Webwriting – Paraphrase Online https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog Creative Writing Blog Wed, 13 Apr 2022 06:08:24 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.16 Rhetoric for a copywriter. How to form arguments https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/rhetoric-for-a-copywriter-how-to-form-arguments/ Mon, 01 Mar 2021 06:29:49 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=991 Continue readingRhetoric for a copywriter. How to form arguments]]> Argumentation is the essence of the rhetorical composition. The introduction leads to it, and the ending follows. About how to build arguments, what a syllogism and an entymem is, and what order of thought will be the most convincing.

Let us assume that you have created a text whose thesis or proposition is the sentence, It’s worth writing straightforwardly. Now it is necessary to justify this point of view in order to convince the recipient to it. The combination of convincing with justification is nothing more than argumentation.

Because, what is worth emphasizing, there is also persuasion without justification. You act under its influence if you choose a floor cleaner just because its brand is known, or if you go to a movie where all your friends were present, or drink blackcurrant juice when you have a cold, because it was considered effective in your family home. When you follow an example or herd instinct, you usually do not need justification and thus argumentation.

Thus, whether we are dealing with argumentation is determined by the justification. It also has its other side. When you argue in favor of a thesis, you indicate that it is not obvious and must be justified. So it is worth considering whether argumentation is always necessary.

How to build arguments

The argument consists of:
– premises that justify the thesis,
– thesis, i.e. the conclusion.

It is structured as follows: Because premise 1, premise 2, … .., therefore the conclusion, e.g. because the human foot was formed while walking barefoot, and the feet of young children are just developing, therefore footwear should give children’s feet such an opportunity to develop, as if they were walking barefoot.

Of course, the argument need not be worded because, then, though, such transitions increase the effectiveness of suggestion and facilitate acceptance.

Without transitions, the argument would go like this: A person’s foot was formed when walking barefoot. Little children’s feet are just developing. Footwear should therefore give children’s feet the opportunity to develop as if they were walking barefoot.

Let us have a look at the fluency of the arguments as presented by J. Iwaszkiewicz: There is an author behind the book. So his writing is always a letter to the reader. We usually write letters to friends. The book is the author’s letter to a friend.

If the recipient accepts that sentence A is true, he must also admit that sentence B is true. Sentence A is the basis for accepting sentence B. And so on. This reliable way of inference can take the following form, for example:
– Premise 1: Food without preservatives is healthy.
– Premise 2: Juice X contains no preservatives.
– Conclusion: Juice X is healthy.

Both premises have one term in common (preservatives), each term of the application is included in one premise (healthy – in the first, juice x – in the second). This is how a syllogism arises. The greater premise contains a general truth, the smaller one – a detailed one, the conclusion follows logically from two premises.

When I say that Juice X does not contain preservatives, so it is healthy, I will ignore the first premise (Food without preservatives is healthy), because I will take it for granted. This is how an entymemma is created.

An entymemma can also refute a theorem, and in this role it has even greater power. In the inference Adam could not have committed the crime, I have known him since he was a child, the premise Adam is good by nature was hidden.

However, breaking arguments in an advertisement is dangerous. Now, when we fight a claim, we emphasize, as Perelman writes, that it has “sufficient strength that we must go to the trouble of resisting it.” It will be more advantageous not to invoke counter arguments unnecessarily. “Otherwise, we most often risk enhancing their meaning and presence.” – explains Perelman.

Aristotle attached great importance to enthymmas. However, he emphasized that they should be intertwined with the argument from time to time. In too high a density, they will hurt each other. “For simultaneous movements deny each other: they either destroy completely or weaken one another.” – he explains, and it is a universal truth about language. Entymems will not help to evoke emotion either, because “either the emotion will vanish or the enthem will be used in vain.”

Take care of the recipient’s favor

So what you need to care about the most is the favor of the recipient. Nowadays, it is straightforwardly said that effective arguments are those that are tailored to the audience. Therefore, the starting point should be the theses recognized earlier by those to whom we address.

This is why Aristotle advised: “When speaking, we must always pay attention to whether our audience has the same understanding as we are talking about. For it is likely that such things are easier for them to believe. “

When preparing the argument, we must first of all take care of being favorable to the premises. If we take a point of view that is denied by the audience, we will be mistaken.

The premises may concern reality (Mastering a foreign language is not innate) and desirable things (the way to master a foreign language is systematic).

Even a seemingly obvious rule, such as: If you learn 10 new words every day, improve your knowledge of a foreign language, you may not gain the favor of recipients who say that efficient use of a foreign language is the result of inborn talent.

In what order to present the arguments

First of all: should the argument follow the thesis or lead to it? Cicero claimed that when we want to convince the audience, the first order will work, when we move – the second.

In this series, I propose to present the main idea at the beginning. This approach will be useful in both advertising and expert text, and above all, it is consistent with the knowledge about how we read from the screen. In an online article, the passages above have a greater chance of being noticed, read and remembered.

And in what order are the arguments arranged? The rhetoric theorists distinguished ascending, descending and Nestorian order.

If your audience is interested and sympathetic, you can afford to argue from the weakest to the strongest. The ascending order gives the author a certain comfort. When the recipient accepts weaker arguments, he will become more open to accepting stronger ones.

In the case of indifferent and reluctant recipients, a falling order is better. You start with the strongest arguments. If the strongest argument is accepted, so are the weaker ones.

However, both orders have their weaknesses, which Perelman pointed out. “The weakness of the ascending order is that, starting with the weakest arguments, it discourages the [speaker] audience, it damages its prestige and badly affects the attention given to its speech. The descending order, ending the speech with the weakest arguments, makes a bad impression on the audience, usually the only one that they will remember. ” – explains the author.

The compromise ensures the Nestorian order. This honorable name comes from Nestor, who in the Iliad arranged the military ranks so that the strongest were at the head and at the rear, and the weakest in the middle.

This system intuitively created by the ancients has been confirmed by research into the primacy and freshness effects. What is at the beginning of the text has a chance to be permanently remembered by the reader, while what at the end may have a short but strong impact on him. The effect of freshness appears right after reading the content and does not last long.

How to compose a whole

Bert Decker advises you to first write down each idea on a separate piece of paper. Then analyze the ideas, discard some of the ideas, and categorize the rest with a title. According to the classic rule, 3 key points should be added to the final version. Each of them should contain 3 sub-points (arguments).

Below I will present a diagram of such an argumentation that could support a point of view: It’s worth writing simply. I used the Nestorian order, i.e. I started and ended with stronger key points.

Key point 1: Reading from the screen
– On the Internet, the reader is task-oriented and wants to complete the task quickly and effectively.
– When reading from the screen, the appearance of the text is as important as its content, and the short words and sentences, characteristic of a simple style, are easier to catch the eye.
– When reading from a small screen, the memory is overloaded and the pace of reading difficult texts drops significantly.

Key point 2: Brand language
– Language expresses the personality of the brand. Especially the service feeling is mainly based on language.
– The formal style is intimidating, it blows cold from it and these feelings translate into the perception of the brand.
– Written communication becomes more informal. This is one of the main directions of modern language development.

Key point 3: Good impression
– Simple language makes us sound more intelligent.
– We overly complicate the statement when we want to hide uncertainty.
– What you say or write will make more sense to others if they understand more. They recognize that because you express yourself clearly, you can think so too.

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Store in a domain or subdomain? https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/store-in-a-domain-or-subdomain/ Thu, 12 Nov 2020 06:24:54 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=833 Continue readingStore in a domain or subdomain?]]> Are you planning to open an online store, but you are not entirely sure where to put it? Check out our short guide and adjust its location to the needs of your e-commerce! Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of individual solutions, thanks to which your store will quickly become a popular spot in the Google search engine. Directory, subdomain or domain? Choose wisely!

What’s what in this puzzle

DOMAIN – a series of characters that allows you to define the scope of the website within the DNS (Domain Name System). The domain consists of two parts – the main name and the ending, most often specifying the language and country associated with the website.

SUBDOMAIN – an address created within the existing main domain. The address that starts with www is also a subdomain.

CATALOG – folder within the main domain.

The basic component of an online store

The first half of 2020 will forever be a period of many changes. Along with the slowdown in the economy and the closure of stationary outlets, part of the business moved to the Internet. A lot of online stores have been created, and are still being built, that support the activities of entrepreneurs so far, and probably many of them will decide to continue online sales also in the coming months and years – not only due to the pandemic.

The main task of the store is sales – it is no different in the case of its virtual version. Like the stationary, the Internet version requires appropriate preparation, which will enable existing customers to conveniently shop. With the creation of an online store, the possibility of reaching new recipients also opens up.

When taking a step towards the sales website, it is worth getting acquainted with the rules that will allow us to quickly start in the search engine. They include, among others the need to act in accordance with the recommendations for optimization for search engines, especially Google.

Subdomain or catalog – where to put the store?

One of the first problems that business may encounter when moving to the Internet is the need to make a decision related to the location of the store. If the current website of the company was informative – and we want to maintain it – the online store may appear next to the current page – in a subdomain or catalog.

The decision regarding the location of the store is crucial due to the visibility of the domain in the search engine. Older domains that have an established position in Google and lead customers to a brick-and-mortar store should not be abruptly modified and, for example, completely rebuilt into an online store. Changing the URL structure, changing the content and layout of the website may result in the loss of existing positions and de facto mean the need to position the store’s website from the beginning.

On the other hand, the main goal of some websites is to deliver content, and the associated store – despite the thematic consistency – is to be a separate entity, serving, for example, to sell 2-3 own products. Goods from this type of online stall will be sold mainly through blog entries and posts in social media, and its visibility in SERPs will be much less important.

So … shop in the catalog or in the subdomain? Or maybe a new domain? Let’s check the pros and cons of these solutions and how Google looks at them!

Positioning the store in the catalog

Developing an existing website by adding a store to it will keep the existing structure and position of the website in the search engine. It is possible that the enlargement associated with the addition of new categories and product pages will have a very positive effect on existing items. And vice versa – higher deposits of old subpages and traffic on them will allow for a better start with new ones.

The appearance of additional pages on the website gives new opportunities for internal linking. Thanks to this, both the older part of the website and the newer one will work for each other by supporting user navigation on the website and accelerating indexing of new content and products.

Behind the success of such a solution, however, is the earlier correct construction and optimization of the website. Further optimization work should take into account the entire page, i.e. modifications for keywords should be broken down into the entire domain, and not only within the newly added directory. Among other potential problems, it is also worth mentioning the payback in terms of website construction and the risks associated with changing its performance. The launch of the store requires technical modifications, the end result of which may be a slowdown of the website.

Before starting the store, it is worth making sure that our server will withstand additional traffic, and the technical solutions used will allow for trouble-free use of the entire website. You will also need to make sure that the domain is properly secured, i.e. it is covered by an SSL certificate. In the absence of a certificate, after implementing it, redirect the domain to a new address, starting with https: //, which may confuse the positions also for the old part of the website.

If the current website was based on one of the most popular CMSs, adding a store to it will be relatively easy. In the case of WordPress, a new store can be set up using the WooCommerce plugin. The VirtueMart component works well for Joomla.

Positioning the store on a subdomain

The decision to create a store on a subdomain means that you have to build your website from scratch. A subdomain – even though it is linked with the main domain – functions as a separate entity on the Internet. This is also considered by Google. It is true that the representatives of the search engine claim that robots combine subdomains and domains, but one does not affect the visibility of the other.

Putting the store on a subdomain, however, can be a good solution for those companies that want to separate their current activity from the store and limit possible changes in the amount of traffic on an existing website. This type of solution works well for bloggers – the store is built on a subdomain, thanks to which it does not disturb the normal work of the blog, while allowing the purchase of products.

A subdomain can also be a good solution for those who wish to sell their products in another country. According to the art of positioning, it is recommended to buy a separate domain for each country, with the extension appropriate for the language of the country to which it is to be addressed, but it is not always available. In this case – taking into account the potential difficulties in ranking – you can decide to create a store in the subdomain. This trick will work especially if our domain ending is .com.

Putting your store in a subdomain is not much different than building it on a separate domain – it is necessary to create the entire website infrastructure from scratch. However, this has its advantages – other technical solutions can be used on the website, without the risk of damaging the existing architecture, and thus – also the results of an already functioning domain. In addition, a fresh store may be in the testing phase for some time and undergo further modifications aimed at finding ideal solutions – the lack of a direct link to the main domain will not have a negative impact on its position.

Subdomain or directory? Alternative solutions for the store

The motivation to transfer sales activities to the network for each entrepreneur may be different, hence the multitude of solutions facilitating this jump. For those smaller, who plan to support their current activity through an online store, there is one more solution – a platform that provides ready-made stores. Pros? The prices of the smallest subscriptions are a few dollars per month, and all maintenance and security issues are on the side of the software supplier. The downside of this solution is the lack of your own domain – the store is created on a subdomain within an external website, which prevents its effective promotion in the search engine. The use of SaaS programs, however, allows you to quickly start sales and it will certainly work for bloggers who have one or two of their own electronic products, e.g. e-books.

Subdomain or catalog? Yes, Google says …

As I mentioned above, Google points out that web robots associate subdomains with main domains, also from the search engine perspective, the choice of one or the other solution should not be of great importance.

The subdomain is treated as a separate page, therefore it must be authenticated in Google Search Console – regardless of whether the home page is already connected to the console.

In practice, most positioners will suggest choosing a catalog. In our opinion, the history of the domain, links referring to it and the current visibility is an excellent basis for building a larger website. Expanding the existing content – especially under the supervision of a specialist – will allow for a faster start of a new part and may have a positive impact on subpages that have previously worked for high positions.

A similar debate – subdomain or catalog – may also apply to the location of the blog. Just like in the store, the blog should be associated with the main domain and left within it.

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Writing about knowledge. Expert text composition https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/writing-about-knowledge-expert-text-composition/ Thu, 20 Aug 2020 07:02:46 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=674 Continue readingWriting about knowledge. Expert text composition]]> The composition of the expert text should facilitate understanding and remembering knowledge. Start with what is the hardest or easiest? In what order should the information be provided so as not to overwhelm the reader? Maybe it’s better to mix everything up?

In what order should the information be arranged? – is one of the most common questions about writing expert articles. There are many answers. Unfortunately, none of them will ever be the only right one. Because what we want to say affects how we arrange the content.

For example, the rule of the inverted pyramid (consisting of the fact that we start with the most important information and end with irrelevant details) will work in the news, but it is unlikely to be useful in the scientific text in which the most important conclusions are drawn at the end.

In the “Writing about knowledge” series I stick to the assumption that an expert article resembles a lesson. Therefore, knowledge should not only be clearly laid out, but also easier to remember. If so, it is good to know a rule governing memory that can affect both the structure of a good lesson and a successful expert article.

What effect on remembering takes place in a row

Almost 150 years ago, psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus began researching memory. He created over 2,000 meaningless syllables (such as RUL or HAL) and created lists of them, consisting of 7-36 elements. Then he memorized each list by heart and wrote down how many times he had to repeat the syllables to flawlessly recreate the whole.

He came to the conclusion that it is easier to remember the items beginning and ending the list than those inside.

For example, if the list contains 9 words, a person will remember on average 70% of the first three words, 40% of the three middle and 60% of the last three words.

But the order of reminding will be the reverse. Now, if someone would give you a list of vocabulary to teach, and then ask you to say or write down the words you recall, you would probably be the first to think of the words at the end of the list. It’s an effect of freshness. Then you recall the words that appeared at the beginning. This is a priority effect.

Why does the place in the row affect the ability to remember? There are many explanations.

We devote more attention to what is at the beginning, and therefore there is a greater chance that we will repeat this information and transfer it to long-term memory. However, the last words for a moment after reading the content remain in short-term memory and can be quickly extracted from there.

Please note that what is at the beginning and at the end is not remembered the same. The difference is in how you remember. The priority effect benefits from the benefits of long-term memory, while the effect of freshness – short-term.

Conclusions for writers?

What will appear at the beginning of the text has a chance to be saved permanently in the memory of the reader, while what at the end may briefly, but strongly, influence him. The effect of freshness appears just after reading the content and does not last long.

It’s good to start the expert text with the most difficult issues and end with an effective punch line or emotional appeal.

How to start with what is most important

Suppose you are writing a text about motivation. To emphasize the main thought, you can start e.g.

Motivation consists of two feelings. First of all: the belief that what you are going to do is useful. Second: faith that you can do the job.

Specialists from the Nielsen Norman Group, an organization that has been dealing with user experience for over 20 years, advise you to start the online text with a summary of the most important information.

Articles on nngroup.com are preceded by a short paragraph, announced by the word highlighted in red. An example summary reads, e.g .:

Users expect the “About Us” page to be transparent, authentic and understandable. They compare its content with the opinions of clients to create a full opinion about the company before proposing business cooperation or applying for a job.

Even if you fail to formulate the lid in this way, you still have the chance to take advantage of the priority effect. Why? Because the most important beginning for the reader is not the beginning.

The authors of one study divided the articles into 5 parts and checked in which of them the focus is on the most. In the case of articles considered later useful, the participants devoted the most attention not to the exact beginning of the text (0-20% of the content), but to the next part (20-40%).

Readers expect to find the most useful content here. To convince the reader to read, it is necessary to get to the point as soon as possible (but not immediately), and not just to tempt and encourage.

The beginning influences which pattern is arranged in the mind of the recipient, and therefore what he will expect. So, if the beginning of the article is not very substantial, the reader will be afraid that the rest will also not meet his expectations.

In the article you are reading now, I devoted the beginning of the text to research because, in my opinion, they are the most difficult part of it, and they are also supposed to convince the reader that the text is reliable.

The priority effect applies not only to the beginning of the entire text, but also to specific paragraphs or sentences.

In one study, each of the two groups received one sentence about Steve’s traits. The features were the same in both cases, but in a different order. How would you rate Steve if you found out he was “smart, urgent, critical, impulsive and jealous,” and how would you know that he was “jealous, impulsive, critical, urgent and smart”?

Does he seem more sympathetic after reading the first sentence, and more antipathetic after reading the second? Although the results of this study are more complex, one of the experiments proves the existence of a priority effect, resulting from the place of the word in the sentence.

How to manage the rest of the text

We’ve established that we start with what is most important and the most difficult. And what about the part that most often escapes memory, i.e. the middle of the text?

After what is important and difficult, go to what is simple and less new (in this article this is the part you are reading now). Then a cutscene may appear, e.g. a movie, an image.

Remember to always place captions under the pictures in the expert text. Many studies confirm that we read them several times more often than the main text. In addition, which is unique in online reading, we read them carefully, and some even start reading from the signatures.

As you approach the end of the article, you can take advantage of the freshness effect and move on to more difficult information (in this article it is a part about interlacing). It is best to close the expert text with a summary. I ended the article with bullets, but if you want to suggest something more original to the reader, you can, for example, draw a mind map.

Of course, you will not always be able to arrange the information in this way. Anyway, the division into easy and difficult is a subjective matter. An easy-to-follow passage does not have to be such in the reader’s eyes.

Fortunately, you don’t always have to act in line with the row effect. You can also … work around it. To do this, you need to know its limitations.

When the effect of a place in a row loses meaning

The priority effect is less pronounced when the individual elements are presented to the reader quickly. So it may not occur when you scan quickly. We also feel it less when the text is long.

Limited effect also has a freshness effect. If something distracts the reader’s attention right after reading it, this effect may not appear at all.

Unfortunately, the priority effect also makes it difficult to remember later messages. This is because we reject information that is not consistent with the information presented previously.

In other words, if the recipient accepts the first message, he will reject the next ones that contradict him. He finds it unreliable. So if you want to present different points of view, announce it early enough. So I did in this article:

There are many answers. Unfortunately, none of them will ever be the only right one. Because what we want to say affects how we arrange the content.

Above all, however, the effect of place in a row occurs most often when information is not varied. So, to get around it, you need to take care of diversity.

Why interleaving helps to understand

The creators of one study wanted to find out whether interlacing can affect the ability to better recognize the artist’s style. Study participants viewed the paintings of 12 more and less known artists. Half of the students watched the works gathered in blocks, i.e. for example 6 Braque landscapes, 6 Cross and so on.

The other half watched mixed landscapes, so one image of Braque, then one of Cross and others. Then, the subjects were to see other landscapes of the same artists and subordinate them to their names.

The results of the study were surprising. Well, the group that studied mixed works came out a lot better. How is this possible?

“Interleaving examples, skills or concepts helps us, it seems, not only to see the differences between them, but also to better capture each thing individually.” – Benedict Carey.

According to Carey, interlacing, thanks to the element of surprise, prepares the brain for the unknown. It is an adventure. The moment we see something unrelated to the rest, our brain begins to work harder to answer the question Where did it come from?

There is another reason why those who saw mixed images passed the test with a better result. Well, the test questions are usually mixed up. So if we recognize different types of tasks while learning, it will be easier for us to match the solution to them when they appear during the knowledge test. Interlacing teaches you to choose from various problems.

The meaning of interlacing is easier to refer to, let’s assume mathematics, but can this be the way to learn history? Of course! Instead of an outline of the city’s history, you can offer the reader a collection of secrets associated with it.

Let’s say you run a Facebook page dedicated to the history of French cinema. Your subsequent entries do not have to relate to chronologically arranged events. What’s more, you can mix trivia about actors with fragments of reviews or film riddles. The more content types you mix, the better.

Perhaps one of the reasons for the popularity of Facebook pages is precisely that they actually force the author to such interlacing.

How to use interleaving in an article

However, if you want to use the benefits of interlacing in the article, you must first of all provide diversity to the reader. Just like Neil Patel does. His article on how to optimize the link description could consist of text only.

And Patel is different. About once every 400 characters, an image appears in the article. The graphics are varied. These are diagrams, diagrams, charts, screenshots, fragments of infographics. In almost each of these paintings we see a trace of the author’s interference, and thus arrows and explanations.

To make the content even more attractive, you can go a step further and prepare a visual note.

If you place the movie more or less in the middle of the text, it will act as an interlude.

And if you do not plan to include images or movies in the text, because they simply do not match your content? Then you can interweave not so much types of content (e.g. text, image, film) as types of statements (e.g. story, commentary, example).

However, in order for this diversity not to overwhelm the reader, you need to prepare something for him …

Prepare a cream cake

A strange headline, right? But because it stands out, you will probably remember it better than the others. I do not mean dessert, but the most effective way of reading on the internet.

Well, internet readers have long discovered that scanning can be as beneficial as reading, although it costs less time and effort.

And it is not at all cynical, as it may seem. Well, reading on the internet usually serves to perform a task. One reads carefully online, not so much because of laziness but because of the need for efficiency. Recipients want to complete the task quickly and efficiently.

The internet reader is very busy. He wants to get an exhaustive answer and knows that he probably won’t find it in one place, so he opens several pages at once. Yours is one of them. The challenge for you is to facilitate this search.

And what does this have to do with the cream cake?

Well, the most effective way to read from the screen is not at all like the notorious letter F, but a cream cake. The headings are layers of cream, and the text between them – a cake.

The reader’s eye focuses on the title and subheadings. Sometimes the eyes glide over the text below, until you can locate the content you are looking for. From this moment the recipient reads carefully.

Yes, there is also careful reading on the internet. Recipients read carefully when they believe they are in the best place to get information.

To enable the reader to read in the style of cream cakes, you should write concise and encouraging headlines. They cannot announce too much or too little. The headlines should also stand out graphically to increase the functionality of the site.

Summary

– What is at the beginning of the text has a chance to be saved permanently in the memory of the reader.
– What is at the end may briefly, but have a stronger impact on it.
– The most important beginning of the text is not the very beginning, but the content within the first 20-40%.
– From the most difficult it is good to go to what is simple and less new, then serve the reader a break, then take up more difficult issues and end with a summary.
– To bypass the effect of space in a row, take care of diversity and use the interlacing principle.
– You will make it easier for the reader to complete the task if you enable him to read the cream-style cake.

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How to optimize PDF files for SEO? https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/how-to-optimize-pdf-files-for-seo/ Thu, 07 May 2020 05:31:20 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=588 Continue readingHow to optimize PDF files for SEO?]]> Regulations, price lists, reports, offers, increasingly popular e-books – all these documents have one thing in common – PDF format. It allows for easy, accessible and aesthetic transfer of a large portion of information. However, it turns out that PDF files can help positioning a website. For this to happen, however, the PDF document must be optimized accordingly. It’s not hard. The myth is that PDFs are difficult for Google robots to index in SERPs. But how do you make documents saved in this format help SEO?

PDF file – the most important information

PDF, or Portable Document Format, is a document format designed by Adobe. Established in 1992. Work on the PDF was ongoing as part of the Camelot project. The PDF format was primarily to be used to convert paper documents to digital. The creators of Portable Document Format have also set themselves the goal of ensuring that electronic versions of documents can be sent to anywhere, displayed and printed on any computer. Today we know that this goal has been achieved.

PDF has gained considerable popularity over the years and is used to create various content. The widespread use is due to the many advantages of PDF files. The most important are:
– easy to open PDF files on most computers,
– simple navigation within the document, which facilitates the efficient reading of even long texts,
– the ability to prepare materials in this format for printing,
– small size of documents,
– easy transfer of PDF files.

Google indexes PDF files?

PDF files have been used for years. For a very long time one of the myths was that PDFs could not be indexed by Google search engine. However, reports indicate that search engines with this file format have been doing very well since 2001, as long as they are not password protected or encrypted. The content of PDF files is analyzed by Google robots in the same way as the content contained in the page code. The case with links that are in the PDF document looks the same. Simply put, Google search treats links from PDF files in the same way as HTML links. The only difference is that for PDFs you cannot set nofollow attributes. All this shows that for Google search engine it doesn’t matter if the content is placed in a PDF or HTML document. For SEO, the most important thing is relevant content and its keyword saturation.

When it comes to indexing PDF files, it’s worth noting that search engines really like them. They are often much higher in search results than traditional HTML files. Despite this, many companies still do not use the potential of PDFs in positioning.

How to optimize PDF for search engine?

For PDF documents to have a positive impact on SEO, they must be properly optimized. This gives them a chance to display high in search engine results. It is worth remembering that in order for PDF to affect SEO, it should be text-based, which only gives bots the option of loading content. Therefore, if you want to use PDFs for SEO, you cannot place them as an image – the search engine will not load it and will not take it into account at all. How to further prepare the PDF file?

Name it – the title of the PDF should reflect its content and contain keywords; this will allow Google robots to determine what is in the document; rules that should be followed: it is a title about 50 – 70 characters long, natural and encouraging to click on the link; the PDF title can be completed in the wizard; it allows not only to enter the title, but also the author, subject and keywords; it is best to complete all fields;

Take care of the PDF file size – the smaller the document size, the faster the page loads; this is not only positive for SEO, but also provides comfort for web users; the easiest way to reduce the PDF file size is to choose medium or optimal quality instead of the highest when saving or exporting a document; it is worth noting here that smaller files are faster indexed by search engines;

Choose a URL – the PDF should have a friendly URL; sometimes it is broadcast automatically by CMS; however, you must check whether it is too long; too long a link is not good for SEO and does not meet user-friendly rules; short addresses can not only be easier to remember by the user, but also look good in search results; the URL does not translate directly into SEO, but the keywords contained in it will be highlighted in the search engine and thus are more visible to the user;

Add ALT attributes – in PDF files, apart from text, there may be photos / pictures; if they are listed, the ALT and title attributes should be completed; this data must be completed with each graphic; this will help robots read PDF better;

Link internally – for PDF files to actually impact SEO, they must be internally linked; the content of the documents should include links to the internal subpages of the website and thus indicate relevant sections of the page to Google bots and Internet users;

Optimize content and avoid duplicate content – the text that is contained in the PDF document must be prepared in accordance with the same rules as those per page; this means that you need to optimize your document; it includes content saturation with keywords, the use of subheadings, paragraphs, bullets, graphics, tables, italics, bold; the text in the PDF should also be valuable, useful and provide the necessary information to the reader; it cannot be copied from other files or websites – search engines will treat this as duplicate content.

Adapt PDF to mobile devices – UX issues are very important for SEO; are preparing an e-book or manuals in PDF, it is worth thinking about mobile device users; In order for the document to be easily read on the phone or tablet, it is important to use the right font size, matching the file to the screen size, ensuring readability and visibility of the images.

PDF files – is it worth positioning them for SEO?

The use of PDF files for SEO has its undoubted advantages. Note, however, that in some cases you may encounter navigation problems between the PDF file and the rest of the site. You also lose full control over the length and organization of content – content placed in PDF cannot be placed via CRM. Speaking of disadvantages, you must also remember that PDF documents are not as flexible as HTML pages – they do not have code that can be modified in any way. Still, using PDFs for SEO is profitable and worthwhile. It is worth to bet above all when:

– There are many PDF documents that have already been created and they are of great substantive value to users;
– Developing a PDF document is more aesthetic and transparent in terms of UX than placing text on an HTML page;
– The content is specially prepared for printing or downloading, e.g. e-books, brochures, price lists, regulations, leaflets, etc.
– Creating separate subpages, i.e. converting PDF to HTML would be too expensive and time consuming.

The possibilities that you have in using PDF in SEO are many – we are limited only by imagination. In PDF form you can save all documents created by the company, both of practical and marketing significance. Saturating them with internal links and keywords will allow you to use PDFs as another tool to help your website rank in the search engine.

The PDF format is the universal one, easy to use and distribute. It is often used to create various documents, including those with a marketing tone. PDF files can contain substantive guides, useful ebooks, leaflets, brochures, quotes. They are also a great tool for creating user manuals or instructions, regulations, price lists, etc. From the point of view of SEO PDF is not an ideal format, but extremely useful. Its proper preparation will bring benefits in the form of an increase in the CTR index and an increase in the level of traffic to the website (including organic results), and will also translate into the website SEO results.

Summary

– PDF files can “wander like hamsters” so take care of all attributes in the file, especially the correct linking to services or products – thanks to which you will get extra traffic
– it is good to prepare a template on letterhead with an active link to the home page on the website
– file repositories are great at SEO – especially where you sell services (e.g. legal) or devices (e.g. user manuals)
– apart from PDF files, DOCs position well
– if you want to have traffic from Google Graphics save the PDF file as an image and optimize
– you can use UTMs to track traffic from PDF files
– do not duplicate content from a page in PDF
– a page with embedded PDF can be very strongly linked and popular, and then cross-canonical to another subpage simply does not work
– use PDF files as training materials – they index well and generate traffic
– if you have a lot of educational videos, prepare a transcription and upload it to a PDF file (if you do not have space on the page)
– if you use external issue service to embed directories – quit – build your own repository and keep the client at your place. Well, unless you don’t have an IT structure for it.

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How to check copywriter skills and competences of a copywriter agency? https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/how-to-check-copywriter-skills-and-competences-of-a-copywriter-agency/ Mon, 06 Apr 2020 05:45:36 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=556 Continue readingHow to check copywriter skills and competences of a copywriter agency?]]> Good content is the basis for effective activities in the field of broadly understood internet marketing. However, what if – despite the extensive knowledge of the products / services offered – you are not able to put specific words in the right words? Hire a copywriter or copywriter, but check their skills beforehand. This is important if you want the content ordered to bring the expected results.

Anyone can theoretically be a copywriter – and most people come out with this assumption, which can often be seen in ongoing assignments. Some think that writing is easy, because what is the difficulty of creating a text based on many source materials. While a dozen or so years ago the group of people writing custom-made texts was quite narrow, now there is a fashion for being a copywriter.

What does this mean for you – as a company commissioning the creation of lyrics? On the one hand, more copywriters mean more competition and the ability to negotiate rates. On the other hand, there is a greater risk that you entrust the text to the wrong person – one who, although he has the most sincere intentions, will not be able to create good quality text.

How not to make a mistake and choose a good copywriter?

Nothing prevents you from reaching a good copywriter. trial and error method. This is a good solution if:
– you have a lot of time and you can wait for good text,
– you have a large budget and are able to pay for texts that you will never use.

However, I assume that you are not going to waste time and want to immediately start working with a copywriter that will meet your expectations. To make this happen, it’s worth checking his skills at the beginning – you will do it in a few simple steps.

A. Read the texts on the website
The copywriter’s website is his business card and it can be a valuable source of information about the quality of the texts offered. However, just as you don’t judge a book by its cover, you shouldn’t just limit yourself to this step. Writing texts for one’s own needs is completely different than commissioned.

B. Review the portfolio
The portfolio is another element thanks to which you can get to know the copywriter’s workshop. You will learn what type of texts he has on his account and what subjects he undertook. However, you must remember that the portfolio includes only selected projects – usually these are the best works. Therefore, it is worth making a correction – especially if the quality leaves much to be desired.

C. Have the sample text written
There is no better way to verify a copywriter than to check your skills in practice. Therefore, write a sample text on the topic you specified. Thanks to this, you will find out whether you expect such style and quality. However, here too, you must bear in mind that the sample text will be written with special care – because who would not like to do the best. So if in this case you have any bigger reservations, it makes no sense to cooperate.

How to check the competences of a copywriting agency?

There are far fewer copywriter agencies than freelance copywriters, but in this case you can’t make blind choices. You can easily check her competences, thanks to which you are likely to establish fruitful cooperation that will not end with a single job.

A. Get to know the website
The copywriter agency will definitely have its own website on which you can make your first selection. Although you can expect a slightly different nature of content, you can easily evaluate texts in terms of quality.

B. Check the implementation
Past implementations can tell a lot about the agency’s competences. Familiarize yourself with the portfolio to assess the quality of texts other than your own. You already know that these are written completely differently. Warning! If you are going to commission the agency to write a highly technical text, see if the company was dealing with this type of implementation. It is also worth verifying whether the agency has already carried out orders for this particular industry.

C. Have the sample text written
Just like in the case of freelancer verification, you can also ask the agency to write a sample text. Warning! If the sample text meets your expectations, make sure that the same copywriter will carry out the correct task. Thanks to this, you will avoid a completely different person creating target texts.

Review the sample text

To find out about the copywriter’s skills, evaluate the sample text you received. It is worth doing in at least three fields.

A. Possible Errors
The resulting text should be error free. While some factual errors can be turned a blind eye (especially in difficult and specific industries), spelling errors are not acceptable. It is good if the content is also free of linguistic or stylistic errors. Remember! Since serious mishaps occur in the trial text (certainly “pimped”), you are likely to expect more faults in target orders.

B. Verification for duplicate
Duplicate content is unacceptable for two reasons: one is duplicate content seen through Google’s eyes, and the other is ethical issues related to the theft of someone else’s work. If at least part of the text is a faithful copy of other content, there is a problem. You are not sure if this will not happen again in the future. However, take into account what results from the duplicate fragment. Perhaps the full name of the act repeats, or are these formulas required for descriptions of dietary supplements, etc.? If so, then the copywriter is somehow justified.

C. SEO Rules
Although the text is intended to be targeted at potential customers, it must also be Google friendly. Therefore, it should meet at least the basic principles of SEO, including contain specific keywords, different headlines, highlights of key fragments, etc.

It’s not just the workshop that counts …

Although the quality of the texts ordered plays the most important role, not only the workshop matters. If you care about long-term contacts, you need to consider several other aspects. They are slightly different when working with a copywriter and different when working with a copywriter agency.

Cooperation with a copywriter – freelancer

If you intend to cooperate with a freeelancer, it is worth paying attention to two main issues.

A. Contact
Note the communication with the copywriter. How fast does it respond to emails? Does he answer the phone? This is very important because it allows you to immediately exchange messages and avoid misunderstandings, etc.

B. Agreement
The agreement protects not only the copywriter’s interests, but also yours. So sign the document, taking into account many key issues, including scope of work, deadline, penalties in the event of non-performance.

Cooperation with a copywriting agency

If you want to work with a copywriting agency, it’s worth:

– ask people from the same industry if they have used this type of service – perhaps they will recommend a specific copywriting agency,
– contact the agency’s client and ask about the assessment of the course of cooperation,
– talk to a company employee from the same industry about cooperation with a copywriting agency, e.g. on the occasion of an industry meeting, conference, etc.

The volume of the order can help in making the decision – if the scope of work is to be large, then it is better to report to the agency. Why? Freelancer may have a problem with the timely implementation of a large job. Regardless of whether you decide to cooperate with a free copywriter or you want to establish cooperation with an agency, ask about the possibility of signing the so-called confidentiality agreement. This is an important issue – especially if you are going to provide sensitive information about your company.

The above tips are just a few of the most important issues that will make finding a copywriter for long-term collaboration easier. The basis is not only limited to the portfolio, but also decide to prepare a sample text – even if it is to be paid.

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Errors in Google Ads https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/errors-in-google-ads/ Thu, 02 Apr 2020 05:56:18 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=547 Continue readingErrors in Google Ads]]> One of the most important elements of successful online promotion are ads that appear before Internet users in the Google search network. These ads – as the first element of contact with the advertiser’s offer – should be conspicuous, arouse the interest of network users and encourage them to interact, i.e. click and go to the landing page, where eventually the conversion will be possible.

For an advertising campaign to work, the ads must meet Google’s requirements. Below are some of the most common errors that can be an obstacle to the display of Google Ads text ads. At the same time, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that in some cases new ads may be accepted “from the machine” and displayed until Google notes that they are inconsistent with the company’s policy. That is why from the very beginning it is worth ensuring compliance with advertising rules.

Potential errors in the Google Ads campaign

Items that may cause your ad to be rejected or disapproved:

– no editorial requirements met – Google cares about the high quality of advertisements and the message presented to Internet users. For this reason, it may block texts that are not transparent or professional, i.e. texts that:

– they present too short and general ads containing unclear information or abbreviations that are difficult to understand,

– exceed the permissible number of characters,

– they contain too many special characters, punctuation and symbols, e.g. exclamation marks, question marks, etc.,

– contain illegal punctuation in the header, e.g. exclamation marks,

– are a combination of different characters, e.g. 4DID4S,
– use only uppercase letters, e.g. HIGH-QUALITY SILK SHIRTS, RICH COLOR OFFER. BUY NOW,
– they were written contrary to the rules of spelling or grammar
– they contain a too general or mismatched call to action, eg “Click here”,
– they contain emoticons in addition to standard text,
– they have too many or too few spaces between characters / words,
– they have a phone number in the content of the ad,

– no min. 2 headers – Google currently allows (in standard, so-called extended text ads) to use up to 3 headers and 2 lines of text. There is no obligation to use the third heading and the second line of text, but for the advertisement to be accepted it must have at least 2 headers,

– illegal content in advertising text – this is content related to products that cannot be advertised as part of Google Ads, e.g. alcohol, medicines, gambling. Please also note that Google may preventively disapprove content that “associates” with prohibited products,

– illegal content on the landing page – as above, this is content about products that are prohibited from advertising. An example would be the situation of one of our customers who had T-shirts in their offer printed with glasses of champagne. Information about the overprint, which was included in the product description on the page, resulted in the rejection of ads,

– promoting counterfeit products – since Google absolutely prohibits the advertising and sale of counterfeits, all products that only imitate the features of a particular brand will not be accepted or will be rejected,

– shocking, offensive, erotic, promoting hatred, intolerance, discrimination or violence – Google pays special attention to mutual respect and tries not to offend the feelings of Internet users. For this reason, it is not possible to advertise, e.g. firearms, products targeted at a selected ethnic group or use vulgar language in the content of advertisements,

– content impossible to verify – slogans such as: “Manufacturer of the best coffee grinders”, “Running shoes No. 1 in the world”, “Most frequently bought dietary supplements”, “The best diet catering – no competition has any chance with us”,

– problems arising from the landing page – Google very much wants internet users clicking on ads to be satisfied with what they will see after switching to the website. The landing page must therefore first of all work and be useful for Internet users. The following page issues may cause your ads to be disapproved:

– targeting ads to a dead landing page,
– no connection between the displayed URL and the actual website address, e.g. “google.com” redirects the internet user to “gmail.com”,
– it is not possible to display the page in standard browsers,
– no possibility to click the “Back” button in the browser.

The great advantage of the Google Ads system is the fact that after rejecting the ad, there is no need to combine and guess what could be the reason for this. Yes, as you can see in the above screenshots, if the advertisement cannot be accepted at the stage of its creation, the system always gives the reason for the inability to save the advertisement. However, if the system rejects an ad that has been running for some time, its status (in the Google Ads panel) is changed to “Disapproved”, and when you hover over the ad approval status, you’ll be given an explanation of the problem.

In addition, on Google support pages you can find a lot of valuable information and tips on editorial and technical requirements related to advertising, which should be taken into account at the very beginning of the campaign.

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Price for copywriting – do you know how much you will pay for the texts? https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/price-for-copywriting-do-you-know-how-much-you-will-pay-for-the-texts/ Thu, 26 Mar 2020 06:13:23 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=537 Continue readingPrice for copywriting – do you know how much you will pay for the texts?]]> Finance is undoubtedly a difficult topic in the copywriting industry. Wide price ranges make it difficult to define a good opportunity, so today we will look at the issue of how much you usually pay for texts. What is the most common price of copywriting? How heavy a pannier you have to prepare to start working with a copywriter?

What determines the price at the copywriter?

The rate for the texts depends mainly on three factors:
Type of texts – the more difficult the topic and the more demanding the query, the higher the price;
Order volumes – wholesale orders are cheaper;
Cooperation time – copywriters usually offer more favorable terms to regular contractors.

To the above variables, there are issues of competence, individual financial expectations and scope of responsibilities (some copywriters offer to put content on a blog or graphic design). The valuation is further complicated by the number of possible corrections and even the possibility of issuing an invoice. This thicket of information makes the copywriter’s price list unique and adapted to each writer-bidder.

Contemporary trends on the copywriting market

Until recently it was said that due to the increase in competition the amount converter for 1000 characters will be consistently falling. Meanwhile, the market has not reacted by falling prices to an increasingly large group of SEO copywriters – contrary to expectations, the range of rates increases, and the financial expectations of copywriters have a wide range.

The reason for this gap is that the creation of substantive content is undoubtedly a difficult task. The work of experts never loses value. Some companies do not want to save on their image, so they can afford more expensive copywriters who create fully professional texts.

What rates are we talking about? How are the “price ranges” currently shaped and how much does good content cost?

Copywriting rates

Below are the average rates that you can most often encounter when browsing cooperation offers.
Blogging articles: from $ 10 to $ 50 for 1000 characters.
Back-up texts: from $ 3 to $ 18 for 1000 characters.
Product and category descriptions: from $ 8 to $ 30 for 1000 characters.
Content per page: from $ 200 to $ 1000 counted as a whole for the project.
Leaflet texts: from $ 30 to $ 200.
Naming and advertising slogans: from $ 100 to $ 5000 per project.

As you can see, the amounts vary and it is impossible to define a universal solution that will prove to be profitable. Each company has different needs, which is why the choice of copywriting prices will always depend on financial possibilities and expectations regarding the quality of texts.

Billing for signs or for the whole project?

There is also no ready answer to the question of how to settle accounts with the copywriter. The predetermined cost of the project is convenient and transparent, although it is not easy to get a fixed length of the text – most often it is referred to the target value around which the volume of content oscillates.

As for the characters with spaces, this converter accurately reflects the price due for copywriting, but it can lead to some misunderstandings depending on which fragments are counted (it is not always known whether tags, meta-descriptions, alternative texts are subject to it). For this reason, when establishing cooperation with a copywriter, it is worth making sure that the settlement rules have been established clearly.

Price for copywriting – summary

Talking about money is never easy and comfortable, so it’s even more important to clearly define what elements make up the final price of copywriting.

The range of amounts is wide, so specify your expectations and budget before you set out to find the perfect copywriter. Remember to clearly specify the requirements for the quality of the texts, as well as the scope of responsibilities and the number of possible corrections.

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How to use Google Ads for ideas on keywords under SEO? https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/how-to-use-google-ads-for-ideas-on-keywords-under-seo/ Mon, 16 Mar 2020 06:46:46 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=507 Continue readingHow to use Google Ads for ideas on keywords under SEO?]]> Keyword matching

Choosing keywords for positioning is one of the first problems you need to solve in order to best conduct further actions. In most tutorials you will come across suggestions to use the keyword tools in Google Ads. It’s also worth adding Google Ads campaigns to this list.

When choosing keywords, you’ll ask yourself a few questions that require immediate answers. Among other things: do you want to position general keywords that give you greater ranges or a long tail? Is your domain brand strong enough? Later, it remains to select phrases within a given group. There are constantly new questions. In this case, a well-run Google Ads campaign can be the answer. If you have properly invested in this advertising channel, it may prove to be a great support for you.

In Google Ads campaigns, you can extract a very large amount of data about the searched and clicked keywords and their effectiveness. Both for text and shopping ads. In both cases, you are able to check the keyword that the user entered, clicked on your ad, and then converted (or not).

Where to look for all this information?

Where to look for all this information? In the search terms report. After logging in to your Google Ads account, select Keywords from the left menu, then click Search terms in the options at the top.

You import the entire report into a spreadsheet to freely analyze the data and suddenly you discover a sea of data. There are so many keywords here that you don’t know where to start.

You can do several things:

– Leave only those phrases that have brought valuable conversions and focus on them. With this solution, I recommend taking data from a minimum of six months back, preferably one year. Then you won’t be exposed to seasonal data analysis. Additionally, you can expand your word list in the direction of long tail niche phrases.

– Leave only keywords that have a specified minimum number of impressions in the analyzed time range. Here, I also recommend relying on data from a minimum of half a year. Then sort the data by number of views, descending. It is worth referring to the quality of traffic in Google Analytics and leave those phrases that have good results or have converted.

– Group keywords by product category, e.g. filter phrases for whether they contain the word “jacket”, “pants”, “sweatshirt”, etc. Then you need to determine the potential of each of these groups and analyze their effectiveness. However, remember to leave words with the best reach and conversion rates. In this way, the list will actually contain searched and clicked phrases from a given topic.

Analyze detailed data

If you do not want to analyze such detailed data and bury yourself in a huge spreadsheet, you can use the results in Google Ads at the keyword level. You’ll find them in your campaigns. This list will allow you to evaluate phrases and similar variations in terms of efficiency and profitability for business.

You can also download this data to a spreadsheet, then filter and sort according to your needs. The main difference between this report and the previous one is that here you won’t see exactly what users enter in the search engine, only the keywords from your campaign. In addition, this report does not include data from shopping campaigns.

What can you do with a table full of keywords?

What can you do with a table full of keywords? Exactly the same as with the search terms report. Depending on the amount of time you have and the amount of data, you are able to prepare and then choose the positioning phrases that will bring the best results. However, regardless of which method you choose, you always get reliable data. Not only about the possible ranges, but also the effectiveness of these phrases (number and value of conversions and conversion rate). Thanks to this, you don’t choose keywords in the dark, based on the “can convert” principle, only according to real performance data.

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Google Crawl Update – What’s next with nofollow links? https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/google-crawl-update-whats-next-with-nofollow-links/ Thu, 05 Mar 2020 06:50:38 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=571 Continue readingGoogle Crawl Update – What’s next with nofollow links?]]> At the end of 2019, Google announced an update regarding nofollow links. This applies to all websites and online stores, regardless of industry or location. Although the change was known earlier, it will only be from March 1, 2020 that it will have a direct impact on website indexing.

What is the Nofollow update from March 1, 2020?

The change will affect the indexing of nofollow links. Earlier, Google treated nofollow links only as a mark, so these links did not crawl. In other words, they were not taken into account by the search engine algorithm. This changes on March 1, 2020. From March 1, Google will treat nofollow links as a crawl guide.

Nofollow links policy

Some website owners have used nofollow links to prevent indexing of given pages. Typical pages linked to nofollow can be links to user profiles, links to login pages, links to various sections of the website, or links to external (e.g. sponsored) pages. Using nofollow to block Google from indexing pages has never been a good practice. There are more reliable ways to prevent page indexing (e.g. by adding a meta tag noindex to your HTML).

Will the Nofollow update affect my site ranking?

It is difficult to predict how the update of nofollow link indexing will affect the ranking. This may depend on which Google pages will index. Google can configure the rules for selecting pages to be indexed and not. It has not yet been determined whether Google will decide not to index low quality pages.

How to prepare a website for nofollow update?

A. Read the Nofollow update.
Check what changes Google requires. If the rankings or traffic on your site begins to change, please report this problem to the person managing the website or the website positioning specialist.

B. Analyze the nofollow links on your website.
Incorrect implementation of nofollow can lead to unintended consequences. Check how nofollow links are used on your website and decide if it’s time to remove them and go to the noindex meta robots or to assign them the right attributes.

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Rhetoric for the copywriter: How to repeat what is worth repeating https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/webwriting/rhetoric-for-the-copywriter-how-to-repeat-what-is-worth-repeating/ Mon, 02 Mar 2020 07:02:09 +0000 https://www.paraphrase-online.com/blog/?p=504 Continue readingRhetoric for the copywriter: How to repeat what is worth repeating]]> Ancient knowledge of how to choose words to influence listeners appreciates repetition (very much). In the end, they increase the coherence and clarity of expression. Do you know how to use rhetorical figures such as poliptoton or epanaleps to strengthen the text?

In the elements of eristics and rhetoric we read: “In statements, keywords should be repeated or replaced with words related to them semantically.

Of the four advantages of praising (brightness, correctness, appropriateness and ornamentation), repetitions affect two. Thus, thanks to repetitions, the statement becomes clearer (specifically: consistent) and decorative. They will also make it easier for the specialist text reader to remember the most important information.

How to increase consistency through repetition

Have you often heard the phrase: “Replace repetition with a synonym“? Well, I have interesting news for you: a synonym is also a repetition! Only inaccurate. Both exact and inaccurate repetitions and discussions, i.e. periphrases, help to make the text consistent. What repetitions will give the text consistency?

the same word – when necessary, e.g. Google values ​​timeliness. If you expand an old article by adding some new paragraphs to it, Google will see it and index it again. Although you can replace the word “Google” with the word “search engine” in this sentence, Google will be more precise.
a synonym, She liked to wear a hat with a feather. The decorative headgear attracted the attention of passers-by.
a more general word, e.g. People surrounded Angelina with a wreath. This squat woman with a distracted look knew all the latest news.
replacement of one name with another, i.e. metonymy, e.g. The actor read the poems of the master. The words of the master from the forest, heard years later, seemed different than in school times.
pronoun, John made an appointment with Julia. He invited her to a concert of his favorite band.
discussion, or periphrase, e.g. We ordered a chicken stew. Pieces of meat in white sauce served with loose rice turned out to be a good choice.

So when should you avoid repetition? And how, if the synonym is also a repetition? Let’s look at the sentence: A terrified neighbor ran out to the staircase. The man shouted: “People, thief!“. Repetition of an inaccurate male neighbor is superfluous and additionally confusing. Is the man who shouted a neighbor or someone else? So let’s apply the most effective editing rule: remove the unnecessary word. A terrified neighbor ran out to the staircase. He shouted: “People, thief!

How to decorate and strengthen the text with repetitions

Writers, repeating words, do it on purpose. In addition to creativity, rhetoric helps them in this difficult art. Ways of deliberate repetition have already been discovered in ancient times.

According to the rules of rhetoric, repetition belongs to the word figures by joining. Unlike the figures by dropping, which serve to condense the content, the figures by attaching contribute to its elongation. Unnecessary? Only seemingly.

Repetition as an ornament helps to highlight words, draw the reader’s attention to them, and also play with the language. How to create such a repetition? Learn the word figures that will help you.

Poliptoton helps to focus attention on the repeated word

Repeat the same word. In this way, you’ll notice how important it is, e.g. Is there anything more valuable than time? Lost foaming can be recovered, lost time – never. And yet, when we share time with a loved one, we multiply it. Poliptoton will work better in oration than in the text. Very often we hear it in the speeches of politicians who want to emphasize the importance of a thought in this way.

Anadiplosis adds pathos

Begin the sentence with the word that finished the previous sentence, e.g. We are trying to catch up with the world and the world is not waiting for us. In this way you will emphasize the continuity of thought. Ireneusz Iwański aptly notes that anadiplosis gives the expression a shade of pathos.

Anaphora serves to strengthen

Repeat the same word or phrase at the beginning of the following sentences. According to Marek Walas, anaphora enlivens the text and makes it more emphatic. This is probably why you can often see it in advertising slogans, and they repeat it three times, e.g. in the slogan My Life. My world. My furniture. Use anaphora to stress the voltage. Let each subsequent sentence sound stronger than the previous one. Finally, anaphora, from Greek, means “lifting,” for example. She was beautiful. She was perfect. She was so haughty that I was afraid to look her in the eye.

You can repeat the selected word more than three times. Thanks to this, the tension will last even longer. Here is a statement by Captain McAdams about his last boat trip. Subsequent subordinate sentences begin with the word no:

Not a solemn farewell in New York, not the journey itself without interesting events, not a couple of weeks waiting in Hong Kong for handing over the ship recycling facility, not even the moment of deliberate grounding or leaving the flag. I was most moved by the last descent on the gangway and the reflection from the side of the motorboat taking us. The ship was about to cease to exist.

Epifora highlights the end of the sentence

If you repeat the same word not at the beginning but at the end of the text passages, you will receive an epiphora. Usually it appears in texts in which the subsequent parts have a similar structure, so they are parallel.

It is difficult to write a few sentences with the thought that each of them will end with the same word and make the whole sound natural. Despite this, the epiphorus appears quite often in advertising. Then the repeated word – often the brand name – appears as an answer to the recipient’s problems, e.g.
Fever? New Healthy Brand!
Sore throat? New Healthy Brand!
Overwork? New Healthy Brand!

Epanalepsa shows what the point is

Put the repeated word in important places – preferably at the beginning and end of the sentence – to emphasize what you think is the most important, as in the example: History belongs to us and the people create history. Epanalepsa will also add drama.

Diafora discovers a new sense of the word

Use the same word twice, but in such a way that the repetition prompts the reader to think about its proper meaning, e.g. What steel is steel.

Paronomasia encourages linguistic play

Use similar wording with different meanings. In this verbal fun you can also use words that sound the same, but differently written. Advertising often uses paronomasia as a set of words that differ in one or more letters.

Repeat to make it easier for the reader to remember

All information that reaches you at a given moment goes to the sensory memory, in which it remains for a maximum of 2 seconds. The ones you pay attention to are supposed to be stored in short-term memory for about 20 seconds. From there, the road leads to long-term memory. It will contain only a small part of what you have stored for a moment in short-term memory.

Proposal? Only information that he draws attention to has a chance to get to the reader’s long-term memory. You’ll increase this chance by repeating important words. “Repeating is kind of lengthening attention.

This way you can also help the reader remember more. Because repetitio mater studiorum est. How and what to repeat in an expert article?

At the beginning of the article, pay attention to the dates you will write about – for the time being to make them interesting. You can ask a question that will direct your attention. For example, at the beginning of this article I asked a question in which two names appeared: “Do you know how to use such rhetorical figures as polyptoton or epanaleps to strengthen the text?”

Explanations and definitions in the further part of the entry will cause that the announced date will be repeated in the article. I described both polyptotonoton and epanalepsis in subsequent parts of the text.

Repetition is also a summary. You can summarize the knowledge after each important passage, or collect mainly thoughts in conclusion, as I will do now:

– Thanks to repetitions, we increase consistency, add expressiveness and facilitate memorization.
– Exact repetition, synonym, pronoun, generic word, and discussion affect consistency.
– Accidental repetition often confuses or delays the content.
– Intentional repetition helps to focus attention on a selected word, emphasizes part of the sentence, encourages linguistic play or shows what the core of thought is.
– To make it easier for the reader to read a specialist text, repeat key terms and summarize messages.

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