Pay peanuts and could find yourself with marketing monkeys
As well as being a freelance copywriter I run an online business directory, Sonicsyn. As a responsible directory owner I reject all the usual suspects; adult sites, religious nutters, escorts and online pharmacies. But I also reject bad spelling and grammar, submissions to the wrong category, multiple and duplicate submissions and those that just don’t make sense. Sadly there are plenty. On average I reject at least a third of all submissions.
Some, although shockingly bad, are hilarious. So while wading through hundreds of directory submissions is a dull job, there are compensations! Here’s a handful rejected from last night’s batch:
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This website shows you how to get soft, fluffy lips (submitted to the ‘travel’ category)
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Our educational toys stimulate childrens minds without the use of batteries
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Find the cheap or budget accommodations with no rat
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This websites specilizes in child care and buttock implantation (submitted to the ‘toys’ category)
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We provides excellence customer service and no added value
Hahaha! But I wouldn’t be laughing if one of them was my business. It is damaging in several ways:
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Most directory owners will reject nonsensical submissions
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Even if your entry is approved it will be meaningless to consumers who use the directory
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Search engines will get confused too
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Poor communications reflect badly on your business’s reputation and credibility
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Wasted money and time
Just to ram the point home get your laughing gear round this one, submitted a few days ago on behalf of an online lingerie store…
Astonish comes when those underwear for women are magnificently delivered to your doorstep. Imagine your delight when your underwears arrives, it can sit on your face!
The moral of the story? It is absolutely fine to outsource SEO. It can save you a fortune. But check that your Search Engine Optimiser has basic writing skills first and, if they’re writing about your business in English, that they can do so fluently. Add ‘belt and braces’ by checking their output regularly… a cheap shot can be an expensive mistake.
Update for 2015 – we ran our directory for four years or so then got fed up with it. It’s very hard work.
