Beware! Google is Changing Title Tags at Will
By Karon Thackston © 2012, All Rights Reserved
In all the years since Google became a player in the search engine optimization arena, we have seen countless changes. Some have been minor algo tweaks while others caused a major upheaval. Still, one thing remained constant: we controlled our title tags. But no longer.
The recent occurrences have been multiplying, but Google’s intrusion into our title tags began over a year ago. Quietly, they started substituting “more relevant” titles for the ones website owners provided. Why? Google’s Webmaster Tools Help center explains the reasons your title tag might be overruled.
Make sure that each page on your site has a useful and descriptive page title (contained within the title tags. If a title tag is missing, or if the same title tag is used for many different pages, Google may use other text we find on the page.
In addition, Google employee John Mueller gave this advice in a post on one of Google’s blogs:
In general, when we run across titles that appear to be sub-optimal, we may choose to rewrite them in the search results. This could happen when the titles are particularly short, shared across large parts of your site or appear to be mostly a collection of keywords. One thing you can do to help prevent this is to make sure that your titles and descriptions are relevant, unique and compelling, without being “stuffed” with too much boilerplate text across your site.
In other words, you run the risk of having your title tag changed if your tag is:
- too short
- used on several other pages of your site
- mostly filled with keywords
- not unique or compelling
These are things I’ve been preaching for years simply because they make the most sense for your site visitors. You’ll never see me voting in favor of SEO copywriting practices that don’t also offer something useful to the people who come to your web pages. This is no exception.
Case in Point
I can’t say I agree with Google’s replacement tags. I’ve seen cases in the past where they removed a perfectly good title tag (in my opinion) only to replace it with the company name. How is that more relevant?
More recently, I came across this example.
The SERPs showed a title tag of simply “Gatlinburg Cabins.” When I clicked to the web page, the actual title tag revealed “Gatlinburg TN Cabins | Cabin Rentals Gatlinburg TN | Gatlinburg Cabins.” Considering the Smoky Mountains (USA) span two states how is it more relevant to remove the references to Tennessee? As I said, I question Google’s replacements.
Ah… but I Digress…
Back to our topic.
The title tag is the first exposure searchers get to your site. When that space is simply filled with keywords, it offers little enticement for people to click to your page. With the other extreme (using only the company name or a single keyphrase), you get almost the same result. Balance is necessary.
You absolutely want keywords in your title tag and you should also have your company name. Those appease the Google monster. But, in addition, want something that sets you apart from all the other competition on the search engine results page (SERP). A short statement, an adjective, a mini-USP… something that will wake surfers up, catch their attention and make them think, Hmm… Let me see what this is all about.
After all, which would be more appealing to you if you were booking a honeymoon?
Romantic Honeymoon Cabins in Gatlinburg | Jacuzzi Packages Available
or
Gatlinburg Cabins | Pigeon Forge Cabins | Smoky Mountain Cabins
My point exactly.
Don’t follow the crowd. Take time to perfect your title-writing skills. When you do, Google will be less likely to chop your titles in favor of a “more relevant” version created by a robot.
Check out my newest Wordtracker ebook “Quick & Easy Keyword Optimization” for more info on setting up a profitable flow of traffic.
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May 16, 2012 • Tags: google title tags, how to write title tags, SEO Copywriting • Posted in: Copywriting, Copywriting Business, Karon's Articles, SEO Copywriting
How to Build Targeted Traffic without Google: Part 2
By Karon Thackston © 2012, All Rights Reserved
After all the hoopla over Google’s latest update, I’ve personally heard from many website owners who are trying to recover from the loss of nearly all their traffic. The stories are sometimes downright heartbreaking. Regardless of how much we want to point fingers, the truth is Google’s engine belongs to Google. They are free to do whatever they choose. So where does that leave frustrated webmasters? Looking for alternate ways to build targeted traffic without Google.
In part 1 of this series, I showed you a simple way to set up a very effective, automated list-building system using a special report. Now I want to introduce you to the real world of affiliate marketing.
Don’t Get Caught in the Stereotype Trap
Sometimes affiliate marketing conjures up visions of hyped-up information marketers on steroids. That’s not what I’m talking about here. Affiliate marketing is something major corporations use to their advantage every day. Amazon.com, NetFlix, ProFlowers.com and literally millions of other companies draw in a hefty portion of revenue thanks to their affiliates. From emails to banner ads to even TV commercials, affiliate are the unsung heroes of many organizations.
Truth be known, affiliate marketing can frequently generate more sales for your business than you ever could alone. How? By giving you a powerful, global sales force that is willing to work strictly on commission.
Don’t get all caught up in stereotypes before you see just what this incredibly powerful marketing method has to offer.
How Does Affiliate Marketing Works?
It’s quite simple. You sell something (products or services). You offer to pay those who promote your products or services to others a commission for every sale they make. (You can also pay per action… leads calling your sales line, for instance.) When sales/conversions come in, your affiliates earn money… and so do you!
By paying a commission to those who have access to others, you can expand your reach in ways you might not be able to do on your own. After all, people buy from those they like and trust, right? So you’re getting an insider’s introduction to market segments you could have easily missed.
Is that it? In a nutshell, yes. Of course, there are lots of ways to handle all the logistics. You can have someone else run the affiliate program for you (such as CommissionJunction.com or ClickBank.com) or do it yourself. As I found out during an unexpectedly eye-opening trip to Atlanta in January 2010, there are more options than you can shake a stick at.
What’s a NAM and Why Do You Need One?
Those were the questions I was asking when Super Affiliate Lynn Terry introduced me to the whole concept of affiliate marketing (which I now use to sell my Step-by-Step Copywriting Course.)
NAMS stands for Niche Affiliate Marketing System. The founder of NAMS (David Perdew) holds two conferences every year in Atlanta: one in January and one in August. This is how I learned the legitimate, ethical and most profitable way to set up and run an affiliate program for my products.
What’s so great about the MyNAMS community is that there’s information designed for your exact level of experience from raw newbie to advanced affiliate marketer. The other thing I love is that it’s complete. It’s not just a forum. You get weekly webinars, website graphics, articles, checklists, comparison charts, accountability groups… it goes on and on. And yes, there’s a forum, too, so you can ask questions, chat with others and learn from the discussions.
From deciding whether you’re going to launch an affiliate program to optimizing every nut and bolt for maximum impact, it’s here.
Now you’ve got two new ideas to put into action so you can reduce your dependency on the Google Monster. There’s more to come in part 3.
Additional Resources
MyNAMS – Highly recommended! Been learning from these folks for over 2 years and I can attest to the fact that they teach affiliate marketing the right way. Come see me in August at the NAMS8 event.
Smart Passive Income Blog - Pay Flynn is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to passive income. Sometimes selling his own products, sometimes selling other people’s. Read all about it on his blog.
ClickNewz Blog – Lynn Terry, as I mentioned, is the person who formally introduced me to affiliate marketing. She’s another great resource you can learn from.
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May 16, 2012 • Tags: build traffic without google, penguin update, search engine copywriting • Posted in: Copywriting, Copywriting Business, Karon's Articles, SEO Copywriting
How to Build Targeted Traffic without Google: Part 1
By Karon Thackston © 2012, All Rights Reserved
Why is this search engine copywriter suddenly publishing articles on how to build targeted traffic without the need for Google? Because, when you hang all your hopes on one search engine, you make yourself very vulnerable.
Even though I do firmly believe search engine optimization is a fabulous way to bring qualified visitors to your site, it is far from the only option. Placing all your bets on Google leaves you open to major trials and tribulations like the one that was just unleashed recently. Take a quick look back at the abbreviated Google timeline and you’ll see what I mean.
2003 – Florida - Sent website owners scrambling after their pages (including many home pages) disappeared from the Google SERPs. While Google never actually came right out and said what was updated or why, it has long been believed that some sort of “over-optimization” penalty was put into place. This is the update that all but killed keyword density as a valid measure of SEO copywriting success.
2004 – Brandy - Focused on Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), the use of synonyms and linking “neighborhoods.” Not nearly as destructive as Florida.
2008 – Dewey – A large-scale shuffle that caused a bit of temporary confusion in the rankings.
2009 – Vince – A major update that tilted the SEO scale in favor of big brands leaving many smaller sites with lower rankings.
2010 – May Day – Another catastrophic update that upset the balance of search traffic for tons of sites. Google confirmed a target to long-tail traffic.
2010 – Social Signals – Google and Bing confirmed they were using social media as a ranking factor. Finally! A significant update that didn’t cause turmoil!
2011 – Panda (in several phases) – Aimed at thin, low-quality content sites; many article directories and ecommerce sites suffered horribly with this update, losing significant portions of their traffic.
2012 – Penguin – The webspam / “over optimization” penalty. And here we go again. Another round of massive changes that have sent website owners/managers into a tailspin.
(Thanks to SEOMoz for the comprehensive timeline.)
Blaming Google is Pointless: Replace the Traffic with Other Sources
Let’s face it… it’s Google’s search engine and they have every right to do whatever they feel is best. It’s not a public entity and nobody is forced to use their product. We all have freedom of choice so blaming Google is pointless. They are well within their rights to change their algo at any time they want.
What you need to do is stop complaining and replace the lost Google traffic with traffic from various other sources.
I’m one who has long said that putting all your eggs in one basket was just silliness. And you can see by the outraged cries of website owners who’ve been affected by various updates over the years that they now agree. Still, very few will actually put the steps in place to diversify their traffic.
That’s what this article series is all about: steadily building a flow of traffic that is not dependent on Google.
As I said in the beginning, I’m still a firm believer that optimizing your copy and your web pages is a smart thing to do. It should not be – however – the ONLY thing you do. Search engine optimization (SEO) needs to be a PART of your online marketing plan, but not your entire plan.
Do This Today to Start Building Traffic without Google
One of the first things you need to do is start your own, in-house list. A list YOU own and YOU control. It’s extremely easy to get started. Like everything else, you will have to put in some effort to build your subscriber base. But if you dedicate a bit of time each week, before long you’ll have a list of devoted followers you can depend on to bring you their business. In addition, if you offer quality products/services, they’ll likely refer friends and associates to you as well.
Step One – Offer blog updates by email and/or a newsletter
You will obviously need a blog in order to do this. You don’t, however, necessarily need a newsletter. Your blog can actually be your newsletter.
Autoresponder/Email Marketing Program – I personally recommend Aweber. They have one of the highest delivery rates in the industry and their setup/management is simple enough so even *I* can do it
They have excellent support and super videos that walk you through everything you need to do. With their Blog Broadcast feature, you can set the system up to send out a newsletter whenever you have new blog posts available. What’s more, Aweber will automatically publish your blog posts to your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts.
A company called FeedBlitz has a great ebook called “List Building for Bloggers” that goes into detail about using your blog as a newsletter. I have this book and refer back to it from time to time.
Step Two – Offer an incentive
To get people to trust you enough to turn over their email addresses, you’ll want to offer something enticing. This incentive or bonus can be practically anything from a free report to a private consultation to free or greatly discounted products. My suggestion is to make it as hands-off as possible. If it’s something you have to ship (a handheld calculator, a sample of hand lotion, etc.) you’ll have additional time and expenses. I recommend going digital. These are all super ideas that can be delivered digitally or via auto-ship companies such as Kunaki.
- Reports
- Guides
- Checklists
- Videos
- MP3s
- Podcasts
- CDs
- DVDs
- Access to private sites
- Private webinars
By using the blog / newsletter with the autoresponder service (Aweber) and an incentive of your choosing, you can begin to build targeted traffic without the need for so much dependence on Google.
Is there more to it than this? Absolutely! I’ve got a few more articles in the making about building traffic without Google … so stay tuned.
Additional Resources
Discover List Building – Bob “The Teacher” Jenkins – Loved this course! Bob Jenkins is extremely easy to follow and lays out everything you need to know in step-by-step fashion. I refer to my notes from this course a good bit.
Blogging for Business – Part of the Wordtracker Masterclass series, this ebook is a super guide to everything you need to know to create a blog that gets followed.
How to Drive Qualified Traffic to Your Blog – Of course, you’ll need to get readers to your blog before you can have subscribers. Denise Wakeman offers a great video that outlines what to do to bring in more folks so your list can grow.
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May 9, 2012 • Tags: build traffic without google, penguin update, search engine copywriting • Posted in: Copywriting, Copywriting Business, SEO Copywriting
Copywriting Before and After: Is Your Copy Self-Centered?
I received something in the mail the other day that simply made me shake my head. I couldn’t believe just how self-centered this piece of copy was. It was literally all about the company. Why bother sending something like that? Follow me as I transform this all-about-me copy into communication that truly speaks the customer’s language.
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May 2, 2012 • Tags: copywriting examples, how to write copy, learn copywriting • Posted in: Copywriting, Copywriting Business
How Google’s Semantic Search Update Impacts Copywriting
There’s a big buzz about Google’s new semantic search update. Did you see my post last month? A lot of people have had questions about exactly what this means for SEO / keyword copywriting. See how this latest update will impact your copywriting and what to do about it.
Blog Post – Google Announces Semantic Search Update
Resource – Free Wordtracker Trial
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April 25, 2012 • Tags: google semantic update, keyword copywriting, SEO Copywriting • Posted in: Copywriting, Copywriting Business, SEO Copywriting
The Wrath of Google: The Duplicate Content Filter Strikes
Just when life is chugging along at an easy pace, you hit a brick wall. This was the case about two weeks ago when one of my sites (http://www.CopywritingCourse.com) went from number one in the search rankings to all but invisible overnight. Needless to say, I was not happy. I was, instead, extremely confused.
Google’s been cranking out notable changes to its engine for weeks now. As far as I could tell, my site was not in violation of any new policies or algorithm changes so I was puzzled.
Why would a small site that had ranked extremely well for 10 years suddenly up and disappear? I checked every keyphrase I normally ranked for… no Copywriting Course site. I even searched for the actual URL of the home page… nothing.
Then I discovered something. Pages that had been deleted long ago were popping up on the search engine results page (SERP). Weird!
I’ve seen changes come and go. There have been some previously huge changes to Google that have sent my sites into a temporary whirlwind in years past. But this was different. There didn’t seem to be an obvious reason. That’s when I decided to enlist the help of my bud and SEO expert, Jill Whalen of Boston Search Engine Optimization firm HighRankings.com.
The Things Nobody Tells You
After running a “site: www.CopywritingCourse.com” command Jill discovered a lot of duplicate content associated with the site. Huh? There’s no duplicate content on that site. Or so I thought.
Yet there it was in black and white. (Or blue and white, as the case may be.)
When I took a look at the actual file names of the URLs, it dawned on me what was going on.
A week or two earlier, I’d hired someone to move this site from one hosting company to another. Before she did, I wanted to go through the files and clean out some old junk I no longer wanted to keep. When I was done, I told her to go ahead and move the updated list of files.
The things nobody tells you.
Of course, once they all got indexed the Googlebot choked. And – just as Google has outlined time and again – one page was allowed through and all others got clipped by the duplicate content filter. They may still have been indexed, but they were filtered out of the rankings. In this case, the only thing that eventually ranked was a YouTube video on one of the test pages. Internal pages from the site showed up in the SERPS, but not the most current index page.
Leaping Into Action
As soon as I discovered what had happened, I deleted the test pages from the server. Then I created a robot.txt file to prevent a few other pages from being indexed.
About a week later… poof! The original index page was back in the rankings at number one for my primary keyphrase and in the top seven for other keyphrases. Phew!
Just goes to show that – even if Google has recently bombarded us with changes – rankings shifts may simply be caused by human error
Want more great website and SEO copywriting articles and tips? Subscribe to Karon’s Marketing Word Copywriting Newsletter. In addition, you’ll get discounts, product announcements and 2 of Karon’s popular SEO copywriting ebooks.
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April 18, 2012 • Tags: search engine copywriting, SEO Copywriting • Posted in: Copywriting, Copywriting Business, Karon's Articles, SEO Copywriting
The New Wordtracker: A Keyword Research Legend Gets a Major Makeover
If you’ve been involved with search engine optimization for very long, you’ve no doubt heard of Wordtracker. They are the original keyword research tool that SEOs, copywriters and website owners have trusted since 1998 to deliver the most relevant and accurate research data on the ‘Net.
As part of their dedication to quality, they’ve been in the process of updating their Keyword Tool over the last several months. While it’s still in beta, you can use the new features as they become live. Here’s the breakdown of what super-cool new features Wordtracker currently offers.
1. New Interface – Unlike the old keyword tool that allowed you to research and sort into lists; the new version gives you the ability to sort projects into niches as well as by priority. This helps speed the evaluation process by letting you separate keywords into groups on the fly.
You can also “target” keywords and create new niches and subniches with the click of a button.
2. Improved Analytics – One of the things Wordtracker is best known for is their Keyword Evaluation Index (KEI). It’s been recalculated so it delivers more accurate data than ever before. The KEI is still based on the relationship between keywords and competition and – as before – the higher the number, the better the potential.
They’ve also added a separate Competition metric that shows how many web pages are optimized for a particular search term.
3. Ranking Reports – In addition to keyword research, Wordtracker now offers several other tools like a ranking report option. Keep in mind that what you actually see in Google may vary from the report results depending on whether you’re signed into Google and your physical location.
4. Site Audits – Wonder if you’ve got links, images or other stuff going on behind the scenes that might mess up your rankings? Wordtracker’s site audit can help point out those errors so you can get them cleaned up fast.
One thing that has not changed is:
Annual Search Counts – Wordtracker will continue to offer a less-than-2%, representative sample of search counts. (Nobody offers real-time search counts.) These are annual numbers (some people mistakenly believe they are daily search counts… they are not.)
There’s a lot more going on in Wordtracker as the weeks progress. I’ll keep you updated about future additions.
Don’t forget you can try it at no cost. Just sign up for a free trial today and you can take it on a full-featured test run.
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April 18, 2012 • Tags: keyword research tools, wordtracker • Posted in: Copywriting Business, SEO Copywriting
How to Write Emotional Copy
When you connect with site visitors on an emotional level, your copy converts better. But how – exactly – do you know which emotions to use? In this quick video, I’ll give you suggestions and ideas for getting inside the minds of your customers so you can communicate on a level that is meaningful to them.
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April 3, 2012 • Tags: Copywriting, emotional copywriting, how to write copy • Posted in: Copywriting, Copywriting Business, Video
3 Tiny Words That Add Mystique to Your Articles, Blog Posts & Copy
What gets people’s interest? I’ve been reading Sally Hogshead’s book “Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation” and it has been very enlightening. What gets (and keeps) people’s attention is fascination.
Sally walks through 7 forms of fascination that intrigue individuals for one reason or another. One of the 7 is mystique. Typically, mystique is formed when something is withheld. It’s the anticipation, the wonder or curiosity that drives humans positively nuts and gives them tunnel vision when it comes to finding the missing piece of the puzzle. Let me give you some examples from Sally’s book.
Colonial Sanders had his “11 herbs and spices” that were (and still are) mixed in 2 separate facilities. Coca-Cola’s secret ingredient, affectionately called “Merchandise 7X” has been under lock and key since 1886; the entire formula since 1925. Secrets build mystique. What does any of this have to do with writing articles, blog posts or copy?
Limited information heightens curiosity.
Take the subjects out of your article or blog post titles and headlines and replace them with the word “this,” “it” or “here” and see what happens.
Lack of Instructor Feedback is Why Most CEU Courses Fail
or
This is Why Most CEU Courses Fail
See the difference? What’s the reason? Not telling your reader will create mystique and a need for them to know what “this” is. Here’s another one:
Create Dozens of Facebook & Instagram Photo Books with the Blurb WordPress Plugin
or
Create Dozens of Facebook & Instagram Photo Books with This WordPress Plugin
And “it?” That works just as well.
Our Granite Wipe Cloth Won’t Harm Your Granite Countertops Like Cleansers Will
or
It Won’t Harm Your Granite Countertops Like Cleansers Will
“I don’t want my expensive granite countertops harmed! I paid too much for them. What is this ‘it’ that can save my investment from damage?” is what your readers will be thinking. They’ll be compelled to click to find out more.
Lastly, the word “here” has the ability to sprinkle a bit of pixie dust, too.
Philadelphia Cooking Cream is a Simple Trick for Making Your Chicken Irresistible
or
Here’s a Simple Trick for Making Your Chicken Irresistible
You see how leaving your reader hanging can entice them to click or read on to get the missing secret? This technique isn’t just for headlines. You can apply this same idea to the body or your articles, blog posts or copy, too.
As you write, continue to refer to the subject of the article/copy as “it,” “this” or “here.” The longer you do, the more your reader will feel compelled to follow along. They’ll consume much more of your copy than they might have done otherwise simply because they want to know what “this” is.
Run some tests. See what happens in your own writing endeavors. If you like the results, you’ll probably want to get this which will divulge 6 other ways to intrigue your readers.
Need additional help with writing professional-level copy? Check out my Step-by-Step Copywriting Course and see why most like this approach better than traditional training. http://www.CopywritingCourse.com
(c) 2012 Karon Thackston, All Rights Reserved
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March 28, 2012 • Tags: Copywriting, learn to write copy, persuasive copywriting • Posted in: Article Writing, Catalog Copywriting, Copywriting, Copywriting Business, Ecommerce copywriting, Karon's Articles
Google Announces Semantic Search Update
On March 15, 2012, Google officially announced (via the Wall Street Journal), what hardcore SEOs have been expecting since at least 2008. Google is introducing semantic search into its algorithm.
What exactly is semantic search? It’s a technology that lets the search engine “understand” what each search query means. So, rather than simply matching the keywords typed into the search box to the keywords on a web page and in links pointed to the page, semantic search also will return results based on related ideas and concepts.
At the core of semantic search are synonyms. One example made in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article is that of conducting a search for the term “Google.” In addition to the Home page of the search engine and information about it specifically, a semantic engine might also return results about Larry Page and Sergey Brin (founders of Google).
I actually explained this in a previous article many years ago. Take a look at this snippet:
#1 – Shows Relevancy – If you know anything about search engine optimization (SEO), you know Google lives and dies for relevancy. That’s their calling card. The use of synonyms helps your copy show more relevancy because it narrows down the topic of your web page.
For example, if someone started out with a primary keyword of “seniors,” Google would have a difficult time determining what the page was about. However, after adding some copy that discussed “retirement,” “Social Security” and used synonyms including “elderly,” “golden ager” or “aged,” Google can see that you mean older folks.
On the other hand, by incorporating synonyms and complimentary terms such as “graduation,” “graduate” or “high school,” you change the inherent theme of the page from old people to those about 18 years of age who have completed high school.
#2 – Helps Semantic Engines – The same applies to up-and-coming semantic engines. As this technology continues to develop, copywriters will need to pay closer attention to synonyms and other complimentary words because they will greatly influence how a semantic engine perceives your text.
Make use of your thesaurus. Each time you write a page of copy, toss in a few synonyms that relate to your primary subject. You’ll be helping both your client and the search engines get better results.
But, from the WSJ article, it sounded as though more than synonyms would be needed to retain your rankings with the new semantic Google. The reporter states:
Google says it is still tinkering with the new look and function of its search engine, so it’s unclear exactly what this might mean for Google users and website owners. But the move could spur millions of websites to retool their Web page—by changing what’s called a “markup language”—so the search engine could more easily locate them under the new system, said Larry Cornett, a former Web-search executive at Yahoo Inc.
I’m wondering if this is in relation to the Common Tag Yahoo! promoted so hard about three years ago. There’s no way to find out until Google actually puts the new update into play. The WSJ states this should happen “over the next few months.” Should be interesting (to say the least!) to watch.
If this goes the way I’m thinking it will (and it’s WAY too early to tell), the role of copywriting will become even more important in getting good rankings. But be careful. Google also announced recently that it is implementing an “over optimization penalty” designed to “give sites that have great content a better shot at ranking above sites that have content that is not as great but do a better job with SEO.”
Why do I have a feeling the SEO world is about to be turned on its head?
Need additional help with writing professional-level copy that ranks high and converts? Check out my Step-by-Step Copywriting Course and see why this approach works so much better.
(c) Karon Thackston 2012, All Rights Reserved
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March 21, 2012 • Tags: google algo changes, google updates • Posted in: Copywriting, Copywriting Business, Ecommerce copywriting, Karon's Articles, SEO Copywriting








