a lot of web writers out there working online. You'll need to employ a pretty hefty dose of discernment to make sure that you're getting a great writer who understands the relationship between the content they're writing for you and how SEO and copywriting factor-in. Happily, there is no shortage of quality workmanship available if you know what you want.

Well, that's all for this week. If you're a writer and would like to write articles for The Market List, check out the home page for more information.

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