Basic Checklist For All Content

PART 1 – All Content

1. Format/Style according to samples shown by managers.

2. All sub headings for every piece have to be different and unique. In a new manner. But the type of content to cover remains similar.

3. 1-2 sentences per paragraph. No paragraph of more than 3 sentences.

4. 1 to 4 or so paragraphs per sub heading. Line gap between Paras and between para and sub heading.

5. 1 or 2 sections of bullet points. With 4-6 bullets each.

6. Beginning/Ending can’t have bullet points.

PART 2 – SEO (For SEO Content Only)

Assuming a 500w writeup.

1. Primary keyword in the:
Title
Excerpt (bold)
Last 50 words
One sub heading (optional)
Once in the body (optional)
Total 3-5 times including all of that above.
Nothing apart from the use in the excerpt/title/sub heading will be bold or italics.

2. If the brand keyword and primary keyword are different, then mention the brand keyword once or twice. No bold/italics.

3. LSI Keywords Variants:
2-5 different keywords. Once each.
Try to use once or twice in the sub headings.
No bold/italics.

4. LSI Keywords Antonyms/Synonyms:
4-6 different keywords. Once each.
Try to use once or twice in the sub headings.
No bold/italics.

5. Most importantly. No keyword stuffing. Shouldn’t be written for Search Engines. Should be written for real readers.

6. Has to read naturally and be natural overall. The keywords can’t be placed such that the reader feel the content is SEO’d.

Training For All Writing Projects (Intro)

Training For All Writing Projects (Section A)

Training For All Writing Projects (Section B)

Training For All Writing Projects (Section C)

SEO Training

Training For Website Content

Training For Reviews

What Is A Review Copy?

Basic Checklist For All Content

Warm Regards & God Bless

Aakshey Talwar, Founder & CEO of Weaving Thoughts

A review copy need not be a review. It could even be a PR, article, website copy or something else. Depends on the project and what the client ordered.

Let me explain with the help of an example.

When you go to an ice-cream parlour, you ask the vendor to allow you to taste an ice-cream or two, without paying another. Just enough to taste, though.

Similarly, a review copy is a sample.

A sample that the client ordered from Weaving Thoughts (without paying us), to check the level of our service. So. You have to put your best foot forward. So as to crack the deal!

Of course, you’ll get paid as long as what you write is acceptable to the team. But we are NOT paid. It is done to win new clients.

It is our USP!

All the best. Nail it!

God Bless

Aakshey

Founder CEO, Weaving Thoughts

Have you ever read a movie review or a game review?

That is the tone and format to follow over here.

It will be in third person, ‘They’.

You’ll review them and try to give your opinion, but it most be positive overall and must sound natural. A negative here and there may help to make it more believable but the overall tone must be positive. Unless specified otherwise.

The general rule is:

40% positive – 40% neutral – 20% negative

Don’t be overly negative. Don’t be overly positive.

Be natural and neutral. The review must be genuine and believable. And worthy of an authority website like Forbes.com or About.com

Be neutral to slightly positive in tonality.

Don’t be overly optimistic and don’t try to tell it as the best thing in its class.

Be real. Be genuine. But be neutral to very slightly positive in tone.

Don’t flaff or be over proud. Do NOT over do it!

You’re not a third rate salesman. Be genuine. Focus on the merits and mention the demerits. Convince naturally. Don’t by pushing. People like to buy from you. But only if you’re not trying to sell to them 😀

You’ll include sections with headings in bold like:

Features

Target Audience/Market

USPs
Performance/Quality
Customer service
Bottom line / Would you recommend or not
Rating (depends on the projectPros

Pros
Cons
Other relevant headings

Etc

You get the idea?

But try not to use generic sub-headings like Pros, Features etc. Be creative. The title and sub-headings should be long, catchy and descriptive.

Something along those lines.

All the best, God Bless!

Aakshey Talwar

WeavingThoughts.com

Website content is content written on the main website.

Like content on a corporate website.

For instance, Apple.com, Microsoft.com, WeavingThoughts.com etc.

You don’t use ‘They’ or ‘I’.

You use ‘We’.

You’re representing the company and writing on their behalf.

Example: At IM Motors, we ensure that the customer is always well taken care of. Our clients believe that we would never let them down. The best technology is used over here.

And so on. Don’t over do it.

It should be natural, informative and factual. And of course, interactive/interesting.

But the tone has to be of a rep. Not of a third party or reviewer or journalist.

Thank You so much, God Bless!

Aakshey

Weaving Thoughts

How To SEO Your Content

Whether you need to SEO (Search Engine Optimization, I am using it as Search Engine Optimize here though) your content needs on the context and project. Every project won’t need it. But it is best to follow certain guidelines in most situations.

The idea is to write content in a manner, such that:

1. It is optimized for readers.
2. Readers shouldn’t even feel your content has been SEOed. They should not even get a hint that the content is optimized. It should be good authority content. Keywords should NOT stand out. And the density should be low.
3. At the same time, organic and natural keywords are sprinkled here and there, throughout, but secretly hidden throughout the content.
4. The keywords shouldn’t be stuffed. Nor should they be awkward or out of place.
5. The keywords have to be there to add value to the quality of the content. Optimization should happen as a by-product. The keywords should be there because that is the best way to write that write-up naturally. But. Don’t over do it!
6. At the same time, you can’t omit using keywords altogether.

Before you start writing, you’ll only know the primary keyword.

Don’t come up with a list of LSI keywords to force them in. That is keyword stuffing! (I’ll explain later what LSI keywords are).

You have to write naturally. And as you follow the below guidelines, good natural LSI keywords will automatically come up and you’ll produce great content!

Keyword Density Tool

http://tools.seobook.com/general/keyword-density/

NOTE

If the client specifies a keyword density, follow their guidelines. Otherwise, follow ours.

Also, keyword = keyphrase = keyword

Most keywords are actually keyphrases of 2 to 4 words in length.

Types Of Keywords

There are two types of keywords:

The Primary Keyword/Keyphrase

LSI/Secondary/Organic/Supporting Keywords/Keyphrases

The Primary Keyword

The primary keyphrase is the main keyword/keyphrase. The focus keyword. The content is usually built directly related to this keyword.

Has to be used in the below-mentioned places:

Once in the title

Once in the excerpt (in bold)

Once in the last 50 words of the content

In addition to the above, for longer pieces of content (400+ words):

Perhaps once in one of the sub-headings, if possible. But not in more than one sub-heading.

A couple of times in the content body, spread throughout. Based on the content length and required keyword density.

LSI Keywords

There are two types of LSI keywords:

Variants of the primary keyword

Antonyms/Synonyms of the primary keyword

Variant LSI Keywords

These are keywords where the words are very closely related to tweaked versions of the primary keyword.

For example,

If the primary keyword is – fast food chains

Good variants are – fast food chain, fast food chain’s, fast food restaurants, chains of fast food etc.

Bad variants are – fast food, food chains etc.

Basically, anything that uses words that are very similar to the primary keyword.

And I am not saying you can’t use words like the bad variants listed above. Just that don’t consider them LSI keywords. Only use them for the purpose of writing your content, if required. And don’t over do similar words!

If  the primary keyword is – iPhone 6s+

Good variants are – iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6+, iPhone 5s, Apple iPhone 6 etc

Bad variants are – iPhone, Apple, Apple iPhone etc.

Once again.

You have to write naturally. While writing the content, there is no bad or good LSI keyword. But when you try to check the article for good LSI keywords, the bad examples don’t count.

While you’re writing and doing your research (before you start writing), keywords should automatically start coming to your mind.

Don’t try to choose keywords in advance and try to fit them in. That is keyword stuffing. Do NOT do that!

Variants have to be used randomly, sprinkled throughout the article.

Again, be natural. The keyword density metrics are just guidelines.

As long as you’re in a reasonable range, you’re good. Don’t over do it grossly. And don’t skip it completely!

Antonym/Synonym LSI Keywords

Antonyms = Keywords indirectly or oppositely related to the industry/niche/primary keyword in question.

Synonyms = Keywords directly or indirectly related to the industry/niche/primary keyword in question.

Basically, try to avoid using any of the words from primary keyword again in these types of LSI keywords. Try to go for related words, but not the same ones.

For example,

If the primary keyword is – fast food chains

Synonym LSI keywords (good) – quick service restaurants, home delivery, takeaways, gourmet dishes, order lunch online etc.

Antonym LSI keywords (good) – in-room dining, fine dining restaurants, learn cooking at home, dieting recipes etc.

Again. You have to write naturally. While keeping the above in mind. There has to be a balance.

And the most important thing is being natural and genuine. Without making the reader feel awkward or uncomfortable.

Ideal Keyword Density

Depends on the following:

1. These guidelines are just that. Guidelines. Not set in stone. They have to be followed such that ethos is maintained. Sometimes going 2x over the below density may be okay. While other times having 0.5 times the below density may not be acceptable. It is how you write. You have to write for the reader. So it doesn’t appear as if you wrote for the search engine.
2. The longer the content, the less the keyword density required. Although the keywords will be used more in absolute terms in longer content, but the density will gradually come down.
3. The more the words in the keyword, the lower the density needed. Single or double word keywords need to be used more often than a 4 or 5-word keyword. Obviously.
4. The industry, niche and context. Smaller/Less competitive industries need a lower density.
5. The writer. The most important thing is that the reader must not feel that they are reading SEOed content. They should feel important and feel what they’re reading is optimized for people like them. Not for search engines!

Primary keyword

Assuming a 500-word piece – 0.5-1% tops.

So across 500 words, 3 to 5 times. Once in the title, once in the excerpt, once in the last 50 words, and 0-2 times in between.

Assuming a 1500 words piece – 0.3-0.6% or so.

So across 1500 words, 5 to 10 times. Same as above. But more number of times in the content body.

Assuming a 200 words piece – 1-1.5% or so

So across 200 words, 2-3 times. Once in the title. Once in the last 50 words. And maybe once in the first 50 words/excerpt/whatever.

Just the first use in the excerpt will be in bold. And if used as a part of the title (compulsory) and sub-heading. No other instance will be highlighted. Neither bold, nor italics nor underline.

Variants

Assuming a 500-word piece, 2-5 different keywords, used exactly once each. Preferably spread out.

Try to use in 1-2 sub-headings if you can. And the remaining times in the body. But. No force. No compulsion. High quality, nicely reading and engaging content is more important than using in the wrong places.

Assuming a 1500-word piece, 5-10 different keywords, used exactly once each.

Assuming a 200-word piece, 1-2 different keywords, used exactly once each.

No highlighting. No bold/italics.

Antonym/Synonym Keywords

Assuming a 500-word piece, 4-6 different keywords, used exactly once each. Preferably spread out.

Try to use in 1-2 sub-headings if you can. Again. Being natural and engaging is what counts the most.

Assuming a 1500-word piece, 8 to 12 different keywords, used once each.

Assuming a 200-word piece, 2-3 different keywords, used once each.

No highlighting. No bold/italics.

FAQs

1. You don’t have to count the usage of every keyword. That is ridiculous. As long as these guidelines are embedded in your DNA, you should be okay! Don’t keyword stuff. Be natural and write for your reader. And ensure the keywords are there, somewhere. And you’ll be okay! 🙂
2. Ideally, don’t use single word keywords. The best keywords are 2-4 words in length. One word keywords are too generic and difficult to rank. 5+ word keywords are usually difficult to use without breaking the grammar. Again, everything is relative. Focus on quality and being natural.
3. All 3 types of keywords have to be mentioned at the bottom of the article, with the respective headings.
4. The basic thing is – don’t try to fit them in. They need to be there naturally. And then check the content after writing it to see which ones were used. Tweak here or there if required to add a few in. But don’t keyword stuff the content.
5. 1% keyword density = 1 time per 100 words. So 1.5% of 350 words is approximately 5 times or so.
6. SEO is important.
   But grammar, correct English and good sentence structure is more important.
   Grammar comes first. Not SEO.
   You may edit/omit a keyword or two here and there if required for correct grammar.
   However, you can’t ignore SEO. There has to be a balance. CONTENT IS KING!

All the very best, Take Care!

Aakshey

WeavingThoughts.com

SECTION C – Critical Training For All Writing Projects

WARNING

I am not saying every write-up for every client will be as casual as the links I am about to share. However, in 80%+ situations, a casual and tongue-in-cheek humor approach works best.

Of course, based on your style and the project in question, you will need to find the right balance. But. Nevertheless, these links show you how to write proper copy (aka content) in a conversational and talkative manner.

Basically, you can’t write in a manner that the reader feels that he is reading a textbook. You have to engage your reader and talk to him, personally, with the copy you write.

Please proceed!

1. This guy Jason writes really well. It is crisp and engaging. Conversational and casual. He knows how to hold your interest and play with you. Go through his personal website and the book he has written. You don’t need to read everything word for word. Just read the stuff in bits and pieces. Go wider rather than deeper. You’ll get an idea of how proper copy is written.Go through the titles, headings, FAQs, descriptions, everything. In bits and pieces. No need to read cover to cover. http://schiit.com  http://www.head-fi.org/t/701900/schiit-happened-the-story-of-the-worlds-most-improbable-start-up WARNING Of course, you can’t use words like ‘shit’ or ‘fuck’ that way. But you’ll still get an idea of how to write proper copy. And then you can create your own style.Basically, you can’t be boring. You can’t write so that it feels like somebody is reading from a textbook.Once you go through those two links in detail, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

2. You need to focus on AIDA principles and talk to your reader, the YOU.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2013/08/05/how-to-use-the-aida-formula-to-boost-your-content-marketing-strategy/#4966430743b5

You need to address the reader in second person, as YOU. And you need to talk far more about YOU (the reader), than about yourself (I/me). Perry’s link will tell you the ratio for your content. Ideally, You:Me should be like 2:1 or so or greater!

Perrymarshall.com/grade

Once you get used to writing this way, the demand for your copy will be a lot more. And all of us will be able to get more $$$ per word, including YOU!

All the best!

3. Use wit, humour, satire, sarcasm and flowery language in your content.

Be witty and clever.

Be funny.

Use good vocabulary where applicable.

Write for an intelligent and mature, well-educated audience. Don’t be cheap. Be mature but casual. And informal. Don’t talk the way teenagers do. Talk the way young adults do. Who are well-off.

Be funky and jazzy. Write in a talkative manner. Like you’re writing a video script. But in a grammatically correct manner. Be conversational rather than boring. Try to bring the content to life.

God Bless

Aakshey

Founder & CEO

Weaving Thoughts

SECTION B – Critical Training For All Writing Projects

1. Only use Font size 12 Arial Black color throughout. Including for headings, the title etc.

2. Don’t write long sentences.

Write short and crisp sentences. And try to keep the use of commas to a bare minimum.

A short sentence should be 1 to 4 words. A long sentence can be 15-20 words. Try to write good copy (copy means a copywriting piece or high-grade content) like you find in novels written by Eric Segal or Chetan Bhagat. The average sentence should be no longer than 8-15 words or so.

You got the point. Right?

3. Write short paragraphs.

An average paragraph should just be 1 or 2 sentences (not lines, sentences, read above).

A long paragraph should NEVER exceed 3 sentences.

Single word paragraphs like ‘But.’ are just fine as well.

By paragraphs I mean text, before and after which there is a line gap. I don’t imply a separate sub-heading for every paragraph.

4. A 500 words article should ideally have 15 to 25+ paragraphs divided among 5 to 8+ sub-headings.

On an average, one paragraph should be about 1.5-2 sentences. Many would be just a single sentence. But quite a few may have two sentences as well 🙂

Just look at the way this piece is written. 😀

5. Sub-headings must always be bold, with the first letter of each word capitalized.

Ideally, a 500 words article should have, say, 5-8+ sub headings or so.

Some of those sub-headings may have just 1 or 2 paragraphs. While others may have 3-4 paragraphs.

Try not to exceed 3-5 paragraphs per sub-heading.

The sub-headings have to be long, catchy and descriptive. And they need to seduce the reader to read the next bit of the article.

6. The title should ideally be long, descriptive and catchy.

Ideally, it should be between 30 to 60 characters (not words). (Even a blank space is counted as a character.)

The title must be centre aligned with the first letter of each word capitalised. It also needs to be bold.

It should be thought provoking and must seduce the reader to read the article.

7. Every single write-up needs to have 1-2 sections of bullet points.

Each section of bullet points must have between 4 to 6 bullets, no more, no less.

And the entire section of bullet points (with the sub-heading, intro, 4 points and conclusion) must be within 100 words or less.

You can’t start a write-up with a section of bullet points. Nor can you conclude a write-up with a section of bullet points.

You always need a suitable introduction and a suitable conclusion. Of course, you can’t label them as Introduction/Conclusion though!

8. Always include a line gap between paras, sub-headings, the title and the text etc.

9. Between the body and the title, comes in the excerpt.

The excerpt should ideally be around 10 to 30 words for a 500 words write-up. It should be in italics. (And for SEO articles this is where the primary keyword comes in, and is in bold.)

The excerpt is counted in the article word count we order. But. The title isn’t.

10. To check things like:

Words per sentence (average has to be 8 to 15 words tops)

You:Me ratio (ideally 1.5:1 or better)

Use this link:

https://www.perrymarshall.com/grade

11. Stick to the brand/product/service in question.

If the client has ordered content about their product/brand/service, and if it is not a review meant for comparison, please stick to the client.

Do NOT mention competitors or competing products/brands/services etc. That might work in a review, but not otherwise. Stick to information about the client. I am not asking you to hard sell or to be salesy, but you can’t be promoting/harassing other companies either.

12. Don’t hard sell!

Be genuine. Neutral and natural. Like an authority like Forbes.com or About.com.

Write in a genuine and believable manner with a very subtle and slight positive approach to show the merits of the client in question.

Don’t try to sell. Explain the merits. Genuine ones. Be positive but don’t over do it.

You are NOT a sleazy salesman or saleswoman!

Don’t write much negative about a product either. Be natural. And try to persuade in a genuine manner.

Like authority websites like GSMArena.com to know what I mean.

Thank You so much, God Bless!

Aakshey

WeavingThoughts

SECTION A – Critical Training For All Writing Projects

1. File naming:

Order.No-keyword/Title-NameOfManager-NameOfWriter
Eg: 5MY16.P4-royal dating guide-Moses-Shreya
5 stands for 2015
MY stands for May
16th = 16th of May
P4 = 4th project for the day

Order nos will only be generated by Aakshey. Not by managers/writers.

Moses = First name of Manager, M capital
Shreya = First name of Writer, S capital
royal dating guide = Primary keyword (for SEO articles) – all small letters OR
Article Title for non-SEO articles (all caps in that case)

2. Write correct English, meaningful sentences and accurate facts.

The quality of the content is the single most important thing.

Your grammar must be your very best.

And sentences must be well structured and easily understood by a 5th grader. That is good copy.

3. Only write original and unique content.

Copy pasting between your own articles and/or from the internet isn’t allowed.

Copy pasting quotes isn’t allowed either.

4. George client = UK audience = UK English
Non-George client = US audience/US English unless specified otherwise

5. http://smallseotools.com/plagiarism-checker/

Always use the above.

One article at a time.

Ensure 100% uniqueness and then submit.

We can’t share a Copyscape account with you, although it is more accurate.

6. Sign up for a free Grammarly account.

And always pass every article through it and ensure the best possible score and minimum possible errors, before you send the article to your manager.

7. Always use Microsoft’s built-in grammar checker etc to ensure the work has no grammatical or spelling errors as far as that piece of software is concerned.

Thank You so much, God Bless!

Aakshey

Founder CEO

WeavingThoughts.com

If a client specifies contradictory guidelines, then:

Contradictory parts of the client’s guidelines will be followed. Not Weaving Thoughts’s guidelines.

Both sets of guidelines will be followed where the client’s guidelines don’t contradict Weaving Thoughts’s guidelines.

DISCLAIMER

The intention of this training is to ensure writers write content that is high quality, factual, engaging and most of all natural.

The most important thing is that you have to be natural and write like the reader is talking to you.

The below is a means to achieve that.

Every single writer needs to be trained to follow these guidelines to ensure the maximum possible readability of their content, focusing on their readers while balancing optimization for search engines as well.

You may find them difficult at first. But after the first 5 or so articles, they will be embedded in your DNA and you will come out as a far better and capable writer. 🙂

The aim is to create content that is:

Conversational and Engaging (often casual, with a tongue in cheek type humor)

Factual and detailed

Not fluff

Natural

Grammatically correct

Light and easy to read

Optimized for readers (not for search engines)

Worth publishing on a respected brand’s website 🙂

Thank You so much, Best of Luck!

Aakshey Talwar

Founder,  WeavingThoughts.com