James Chartrand Latest search engine news blog articles from James Chartrand. http://www.seocentro.com/seo-archives/author/James+Chartrand.html James Chartrand News Archive http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=12639 1,000 songs in your pocket. Sounds great, doesn't it? You may recognize that marketing message from one of the biggest companies around today. Or you may not. It doesn't matter if you recognize who crafted that tagline, because you know what you're getting right awayâ€"1,000 songs in your pocket. You don't know how that happens or why, but it's irrelevant. You know at a glance that whatever the product, Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:41:51 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=12343 Remember The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ? That was the 1994 Academy Award-winning film about three drag queens (two gay men and a transsexual woman) driving across the Australian outback in a large bus they've named Priscilla. It's amazing what you can learn about blogging from the way-out-there â€" and it's amazing what it can do for your success online. So let's see what we can learn about effective blogging from Priscilla. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:31:44 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=12059 Inspiration. As writers, we constantly seek inspiration to perform our craft. We want to blow away readers with something incredible â€" a fantastic never-told story, an intriguing blog post concept or a new theory that makes people pay attention. We want our words to change the world. And yet, as writers, we struggle . We can't find inspiration, or we grab it only to have it wriggle out of our grasp. It's lost, and we have to find it again. It seems all has been said, Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:56:19 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=11498 If you can't think critically, you can't think creatively. And if you can't think creatively, you can't produce compelling content and copy. To think creatively, we need to step outside the framework of what we see or hear. We have to observe, ask questions and analyze so that we can open up new thoughts and ideas on old matters or commonly-accepted arguments. Just what is critical thinking? Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:40:10 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=11329 Magicians are skilled manipulators of perception. They can make people think something is moving when it isn't or see things that aren't there. Diverting attention this way and that, they can hide cards and rabbits or make objects appear from thing air. Sales copy is a little like that, depending on who writes it. Diverting attention with a little smoke and mirrors often draws readers inwards towards a sale. It's persuasive copy, Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:31:12 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=10897 Want to be a better writer? Read. That's a given. The more you read and comprehend what others have written, the more you can discern the good from the bad or various techniques that packed a punch. But what should you read? Should you read textbooks and manuals for some how-to tips? Should you read fiction and creative works to pick up better storytelling tricks? Should you read more poetry to learn timbre and pentameter? I read product packaging' and you should too. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:16:17 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=9924 Now that's an odd question, right? We all know that websites don't smell (at least not literally). But if you'll bear with me, I'd like to demonstrate the importance of emotion in your copy, and what types of emotional imagery your copy needs to conjure up. To understand why emotion matters so much when selling online, all you have to do is observe almost any shopper in a physical store. Watch what the person does and the behavior the individual has. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:40:14 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=9789 I'm getting older. You are too. It's a fact of life that no matter how young we are now, one day we're going to start feeling the creaks and groans of age settling in. I can't stay up as late at night. I'm a little slower to get going in the morning. When I've been writing for a long time, I feel stiff as I rise from my chair. Oh, yeah, and my eyesight is going, too. Somewhere about the time we realize that we've flipped into middle age, Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:51:51 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=9649 Have you ever stood in a store with something in your hand and then looked up to see if there was a clerk nearby you could ask for help? Sure you have. We all have. Good help is hard to find. Companies have been cutting costs by moving towards self-serve more than ever. Depending on where you live, you may have to bag your own groceries, pump your own gas, or bottle your own water. Put yourself in the mind of the consumer. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:33:22 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=9371 Hello' I'm your reader. Thanks for the free content, but I just don't care. Your free content is worthless, because content about you is worthless to me . Hello' is this thing on? Egotistical Marketing We're an egotistical bunch, aren't we? We love to talk about ourselves. We want to tell people how wonderful we are and blather on about how much they need us. We ramble uselessly about our innovative products and excellent services. We're all about us. Want a tip? Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:16:00 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=8785 I recently gave you 10 quick tips for building a business online . One tip in particular resonated with readers: #4 - Work on one idea at a time. Never splatter out with many ideas. It's overwhelming. Easier said than done. We have too many great ideas, too many things to do, and only two hands and one brain. Which idea is best to follow? This one? That one? All of them? What about time? There's not enough. It all needs to be done now! But where to start? Here? There? Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:01:44 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=8504 The opportunities to build a business with online marketing are huge and growing every day. In fact, there's so much opportunity out there some people become overwhelmed by all the possibilities. When you can do anything, often you end up doing nothing. People get so dazzled by dollar signs and freedom from bosses and geography that it's easy to forget that what you do for money is often more important than how much money you make. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:14:39 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=7936 Some people write to sell, and other people write to tell stories in novels and film. Pretty cut and dry, right? A copywriter is the selling type' she uses her talents to promote a person, place, thing, or idea. That copywriter chooses words to make the subject look and sound great so that a desired action happens. It's all about marketing, sales, and conversions. But great copywriters are also storytellers. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:27:40 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=7628 We're all the best. I don't know one single person who tells a prospect, "I suck at this. Don't work with me or buy from me, because I can't do a good job or deliver a quality product." No, of course you wouldn't say that. You're great. You exceed expectations. Is it enough? Most likely not. Prospects are tuning out "best". They've heard it before. They don't care. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:04:12 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=6995 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. ~Ecclesiastes 1:9 Being creative in a world where nothing is new is difficult. We all want to be the one to shake the earth and move mountains with our brilliant ideas and thundering blog posts, but it's tough. It's all been said. Finding the angle is a challenge. Sure, giving our work a personal voice helps to be original. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:22:19 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=6617 People are unique, and everyone sees the world differently. Present two people with identical items and you'll get two different perceptions about the packaging and material. One man sees Pledge, an outstanding furniture polish, and the other man sees a can of spray no different from any other furniture polish. One woman sees a luxurious Gucci purse, and the other sees an overpriced bag to hold keys and makeup. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Fri, 23 May 2008 15:58:39 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=6295 When you're a freelance creative, adding value depends on your knowledge, skills, and talent alone. It's easy to think that creative professionals should brand themselves. Before you choose that route, ask yourself these questions: Do you want to be the only resource for customers? Do you want to one day retire and earn passive income? Do you want your small business to grow? In short, do you really want to create a personal branding prison for yourself? Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Fri, 16 May 2008 12:35:38 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=5914 By James Chartrand Have you ever asked yourself if you should be branding yourself or branding your business? You're not alone. It's a hot topic these days, and one worth thinking over. Anyone can open a business on the Internet. The little guy has a chance. The individual can make it big. New businesses are cropping up left, right, and center. People are feeling good these days, too. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Thu, 08 May 2008 14:23:05 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=5694 By James Chartrand This is my generation, baby. ~My Generation by The Who The right words on your website gets you what you want: better sales, more readers or increased credibility. You can achieve all kinds of goals by tweaking to target your online market audience. Be like Robin Hood in an archery contest - think, research, test and hit it dead on, baby. Here are some good ways to get a head start: Engage in two-way conversational marketing . Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Fri, 02 May 2008 14:30:23 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=5280 By James Chartrand Building a commercial website means finding the right style, tone, and words that convert hits to sales. That goal isn't an easy one to reach. One word - just one - can mean the difference between a trickle of sales and a whole lot of success. That's one of the reasons split testing your copy is an important part of the online business process. Who's reading your content, though? Who skims the headlines of your web page? Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:10:12 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=5065 By James Chartrand. American rock band Extreme released the ballad More than Words in 1990. The romantic lyrics blended with melodic acoustic guitar soon became a huge hit, as the song raced up the charts all the way to number one. More than words to show you feel that your love for me is real. What would you say if I took those words away? Then you couldn't make things new just by saying I love you. ~More than Words, Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:14:19 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=4481 "And that," he wrote, "is that." Doesn't much make you want to pitch in with your own views, does it? We all tend to focus on catchy headlines and gripping titles. That split-second interest grabber is important. Copyblogger's great posts on headlines thankfully tell you exactly how to craft your words to create snappy headlines. How you end your post depends on what you're trying to achieve and what action you want the reader to take. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:22:02 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=4234 Nike said, "Just do it." Nortel told you to come together. Timex said it takes a licking and keep on ticking. And GE mentioned that it brings good things to life. Well, good for GE. As far as you're concerned, you'd probably be happy figuring out how to bring your tagline to life. Tagline, strapline, slogan' Whatever you choose to call it, it's all the same. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:39:26 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=3163 Have you ever had these thoughts? "I wish my blog had content this good." "Wow' How does he come up with this stuff?" "Boy, I wish I could write like that!" Now for the big questions: Why aren't you writing content that good? Why isn't your content profound? Why can't you write thought-provoking content that rocks the blogosphere? Are you satisfied just to shake it a little instead? I know what you're thinking. "Wait a minute, here. Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:31:00 GMT http://www.seocentro.com/cgi-bin/rss/go.pl?uid=2301 Every girl is crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man . That's what ZZ Top, the famous bearded band from Texas sings. And if that's the case, what's your content wearing these days? Let's consider your content as a naked friend. He's had an invitation. He's going out, and needs your help to pick an outfit. You can't send your content out in the buff. Come on; the poor guy is nude and freezing. You're in charge of making sure your naked, Search Engines News SEO News James Chartrand James Chartrand Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:09:39 GMT