FAQ pages don't have to be boring! You can go beyond the dull business facts to capitalize on an incredible content marketing opportunity. Done right, they should help people move forward in the buying cycle by providing valuable information and linking to related pages. But they shouldn't be salesy. As a bonus, they're fertile ground for SEO strategy. You should include your main keyphrases where they make sense, in addition to those clickable backlinks. Remember, you want to help your customers get the info they need fast. That's how you provide quality content and write for your readers instead of writing for Google. And that's why I have one!

I realized the power of copy optimized for search engines when I was tasked to write keyphrase-infused blog posts for a law firm. I decided to enter this niche and invest in a certification course to build my SEO knowledge, and I learned some real treasures. Here are a few: SEO is not about writing for Google. It's about connecting with your readers because connections drive conversions. Quality content that delivers information consumers are looking for will always rank well. Give your readers what they want. Always answer, what's in it for me? How will your product/service improve their life? Keep that top of mind. Know your perfect customer personas. Who values your service, would benefit from it, and can pay for it? Are there multiple verticals within your customers? Speak to each of them. Write 10 reasons about what makes your company so good. Write benefits, not features. Your company's points of differentiation go on every piece of copy. Focus on 5 things when determining if a keyword is good: search volume, keyword density, its 12-month trend, who else positions for it on the SERP, and the related keywords report. Google Search Console is a great free tool to optimize your site, see a ranking report, and analyze reader behavior.

Yes! When I approach a writing project, I first provide an honest assessment of how long the project will take so deadlines can be set. Writing is time-intensive and I always take the time required to do the job right. The process that follows aligns with these steps: 1. Research - I dive deep into everything relevant I can find on the topic. Good writing is a product of thorough research. 2. Organizing Thoughts - I capture any intriguing facts or phrases in a notes section of my copy document. I start with a loose filter and winnow the information into more useful thoughts as I go. 3. Writing - I take my organized thoughts and fit them together, ensuring that my words come across clearly and flow naturally in my reader's mind. 4. Editing - I am ruthless, even with the copy I love the most, scrutinizing it over the sieve of questions like: Is this a necessary sentence? What value do these words add? Am I showing off here? The general guidelines I follow with everything I write is to above all connect with my reader, write how I speak, and focus on compelling, action-oriented copy. I've learned that less is more and clarity wins the day over cleverness. For more on my process, check out my blog post on three copywriting tips.

Certainly! If you want to give me a small project to see how I would write with your brand and what it's like to work with me, I'm open to that. I can write an SEO blog post, social media ads, outdoor lines, print ads, digital ads, or even a concept for a TV spot if you ask nicely. :)

I write at my best when I get to know the client I'm writing for and the story behind their brand. That usually means getting to meet the client (in person if possible), discussing their needs and hearing their requests straight from them. This also gives me a chance to ask some important questions like: Who is your perfect customer? What benefit statements are important to those customers? What is your unique sales proposition? Do you need me to create the SEO strategy and research the keyphrases? What one message do you most want to communicate? Then it's always helpful to have access to ask follow up questions as the project progresses.

So much. Many ad creatives dream of ending up on Madison Avenue. I was blessed to start my career there through the Multicultural Advertising Internship Program. I kept a daily log of my experiences and here are the main lessons I learned: Be open to criticism and let ideas die sometimes. A good creative is willing to let their favorite ideas die in favor of the client's or creative director's wishes. But a good creative also knows when to fight for and defend their idea. Don't be satisfied with mediocre work. You can always do better. It takes more time and effort to push yourself but it's always worth it. Great ad campaigns aren't product-focused. They're focused on whatever is shareable and memorable, with a brief tie into the brand. A brand isn't what it says, but what it does i.e. actually benefitting customers and improving their lives. Don't just write ads. Inject your brand into the culture, into the minds of readers. Ads are just like stories. They bring ideas to life. They need research, insight, emotion, truth, heroes, conflict and resolution. Approach ads like stories with the consumer as the protagonist. Your idea is only as good as you can make it sound. Good ideas start as bad examples. Clients I worked on: 7Up, Nissan, EOS, TD Bank, BNY Mellon, McDonald's.

Conversational, straightforward, and thorough, but also fun. When your number one goal is to connect with your reader, you have to 1. provide them information that helps solve a problem they have (straightforward) 2. convey it in a way they can understand (conversational) and 3. do it persuasively (thorough). But you also have to keep them engaged and maybe even make them smile (fun). All together, this writing style makes for copy that converts! However, different campaigns, mediums, and audiences call for different writing styles. One of my key strengths from working in an agency with clients across 12 sectors is that my writing style is highly adaptable and can resonate with any reader, from the senior looking for a retirement community to the 18-year-old looking for a bright future. Check out my writing style in action with my blog post about writing a better resume, and see how I can connect with you!

My songs are part of who I am and reveal a creative latitude in my brain few writers can claim. I use the same creative energy that fuels my musical compositions for my writing. The more synapses firing off original patterns in my brain, the better and fresher I write. The same ear that helps me play music helps me hear unique word combinations and how that sound would come across to an audience. Take a listen and enjoy.

I spent just over four years writing a historical fiction novel about three penniless orphans in London upon whom fortune smiles with an unexpected adventure to America in the late 1850s. It's over 100,000 words and tells the story of the futility of vengeance, the false promises of wealth and the coincidences of destiny that make life and friends so precious. I call it The Undertakers and it's my proudest writing achievement thus far. Professionally, I once wrote a 5-page article for the Zachry magazine in three days, which were a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, to meet a deadline, and the client had no edits to it. I'm also proud of the Pizza Patron website, which I wrote in its entirety.

My parents met in the Peace Corps and served for two years in Honduras. Their missionary spirit lived through their marriage and they decided to become missionaries again, this time for ten years, in Oaxaca, Mexico. So I was born there on Christmas Day. My name means "Gift from God" in Hebrew. Therefore, my life philosophy is to make a gift of myself, just as my parents did. We returned to San Antonio when I was just two years old and I missed out on speaking Spanish by a hair. But it may be for the best since learning English natively gave me a natural fluency and love for the language. Learn more about my story on my blog post about my journey to New York.