About Stuart Walton

Stuart Walton is a former English teacher, now a web designer, copywriter, social media marketer, leading a team of five from the company base in Manchester city centre.

Taking the Man out of Manchester

Today, on a bright but breezy February Sunday, I opened the Trainline app and booked a day out in Chester. It's a city I've not visited for about 25 years, I reckon. When we lived in the Staffordshire Moorlands, Derby or Hanley were closer, but we made the occasional drive to Chester and I had

By |2024-02-04T17:49:22+00:00February 4th, 2024|copywriter, Guides, web design Manchester|Comments Off on Taking the Man out of Manchester

How and why magnificent Manchester exudes good energy

Yung Wylin - "Good Energy" One song I've latched readily on to in recent months is by Yung Wylin - "Good Energy". I play it often and it's become something of a motif for life in Manchester. You've probably heard snippets of it on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok reels but the full YouTube version is

By |2024-02-03T06:43:44+00:00February 3rd, 2024|Manchester|Comments Off on How and why magnificent Manchester exudes good energy

Web design Manchester reviews or why we are number one

How important are web design Manchester reviews? It is always gratifying when this Manchester web design company takes a long look at Google and realises it is in pole position, We have 125 Google reviews as a web design Manchester team. That exceeds any comparable web design agency here. Our two most recent pleased us:

By |2024-01-30T21:29:28+00:00January 27th, 2024|web design Manchester|Comments Off on Web design Manchester reviews or why we are number one

How to choose a web designer in Manchester

How to choose a web designer in Manchester I've not sat and physically counted, obviously, but a quick Google search yields 100 + results for web design Manchester. No wonder. It's an area that is expanding, with a city centre that is booming and many businesses are keen to ride the surf of population and

By |2024-01-19T18:22:17+00:00January 19th, 2024|web design Manchester|Comments Off on How to choose a web designer in Manchester

10 reasons why Manchester has changed for the better

Has Manchester changed for the better? I could end this blog right now with a resounding one word answer. Yes. It has. In my opinion, of course Many people rue the Manchester of the 70s and 80s claiming it has lost its soul. Its identity has changed for good, some claim, with the many towers

By |2024-01-01T14:57:50+00:00January 1st, 2024|Manchester|Comments Off on 10 reasons why Manchester has changed for the better

A New Year’s Eve walk to the Moravian Settlement, Fairfield, Droylsden

The Moravian Settlement was found today I love discovering new places as a web designer, social media marketer and copywriter. Manchester, as a home and workplace, fascinates me. It is exciting, vibrant and tolerant. Walking to Droylsden Today I decided to complete a long walk with Cassie. The destination? Droylsden, Tameside, about 4 miles from

By |2024-02-03T06:01:41+00:00December 31st, 2023|web design Manchester|Comments Off on A New Year’s Eve walk to the Moravian Settlement, Fairfield, Droylsden

Why responsive web design matters for SEO

Blackberry I want to talk about responsive web design. Websites need to render on smartphones, or, like the brand Blackberry, you may die a slow death. Recently, at HomeMcr, I watched "Blackberry". It was about the rise and fall of the brand and its devices. I used to love my Blackberry Bolds and Curves in

By |2023-12-27T13:50:39+00:00December 27th, 2023|web design Manchester|Comments Off on Why responsive web design matters for SEO

Gluten free Manchester – the 10 best places I’ve found

I'm a coeliac, as is my son, James, daughter, Ruby, and border collie, Cassie. All four of us are allergic to gluten, found in wheat, oats, rye and barley, with two of us even suffering from avenin, the protein found in gluten free oats. Manchester is, however, an excellent city for us - even though

By |2023-12-26T08:57:53+00:00December 23rd, 2023|Manchester|Comments Off on Gluten free Manchester – the 10 best places I’ve found

Looking for web design Manchester? Sorted.

This web design Manchester company moved here one year ago today I moved back to Manchester in December 2022. I had spent almost 9 years living and working here as a teacher from 1987 to 1996. Prior to this, I'd lived and worked in Staffordshire, my native Doncaster and then moved in 2008 to Norfolk.

By |2024-01-24T08:34:43+00:00December 23rd, 2023|Manchester, web design Manchester|Comments Off on Looking for web design Manchester? Sorted.

Sunday city breaks with my dog, Cassie, from Manchester Victoria

A word. Cassie, my 11 year old perfect Border Collie, is a rescue dog. We adopted her about 6 years ago from a place in Norwich and I have no idea whether she was a working dog or not; all I know is that when she sees sheep, squirrels or cats, her placid demeanour changes

By |2023-12-01T10:13:31+00:00December 1st, 2023|Manchester|Comments Off on Sunday city breaks with my dog, Cassie, from Manchester Victoria

Three becomes five at this Manchester web design company

Happy 8th birthday to this Manchester web design company Last Wednesday, 1st November 2023, the business turned eight. 8 years since this one man band copywriting venture began with just Stuart Walton, a 50 year old former teacher of English, reluctantly packing away his chalk, incinerating copies of Steinbeck's "Of Mice & Men" and banishing

By |2023-11-09T16:20:35+00:00November 9th, 2023|Manchester|Comments Off on Three becomes five at this Manchester web design company

This web design Manchester company has capacity for new work

We've completed two complex website projects recently for an offshore wind company in the north east (offshore wind is becoming something of a niche of mine) and a Fulfilment one in Nottingham, recreating and improving it from coded PHP to Wordpress and Elementor. Each client is very happy with the results. That means we now

By |2024-01-24T08:35:11+00:00September 25th, 2023|Manchester|Comments Off on This web design Manchester company has capacity for new work

Being sober on a drunk planet

Last week, in a change from my usual reading fare, I downloaded a short book on Kindle Unlimited called "Being Sober on a Drunk Planet" and read it in a few hours. Very easy read and reinforced my own habit of sobriety which is now in its 7th year - with not one lapse since

By |2023-09-01T14:24:36+00:00September 1st, 2023|LinkedIn|Comments Off on Being sober on a drunk planet

The power of letting go

Letting go - two simple words and yet something you and I probably struggle with. I've been in numerous challenging situations in my career and personal life, where I know letting go was the right path to take. Yet I chose to ignore logic, advice and the other path pointing to a new way. I've

By |2023-09-01T14:22:40+00:00September 1st, 2023|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on The power of letting go

How nature inspires and heals

When I first moved here - mid December of last year - one of Manchester's many appeals was the pull of nature. Norfolk has its Broads, a coastline, an empty rural landscape, but Manchester is close to hills, mountains and lakes. You can be in the wilds of Saddleworth in 40 minutes, the drop-dead beauty

By |2023-09-01T14:15:13+00:00September 1st, 2023|News|Comments Off on How nature inspires and heals

Why The Grapes of Wrath still resonates today

In between web and writing projects, I've just finished re-reading "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. For about 20 of my 27 teaching years, "Of Mice and Men" was on a classroom loop for me, but I rarely ventured into Steinbeck's other great works, until recently. "East of Eden" was read about 2 months

By |2023-07-12T14:44:02+00:00July 10th, 2023|Content Writing, News|Comments Off on Why The Grapes of Wrath still resonates today

The best gluten free chippies in Manchester

I have an admission to make - and if you follow me on manic socials, you’ll mutter “No shit Sherlock” - I like eating out.  It has to be gluten free as I’m a common grey coeliac.  I’m lucky too, following marital separation in December, that I left the city of Norwich for somewhere larger,

By |2023-07-04T14:10:28+00:00July 4th, 2023|freelance copywriter, Manchester|Comments Off on The best gluten free chippies in Manchester

The top 5 regrets of the dying

"The Top Five Regrets of the Dying" by Bronnie Ware: 1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. 2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard. 3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. 4. I wish I had

By |2023-06-20T10:25:29+00:00June 20th, 2023|copywriter, freelance copywriter|Comments Off on The top 5 regrets of the dying

What was living in a campervan like for a week?

After one of my frequent forays into the hills of the north-west, I decided, before going home to Manchester, to pop into a motorhome company to kick some proverbial tyres of campervans from Ford and VW. Whilst there, getting a dopamine kick from pop-top roofs, I was offered the opportunity to hire one for a

By |2023-06-07T16:39:30+00:00June 7th, 2023|freelance copywriter, Manchester|Comments Off on What was living in a campervan like for a week?

Becoming a reader again after a 10 year absence

Becoming a reader again after a 10 year absence The three cornerstones of my new way of living are well publicised by me. Writing (a journal) daily Walking daily Reading every single day Journalling clearly has therapeutic values - I jot down thoughts and plans at the beginning of the day, during the day and

By |2023-05-24T03:11:40+00:00May 24th, 2023|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Becoming a reader again after a 10 year absence

Memento Mori – remember you’re dying.

Memento Mori - remember you're dying. You and I probably had a morbid fear of death in childhood. I remember seeing my maternal grandmother die in front of me, my brother, sister, mother and father on Boxing Day 1972 when I was just seven. She was downstairs, bedridden with all sorts of chronic ailments from

By |2023-05-06T11:34:56+00:00May 6th, 2023|copywriter, Manchester|Comments Off on Memento Mori – remember you’re dying.

Finding Faith

I've just, as you probably noticed, spent a happily active five days in Mallorca, which wasn't a load of Balearics, but the perfect tonic for me as I've not been abroad since Barcelona last Easter on my birthday. Cycling, sea-swimming, walking, kayaking were all crammed into the five day itinerary but what was most striking,

By |2023-05-03T19:40:02+00:00May 3rd, 2023|freelance web designer, Manchester|Comments Off on Finding Faith

Get Pro Copy combines four services, with a fifth making a comeback

Get Pro Copy is perhaps unusual in that it combines four elements in its digital services: Wordpress Web Design Copywriting Marketing SEO Copy When I founded this business on 1st November 2015, almost 8 years ago, it was a freelance copywriting business - no more, no less. It's what I, Stuart Walton, do well and

By |2023-04-22T12:19:35+00:00April 22nd, 2023|freelance copywriter, Manchester, web design, Wordpress|Comments Off on Get Pro Copy combines four services, with a fifth making a comeback

Amor fati – a love of your fate.

Amor fati - a love of your fate. Friedrich Nietzsche coined the phrase and it's one in periods of reflection that I've begun to believe in. Instead of railing against the past, instead of letting events and emotions live rent free, instead of looking back with regrets and emotions, embrace the past. Not a coy acceptance

By |2023-04-22T10:24:51+00:00April 22nd, 2023|freelance writer|Comments Off on Amor fati – a love of your fate.

There’s nothing to writing – you sit down at a keyboard (or bus stop) and bleed.

Paraphrasing Ernest Hemingway in the title as I can't be arsed Googling the quote but he's right. Writing is bleeding in front of a keyboard. Showing emotions, telling stories, exploring vulnerabilities. I write for myself and others as a living and it comes easy to me. It is as natural as walking and I do

By |2023-04-22T10:21:20+00:00April 22nd, 2023|freelance writer|Comments Off on There’s nothing to writing – you sit down at a keyboard (or bus stop) and bleed.

On living – with a nod to Socrates

In between walking, writing, web design, reading has become a new daily pursuit - mainly books about philosophy - because I'm trying to redesign my own life. When you think about life, it's a wonder so many of us manage to navigate through it. Socrates, no less, poisoned by suicidal hemlock after a jury found

By |2023-04-22T10:17:15+00:00April 22nd, 2023|copywriter, freelance writer|Comments Off on On living – with a nod to Socrates

A Philosophy of Walking

The book "A Philosophy of Walking" was recently recommended to me by David Craddock, a LinkedIn Manc friend and I've enjoyed reading it. Walking is an act carried out over centuries and has inspired many great philosophers and writers. Charles Dickens regularly used to walk 25 miles from Kent to London, Suffolk to Norwich. Rousseau,

By |2023-04-22T10:11:50+00:00April 22nd, 2023|freelance web designer|Comments Off on A Philosophy of Walking

Do you have a personal OS? An Android or iOS for life

I work on iOS. I like Apple. I like Pages, its password saving, the security features, Airdrop, the seamless syncing of photos, documents and downloads, yet there's no doubt that Apple make great software, premium hardware but their design is, well, a bit boring. Take the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Great battery, buttery smooth OS,

By |2023-04-22T10:08:12+00:00April 22nd, 2023|SEO|Comments Off on Do you have a personal OS? An Android or iOS for life

Buy a nice pen, a smart notebook and write a journal

I was first told of the power of journalling by a mate, a very trusted friend, Andy Plues. If you don't know Andy, he's a top bloke, sounds like an extra from "Kes" and produces excellent nuggets of wisdom and excellent photography. Andy told me many months ago to buy a notebook, pick up a

By |2023-04-22T10:05:48+00:00April 22nd, 2023|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Buy a nice pen, a smart notebook and write a journal

When mountains become mates again

I sometimes marvel, when I look at Google or Apple Maps, at just what a great location Manchester is in. To the east, there's the Peak District, to the north, Saddleworth and the Lancashire hills, south lies the White Peak of Leek and further afield, there's Snowdonia, the Lakes, North Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales.

By |2023-04-22T10:03:27+00:00April 22nd, 2023|freelance writer|Comments Off on When mountains become mates again

The only person you can change – is yourself

It's taken me 58 years to have this personal epiphany, brought on by walking, journalling, reading and reflection that: The only person you can change - is yourself In some ways, it seems counter-intuitive perhaps for someone like me, with a long career in teaching (moulding minds, maintaining high standards of behaviour and motivating young

By |2023-04-22T10:03:51+00:00April 22nd, 2023|freelance web designer, Manchester|Comments Off on The only person you can change – is yourself

The Obstacle is the Way

The Obstacle is the Way - not my words, but those of Ryan Holiday's titled stoic book, that I've read today. The premise is a simple - yet profound - one. Obstacles are placed in our daily lives, big or small, to challenge and change us. With an obstacle, we have to find a way

By |2023-04-05T20:10:17+00:00April 5th, 2023|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on The Obstacle is the Way

How do you become the best version of yourself?

At the risk of pompously sounding like a Poundland Ted Talk, I've been doing a lot of reflecting and thinking in recent months, with the help of a counsellor and my own living and working space in Manchester. I've learned a lot about myself and have grown attached to the philosophy of stoicism. This outlook

By |2023-03-14T13:24:59+00:00March 14th, 2023|freelance copywriter, freelance web designer, Manchester|Comments Off on How do you become the best version of yourself?

Women Talking inspired this blog post

"Women Talking" inspired me today I was always a fan of the "Cornerhouse" cinema in the late 80s and 90s when I lived near Manchester and taught here. I liked the fact it released indie films that couldn't be found at the Gaumont or ABC (truly showing my age). I was disappointed when I learned

By |2023-02-14T20:46:49+00:00February 14th, 2023|News|Comments Off on Women Talking inspired this blog post

Why web design matters in 2023

Serious newsletter today - after all web design is what I do It only takes nanoseconds for visitors to decide how they feel about your website – and whether they want to do business with you. People make snap judgements. We all do. We know if we want to make an offer on a property

By |2023-02-07T11:46:56+00:00February 7th, 2023|Manchester, News|Comments Off on Why web design matters in 2023

How Manchester walks have become a slight obsession

Need inspiration? Try some Manchester walks Walking has always been a big part of my life. I discovered mountains, fells and peaks from about 25 with colleagues from Failsworth School, Manchester and those new vistas simply supplemented a working class childhood of walking. I walked to primary school, with my mum, as we all did

By |2023-01-21T18:52:28+00:00January 21st, 2023|freelance web designer, Manchester|Comments Off on How Manchester walks have become a slight obsession

I earn enough, I don’t need a new website or a revamp

Little wonder that individuals and companies shy away from committing to a website when agencies and many freelancers charge so much. I was approached just last week to help out a friend of a friend and the available budget was so low, that I could easily have said no. I didn't as I believe in

By |2023-01-21T13:30:40+00:00January 21st, 2023|Manchester, News|Comments Off on I earn enough, I don’t need a new website or a revamp

3 weeks now in Manchester

I must admit to having settled in the north of England after a 15 year spell of missionary work in Norfolk. The past 3 weeks have seen me relentlessly careen on a tour of Manchester and its outlying areas and it's started, already, to feel like home. Why? I don't buy into the Fortune Cookie

By |2023-01-07T19:52:49+00:00January 7th, 2023|Manchester|Comments Off on 3 weeks now in Manchester

Get Pro Copy Ltd moves to Manchester

If you follow me on any of my social media platforms, you've probably spotted a month of wandering. I've been to Cambridge for a while, then Manchester, and have made a decision to move myself and the business here. A brand new chapter begins from Friday 23rd December with a new base formed in The

By |2022-12-22T16:26:52+00:00December 22nd, 2022|freelance web designer|Comments Off on Get Pro Copy Ltd moves to Manchester

How much does it cost to build a website in the UK?

How much does it cost to build a website in the UK? How much does it cost to build a website in the UK is not straightforward to answer. The whole process of costing a website is confusing and in this (long) guide, I intend to explain what a website should cost from domain

By |2023-12-26T09:05:28+00:00November 5th, 2022|web design, Featured, freelance web designer, Guides, web design Manchester|Comments Off on How much does it cost to build a website in the UK?

I’m the oldest volunteer at Web Summit 2022, it seems

A few months ago, I volunteered to work at Web Summit Lisbon. Volunteering is not something I've done since childhood, when I was milk monitor and server at Green Top school in Thorne, when I was between 4 and 8. I did it though as I love Lisbon, Portugal, having spent a week here a

By |2022-11-04T22:54:02+00:00November 3rd, 2022|Featured, Norwich|Comments Off on I’m the oldest volunteer at Web Summit 2022, it seems

Is it right that you should never go back – to Manchester?

Is it right that you should never go back? There’s a few tenets I’ve learned in life - teaching is toxic, partnerships sink ships and you should never go back. I’ve raked over the first few often enough - I have the T shirt for meeting twats in education and have several failed business partnerships

By |2022-11-14T20:21:02+00:00September 26th, 2022|Norwich, web design|Comments Off on Is it right that you should never go back – to Manchester?

10 days now of life without a car

In a moment of clear-headed decisiveness, we sat down and calculated the cost and necessity of having a car, now we're ensconced and happy in Norwich city centre. The financial savings were immense as the Hyundai Kona N was on a weighty PCP, plus with petrol costing more per litre now than San Pellegrino, the

By |2022-11-14T20:19:56+00:00September 18th, 2022|freelance web designer, Norwich|Comments Off on 10 days now of life without a car

Who is more important to please on your website – Google or humans?

Who is more important to please on your website - Google or humans? The latest Google algorithm puts great store on engaging content. Long-form content. Content that answers questions, in depth. It's great news for all copywriters like me who have been banging that drum for months and years. Too often, clients and the public

By |2022-11-14T20:22:08+00:00August 28th, 2022|SEO, freelance web designer|Comments Off on Who is more important to please on your website – Google or humans?

The joys of river swimming in Norwich city centre

I've often walked along the river Wensum from Norwich railway station to the cathedral and Cow Tower, but never, in 14 years in Norfolk, seen much appeal in the place from riverside ambles. That is until we moved here, 7 weeks ago now. There's a Facebook group (that I'm not a member of, as groups

By |2022-08-13T12:25:08+00:00August 13th, 2022|Norwich, web design|Comments Off on The joys of river swimming in Norwich city centre

Non, je ne regrette rien

Should probably point out je needs to be pluralised to nous, but Edith Piaf may turn in her grave. No, we really have no regrets. About moving. Rewind to January 2022 and we had this idea of living in Norwich and after so many false starts, of deciding to relocate before, this time we meant

By |2022-08-07T19:09:14+00:00August 7th, 2022|freelance web designer, Norwich|Comments Off on Non, je ne regrette rien

One month of living in Norwich city centre

We've lived in Norfolk for almost 14 years now and knew Norwich to be a great city, but to visit once a week, twice a month is not the same as taking the plunge and living in the centre. But, a month ago today, we finally exchanged and completed and moved into a 5th floor

By |2022-07-25T17:49:33+00:00July 14th, 2022|Norwich|Comments Off on One month of living in Norwich city centre

What is it like living and working in Norwich city centre?

Firstly, confession: I work from home as a web designer and copywriter, so working in Norwich city centre is the same as working from home in Bradwell, Great Yarmouth, with one exception. Here, at St James Quay in NR3, I have no dedicated office. In NR31, I had bedroom 3 of 5 to myself. My

By |2022-06-27T20:57:15+00:00June 27th, 2022|Content Writing, freelance web designer, Norwich, web design|Comments Off on What is it like living and working in Norwich city centre?

Nothing seems simple any more

In the old days (ie, 3 years ago), you'd spot a car you like, watch some Youtube reviews, read about it, email a dealership it, kick tyres and place an order. A month later, you'd collect it. In the old days (ie, 3 years ago), you'd spot a house you like, research the neighbourhood, email

By |2022-06-03T09:45:40+00:00June 3rd, 2022|property writing|Comments Off on Nothing seems simple any more

George Skipper – the Gaudi of Norwich

George Skipper - the Gaudi of Norwich. Not my words, but those of John Betjeman and by a neat symmetrical twist, this Norwich web designer and copywriter heads to Barcelona on Monday 4th April 2022, which is my 57th birthday. I've never been to Barcelona, before, though wife and daughter Ruby have and I'm looking

By |2022-04-02T21:00:48+00:00April 2nd, 2022|Norwich, Wordpress|Comments Off on George Skipper – the Gaudi of Norwich

I’ve got thrills, they’re multiplying and I’m losing control

I've got thrills, they're multiplying and I'm losing control - probably my bowels and bladder as I approach 57 years of age in April. Much written about, vaunted and flaunted on personal and business social media pages, my thrills come from an impending move to Norwich city centre. If I retrace where I've lived, there's

By |2022-02-12T13:56:04+00:00February 12th, 2022|Norwich, Featured, News|Comments Off on I’ve got thrills, they’re multiplying and I’m losing control

Why we’ve decided to leave semi-rural suburbia for the big city

Cities are often shitty, I'm in no doubt about that. They're bound to be with the thousands and millions of people who live and work in them. Cities have always been a place for us to visit, explore and return to hotel or home at night for guaranteed sleep. But this time, in my 14th

By |2022-01-23T19:49:33+00:00January 23rd, 2022|News|Comments Off on Why we’ve decided to leave semi-rural suburbia for the big city

Leaving our home in Bradwell for a new Norfolk base

After almost 14 happy (and a few not so happy years) on the east coast of Norfolk, we've bitten the bullet and decided to move. Not far away though hopefully - we intend to remain in Norfolk. But moving is definitely on the cards. We relocated to here in 2008 for several reasons - we

By |2022-01-26T20:16:55+00:00January 13th, 2022|News|Comments Off on Leaving our home in Bradwell for a new Norfolk base

7 important marketing lessons I’ve learned

I set up this copywriting and web design business in November 2015 and, amongst, all the companies I've tried with, this is my primary success. This company generates high income, large volumes of traffic and plenty of plaudits. The thing is though I don't overtly come from a marketing background. I've got a degree in

By |2022-01-04T13:52:36+00:00January 4th, 2022|freelance web designer, Featured, News|Comments Off on 7 important marketing lessons I’ve learned

Are you lazy or focused when working from home?

I remember distinctly the time in 2010 when I was allowed, as Assistant Headteacher in a school locally, to work from home one day a week. It was a Thursday and it was truly liberating. I could get up, walk the kids to school, walk home and start work on the timetable all day without

By |2021-12-28T13:11:46+00:00December 28th, 2021|copywriter, freelance copywriter, freelance web designer|Comments Off on Are you lazy or focused when working from home?

Will 2022 mark your Great Escape from work prison?

I often use the analogy of “The Great Escape” as the film is seared on my formative memory. It has aged somewhat badly but I do like it and its teachings for business. I know not all people see employment as a cage. Some actively enjoy working for others, as I did for long parts

By |2021-12-27T12:28:52+00:00December 27th, 2021|Content Writing, News|Comments Off on Will 2022 mark your Great Escape from work prison?

19th December 2016 was my last day of alcohol

I've always had strong willpower from giving up smoking to sturdy resilience, generally, in my teaching career. And yet - alcohol was one thing I couldn't kick and have used almost every day since a young age. It got to new heights (or depths) of drinking from about 2012 when a school environment made me

By |2021-12-13T20:40:22+00:00December 13th, 2021|web design, Featured, News|Comments Off on 19th December 2016 was my last day of alcohol

What do Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Joe Biden have in common?

A GUEST POST! Nothing! I hear you shout. What is your point? I hear you plead with outstretched arms. Bear with and allow me to add further context to this question. What do Manchester United Football Club and The United States of America have in common? Ok, yes Man United are American owned but that’s

By |2021-11-09T09:03:51+00:00November 9th, 2021|News|Comments Off on What do Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Joe Biden have in common?

How successfully running English departments equipped me for marketing 

How successfully running English departments equipped me for marketing  After cognitive behaviour therapy and trauma counselling in 2013, I started climbing out of depression and anxiety with a particular phrase ringing in my ears “See the bigger picture”. At that time, riddled with mental health issues and alcohol dependency, I couldn’t see it. All I

By |2021-10-30T17:49:18+00:00October 29th, 2021|Great Yarmouth, freelance web designer, News|Comments Off on How successfully running English departments equipped me for marketing 

Be like a snail to be found online

Be like a snail to be found online I’ve only lived in two places where slugs and snails outnumbered humans. One was the Staffordshire Moorlands, where rain meant paths and roads you walked and drove along quickly became the equivalent of pebble dash or snail shell dash. The second is home now - Bradwell in

By |2021-10-29T20:38:49+00:00October 29th, 2021|Content Writing, freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Be like a snail to be found online

Lisbon, a welcome change from turdy England

I think the thing that we've been most affected by with Covid 19 has been the lack of foreign travel. I know. People have died. People have lost loved ones. Careers and jobs have been lost. All lamentable and regrettable - all caused by inept government and the fallout from Brexit. It was wonderful then

By |2021-10-29T08:48:26+00:00October 28th, 2021|News|Comments Off on Lisbon, a welcome change from turdy England

Want to bin your boss and daily grind? Read on …

Arguably the most alarming part of self employment is the suspension of belief with salaries. You’ve studied at school, college and university, perhaps, geared up to acquiring a stable job. One you enjoy, one that offers pay that gives you the ability to live reasonably well.  And you work until 60, then you drop dead

By |2021-10-26T15:16:00+00:00October 26th, 2021|News|Comments Off on Want to bin your boss and daily grind? Read on …

The first rule of starting a business – say no to partners

I know, I know. Marks and Spencer did well as a partnership and B and Q (Block and Quayle) haven’t done badly, but trust me, the first rule of starting a business is to not to even entertain a partnership. Let me expand - like my collection of Apple tech. Naively, I ventured into the

By |2021-10-15T19:45:21+00:00October 15th, 2021|News, Featured, freelance copywriter|Comments Off on The first rule of starting a business – say no to partners

Always be professional with your posts on social media

This week, I found myself turfed off LinkedIn, a platform I love and hate in equal measure. I sail close to the wind daily on there as it is a veritable nest of Tories and Gammon. And instead of scrolling and ignoring, I decide to engage in verbal spars with types who annoy me. There

By |2021-10-02T20:16:40+00:00October 2nd, 2021|Norwich, LinkedIn, News|Comments Off on Always be professional with your posts on social media

My company, my space, my desk, my rules

I used to get so uptight about Back to School as a teacher - not the kids stressing me, but the awful adults, particularly senior management. The ones who dodged every Ofsted inspection, yet still pontificated about teaching and learning, attainment every start of September. You'd listen to the usual shite about results, safeguarding and

By |2021-09-03T14:42:59+00:00September 3rd, 2021|freelance web designer|Comments Off on My company, my space, my desk, my rules

Up the creek without an iPhone

Because work has eased slightly at the fag end of July and because my daughter has broken up from school, it feels like the time for a holiday. Except. We're marooned in England. Why? Because, we have the worst government, Prime Minister and cabinet of all time. These imbeciles have turned the UK into Plague

By |2021-07-24T21:59:53+00:00July 24th, 2021|News|Comments Off on Up the creek without an iPhone

Tell your boss to do one and go solo

Brave intent in the title, I know, I know. It includes the assumption too that your boss is terrible (most are though, in my experience) and that you've got the capacity, ability and motivation to go solo. It takes some balls. I only did it because there was no option to carry on in teaching

By |2021-07-04T14:41:09+00:00July 4th, 2021|News|Comments Off on Tell your boss to do one and go solo

Who else counts landmark moments as fastidiously as me?

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it

By |2021-06-19T21:31:29+00:00June 19th, 2021|freelance web designer, freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Who else counts landmark moments as fastidiously as me?

The most common question after a website launch?

I won't hold you in suspense until the final paragraph or final sentence. I'll spill the beans immediately. After each and every website launch from me at Get Pro Copy, clients ask this question. "How do I get to the top of Google?" My answers are invariably the same - it takes time, money and

By |2021-06-05T18:58:38+00:00June 5th, 2021|web design|Comments Off on The most common question after a website launch?

Are you looking for the marketing equivalent of an accumulator?

Across my many addictions - Space Invaders as a teen, car buying and moving as an adult, and, of course, alcoholism, one addiction has never surfaced - gambling. I don't do the lottery (Adam Smith, "tax on fools"); I don't bet on dogs, horses or football ever. Yet I'm OCD about so many things -

By |2022-07-11T09:50:57+00:00May 28th, 2021|News, Featured, freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Are you looking for the marketing equivalent of an accumulator?

Why I’m a fan of parallax scrolling web design

Parallax scrolling - two words that make this freelance web designer's eyes light up ... I better first explain what the phrase means, in simple terms: Most websites have a vertical menu or a horizontal menu across the top, which links to pages. This website, Get Pro Copy, is traditionally laid out with six pages

By |2021-05-09T18:06:05+00:00May 9th, 2021|freelance web designer|Comments Off on Why I’m a fan of parallax scrolling web design

What are your customers searching for and how will they find you?

If this past year has taught us only thing, it is this: Online is the present, the recent past and the future. With the furore over Boris Johnson's revamp of number 11 and the dismissive comments about John Lewis, it's probably the last thing Sharon White wanted to hear, as she's battened down the hatches

By |2021-05-01T14:44:54+00:00May 1st, 2021|freelance web designer, Featured, News|Comments Off on What are your customers searching for and how will they find you?

Absence (of travel) makes the heart grow fonder (of home)

Home is a curious concept isn't it? How do you define it? Is it your birthplace, where you spent childhood, or where you've lived longest? I'm not sure. What I do know, from my own nomadic lifestyle, of settling and moving to different places is that home has been fluid. It's changed constantly and I

By |2021-04-22T17:18:02+00:00April 22nd, 2021|News|Comments Off on Absence (of travel) makes the heart grow fonder (of home)

How blogging leads to massively improved sales

Take a scenario You're lost in some town and you pull over and ask someone for directions - the first one says they've no time to give and can't help you. They're in company uniform. 5 minutes later, still lost, you ask someone else who is helpful and solves your problem, and they're in company

By |2021-04-13T13:33:21+00:00April 13th, 2021|Content Writing, freelance copywriter|Comments Off on How blogging leads to massively improved sales

RIP department stores – digital shopping has killed you

RIP department stores - digital shopping has killed you You don't need a degree in economics to work out why the high street and department stores are dying off. It's been a slow death for many years and Covid 19 has finally put the lid on the coffin of retail. Department stores have begun to

By |2021-03-27T20:41:44+00:00March 27th, 2021|Featured, News, web design|Comments Off on RIP department stores – digital shopping has killed you

This freelance web designer lands on page one of Google – twice

This freelance web designer lands on page one of Google - twice When I was a teacher of English, I never thought much of digital ranking for businesses. Why would I? My concern was student grades and supporting my English team as much of my career was spent as Head of English. The proudest moment

By |2021-03-21T12:23:03+00:00March 21st, 2021|freelance web designer, Featured|Comments Off on This freelance web designer lands on page one of Google – twice

Flash cars and designated parking spots

We all know how company hierarchies work? The higher you climb, you get a penis extension of an executive car and a designated parking spot with your name on. I've seen it in schools locally where the ranks of senior management are swelled with cars on lease, a parking place that tells pupils and visitors

By |2021-02-28T19:11:01+00:00February 28th, 2021|News|Comments Off on Flash cars and designated parking spots

If sitting is the new smoking, this web designer is doomed

 Holy moly virtue signalling I've not smoked (or vaped) since turning 30 in 1995 and I've not touched alcohol since December 2016, yet my life is medically imperilled, it would seem, by my job. I write, manage social media and design websites. All whilst sitting. That's bad. Sitting for long periods of time is medically

By |2021-02-19T13:17:53+00:00February 19th, 2021|freelance web designer, freelance copywriter, freelance writer, News|Comments Off on If sitting is the new smoking, this web designer is doomed

My favourite 10 items in the Get Pro Copy home office

I love working from home. After the squalor of working in underfunded schools as a teacher, it's wonderful to have equipment that is state of the art and not state of the ark. When I began this business, I perched on a second hand desk and chair and a MacBook Pro from 2011, which has

By |2021-02-05T10:59:10+00:00February 4th, 2021|freelance web designer|Comments Off on My favourite 10 items in the Get Pro Copy home office

My home office is a gadget palace now

Recently, with lockdown, I've suffered major metropolitan elite issues. Brexit is the shitshow everyone predicted, the government have repeatedly cocked up with Covid 19 and Johnson has turned out to be worse than even I expected. The emperor certainly has no clothes. Politics aside, I've greatly missed weekly shopping trips to Norwich, Cambridge, MK. I've

By |2021-01-15T19:07:13+00:00January 15th, 2021|News|Comments Off on My home office is a gadget palace now

SEO copywriter freelance – clumsy title, great job!

SEO copywriter freelance I've been a reader and writer since early childhood. Had little published in childhood - apart from having work read out in class, assemblies and displayed on walls at primary and middle schools in Thorne, Doncaster. English has always been central to my life - I've always loved language, though I am

By |2021-01-10T12:28:49+00:00January 10th, 2021|News, copywriter, freelance web designer, SEO|Comments Off on SEO copywriter freelance – clumsy title, great job!

Will hiring freelancers become the new normal?

Will hiring freelancers become the new normal? Firstly, apologies for using the phrase “the new normal”. It’s a term I usually eschew, but the past year has seen new dictionary entries: furlough, Covid 19, Tiers and the new normal. What’s been more surprising this year is that the ranks of freelancers have swelled and it’s

By |2020-12-31T12:07:35+00:00December 30th, 2020|copywriter, Featured, freelance web designer, News|Comments Off on Will hiring freelancers become the new normal?

Content marketing and SEO packages – new for 2021

Content marketing and SEO packages - new for 2021 Firstly, I'll keep this shortish. 2020 saw demand rise for SEO and blogging services from me, after many were quoted Kipling "exceedingly high prices" from SEO copywriters and SEO experts. Content marketing and SEO can be expensive and you can be ripped off. This year, and

By |2020-12-29T11:18:53+00:00December 29th, 2020|copywriter, Content Writing|Comments Off on Content marketing and SEO packages – new for 2021

What is the buyer’s journey and why does it matter?

What is the buyer's journey and why does it matter? Let's be honest. If you're reading this, the title may have piqued your curiosity. You may be wondering how to accelerate sales of your goods and services from your business - whether that's physical or online through SEO. You've got a functioning, attractive website embedded

By |2020-12-26T13:06:25+00:00December 26th, 2020|freelance web designer, Featured, News|Comments Off on What is the buyer’s journey and why does it matter?

Why isn’t anyone visiting my website?

Why isn’t anyone visiting my website? You’ve done your research, you’ve picked a web design agency or freelance web designer, found someone in your budget and chosen a domain name and hosting. A month or two later, with Google Analytics embedded, you proudly go live. Friends and family share. Haters hate. You beam proudly and

By |2020-12-19T17:16:26+00:00December 19th, 2020|freelance web designer, Featured|Comments Off on Why isn’t anyone visiting my website?

Thanks for the lovers, fuck you haters

Thanks for the lovers, fuck you haters 2020 has been a bastard year for so many people I know – friends have lost parents to Covid 19, people have lost jobs and the economy has ground to a halt with the virus, with Brexit about to throw more shit at the fan in 2021. Personally,

By |2020-12-20T07:33:09+00:00December 19th, 2020|freelance web designer, News|Comments Off on Thanks for the lovers, fuck you haters

Covid and online have killed the high street

City centres are dying You don't have to have a doctorate in economics to recognise that town and city centres are in terminal decline. This year, stretching metaphors, like Johnson and Van Tam, has seen them strapped to life support machines, whilst Apple, Amazon, Asos et al are skipping around the dying patients across the

By |2020-12-02T12:15:25+00:00December 2nd, 2020|freelance web designer|Comments Off on Covid and online have killed the high street

Sending out a SEO – message in a bottle

I'm old enough to remember groups like "The Police" and hits like "Roxanne" or "Message in a Bottle", but, to be honest, I don't think they've aged well, unlike say Prefab Sprout and "Steve McQueen." SEO has become the digital equivalent of an SOS or message in a bottle. You want to be found, You're

By |2020-11-15T12:15:15+00:00November 15th, 2020|SEO, copywriter|Comments Off on Sending out a SEO – message in a bottle

Stressed out – running on 21 autopilots?

Wish we could turn back time To the good old days When our momma sang us to sleep But now we're stressed out Wish we could turn back time To the good old days When our momma sang us to sleep But now we're stressed out We're stressed out There's no doubt that stress is

By |2020-11-12T14:56:06+00:00November 12th, 2020|freelance web designer, Wordpress|Comments Off on Stressed out – running on 21 autopilots?

Happy 5th birthday to this business!

I had many doubts, when I left permanent employment as a teacher in 2015, about whether self-employment would work. I started off simply as a copywriter and someone who managed social media and made very little in year one. Sticking at it though, business grew and in 2018, the business focus tilted more to web

By |2020-11-01T10:02:44+00:00November 1st, 2020|freelance web designer|Comments Off on Happy 5th birthday to this business!

I design websites for estate agents across the UK

I design websites for estate agents across the UK Property has always fascinated me. So much so that when I finally left teaching in 2013, I worked first in a local high street agency and then set up a partnership in one. Both enjoyed a modicum of success, but what I most enjoyed, looking back,

By |2020-10-22T20:59:22+00:00October 22nd, 2020|freelance web designer, property writing|Comments Off on I design websites for estate agents across the UK

Freelance web designer is the best job for this old timer

Freelance web designer and how I became one? Unusual word - freelance - don’t you agree? I can understand the free and the lance words, obviously, as separate entities, but collocate the two and you have an odd term: freelance. Free, I get.  Above all, you’re free from bosses, petty hierarchies and that addiction to

By |2020-10-27T22:12:31+00:00October 10th, 2020|freelance web designer, Featured, News|Comments Off on Freelance web designer is the best job for this old timer

What does website hosting cost UK?

What does website hosting cost UK? You must have hosting if you have a website. Put simply, hosting is a service you pay for to put your domain name online. You can't pay £4.99 for a name and expect it to magically appear online. It won't - without hosting. Firstly, you need to purchase a

By |2020-10-04T08:01:50+00:00October 4th, 2020|web design|Comments Off on What does website hosting cost UK?

Why Domain Authority matters for SEO

What is Domain Authority? Growing up with parents born in the 40s I always visualised a DA as a Duck's Arse, a 50s style of haircut, but as I've developed into a web designer I now know a more lucrative meaning: DOMAIN AUTHORITY. Put simply, the DA is the score search engines award to your

By |2020-09-15T21:22:14+00:00September 15th, 2020|SEO, News, web design|Comments Off on Why Domain Authority matters for SEO

Could this Norfolk web designer move to London?

Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, where we’ve lived now for 12 years, is remote.  Anyone arriving in Norfolk at say King’s Lynn might be lulled into thinking “we’ve arrived” when really it’s possibly a further 90 minutes to drive. I like the remoteness now though. I like the distinct geographical separation it’s engendered from my past;

By |2020-09-13T15:40:12+00:00September 13th, 2020|web design, freelance writer|Comments Off on Could this Norfolk web designer move to London?

The National – music to work and relax with

I have a fairly catholic taste in music, liking anything from Dean Martin to Drake, but my Spotify and Apple Music libraries have several firm favourites - The 1975, REM, Bruce Springsteen and, recently, The National. The final group has, I admit, reached a point of obsession in that I've downloaded all their albums, and

By |2020-08-22T20:02:07+00:00August 22nd, 2020|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on The National – music to work and relax with

A podcast with Luke James

I really enjoyed chatting with Luke James, originally from Whitchurch in Shropshire and now firmly embedded in marvellous Manchester and Salford Quays, working for Thermatic and a massive mental health advocate. Connect with Luke on LinkedIn here or on Instagram His website is here

By |2020-08-20T11:34:13+00:00August 20th, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off on A podcast with Luke James

Life after teaching – a chat with Sharon Cawley

Read more about Sharon and her business here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=VGhUc_d8xuI&fbclid=IwAR2IEanOtNMje3kgnkFCCDABugpkUziTZ55fYhzajxAjTjd8NqV1PQDd0uQ&app=desktop

By |2020-08-15T14:05:15+00:00August 15th, 2020|News, web design|Comments Off on Life after teaching – a chat with Sharon Cawley

Why you need copyright free and high res images

You can't just do a search in Google images, right click and download. Well you can, but it's illegal. Firstly, images are necessary for visual appeal on websites obviously, but the days of a Home page having seven sliders running across every few seconds are thankfully over. There's nowt wrong with a page title bar

By |2022-03-09T18:45:40+00:00August 8th, 2020|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Why you need copyright free and high res images

12 years (a slave) in Norfolk

12 years since we packed our bags and left Crowle in North Lincolnshire and headed south and east for work in Norfolk. Considering I'm a veteran relocator, and despite attempts to leave the county, we remain anchored here. To be honest, now, I consider it to be home and despite some shitty times in schools

By |2020-07-25T11:32:46+00:00July 25th, 2020|Norwich|Comments Off on 12 years (a slave) in Norfolk

Are you optimising your website for search terms and volumes?

I'll come clean - Google "copywriter Great Yarmouth" and I'm number one on the search. The problem is no-one and I mean no-one is searching for that term. I know as I pay a hefty subscription for a tool to help businesses with SEO. So, before I pat my back at sitting loftily for copywriter

By |2020-07-11T14:53:40+00:00July 11th, 2020|SEO, Great Yarmouth, Norwich|Comments Off on Are you optimising your website for search terms and volumes?

A podcast with Zelda or the Legend that is Nik McEwan?

I connected with Nik a few years ago now on LinkedIn. He is a very charismatic character with a huge back story of mental illness. He does mammoth walks like from Portsmouth to Edinburgh, making Eddie Izzard look lazy and he's a legend with content creation for himself and others. Great chat with Nik -

By |2020-07-08T14:52:33+00:00July 8th, 2020|News|Comments Off on A podcast with Zelda or the Legend that is Nik McEwan?

An inaugural podcast with Jamie Norrington, from Atkinson Moss

I was Jamie's form tutor in 2008 in a high school locally, and we recently made contact after not seeing each other for 7 years and his journey from school to recruitment is a fascinating one.

By |2020-07-08T10:58:58+00:00July 8th, 2020|News|Comments Off on An inaugural podcast with Jamie Norrington, from Atkinson Moss

5 things I’d like to change about the web design industry

5 things I'd like to change about the web design industry? PRICING. Why do some web designers and web developers levy eye-watering prices? A brochure website should not cost thousands. If you're being asked for the price of a luxury holiday, look elsewhere. DECEPTION. Businesses exist to make money, I know that. But the industry,

By |2020-06-08T21:29:32+00:00June 8th, 2020|web design|Comments Off on 5 things I’d like to change about the web design industry

Don’t get too hung up on the bloody logo!

I genuinely love what I do: web design, copywriting and digital marketing.  There is one part of that triad though that turns me to despair: the logo. Don't get me wrong; some clients are very easy going and are happy with a first or second version, but, no word of a lie, I've refunded two

By |2020-05-17T12:14:32+00:00May 17th, 2020|web design, freelance writer|Comments Off on Don’t get too hung up on the bloody logo!

Naming a web design company – a guide

Naming a web design company is not an easy task at all. I know when I set up Get Pro Copy in November 2015, I spent a month scratching my head and asking people for suggestions. It was made doubly odd back then that the fledgling business was purely focused on copywriting. Pro Copy wasn't

By |2020-05-10T13:03:37+00:00May 10th, 2020|web design|Comments Off on Naming a web design company – a guide

Why a website is absolutely necessary in 2020

Ok let's get the naysayers out of the way now with that title - "you would say it's necessary, wouldn't you, as a freelance web designer?" Fair cop. I will add a warning though - if you think splashing £650 to £2000 on a website, will have you reaching for cigars and smoking jacket, think

By |2020-05-08T20:38:05+00:00May 8th, 2020|web design, Featured, News, Wordpress|Comments Off on Why a website is absolutely necessary in 2020

Will Coronavirus and lockdown lead to recession?

I'm a dab hand at working from home I know, I know. When I first embarked on the road with freelance writing and marketing, it felt distinctly lonely. I'd had 27 years of banter in a classroom and staffroom with staff and students, and to be home alone was initially disconcerting. Not any more though.

By |2020-05-03T20:49:03+00:00May 3rd, 2020|freelance copywriter, web design|Comments Off on Will Coronavirus and lockdown lead to recession?

Primark, a digital warning to us all?

Primark went from £650 million (profits or sales, I don't know) in one month to zero in the next. Ok a global pandemic and lockdown was not something their bosses anticipated but what shocked me more than their 20p an hour exploitation of workers was the Primark website here. It is responsive, attractive, fast to

By |2021-02-25T13:07:33+00:00April 26th, 2020|web design|Comments Off on Primark, a digital warning to us all?

10 things to do if you want to make WFH permanent

I'll start by stating the bleeding obvious - I'm a freelance copywriter and web designer who has a vested interest in persuading you to Work From Home or WFH permanently.  Covid 19 and WFH Constantly, I see two extremes in this Covid 19 time. There's those who hate lockdown, being furloughed or skint, which I

By |2020-04-05T18:22:02+00:00April 5th, 2020|web design, News|Comments Off on 10 things to do if you want to make WFH permanent

Goodbye teaching – I am officially retired now.

I remember childhood well; particularly school and the early stages of being a linguistic Nazi at 4, when I corrected Mrs Holiday's spelling on the first day there. She probably muttered "twat" afterwards but she praised me at the time and made a point of telling my mum, I was a genius, after school. Reading

By |2020-04-02T13:45:04+00:00April 2nd, 2020|copywriter|Comments Off on Goodbye teaching – I am officially retired now.

Love in the time of Coronavirus

Covid 19, or Come on Eileen, has made me, and, no doubt, so many others, reflect on mortality. I don't intend dying any day  soon, admittedly, but after a rather dodgy week in Edinburgh, in February, and the recent quarantine and news, events have made me think more. I can honestly say, in my 54

By |2020-03-24T21:21:41+00:00March 24th, 2020|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Love in the time of Coronavirus

Working from home effectively, away from bosses

I've read some right BS this week on LinkedIn as per usual. Those micromanaging bellends who have parking spots with their name and status on giving it large about working from home. They know that they can't utter "Have you got a minute?" to keep the office, school, business in fear and have had to

By |2020-03-14T13:06:51+00:00March 14th, 2020|web design, Content Writing, Featured|Comments Off on Working from home effectively, away from bosses

In under a month, my teaching career ends officially

I've had more lives in teaching than a cat; I've risen like a Phoenix several times and made false starts to reinvent myself or return to teaching. But come 4th April, I hit 55 and a career that could have spanned 33 years comes to an end. For most of that period from 1987 to

By |2020-03-08T14:59:56+00:00March 8th, 2020|freelance copywriter, News|Comments Off on In under a month, my teaching career ends officially

Hick’s law and how it applies to web design

Jam and soup everywhere You know the moment when you walk into a supermarket intending to buy some soup? You're bewildered by the range of fresh soups in the refrigerator aisle and the tinned ones in the soup aisle. You maybe want jam and can see 40 different jam jars of different makes and flavours.

By |2020-02-29T11:48:17+00:00February 29th, 2020|web design, News|Comments Off on Hick’s law and how it applies to web design

Do you own page one of Google for your name?

Page one Google dreams We all dream of being at the top of page one of Google for lucrative search terms but it's not an easy task to achieve at all. Firstly, you've got to find the search volumes (if they're labelled as 10 per month, don't bother), work out whether competition is high, medium

By |2020-12-19T16:04:06+00:00February 23rd, 2020|web design, freelance copywriter, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Wordpress|Comments Off on Do you own page one of Google for your name?

Looking to make a living from freelance? Diversify.

Riches in niches, blah de blah. Like any cliché, it holds water. You specialise in your products and services and you’ll make gains. Until that technology, that product becomes obsolete of course - like video rentals etc. If you go niche, you’ve more chance of standing out amongst rivals in that field. My advice though

By |2020-02-18T14:13:47+00:00February 18th, 2020|freelance copywriter, News|Comments Off on Looking to make a living from freelance? Diversify.

Repeat after me “I don’t do bosses”

Bosses are bellends Time to step over to the turntable of history and put on the old record "Bosses are bellends". Now clearly - not all of them. I've worked with some great people as my line managers in life - but 85% are probably bellends. It's partly why I left teaching as headteachers, the

By |2020-10-03T20:56:27+00:00February 12th, 2020|copywriter, News|Comments Off on Repeat after me “I don’t do bosses”

Return of the Mac – even in Storm Ciara weather.

Impulsively, a few weeks ago, I decided to fill a void in my Apple virtual life with the purchase of a MacBook Pro 16. I didn’t enter Norwich with the intention of looking at one, let alone buying one, but a banner - damn you print marketing - caught my eye stating Interest Free Credit

By |2020-02-09T20:28:14+00:00February 9th, 2020|Norwich, freelance writer, web design|Comments Off on Return of the Mac – even in Storm Ciara weather.

The best places I’ve lived in 54 years of life

I was born in Thorne, a small market / mining town near Doncaster in 1965 and lived there until going to do my degree in 1983. Off to Sunderland. Now that was not a great place to live. Don't get me wrong - the course and social life was great but after 3 years of

By |2020-02-08T21:21:35+00:00February 8th, 2020|web design|Comments Off on The best places I’ve lived in 54 years of life

Pay monthly websites that suit your budget

Pay monthly websites are something I offer. Why? Because very few people can walk into a car dealership and pay for a new car outright. Same with houses. We pay for them over 25 years (16 in my case as 70 is the maximum mortgageable age). Ergo smartphones. We think "£70 a month for 2

By |2020-02-07T22:20:05+00:00February 7th, 2020|web design, News, Norwich|Comments Off on Pay monthly websites that suit your budget

Why coaching matters with digital marketing

I do think that I've developed my own social media channels for Get Pro Copy Ltd pretty well. All six are relatively active, with YouTube slumbering, whilst others are frantic with energy. I spend most time and energy on the ones that deliver results for me: LinkedIn, then Facebook, then Instagram. I pin blog posts

By |2020-02-05T09:33:41+00:00February 5th, 2020|Social Media Management, Content marketing A, Content Writing, News|Comments Off on Why coaching matters with digital marketing

Why isn’t my business on page one of Google?

Why isn't my business on page one of Google? We all long to be on Google page one for the various search terms our business is optimised for. Someone is visiting a relative in hospital, they google "florists in Norwich", quick scan and they call or pop in there. They're unlikely to go to page

By |2020-12-19T16:04:48+00:00February 4th, 2020|SEO, News|Comments Off on Why isn’t my business on page one of Google?

Ten things I miss about employment

Instead of espousing the virtues of freelance, I thought I'd do a tilt job and talk about 10 things I actually miss: Colleagues  Regular pay Weekends Holidays  The Friday feeling Working with young people (I was a teacher if you've not sussed it) The commute - only if under 30 minutes mind Workplace banter Paying

By |2020-02-02T18:54:03+00:00February 2nd, 2020|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Ten things I miss about employment

Which social media channel makes me the most gwop?

Street alert again - gwop - too much listening to D Block Europe, Stormzy and Aitch, when I should be tapping my feet to something more becoming of a 54 year old man, on the cusp of retirement. I’ve never ever acted my age though and doubt I ever will. Old man clothes and music

By |2020-01-26T21:53:55+00:00January 26th, 2020|News, Norwich, Social Media Management, web design, Wordpress|Comments Off on Which social media channel makes me the most gwop?

5 ways to save money when setting up a new website

5 ways to save money when setting up a new website My social media banners highlight one prominent statement - "Web design without the agency prices." Check it out on LinkedIn. This then forms the first way: 1. Find a freelancer Firstly, a freelancer in any field will be more affordable than an agency. We

By |2020-01-26T07:06:02+00:00January 25th, 2020|web design|2 Comments

What’s the big deal about Mobile First?

Oh the heady days of 2012 - when Carly Rae Jepsen Called Me Maybe or Gotye was Somebody I Used to Know? It was the year I started a new job, at 47, thinking it would be my final place of work before retiring from education - I was right. Just not about the date.

By |2020-01-26T07:00:06+00:00January 24th, 2020|web design, News|Comments Off on What’s the big deal about Mobile First?

Why isn’t anyone coming to my website?

Before I begin, let me just make it absolutely clear that this is not a question I get asked daily. It is not something that crops up when I’m waiting for a soya latte in Pret, or walking the dog. I don’t make apocryphal questions up to suit some blog post. But. When people actually

By |2020-01-23T20:49:20+00:00January 23rd, 2020|SEO, News, Social Media Management|Comments Off on Why isn’t anyone coming to my website?

How Much Does it Cost to Redesign a Site?

We all get older, we all age, as humans. Our digital businesses are no different - they age. I remember vividly the pride I felt when I got my first brand new car - a K reg diesel Ford Fiesta in 1996 and thinking I was a big time Charlie as it had a rear

By |2020-01-22T21:32:18+00:00January 22nd, 2020|web design, Featured, News|Comments Off on How Much Does it Cost to Redesign a Site?

A timeline of a freelancer’s day – well my day

When I was a teacher from 1987 to 2015, like all colleagues and pupils, bells and term time defined my life. I'd fume if there was an Open Evening or Parents' Evening where we expected to explain progress to 30 sets of parents an hour after ending in the classroom, until 8pm. The only respite

By |2020-01-21T09:16:09+00:00January 21st, 2020|freelance copywriter, Featured, News|Comments Off on A timeline of a freelancer’s day – well my day

12 years in Norfolk, 4 months a vegan

I've been gluten free and on a restricted diet since 2000.  I was diagnosed with coeliac disease after years of physical emaciation. I dropped to 10 stone and a 28 waist at 38. The doctor in Yorkshire pulled no punches. When I went back for the umpteenth time - "You look terminally ill. I'm phoning

By |2022-10-12T09:26:45+00:00January 20th, 2020|freelance copywriter, News|Comments Off on 12 years in Norfolk, 4 months a vegan

Copywriter earns well, dressed like a chav

How to make money as a copywriter dressed like a chav The grey tracksuited, puffer jacket wearing great unwashed rolling fags, eating badly, taking drugs and drinking too much: the chav. I'm a chav copywriter. I think. A roadman or wordman? Funnily enough, I fit into most of these categories - or used to.  I

By |2021-05-05T18:15:44+00:00January 19th, 2020|copywriter, News, web design|Comments Off on Copywriter earns well, dressed like a chav

Vegan balti in Birmingham after an epic train journey

January 2020 has started off with a bang and it won't be long before the Portfolio page is updated with 7 or 8 new website projects. I'm in Birmingham this week to discuss retained writing for a company and am quite excited for the Thomas the Tank Engine trek from Great Yarmouth to New Street.

By |2020-01-19T21:56:49+00:00January 12th, 2020|copywriter, Featured, News|Comments Off on Vegan balti in Birmingham after an epic train journey

Plant based, veganism – not as challenging as you’d imagine

I went for a totally plant-based diet, 3 months ago now, after six weeks of vegetarianism before this. Now I do like a bandwagon and gratefully jumped on this one - not because I don’t care about animal rights, but mainly because I watched “The Game Changers” on Netflix and I fell for the hype.

By |2020-01-05T20:08:59+00:00January 5th, 2020|copywriter, News|Comments Off on Plant based, veganism – not as challenging as you’d imagine

Feliz Navidad – this web designer and writer hits Madrid

As a family, we do enjoy a city break a couple of times a year. I’m not particularly capable in any modern foreign languages though the wife and children are. Tricia is fluent in French and German and can get by in Italian and Spanish. Son, James, is doing a degree in French and English

By |2021-05-05T18:16:38+00:00December 28th, 2019|News, freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Feliz Navidad – this web designer and writer hits Madrid

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah VAT Man

I was featured on The State of LinkedIn's Twitter feed, last week, for my LinkedIn status about officially being in the top 5% of earners and levying VAT. If it was meant to wound me, it did the opposite. I did laugh out loud that the 125,000 views of the LinkedIn status, the 1000 plus

By |2020-01-12T17:16:55+00:00December 5th, 2019|copywriter, News|Comments Off on Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah VAT Man

1460 days since I started this business – or 4 years

Quite a milestone today in that this business, Get Pro Copy Ltd, turns 4 Its genesis came about at a low point in my personal and professional life, when it became obvious that I had to find something new to do to save my sanity, and writing was the plan. I've always loved writing From

By |2019-12-05T09:15:32+00:00November 1st, 2019|web design, copywriter|Comments Off on 1460 days since I started this business – or 4 years

This Norwich web design freelancer is on show soon

On 5th November, Guido Walton, a Norwich web design freelancer, is giving a five minute talk and taking part in a seminar in Norwich on copywriting and blogging. To be honest, I'm quite flattered and excited about the event. I taught English from 1987 to 2014 and presenting was part of my DNA. Though I

By |2019-11-03T10:23:52+00:00October 26th, 2019|web design, News|Comments Off on This Norwich web design freelancer is on show soon

“Joker” – put on a happy face?

After two abortive attempts to watch "Joker" we got third time lucky today and managed to actually get tickets and see "Joker". It's a film set in the 80s with its issues firmly lodged in the here and now: societal breakdown and mental breakdown at its core. It's a beautiful, moving, dark elegiac journey into

By |2019-11-03T10:26:51+00:00October 24th, 2019|copywriter, News, Norwich|2 Comments

Get Pro Copy has had an autumnal makeover

This website is overdue a total makeover. It started off almost four years ago as a simple brochure site of 4 pages to showcase my copywriting services and it's since gone off on more tangents than a parliamentary Brexit debate (in a similar time span) Keep it fresh You see design and branding should never

By |2019-10-24T23:38:27+00:00October 23rd, 2019|web design, copywriter, Social Media Management|Comments Off on Get Pro Copy has had an autumnal makeover

Web designer Great Yarmouth is staying put

We recently had an impulsive (and rash) idea to sell the family home here in Bradwell, Great Yarmouth. This web designer Great Yarmouth had itchy feet, again. Our son has left home and we feel the house is no longer the same, since he went (or was sent) to university. Our heads had been turned

By |2019-10-13T07:05:36+00:00October 12th, 2019|Great Yarmouth, web design|Comments Off on Web designer Great Yarmouth is staying put

This freelance web designer Norfolk is 4 years old

My business, this freelance web designer Norfolk business, is 4 years old in a few days. It seems opportune to blog about it in some happy birthday celebratory way. Technically, though, in a spirit of openness and honesty, it's a landmark for how it has evolved. You see, when I was given the career equivalent

By |2019-10-06T19:38:19+00:00October 6th, 2019|web design|Comments Off on This freelance web designer Norfolk is 4 years old

5 ways to make a success of being self-employed

I used to search for this very term, 4 years ago: 5 ways to make a success of being self-employed. I used to post statuses on social media asking the titular question, until I got repeated contact to sell cordial at £20 a bottle from Forever Living or something like that. Forever pestering, more like.

By |2019-09-29T20:18:18+00:00September 29th, 2019|web design|Comments Off on 5 ways to make a success of being self-employed

The pen is mightier than the sword, they say?

I make money, a good living actually, from the pen and the keyboard.  Far more than I made in teaching English, leading an English team or being a Director of the subject across three schools. There's money in words and lots of it and if you're ignoring content as a means of increasing profits, quite

By |2019-09-24T22:10:10+00:00September 24th, 2019|Content marketing A|Comments Off on The pen is mightier than the sword, they say?

Son leaves for Cardiff and how we feel

Cardiff awaits this weekend with the loss of our son. I’ve always been a hands on dad, in the best possible way. Bringing up the two children in partnership with my wife. There’s no state of tiredness as overwhelming as being a new parent. I remember it well, even though it’s 18 years since James

By |2019-09-18T16:06:36+00:00September 18th, 2019|freelance writer, Norwich, web design|Comments Off on Son leaves for Cardiff and how we feel

How decent copywriting can generate leads

When I occasionally blog on Get Pro Copy or Nest in Norfolk, one of my other companies, I see a spike in visitor numbers on Google Analytics. Makes sense, really. What I also see longer term is a steady rise in search engine rankings. If I blogged weekly, without fail, I'm sure I'd be at

By |2019-09-15T09:58:15+00:00September 15th, 2019|Content marketing A, Content Writing|Comments Off on How decent copywriting can generate leads

Web design, copywriting, social media, estate agency

You could never accuse me of standing still in business! Since being propelled skywards from a metaphorical ejector seat in 2015, I've had to learn new things. Old dogs aren't supposed to be able to do that - but this one has had to. Get Pro Copy was set up four years ago as a

By |2019-08-04T13:34:44+00:00August 4th, 2019|property writing|Comments Off on Web design, copywriting, social media, estate agency

Online shopping continues to grow in the UK.

I manage other companies social media so I'm always like a ferret down a rabbit hole. I sniff out relevant engaging news daily. This week I read about the inexorable rise in online shopping in the UK and Europe, with only China and the USA bucking the trend. It's been clear for a while now

By |2019-09-15T09:04:41+00:00June 29th, 2019|web design|Comments Off on Online shopping continues to grow in the UK.

Yesterday, Gorleston high street seemed so far away.

Gorleston, Gorleston-on-Sea, is a place we’ve now lived in for 11 years and quite frankly loved living in. It’s a town that’s changed beyond recognition from when we first upped sticks. We moved initially to Jenner Road, on the Paget Estate. This was followed by a long stint on Elmgrove Road, with so many architecturally

By |2019-09-15T07:50:01+00:00June 23rd, 2019|web design, copywriter, Great Yarmouth|1 Comment

The new iPad Pro 12.9 – a web designer’s dream

I know I was fixated with Apple and tried, with counselling and support, to wean myself off this expensive habit, but it sucked me back in. That pesky iOS, suitable for a 3 year old or 93 year old, in its simplicity, made me return as an Apple sheep again. Quick recap - when the

By |2019-09-15T07:53:59+00:00June 8th, 2019|Norwich, web design|1 Comment

Decent website but how are you driving traffic there?

Decent website but how are you driving traffic there? I design websites for clients. Done pretty well at it the last year too. 150 projects completed, with more stacked up, in line. I didn’t drive business though solely through this website or blogging prolifically. I’ve built a following, a big following on social media. LinkedIn

By |2019-09-15T09:05:37+00:00June 1st, 2019|Social Media Management|Comments Off on Decent website but how are you driving traffic there?

WordPress web design Norwich – a no brainer.

Why should you use Wordpress web design Norwich and elsewhere? I'm not religious at all, not a zealot, but I do try to convert people all the time - firstly into using Wordpress web design Norwich and, much to the chagrin (coughs up dictionary) of web developers and agencies locally, convince people to work closely

By |2019-09-15T07:58:38+00:00May 14th, 2019|web design|Comments Off on WordPress web design Norwich – a no brainer.

Affordable web design Great Yarmouth – where?

Are you looking for affordable web design Great Yarmouth - if so, this freelancer can help. If I drive 3 miles down the A143, the congested route of Beccles Road, or the A47 (formerly A11, renamed to make us think we'd got a new dual carriageway?), I arrive in Great Yarmouth. It's a funny place,

By |2019-09-15T08:04:07+00:00May 11th, 2019|Great Yarmouth, web design|Comments Off on Affordable web design Great Yarmouth – where?

Does greed kill Norwich web design agencies?

I don't gloat when I see a web design agency locally or further afield go under, or cease trading. Far from it, I've been there myself in education - when I was metaphorically thrown under a bus - but that trauma is the past, a foreign country, it has become. When I heard that a

By |2019-09-15T08:06:57+00:00May 3rd, 2019|Norwich, web design|Comments Off on Does greed kill Norwich web design agencies?

Am I on holiday in Norfolk, still?

We say it every time we travel down the Acle Straight, towards home, which was Gorleston until 3 years ago, and now Bradwell, a suburb of Great Yarmouth. Not the eponymous "Are we there yet?" but does it still feel like we're on holiday here? Last weekend, heading back from Norwich  the question, usually habitual, wasn't raised. Bet

By |2019-09-15T08:12:20+00:00April 25th, 2019|web design, Great Yarmouth, Norwich|Comments Off on Am I on holiday in Norfolk, still?

Apple to Android and back again

I'm a fickle, feckless spender of earnings and having defected from the walled garden of Apple before Christmas to Android and a snazzy Note 9, this week I knocked on the orchard door and asked to be let back in - wearing the metaphorical sackcloth and ashes. Now don't get me wrong, the Note 9

By |2019-09-15T08:14:11+00:00April 7th, 2019|web design|Comments Off on Apple to Android and back again

LinkedIn – the best place to promote your services

I'll start with a fairly obvious opening gambit - if anyone on LinkedIn sends me a connection request, followed within nanoseconds by a sales pitch, I turn all Shania Twain. If someone sends a follow up to the message Ive acknowledged with a thanks but no thanks, Shania Twain morphs into Joe Pesci and they

By |2019-09-15T08:17:03+00:00March 9th, 2019|web design, Norwich|1 Comment

Web design courses Norwich from this ex teacher?

Should I start offering web design courses Norwich? Read on. When I was at school, apart from English Literature, the curriculum seemed utterly pointless. The cookery teacher made Gordon Ramsay look a model of patience, maths consisted of repetitive drills, history was about roads and canals, geography was colouring in - still is apparently. Obviously

By |2019-09-15T08:19:50+00:00February 22nd, 2019|Norwich, web design|2 Comments

Is Norwich city centre recession-proof?

Apart from Thorne, Doncaster, a place I spent 18 years in from birth to university, I've never remained anywhere as long as we've stayed in Norwich, Norfolk. I've had a few bad experiences here, in the recent past, in education, but even that, with hindsight, was a massive favour. I had fallen out of love

By |2019-09-15T08:21:40+00:00February 18th, 2019|web design, copywriter, Norwich|Comments Off on Is Norwich city centre recession-proof?

Do you subconsciously avoid clicking Google ads?

When I launched my first business six years ago, I was smitten by the Google ads offer of £75 in free advertising for Pay Per Click in return for a £25 investment. Seemed an absolute no-brainer back then. I sculpted an enticing advert within the set Google parameters, paid my money and watched as the

By |2019-09-15T08:24:02+00:00February 10th, 2019|Content marketing A|Comments Off on Do you subconsciously avoid clicking Google ads?

I hate meetings but love meeting in Norwich

Today, someone asked me to meet in Norwich and as I'd intended to meet someone anyway, my diary shouted "Go."  Normally, client meetings irritate as the time spent over coffee could be spent on actually designing, writing and marketing. I'm not anti-social but have been mightily fed up in the past when a 60 mile

By |2019-09-15T08:25:36+00:00February 6th, 2019|Norwich, web design|Comments Off on I hate meetings but love meeting in Norwich

Starting a business is exciting – avoid partnerships at all costs though

Starting any business, particularly after paid employment, can be incredibly exciting and daunting, at the same time. You’ve got the fear of leaving the known for the unknown; leaving a salary to risk all on a business idea. We’ve been there ourselves. It’s not an easy decision to make. You will probably lie awake at

By |2019-09-15T08:29:55+00:00February 4th, 2019|web design, freelance copywriter, Norwich|Comments Off on Starting a business is exciting – avoid partnerships at all costs though

Google rewards fresh content and here’s how yo can do it.

Copywriting, blogging or sharing stories; informing, entertaining, prompting and challenging is one major factor that could make or break your business. In grand terms, it’s called content marketing. Which means providing content that is not sell, sell, sell, but help, help, help and which people read and feel compelled to share. Share triggers – built

By |2019-09-15T08:32:25+00:00February 4th, 2019|Content marketing A|Comments Off on Google rewards fresh content and here’s how yo can do it.

Why isn’t there an Escape to the City?

I used to like watching property programmes - along with the rest of the population - back in the day. Occasionally, channel surfing, I'll pause still on "Grand Designs", "Homes under the Hammer" and "Escape to the Country" and watch for 10 or 15 minutes. I don't often linger as I saw most on first

By |2019-09-15T08:37:25+00:00February 3rd, 2019|Norwich, web design|Comments Off on Why isn’t there an Escape to the City?

Woodland walks close to my Norfolk home

When my nose isn't pressed firmly to the grindstone of work, which it tends to be nowadays, I often have a 60 minute to 90 minute daily sabbatical of a dog walk with the most recent addition to the family, a rescue border collie, who is delightful. Working from home is wonderful, but when I

By |2019-09-15T08:39:41+00:00January 28th, 2019|Great Yarmouth, Norwich, web design|2 Comments

Are you exploiting the millions of zombies?

I am a zombie. My daughter is, my wife and son less so. We are the living dead. Walking round with fixed stares. Stares set on screens - living life through a lens, vicariously, whatever you want to call it. Not alone though as most of the population seem glued to smartphones and the internet.

By |2019-09-15T08:41:37+00:00January 27th, 2019|web design, Great Yarmouth, Norwich|Comments Off on Are you exploiting the millions of zombies?

How to get found on Google in Great Yarmouth and Gorleston?

There's riches in niches, clearly, and I'll grab a knife, carve that humble pie and eat a slice now, because, I admit to being wrong. There. Said it. A native of Yorkshire admitting fallibility is unheard of. But I'm wrong. You see, in my aim for SEO dominance with this venture, I went for low

By |2019-09-15T08:44:02+00:00January 23rd, 2019|web design, Great Yarmouth, Norwich|2 Comments

Are you actively pursuing 5 star Google reviews?

I'm of an age when I remember the thud of Yellow Pages and the BT phonebook landing though letterboxes, the free newspaper (which I carry now from the welcome mat to recycling as it lands) and the days of buying newspapers, which seems so arcane, that I actually pinch and zoom when I stumble upon

By |2019-09-15T08:46:41+00:00January 19th, 2019|web design, Great Yarmouth, Norwich|Comments Off on Are you actively pursuing 5 star Google reviews?

What does responsive website design mean?

Responsive website design is probably a term you've heard of and even perhaps know what it means. I won't keep you hanging - responsive means it fits to screen on mobile, desktop and tablet. I used to naively think that a web designer created a website and hey presto it rendered correctly on all devices.

By |2019-09-15T08:48:49+00:00January 13th, 2019|Norwich|Comments Off on What does responsive website design mean?

Great Yarmouth, a town I live in

Seaside towns have a bad reputation: think Blackpool, Bridlington, Rhyl, Great Yarmouth, Hastings. Seasonal tourism, low paid jobs and a poor transport infrastructure, generally. We moved to Gorleston, a major town, south of Great Yarmouth, 11 years ago and have since moved to Bradwell, a generally modern suburb, and I feel like it's home now.

By |2019-09-15T08:53:37+00:00January 12th, 2019|Great Yarmouth, web design|2 Comments

Was George right to shoot Lennie?

I realised when the reptilian Gove removed "Of Mice and Men" from the curriculum that my days were numbered in a classroom. I'd taught it for over 20 years and seen the old and newer versions of the dvd repeatedly. I realised too, when I set up this business, that the days of coaching students

By |2019-09-15T08:57:32+00:00January 9th, 2019|copywriter|Comments Off on Was George right to shoot Lennie?

2019 begins as 2018 ended – excellently.

Christmas this year was a bit of a damp squib as 12 year old daughter, Ruby, was forced to admit that she knew Santa was fictitious and she knew last year too. I became suspicious when I saw the letter to Santa had been replaced by a full Amazon basket, which irked as I'm weaning

By |2019-09-15T08:59:34+00:00January 6th, 2019|web design, Norwich|Comments Off on 2019 begins as 2018 ended – excellently.

The literary heritage of Norwich and Norfolk

I don't claim to be a native of Norfolk at all. We moved here for careers in teaching and a coastal lifestyle 11 years ago and it's a good place to bring up children and live. The roads are antiquated and that warmth you get from conversations in the north is conspicuous by its absence,

By |2019-09-15T09:01:17+00:00January 2nd, 2019|web design, Norwich|Comments Off on The literary heritage of Norwich and Norfolk

Should I use a freelancer or a web design agency Norwich?

There's no easy answer to this. No binary "yes use a freelancer" or "yes use a web design agency Norwich", assuming you're in Norwich and would like someone local to complete a revamp or a completely new website. A web design agency often will have more expertise and specialists within that agency - someone who

By |2018-12-28T14:43:10+00:00December 28th, 2018|web design, Norwich|Comments Off on Should I use a freelancer or a web design agency Norwich?

This web design Norwich UK company is climbing

SEO. The 2018 equivalent of a box ad in Yellow Pages and one of the most prized ambitions of companies - featuring on Google Page One for a specific search term and failing that, pole position on page 2. Beyond page 2, it's a lost cause we are told. Getting on page one in private

By |2018-12-26T15:19:16+00:00December 26th, 2018|web design, Norwich|Comments Off on This web design Norwich UK company is climbing

Printed business card or a digital one with a new website?

I have business cards wedged in wallets and drawers and occasionally use them, though I do feel ordering 1000 was a tad optimistic, given that they seem to me, at least, to be somewhat archaic. Given that we all carry smartphones in our daily lives, it's much quicker to add someone on Slack, or What's

By |2018-12-25T11:50:07+00:00December 25th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Printed business card or a digital one with a new website?

Is print as dead as that Python parrot?

I don't jaunt that often - if jaunt can be made into a verb; but when I do it inevitably involves some Alan Partridge excursions into budget hotels which are invariably paid for by companies who've commissioned me.  Premier Inn, Hyde, the home of Britain's biggest serial killer, Dr Shipman, where the residents were all

By |2020-01-27T15:50:58+00:00December 13th, 2018|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Is print as dead as that Python parrot?

I would like more retainers after Christmas

Wouldn’t we all, you may be thinking, with my temerity of asking for more money. The thing is though that self-employment is feast or famine, boom or bust and other clichéd parallels, and you may mutter “cheeky sod” at my front. But bear with me. When I was in employment, I often observed of myself

By |2018-12-08T17:05:39+00:00December 8th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on I would like more retainers after Christmas

Planning for 2019 – always think ahead – bellends need not apply

Whilst you’re sipping your Harvey’s Bristol Cream (oh I do miss that and other alcohol!), your thoughts may turn to 2019 or they may not. I’m always planning ahead, because being freelance and self-employed means you can’t think “Sod it I’ll take January 2019 off and have a much-needed rest.” I’ve got plans underway too

By |2018-12-06T16:04:10+00:00December 6th, 2018|freelance writer|Comments Off on Planning for 2019 – always think ahead – bellends need not apply

Social media selling – more than a modern Roy Walker catchphrase

Facets of growing up I remember fondly are my addiction and skill at Taito Space Invaders, the Sunday ritual of watching "Bullseye" and believe it or not, the enjoyment of "Family Fortunes" and "Catchphrase" before the internet existed, as there was little to do, on a council estate near Doncaster. Or anywhere else for that

By |2018-12-02T19:34:25+00:00December 2nd, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Social media selling – more than a modern Roy Walker catchphrase

Off to Paris at Christmas before Little Brexit Britain shuts down in March

I’ve never ever understood the mentality that Britain is Great. When we hop across to France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, Spain et al, I have never once thought “not as nice as Scunthorpe” or “I prefer Oldham” or “Blackpool tower has better views.” No. That’s why the Brexit vote bewildered me. Okay it was predicated

By |2018-12-01T10:56:58+00:00December 1st, 2018|copywriter|Comments Off on Off to Paris at Christmas before Little Brexit Britain shuts down in March

Five easy first steps to set up a website

The mystery, the mystique, the wonder and awe of watching a domain name become a website used to enthrall me. It still does in fact. Someone buys a domain name for £7.19 and within a week it’s a living, breathing digital presence. I used to think that was beyond me and the average person, but

By |2018-11-29T13:05:08+00:00November 29th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Five easy first steps to set up a website

Why blogging is good for your business

Before I get accused of vested interests, I’ll come clean, as I’m always an open book, that yes blogging is good for your business and it is for mine too. I get paid reasonably well to do something I enjoy and am reasonably good at: writing. When I used to tell people I met that

By |2018-11-27T21:21:41+00:00November 27th, 2018|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Why blogging is good for your business

A website is only part of your business journey

That title may sound a bit odd, coming from this Norwich web designer and copywriter, even self-deprecatory to a point of self-defeating but it’s true. A website won’t make you any money. It won’t pay the bills, your mortgage, your car loan and feed you at all. Let me explain, before you assume I’ve lost

By |2018-11-23T23:47:10+00:00November 23rd, 2018|web design|1 Comment

Communicating with web design via What’s App – what a schoolboy error!

When I begin a web design project, I often ask "Do you use What's App" and 97% of the time, the answer is "yes I do." Good I think. That means files, photos and text can be ported quickly between myself and the client with me even having it minimised permanently on the iMac. It

By |2018-11-08T19:46:24+00:00November 8th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Communicating with web design via What’s App – what a schoolboy error!

The budget, housing and the ghost of Banquo

So what happened in yesterday's budget for housing, announced by the wan Philip Hammond, a man with less colour in his complexion than Banquo's ghost? Quite a few points actually. 1 Help to Buy Help to Buy was extended for a further 2 years to 2023. It's a scheme that has got many people into

By |2018-10-30T10:33:07+00:00October 30th, 2018|freelance writer|Comments Off on The budget, housing and the ghost of Banquo

Landing pages – preaching to the converted

Some times less is more. Brevity in a message can speak louder than a scripted call to action. Same with websites. The problem is though that one page websites - those you land on, scroll through and feel compelled to act upon - can be financially onerous for a start up or small business. But

By |2018-10-29T12:29:54+00:00October 29th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Landing pages – preaching to the converted

What should your website home page include?

If you use Google Analytics for managing your own website, or tracking those you manage, you will recognise this scenario. The Home page records most visits, which you'd expect if it's linked to your business card, your LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook bios, closely followed in 90% of cases by the About page. I've tinkered with

By |2018-10-28T12:08:00+00:00October 28th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on What should your website home page include?

Why you should work for free (sometimes)

I'm a big user of LinkedIn, where I enjoy the company of fellow cynics and often tut, frown or even comment on the sermons that are spouted there. Two in the past week have caught my eye: can you guess or do you not give a damn? I'll tell you anyway. The first is that

By |2018-10-25T20:10:56+00:00October 25th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Why you should work for free (sometimes)

Good grief, this Apple fan boy has moved to Android

Seismic shifts happened last Thursday in my personal and business world, in that a man who's worn iOS blinkers since the iPhone 4's launch in 2010 has moved to the dark side, Android. Let me explain first why this was so chasmic a move. It reads like a long brag, perhaps, or as excessive myopia,

By |2018-10-22T15:26:14+00:00October 22nd, 2018|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Good grief, this Apple fan boy has moved to Android

You can pay monthly for phone contracts so why not your website?

Despite my prices being "affordable" I occasionally get asked if I'd accept a fixed monthly payment for a new or redesigned website, and I've thought about this and decided to trial it. All my Wordpress sites come with free hosting for Year One, with a nominal £30 being levied in Year 2 for the 12

By |2018-10-21T18:34:10+00:00October 21st, 2018|web design|Comments Off on You can pay monthly for phone contracts so why not your website?

Radiator in the hall … check … or this property listing?

Fancy a room (or rooms) with a view? We can’t promise EM Forster’s Florence but this 4 bedroomed first floor maisonette in Wimbledon has a very pleasing outlook. The property is tucked amongst similar Victorian and Edwardian bay-windowed housing stock on Trinity Road, on the corner of Faraday Road. The property overlooks South Park and

By |2018-10-11T07:18:57+00:00October 11th, 2018|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Radiator in the hall … check … or this property listing?

Durham or Norfolk? Seasons of mists and mellow flooriness.

Seasons of mists and mellow flooriness. I'll come clean - flooriness is not a word but to get some loose connection with Keats' "To Autumn" I had to bend rules. I used to despise autumn with a passion and there's still aspects of it that irk. Declining light levels, shorter evenings, until the lunar armageddon

By |2018-10-05T20:50:04+00:00October 5th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Durham or Norfolk? Seasons of mists and mellow flooriness.

What is the most difficult part of web design?

Web design is skilful. It is at times a frustrating process, from initial set up of domain, to pointing nameservers, arranging hosting, to propagation to installing themes and plugins. Naively, I used to think it was about buying a domain, installing WordPress, buying a theme and oof the website is done. If only. It's a

By |2018-09-21T09:12:14+00:00September 21st, 2018|freelance copywriter, web design|Comments Off on What is the most difficult part of web design?

Aftercare and why it matters with web design

Aftercare- and why it matters with web design. I thought I'd explain how I operate and how some web designers behave, exemplifying what you get after your payment has been credited and your website shines bright like a diamond. On all devices. I back up your website daily within the WordPress dashboard with a nifty

By |2018-09-20T07:38:41+00:00September 20th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Aftercare and why it matters with web design

27 years in a classroom – time well spent.

Time is a great healer, they say and it's true. Time heals and gives perspective and sometimes when I think back over recent events, I get a little bit sad about what happened from 2013 onwards to my teaching career. But there's absolutely no need to be - because my time in teaching from 1987

By |2018-09-03T21:47:24+00:00September 3rd, 2018|web design|Comments Off on 27 years in a classroom – time well spent.

Can you run a web design business with just an iPad Pro?

I was debating for weeks whether to get a new MacBook Pro or an iPad Pro, because when we were holidaying in the north Pennines, work didn’t stop. It’s not because I didn’t want to turn off from writing, social media and web design, more that I’ve crafted a reputation for getting things done quickly

By |2018-08-27T16:55:34+00:00August 27th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Can you run a web design business with just an iPad Pro?

Estate agents – revitalise your USPs with this property writer

What marks you out as different as an estate agent? Is it the fact your staff don't drive Minis? Is it because your fee structure is openly displayed on your website? Is it because your social media is engaging and active? Or does your office look lovely to those who walk or drive by? Have

By |2018-09-04T20:12:02+00:00August 25th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Estate agents – revitalise your USPs with this property writer

It’s 2018, not 2008, so sort your website out.

10 years is a massive length of time in technology - remember 2008 was when everyone craved a BlackBerry for BBM and that QWERTY keyboard, before Apple killed it with the iPhone 3GS in 2009. Boris Johnson became Mayor of London and David Davis resigned in 2008 - so some things don't change. The internet

By |2018-08-21T20:33:11+00:00August 21st, 2018|web design|Comments Off on It’s 2018, not 2008, so sort your website out.

At last, three new estate agency websites land and a cafe!

I've always been madly fixated with property. I bought my first house at 23 in Oldham and have made money from buying, selling, moving ever since. House prices may be unreachable for so many, but for me, investing £18,000 when on a salary of £8000 pa in 1988, it's been a nice little earner, that

By |2018-08-18T22:16:33+00:00August 18th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on At last, three new estate agency websites land and a cafe!

An expanding web design portfolio – to match my waist

I went solo at the beginning of May 2018, having been a partner in a web design company for a year to see if I could continue the success single-handedly. The jury has returned a verdict saying yes you managed it. The web count now stands at thirty in 3 months, which is 10 per

By |2018-07-29T18:24:57+00:00July 29th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on An expanding web design portfolio – to match my waist

Which social media channel should I use most to grow a business?

Which social media channel should I use most to grow a business? is a question I've never been asked but for the sake of giving this titular question some clout, I'll pretend I get asked it daily. 4 years ago when I set out with Get Pro Copy, I'd have said unequivocally "Facebook" followed by

By |2018-07-28T20:58:04+00:00July 28th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Which social media channel should I use most to grow a business?

Why web design shouldn’t cost the GDP of a banana republic

I've always got axes to grind, and my latest of many is the absolute racketeering that goes on in the web design industry. And it is racketeering, trust me. There's skills involved yes and they take time to build yes. They can be a nightmare with glitches. Rogue plugins can mess up a site. But,

By |2018-07-26T22:30:46+00:00July 26th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Why web design shouldn’t cost the GDP of a banana republic

Shrek – how to structure your content like Shrek

I've developed something of a resemblance to Shrek in recent years - the waistline has expanded big time, my grumpiness occasionally rears its head and I sometimes end up with clients who are donkeys: stubborn, answering back and reluctant to pay for work done. But, back in the day, I used to show "Shrek" on

By |2018-07-20T07:44:01+00:00July 20th, 2018|Content Writing, copywriter|Comments Off on Shrek – how to structure your content like Shrek

Building a website in return for goats

I am a grumpy old troll, I know that. If I was represented as a character in a soap, I’d be a meld of Norris Cole and Roy Cropper, a mixture of OCD and meddling. It’s my way. I sit under bridges waiting for goats to cross and challenge them. I don’t hide behind a

By |2018-07-14T20:18:17+00:00July 14th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Building a website in return for goats

Would you run a car for five years without a service?

Would you run a car for five years without a service? No. And yet SMEs, big businesses and sole traders run websites without getting them updated or serviced. But you shouldn't and here's why. Logging in to the WP Admin section of a website and clicking Dashboard to see 27 updates needed is like lifting

By |2018-07-09T14:00:11+00:00July 9th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Would you run a car for five years without a service?

What comes standard with websites I design?

COPY. All copy is included in the  web design. By all means, give me ideas, but let me whip the words into shape. HOSTING on fast cloud servers. Free in Year 1, £3 per month in year 2. SOCIAL MEDIA INTEGRATION: I can add your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest in headers, footers and calls

By |2018-07-07T21:40:34+00:00July 7th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on What comes standard with websites I design?

Cheap website design for small business

Cheap website design for small business What a dangerous, foolish title - and the temerity of me pushing the word "cheap" to the front too. Cheap is associated with nasty, "cheap and nasty." The commonplace "cheap as chips". Or the slightly more charitable "cheap and cheerful". But there's a problem with this linguistic apartheid where

By |2018-07-04T19:57:54+00:00July 4th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Cheap website design for small business

Google Analytics and how it can help your business

Google Analytics should be on your website - and if it's not, sort it out please, so I can sleep easily. It's not a difficult process to set up and it's made even easier to track when you download the App from the App Store (or if you're poor, Google Play). The App is actually

By |2018-06-29T20:45:11+00:00June 29th, 2018|SEO|Comments Off on Google Analytics and how it can help your business

“Lorem Ipsum” be gone – use a proper copywriter

Ah Lorem Ipsum, or Lorem Ipsum Dolor (I think) if I'm feeling expansive - the beige text place filler that says put text here and a sight that many web designers and clients sigh over when they see it. Lorem Ipsum needs replacing you see. And that causes navel gazing and head scratching, because trust

By |2018-07-20T06:53:27+00:00June 27th, 2018|copywriter, web design|Comments Off on “Lorem Ipsum” be gone – use a proper copywriter

Bog off with your silly WordPress web design prices

I had a superb May as a newbie to this website design malarkey and you can see the 11 I built on my About page, and feedback has been universally good. June has maintained the momentum and I'm working now on North of Winter - a tattoo studio site for a leading Manchester tattoo artist, Sam

By |2018-06-26T17:42:14+00:00June 26th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Bog off with your silly WordPress web design prices

How much do I charge for web design in Norwich?

How much do you charge for web design in Norwich is a question sometimes posed to me by prospective clients and I used to estimate hours needed and charge accordingly. But I read an article today on LinkedIn that really resonated with me as someone is looking to climb ranks and make a name for web

By |2018-06-23T15:52:45+00:00June 23rd, 2018|web design|Comments Off on How much do I charge for web design in Norwich?

What does an ideal exam schedule look like?

The death of controlled assessments and GCSE grades led to increased pressure on schools, their leadership, departments and students to pull out all the stops in a terminal examination – in English, four of them! The days of dishing out past papers a few weeks before Year 11 leave or once in Year 10 at

By |2018-06-20T11:35:40+00:00June 20th, 2018|GCSE English marking|Comments Off on What does an ideal exam schedule look like?

Who is best to sell your property?

Let me start with a truism – the best estate agent to sell your home is the one who achieves the highest price. Now who will achieve that largely depends on who you trust most - I've sold with hybrid, traditional and an online estate agent. So should you use an online estate agent? Depends.

By |2018-06-19T17:19:06+00:00June 19th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Who is best to sell your property?

Move to Berlin if you want affordable city living

The suburbs of towns and cities used to be the desirable, in-demand places for families and young professionals. City centres were where you went to work or shop or pursue leisure but always to venture out of at night. Time have changed though and urban living is now in vogue and becoming an expensive lifestyle

By |2018-06-17T15:50:33+00:00June 17th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Move to Berlin if you want affordable city living

Where’s best to invest in property?

If anyone were asked to hazard a guess as to the U.K. city with the highest combined property values, few would offer any other place than London.   Fairly obvious, isn’t it? Astronomical property prices combined with a huge urban population and inward commuting, along with the paucity of building space, would make the capital

By |2018-06-17T15:39:52+00:00June 17th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Where’s best to invest in property?

18 reasons why your business needs a website

#1 We've come a long way from 1991. That's the year when the first website went live - 27 years ago. Things have moved on greatly since then. John Major was the UK Prime Minister and Bryan Adams broke all music records with 16 weeks at the top of the charts. Some things haven't changed

By |2019-10-27T21:35:57+00:00June 15th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on 18 reasons why your business needs a website

My war with bad broadband – or why you need Google WiFi

My war with bad broadband was beginning to irritate me. In a new build, with fibre optic cabling, speeds should be fast - they are now with Google WiFi. Watch more below.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0U8JoYJAAE&t=19s  

By |2018-06-15T19:10:04+00:00June 15th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on My war with bad broadband – or why you need Google WiFi

How a regular property blog can win you business

I've run Get Pro Copy Ltd since 2015, constantly adding blog posts, as I knew this would lead to success. It has. I then realised that much of the property industry is beginning to recognise that a regular property blog post increases web traffic and leads to sales, longer term, so this venture was born. Get

By |2018-06-15T15:32:35+00:00June 15th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on How a regular property blog can win you business

Making money out of property development

20 years ago, we were all encouraged to become property developers on tv programmes by the likes of Sarah Beeny and Martin Roberts on "Property Ladder" and "Homes under the Hammer", which always seemed to be set in Stoke? Since then, I think the high yields of property developing have evaporated. As Farrell Walton estate

By |2018-06-15T15:26:59+00:00June 15th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Making money out of property development

The 5 things I’d like to see on new developments in 2018

The diesel engine may soon enter the footnotes of history as car manufacturers cease production, but will property follow suit? Brighton elected a Green MP, Caroline Lucas, and I'm pretty sure she won't be representing the party alone in future elections as the world wakes up to global warming and environmental damage. Don't get me

By |2018-06-15T15:22:31+00:00June 15th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on The 5 things I’d like to see on new developments in 2018

Is a home office a worthwhile investment?

A garden home office appeals hugely to me. I think it harks back to caveman times when man could colonise rock fissures and perhaps now modern man needs a man shed, a man den or a pod. Not just males either - women too. There's been an inexorable rise in self-employment and freelance work and

By |2018-06-17T16:05:15+00:00June 15th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Is a home office a worthwhile investment?

Why do developers insist on building garages?

I'll hold my hand up now and say I used to have an obsessive habit of wanting to put my cars to bed in garages. I think my mind was programmed to behave this way because I'd lived in Oldham in the late 80s and 90s when car theft or vandalism was a weekly event

By |2018-06-19T12:50:12+00:00June 15th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Why do developers insist on building garages?

Design Access Statements – help for architects

Bestriding Thorpe Cloud in Derbyshire last year, fending off a nose bleed after hitting heights unheard of in coastal Norfolk, I took a call. Out of breath, I chatted social media and content with an architect. The long and short of it was that I was asked to optimise and improve the content of his

By |2018-06-15T15:09:59+00:00June 15th, 2018|Content Writing|Comments Off on Design Access Statements – help for architects

Would you choose timber-framed or brick and block for new homes?

Brick and block or timber-framed? I pose this question as today, out walking, this very question was debated between myself and a neighbour. I'd not realised as we'd bought a home that had been first-fitted that ours (and the rest of Persimmon Phase One) was timber-framed and the new builds leaping from muddy foundations opposite

By |2018-06-15T15:04:04+00:00June 15th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Would you choose timber-framed or brick and block for new homes?

Are micro-homes the answer to the housing crisis?

A micro-home is defined as having a living space of below 37 square metres - or the size of a tube carriage. To be honest, I could live in a home that size. I think the key with a micro-home, as with caravans, is design. Having been the proud owner of a touring caravan for

By |2018-06-18T09:01:48+00:00June 15th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Are micro-homes the answer to the housing crisis?

Area guides for estate agents – prove you know your stuff

Area guides for estate agents - prove you know your stuff As leading Great Yarmouth estate agents, we know this part of east Norfolk well and what surprises many visitors in the spring and summer months is just how affordable the area is. The most expensive part of the borough lies 4 miles inland: Burgh

By |2018-06-15T14:52:30+00:00June 15th, 2018|Content marketing A|Comments Off on Area guides for estate agents – prove you know your stuff

Will Alexa replace humans in the property industry?

I've switched gas and electricity suppliers in the past month in our new build from British Gas to EDF, mainly, sadly, to witness a Smart Home meter from Netatmo (supplied and fitted free) along with a free Amazon Echo. They're both impressive pieces of kit, and I think if I'd forked out £250 for them,

By |2018-06-15T14:46:57+00:00June 15th, 2018|copywriter|Comments Off on Will Alexa replace humans in the property industry?

People sell property with people they like

I work alongside a fair few estate agents and having been in the industry myself for a couple of years, I totally understand the holy grail of trying to acquire listings. If you operate a no sale no fee model, you have to get vendors selling homes and then hoping that they pick you and

By |2018-06-15T14:41:31+00:00June 15th, 2018|Social Media Management|Comments Off on People sell property with people they like

“Room” – not a Room with a View, except a skylight

Last night, I streamed the film "Room" on Amazon Prime. I'd intended to watch this at the cinema a few years ago but never got round to it. The basic premise is that Joy, the lead character was kidnapped at 17 and held captive in a "room" in a garden for 7 years, with her

By |2018-06-15T14:35:53+00:00June 15th, 2018|Uncategorized|Comments Off on “Room” – not a Room with a View, except a skylight

Local property expert – do you want to become one?

The term Local Property Expert or LPEs have become synonymous with online estate agencies in recent years, mainly due to the fact that they’re local and have some insights into the property market locally, we're all led to believe. It’s a curious term, because the traditional high street estate agents with MNAE and RICs behind their

By |2018-09-04T20:14:11+00:00June 15th, 2018|property writing, web design|Comments Off on Local property expert – do you want to become one?

From Poundworld to House of Fraser, retail is in meltdown

I'm not a business analyst and would never claim to be though I do read the news and follow events on social media, and so couldn't miss the announcements that Poundworld and House of Fraser are in financial trouble and are doing a Jessops / HMV / Game and going on a financial diet with

By |2018-06-12T20:03:14+00:00June 12th, 2018|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on From Poundworld to House of Fraser, retail is in meltdown

This property copywriter can add zing to make listings sing!

Property copywriter, me, going back to basics. I've just started a new sideline: interviewing property vendors for two leading estate agencies and adding their stories to the property listing as a property copywriter. I could pretend this was my idea but I'd be lying - I was approached to do it by a leading independent

By |2018-06-12T17:53:37+00:00June 11th, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on This property copywriter can add zing to make listings sing!

Are you looking at page 14 for web design in Norwich?

We all want to be found on page one of Google, don't we, for our services and products? We all want that moment when someone searches for removal firms in Sheffield that you come up on page one. Assuming of course you're a removal company. And in Sheffield. Companies invest big money in SEO because

By |2018-06-07T15:39:21+00:00June 7th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Are you looking at page 14 for web design in Norwich?

East Norfolk property prices are soaring – and it worries me

Many industry professionals see rising house prices as a good thing and to be honest equity has been a nice little earner for me over the years. £13,000 profit pocketed on moves in the 80s and much much more in recent years, but I do think property prices are now out of control and brinking

By |2018-06-05T09:26:46+00:00June 5th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on East Norfolk property prices are soaring – and it worries me

How Google WiFi is the pinnacle of functionality and design

My fibre optic broadband that we pay handsomely for each month has been getting me down. It won't allow rendering of images on various websites, takes an age to load LinkedIn (though that may be a good thing given the number of vainglorious egos on there) and is slow to update and back up websites

By |2018-06-03T09:43:42+00:00June 3rd, 2018|web design|Comments Off on How Google WiFi is the pinnacle of functionality and design

15 topics I’d like property developers to write about

Many major property developers have embraced the art of blogging on their websites and produce articles that are interesting, informative and engaging. I’ve read a hefty amount of material that does this ever so well, but there’s a few glaring omissions from some major players. As a devotee of new-builds and a serial homebuyer, I

By |2018-06-12T10:08:59+00:00June 1st, 2018|Uncategorized|Comments Off on 15 topics I’d like property developers to write about

To win property listings, focus on relationship marketing

Cards on the table: I worked in estate agency for a while and formed my own company in 2014 which was on the road to becoming a success with 13 property listings shortly after launch, but it lacked a long term financial commitment from myself and my business partner. It did get a key aspect

By |2018-06-01T12:55:49+00:00June 1st, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on To win property listings, focus on relationship marketing

Web design Norwich – from this fine literary city

Web design Norwich - from this fine literary city. Norwich proudly proclaims itself as a Fine City in its marketing literature and I cannot argue with that at all. It is a fine city - possibly the best city we've lived near ever. It has other claims to fame too (apart from Alan Partridge) as

By |2018-05-30T13:41:20+00:00May 30th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Web design Norwich – from this fine literary city

How long until I rank for freelance web designer Norwich

We celebrate 10 years in Norfolk soon. July to be precise. It might now be an appropriate time then to get some search engine traction for this new aspect of Get Pro Copy Ltd: since I evolved into a freelance web designer Norwich. Competition is stiff to be honest to be ranked up there, but

By |2019-10-27T17:11:57+00:00May 29th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on How long until I rank for freelance web designer Norwich

Why I decided to update this website

"Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold." Ok. That's the pretentious opening quotation out of the way and now on to the meat of this post. I decided, as you do, when I was looking at the portfolio of websites I've designed, to give this one a belated makeover. Don't get me wrong. It functioned

By |2018-05-27T21:38:15+00:00May 27th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Why I decided to update this website

Manchester Tattoo Trust – designed by Get Pro Copy

I used to live in Manchester, well Oldham to be precise, from 1987 to 1996 and having taught English in Shaw, Failsworth and Farnworth for 9 years, I’ve always felt a great affinity for the area. Not so much the weather – but the people. I’d say that Lancashire folk are generally the friendliest people

By |2018-05-15T17:51:41+00:00May 15th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on Manchester Tattoo Trust – designed by Get Pro Copy

The one third – two third rule in marketing

If someone had said to me 10 years ago, write down your expertise on marketing and hand me the notes, it could have fitted on one side of a Post-It. Now I could easily fill three Post-It notes because I’ve learned through setting up a successful business (and failing with several others) that unless I

By |2018-05-12T14:08:18+00:00May 12th, 2018|web design|Comments Off on The one third – two third rule in marketing

Two becomes three, now Big Brother is watching me

When I pick up Orwell, I feel a slight malaise. It seems so old-fashioned and antiquated, the ideas of Stalinism in “Animal Farm” or the Thought Police in “1984” – yet the themes of these two novels, at least, are still remarkably contemporary.

By |2018-04-23T13:09:44+00:00April 23rd, 2018|freelance writer|Comments Off on Two becomes three, now Big Brother is watching me

Why this new marking venture came about

I’ve blogged repeatedly on my company website about my GCSE Marking service and when I first launched that business and left teaching for good, marking became a good source of both income and satisfaction. I have a big network of teaching friends and from various exam boards on LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as long red

By |2018-04-23T10:54:42+00:00April 23rd, 2018|GCSE English marking|Comments Off on Why this new marking venture came about

Start a freelance business, live and breathe again

I’d little intention of becoming a teacher when a child, but I fell into it, a rut I kneeled in for the best part of 30 years. I was held there partly because I like teaching, the students, but mainly because of salary security. I should have left to start a freelance business. Yesterday though

By |2018-04-21T14:56:10+00:00April 21st, 2018|Content marketing A|Comments Off on Start a freelance business, live and breathe again

Not drowning but waving – from a sea of red pens

I welcome lighter nights, the clocks going forward, the shutting off of central heating until October (well at least here in Norfolk), but spring and summer for me comes with an added bonus: GCSE English Language exam marking. I mark all year round for various exam boards, schools, multi-academy trusts and colleges, mainly GCSE English Language

By |2018-04-07T16:43:54+00:00April 7th, 2018|GCSE English marking|Comments Off on Not drowning but waving – from a sea of red pens

Rolling back the years with a weekend away

We’ve been in Norfolk for 10 years this summer – tempus fugit and all that – and when we occasionally hitch up the camels to make the trek out of this remote corner of England, I feel frustrated with the isolation and accompanying journey times. Amsterdam is closer to us than London, believe it or

By |2018-03-26T20:16:29+00:00March 26th, 2018|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Rolling back the years with a weekend away

GCSE English Language marking – work smarter

I’ll come clean now. I am a marking expert. That’s not me giving it “the Big I Am.” It’s fact. I marked in 1988 for the NEAB (I think?) and have done ever since, on and off, with internal exams as an English teacher, head of English since 1996 and with exam boards across GCSE

By |2018-03-18T13:23:22+00:00March 18th, 2018|GCSE English marking|Comments Off on GCSE English Language marking – work smarter

Raise attainment at GCSE and raise departmental morale

I am a sucker for punishment, a man with a sad admission: I am embroiled currently and will be, until July, in GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature marking. Mock exams and real exams for various exam boards, schools and multi-academy trusts. I’m good at marking too: I can spot errors, apply a mark

By |2018-02-21T19:44:07+00:00February 21st, 2018|GCSE English marking|Comments Off on Raise attainment at GCSE and raise departmental morale

Who should sell your property – your three choices

I posted an article yesterday on Property Blogs, a sister site, about the pros and cons of the three ways of selling your property: traditional high street, hybrid or online and having used all three as a buyer and seller, and worked alongside many companies with content marketing, I feel qualified to comment. I've been

By |2018-02-01T08:41:10+00:00February 1st, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Who should sell your property – your three choices

What being a freelance self-employed writer is actually like

From the age of four, I was an avid reader and writer, yet I only became a self-employed writer, a freelance copywriter, at the age of 49.  45 years is one hell of a wait.

By |2018-01-29T09:30:48+00:00January 29th, 2018|freelance writer|Comments Off on What being a freelance self-employed writer is actually like

Swap the mortar board for a hard hat with a housebuilding degree?

I like to see forward thinking from companies and one story that caught my eye over the weekend was the news that Redrow were starting a dedicated degree in housebuilding. Britain, you all know probably, is facing a housing and skills shortage and Theresa May's annual target of 300,000 new homes is unlikely to materialise

By |2018-01-22T12:10:18+00:00January 22nd, 2018|property writing|Comments Off on Swap the mortar board for a hard hat with a housebuilding degree?

Possible opening chapter to a gluten-filled autobiography?

Please indulge me; this autobiographical tome has been a long time coming. It’s self-centred, as it’s about me, about my life, my family, my career. It may strike you as indulgent and self-obsessed and I apologise, but what it isn’t is a niche piece for diagnosed and undiagnosed coeliacs. Hopefully humour and personality will shine

By |2018-01-17T22:36:20+00:00January 17th, 2018|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Possible opening chapter to a gluten-filled autobiography?

How to increase sales with a blogging strategy

Companies have at last latched on to the value of a blogging, or content marketing, strategy. Visit 10 websites at random, go on, of various small businesses and count how many have a news or blog tab. There may not be 10 but there will be a few, I guarantee, because blogging is a great

By |2018-01-16T11:47:33+00:00January 16th, 2018|Content marketing A|Comments Off on How to increase sales with a blogging strategy

I can help your English department with GCSE marking workload

I left teaching three years ago, but education still clings to me like barnacles on a rock and no matter what waves hit me, I still consciously and subconsciously see myself as a teacher of English. It defined me for 27 years so that’s to be expected?

By |2018-01-09T21:34:28+00:00January 8th, 2018|GCSE English marking|Comments Off on I can help your English department with GCSE marking workload

Goodbye 2017, you were a fine and dandy year

2017 – the year of the Phoenix for me – the year I stopped looking back and started looking forward, and built on successful businesses, as well as developing new ones. Get Pro Copy became a Ltd Company with my wife asking for (and being refused) a shareholder role. That business has served me well

By |2018-01-01T12:57:51+00:00January 1st, 2018|copywriter|Comments Off on Goodbye 2017, you were a fine and dandy year

Get Pro Copy has expanded sideways and is flying

Like my waist, since going over the age of 50, my little empire of domain names and websites has expanded, and in the last week a new business of property content marketing has taken off.

By |2019-09-16T16:27:14+00:00December 21st, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Get Pro Copy has expanded sideways and is flying

Estate agent fees – how to survive and not die.

All about estate agent fees – how to survive and not die, my thoughts. I live in Bradwell, a bungalowed suburb of Great Yarmouth, nice place, but permanently riddled with roadworks and delays along the A143, Beccles Road. A 1.5 mile school run can take 20 minutes to do by car and I’ve tried all

By |2019-09-16T16:30:12+00:00December 14th, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Estate agent fees – how to survive and not die.

How to change from teaching to selling easily

When I first went into estate agency, I thought I had no eye for sales, as it wasn’t something I’d done all my career. After estate agency, setting up Get Pro Copy, I still had the same doubts. How could I convince people to pay for my services with writing or social media, when I’d

By |2017-12-10T21:14:36+00:00December 10th, 2017|copywriter|Comments Off on How to change from teaching to selling easily

Tell me why I don’t like Mondays

I do actually like them. Mondays that is. Nowadays. Becoming self-employed makes you oblivious to the usual conventions of working – the commute, those odious bosses, those colleagues who insist on socialising with you, when you have a veneer of contempt for them daily, that pathetic salary making someone else rich.

By |2021-05-05T16:30:39+00:00November 26th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Tell me why I don’t like Mondays

The art of awesome writing in just 300 words

I find writing comes easy to me, not because Shakespeare was a distant relative or I had a marvellous public school education, but because I taught. If you had 5 one hour slots a day, five days a week, with a demanding teenage audience motivating them with a love of English and Literature, you’d grow

By |2017-11-11T15:14:48+00:00October 31st, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on The art of awesome writing in just 300 words

Content marketing strategy – why you should have one

Get Pro Copy reached a milestone yesterday – it turned 2 years old. I knew when I began planning the business that it would succeed, namely because I love writing and I knew that the idea of providing a decent content marketing strategy for others would work. To be honest, I never had any doubts

By |2017-11-11T15:15:14+00:00October 29th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Content marketing strategy – why you should have one

The Tide is high but I’m holding on.

The Tide is high but I'm holding on. A few months ago, I made a financial and business decision to go from sole trader to Ltd Company and put Get Pro Copy on Companies House, appoint an accountant and open a new business account. I'd had one before with Santander, but that company to me

By |2022-03-09T11:30:06+00:00October 26th, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on The Tide is high but I’m holding on.

Is 2017 better than 1977, 1987, 1997 etc?

You sometimes hear people bemoan bygone days, but I think the past is overrated, don't you? For the sake of a decent headline and no other particular reason, I've skipped back 30 years in 10 year segments which I can handily update after Christmas by adding +1 on. To save you reading to the end,

By |2022-03-09T11:28:30+00:00October 22nd, 2017|Content Writing|Comments Off on Is 2017 better than 1977, 1987, 1997 etc?

Haircut takes 15 minutes for £10 so what should I charge?

I keep my Facebook personal account separate from my public profile and it’s so locked down that when people try to add me, they can’t. It’s not because I’m anti-social, far from it, but I do like to voice on my personal platform views and opinions that may make a bricklayer blush. Not pottymouth stuff,

By |2022-03-09T11:31:16+00:00October 21st, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Haircut takes 15 minutes for £10 so what should I charge?

Ditch that SEO monkey in the corner

If you're looking to be found on search engines for certain terms, don't be too broad, aim to be specific, but make sure it's being searched for. I'd like to be found on page one of Google or Bing (Crosby?) for Copywriter UK but it's a bit of a pipe dream. Copywriter UK is too

By |2022-03-09T11:32:47+00:00October 15th, 2017|Content Writing|Comments Off on Ditch that SEO monkey in the corner

The Basics of Social Media Screening for Employers – a guest post

Social media is a modern-day phenomenon, allowing people to keep in touch with friends, family, coworkers, and even Internet strangers they’ve never met in person before, rather than requiring in-person, face-to-face communication. The number of people with at least one social media account in the United States has increased significantly each and every year. For example, not even

By |2022-03-09T11:33:58+00:00October 11th, 2017|Social Media Management|Comments Off on The Basics of Social Media Screening for Employers – a guest post

Dear Apple, I’m quickly posting this in case my iPhone dies

Clearly I'm not sending this to Jonny Ives. They have more important things to deal with than a letter from some two bit freelance writer, known as Victor Meldrew in the trade, moaning about Apple, iOS 11 and the battery drain. First world problems indeed. But I will address this to my small band of

By |2022-03-09T11:38:41+00:00October 10th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Dear Apple, I’m quickly posting this in case my iPhone dies

How not to become a boring sod on LinkedIn

I’m not stupid. I came from a job with more rules and restrictions than North Korea. Education is divorced from the real world, operating in a petty set of rules that only apply to certain people lower down the food chain and not further up, where Teflon suits are worn daily. The hypocrisy and double

By |2017-10-06T09:35:35+00:00October 6th, 2017|Social Media Management|Comments Off on How not to become a boring sod on LinkedIn

The darling buds of Mrs May are dying?

Remarkable watching the rerun of the speech of our glorious PM, Theresa May, yesterday, but instead of focusing on her coughing fit, that P45, Amber Rudd telling Boris Johnson to stand up or the falling letters, I’d like to steer clear of those four icebergs and touch upon what Mrs May said about housing. Or

By |2017-10-05T11:42:25+00:00October 5th, 2017|property writing|Comments Off on The darling buds of Mrs May are dying?

London calling to the faraway towns.

I live in Bradwell, Great Yarmouth, a bungalowed suburb where Tim Burton could blithely film a sequel or prequel to “Edward Scissorhands”. It’s 200 miles from Manchester and 119 from London. Bradwell is in fact a nice place – but it’s awful for search terms. Why?

By |2017-10-02T18:57:32+00:00October 2nd, 2017|copywriter|Comments Off on London calling to the faraway towns.

Terminally self-employed with a dog lead in my hand

I’ve watched Sean Penn in “Dead Man Walking”, I’ve seen “The Green Mile” and witnessed first hand the reaction to Tom Robinson’s demise when teaching Harper Lee’s classic. Carlson shooting Candy’s dog though in “Of Mice and Men” made little emotional impact on me, until last weekend. You see, like any major decision: buying a car,

By |2017-10-02T17:07:54+00:00October 2nd, 2017|freelance copywriter, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Terminally self-employed with a dog lead in my hand

Why I gave up drinking and what it’s done for me

I posted recently a photo of me one year ago from France when I was a regular consumer of alcohol, a binge drinking machine. Bear in mind that this was August 2016, when I was self-employed and not ravaged by 190 days of teaching. By Christmas, I'd given up on alcohol for good. I'd lost

By |2020-01-19T22:05:08+00:00October 1st, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Why I gave up drinking and what it’s done for me

The poor estate agent needs that Market Appraisal

I’ve decided, given that my bottled water and posh grain free dog food is paid for largely by estate agent types, to produce a series of articles about them. I’ll start with the rationale behind this. I bought my first home in Oldham in 1988, in an area so rough that even dogs went round

By |2017-10-01T09:50:20+00:00October 1st, 2017|property writing|Comments Off on The poor estate agent needs that Market Appraisal

Oh CD – you sound so much better than streams

The Compact Disc is perhaps going the same way as the humble cassette, into musical heaven as a footnote in history, but I believe strongly that the CD should be saved. Why? To my rather large ears, they sound so much better than streamed playlists from Apple Music or Spotify. Okay they’re cumbersome and bulky

By |2017-09-29T12:04:39+00:00September 29th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Oh CD – you sound so much better than streams

I could clean my own car, but time is money

I’m a firm believer in outsourcing to experts – whether that’s selling my house, getting rid of household items, or something more prosaic like car cleaning. Some people call it the “gig economy”, outsourcing or being time-savvy and all three fit.

By |2017-09-28T09:37:24+00:00September 28th, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on I could clean my own car, but time is money

Starting up a business: how to do it in 10 easy steps

I sometimes get asked how do you start a business – I’d be fibbing to you if I pretended it was a weekly or monthly conversation, but amidst the social media and real life convos I have, it occasionally rears its head. I like to explain it how it is, so here goes.

By |2017-09-28T08:59:17+00:00September 27th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Starting up a business: how to do it in 10 easy steps

Stop being a washing machine with your boring blogs

I remember becoming a father 16 years ago for the first time and eagerly listening to ways to get our new-born son to sleep as we felt like we’d been through a proverbial hundred year war. Don’t get me wrong, the pregnancy was easy (for me at least) and the delivery quicker than Amazon Prime,

By |2017-09-26T11:21:32+00:00September 26th, 2017|Content marketing A, freelance writer|Comments Off on Stop being a washing machine with your boring blogs

Shopping habits have changed – so your business habits have to

Poor old Toys R Us, you might say, going bust. With my usual cynical head on, I could see it coming. M and S will be next, I reckon, with its clothing side going to the wall – there’s only so much beige and grey us old people can tolerate. B and Q too, perhaps.

By |2017-09-22T08:43:03+00:00September 22nd, 2017|Content marketing A|Comments Off on Shopping habits have changed – so your business habits have to

Rent time, no mortgage or ownership for you lot, ever

I read today that paying rent is about to overtake home ownership as a percentage share. Bit worrying really. Property has generally been relied upon as. a decent sort of income with the equity you bag from the capital you borrowed from a benevolent bank. But it seems now that the age of buying your

By |2017-09-22T08:02:23+00:00September 21st, 2017|property writing|Comments Off on Rent time, no mortgage or ownership for you lot, ever

Repeat after me: “It’s all about the content.”

I'll keep this blog post deliberately short as I have a message that could fit in a tweet. "Google rewards fresh content." There, you have it - in just four words. If you want to be found online and given a virtual fist-bump, or high-five by Google, get writing fresh content. And if you can't

By |2017-09-20T10:41:35+00:00September 20th, 2017|Content marketing A|Comments Off on Repeat after me: “It’s all about the content.”

Proofread all your business materials cos I’m good at it.

A summer of marking and I proofread daily. I spent the early part of summer marking: real GCSEs for two exam boards, mock exams for Multi-Academy Trusts, and a smattering of A level. Good money you see, and I'm quick and skilled at it. If your only experience of a classroom was when you were

By |2021-05-05T16:33:50+00:00September 19th, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Proofread all your business materials cos I’m good at it.

Illy coffee is my new wine, and chain coffee is arse gravy

Illy coffee is my new wine, and chain coffee is arse gravy. Let’s just look at my daily caffeine intake: 6.45 I rise to shine to knock out a feeble boost of Earl Grey, and I ruin it by adding both sugar and milk – not to builder proportions but enough to drown the delicate

By |2017-09-19T09:42:14+00:00September 19th, 2017|copywriter|Comments Off on Illy coffee is my new wine, and chain coffee is arse gravy

The value of self-education when self-employed

Education for me ran ostensibly from 1969 to 2014, primary school to teaching, and the O levels and A levels, degree, various Inset training had their value, but arguably the last few years of self-education have been the loveliest learning curve. Self-education is indeed the best. Why?

By |2017-09-18T09:43:57+00:00September 18th, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on The value of self-education when self-employed

Dear Estate Agent – are you time-poor?

£18,500, 1987, bought via an estate agent in Shaw. Yes: £18,500. Cost of my first home at the tender age of 22 in Oldham, Greater Manchester in 1987. It was cheap for a reason. My salary as a probationary English teacher was £8,137 or £425 a month which was decent back then, when the house

By |2017-09-18T09:50:42+00:00September 15th, 2017|property writing, SEO, Social Media Management|Comments Off on Dear Estate Agent – are you time-poor?

Have Friday or Sunday seven days a week

I’m no fan of Morrissey to be honest, even though “This Charming Man” is a key song of my university soundtrack from the early 80s, but he is on to something with his “Every day is like Sunday” tune. I prefer an analogy to Friday to be honest. That’s what self-employment is like. Sunday (or

By |2018-06-22T08:12:12+00:00July 16th, 2017|freelance copywriter, Social Media Management|Comments Off on Have Friday or Sunday seven days a week

Property content marketing – all I ever do and I love it.

Do you remember when Kevin Keegan (fellow Doncaster lad) went on a meltdown when Sir Alex Ferguson started playing his famous mind games? King Kev, as Newcastle boss, in the days before Mike Ashley owned the club, repeatedly spouted “I’d love it …” and was mocked and admired in equal measure. Well, I’ve been spouting,

By |2017-07-05T20:37:58+00:00July 5th, 2017|Content marketing A|Comments Off on Property content marketing – all I ever do and I love it.

The biggest Labour swing since 1945 – no politics, just marketing

I often blur the distinction between professional neutrality and political affiliation – to the disgust and delight of friends and foes, but instead of talking Canterbury, Ipswich, Kensington and the Labour swing, let’s look at the General Election marketing. The Maybot went all out for PPC banners – interesting to hear yesterday on Radio 4

By |2017-06-27T14:43:34+00:00June 27th, 2017|Social Media Management|Comments Off on The biggest Labour swing since 1945 – no politics, just marketing

Freelance writing – I control my business, now.

I can count life-changing events on two hands: marriage, diagnosis with a food allergy, the birth of my two children, going teetotal and throwing off the shackles of education, through freelance writing. They’ve all been seismic and I would not like to rank them in order of magnitude. But as I’m a writer, who engages

By |2017-05-11T09:58:42+00:00May 11th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Freelance writing – I control my business, now.

Web design and why Get Pro Copy has expanded.

This business began as a freelance writing service, a one-man band, busking street-side with words. Like all good things though, it’s grown and developed a life of its own. My intention, in November 2015, after I bid a final farewell to education, was to write. Not “War and Peace” but something more prosaic – write

By |2017-05-02T12:44:06+00:00May 2nd, 2017|SEO|Comments Off on Web design and why Get Pro Copy has expanded.

Norfolk copywriter misses home and search volumes.

You’d think  after 16 months of deliberately ignoring Google searches for Norfolk copywriter, I’d be nowhere on that search engine. But despite my best efforts to ignore the search, I’m blithely sat today on the middle of page 2. I’ve blogged before about search volumes for London copywriter and Manchester copywriter, but never Norfolk copywriter.

By |2017-04-14T06:58:13+00:00April 14th, 2017|copywriter|Comments Off on Norfolk copywriter misses home and search volumes.

London-based copywriter? I’m quite close.

London-based copywriter? It’s one of the biggest monthly Google searches according to my research, so I’m cannily trying to get myself through that search door when really I’m 119 miles away. 119 miles is no big deal.

By |2017-04-03T17:19:47+00:00April 3rd, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on London-based copywriter? I’m quite close.

Literacy and how I can help businesses with it.

The reason I exist, Get Pro Copy exists, is because I am a literacy expert. I’ve got a knack with words, a fair few teaching and learning techniques from my classroom years, and a desire to help others with literacy. It was teaching English what did it.

By |2017-04-01T19:06:00+00:00April 1st, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Literacy and how I can help businesses with it.

Why I wanted to write at 16 but waited 34 years.

1981 was the year I finally realised what I wanted to do: write. Except, I didn’t. 1981, the era of mullets, mod music and the dying light of punk and I wanted to write. Except I didn’t. I went down other avenues …

By |2017-03-24T10:58:51+00:00March 23rd, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Why I wanted to write at 16 but waited 34 years.

Estate agents and do they offer riches in niches?

Riches in niches. Nice ring to it – if you’re American. I’ve tried to get all focused on estate agencies, with some success, but here’s my worry: if Joe Public regards estate agents as lying sharks (their perceptions, I must add), can I trust estate agents as a social media marketer and writer in that

By |2017-03-16T16:27:00+00:00March 16th, 2017|property writing|Comments Off on Estate agents and do they offer riches in niches?

Is home a state of mind or an actual place?

When we went back to Staffordshire in late December (oh what a night), it felt, as we drove from Ashbourne, along the A52 to Leek, that we'd arrived at home. We'd not been there since we relocated north in 2002 and, instead of that general feeling of disappointment one can feel, when you return, we

By |2022-03-09T11:25:44+00:00March 13th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Is home a state of mind or an actual place?

Eating gluten in early childhood

I was lucky enough to go through a four tier education phase: first school, juniors, middle and high. First school saw me walking there daily with my mum – cars were for the privileged few and no one was driven to school as one parent (mainly mums) didn’t work. Quite quaint really when I compare

By |2017-03-12T22:32:40+00:00March 12th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on Eating gluten in early childhood

The loneliness of the long distance writer.

Despite having enough work to occupy me freelance, I quite fancy leaving the house once or twice a week. Not just to shop, not just to meet clients, not just to exercise (those demons) at the gym, but to mix, mingle, and be merry amongst a workforce. You see, like Alan Sillitoe’s Smith, I need,

By |2017-03-11T20:47:59+00:00March 11th, 2017|freelance writer|Comments Off on The loneliness of the long distance writer.

Instagram is the best social media platform out there.

I’ve had an Instagram post going round my head for weeks now on the positive aspects of that platform, and I keep meaning to  write, edit and publish it, but get sidetracked Homer Simpson style by some gym, coffee or food activity, but now I deliver. 

By |2021-05-05T16:51:06+00:00March 8th, 2017|Social Media Management|Comments Off on Instagram is the best social media platform out there.

No pay, no gain – copywriter salary

I can wax lyrical until those proverbial cows come home about the advantages of Being Your Own Boss, being a Sole Trader, being self-employed, but I won’t today. It is a perfect lifestyle with its freedoms – but with one caveat. Salary.

By |2021-05-05T16:49:42+00:00March 8th, 2017|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on No pay, no gain – copywriter salary

Elephants (and car buyers) never forget.

It’s a strange idiom, isn’t it, elephants never forget? Are elephants’ memories remarkable or is it just a human assumption based on their size and expected longevity? Have any elephants ever recounted to a human very early memories of life in India or a zoo? The elephant in the corner is another one that we

By |2021-05-05T16:48:27+00:00March 7th, 2017|Content marketing A|Comments Off on Elephants (and car buyers) never forget.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson and Dr Jekyll is currently fascinating me as a content marketer – not because I fancy being marooned on a Treasure Island – Great Yarmouth is as remote as one already – but I’m embarking on a learning journey with my son, who in Year 11, is studying that man’s novella. It’s

By |2021-05-05T16:47:19+00:00March 6th, 2017|Content Writing|Comments Off on The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Why you should use a copywriting expert in life.

It’s Monday. Weekend over. Spare a thought for the estate agent today. That estate agent staring at screens, enthusiasm dimmed by the peaks and troughs of the industry, the vagaries of a malevolent office boss, working like a cockroach, not a unicorn, to find property listings, good at many things, excellent at others and rubbish

By |2021-05-05T16:45:19+00:00February 27th, 2017|Content Writing, freelance copywriter|Comments Off on Why you should use a copywriting expert in life.

Copywriting sober: you see what it did to me.

Copywriting sober: you see what it did to me. Before Christmas, I had a lightbulb moment, an epiphany, a ground-breaking idea. I decided to get my life properly together and stop habitual consumption of alcohol. For good.

By |2021-05-05T16:42:48+00:00February 26th, 2017|copywriter, News|Comments Off on Copywriting sober: you see what it did to me.

Estate agents – be outstanding on social media.

How does your business, your estate agency, your letting agency, stand in Google searches? What are you doing about this? What are your monthly outgoings as estate agents on marketing? I bet you roughly know?

By |2021-05-05T16:39:25+00:00January 15th, 2017|SEO, property writing|Comments Off on Estate agents – be outstanding on social media.

Worry about Twitter marketing no more. I will make you grow.

Worry about Twitter marketing no more. I will make you grow. If I had a pound or dollar or euro for every time someone has said to me I don’t get Twitter, I’d be a millionaire or more realistically have £25. Lots of shrewd social media savvy people just don’t get Twitter. Neither did I

By |2021-05-05T16:38:09+00:00January 5th, 2017|Social Media Management|Comments Off on Worry about Twitter marketing no more. I will make you grow.

Social media marketing prices, how to grow online

Social Media Marketing Prices for Small Businesses? First let’s rewind to my childhood – which some would argue hasn’t ended yet: from when I was five in 1970 to ahem 2016. Yes I’ve had a tough paper round (it was teaching what did it). You remember that thud as Yellow Pages landed through the letterbox?

By |2016-12-16T15:43:37+00:00December 16th, 2016|Social Media Management|Comments Off on Social media marketing prices, how to grow online

What really is the best time to post on social media?

You may have noticed, if you use Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or Pinterest that your social media reach may be dwindling. Why? Have you considered the best time to post? If not, read on for an easy to follow guide of the best time to post on social media platforms.

By |2016-10-27T18:34:59+00:00October 27th, 2016|Social Media Management|Comments Off on What really is the best time to post on social media?

Cut to the chase, give me a copywriting definition

Copywriting? Give me a copywriting definition now, you pretentious wannabe. Following the 10 commandments of email copywriting, here I go for some broader brush strokes and give you a copywriting definition, in terms of what I do and what I can do for you and your business.

By |2016-10-12T21:59:22+00:00October 12th, 2016|freelance copywriter, property writing|Comments Off on Cut to the chase, give me a copywriting definition

How to improve GCSE English Language in 2017

No matter how hard I try, no matter how often I shake off the  shackles, leg irons and make a dash for freedom, I always return. Return to what I’ve done since 1987: teach. Teaching English, GCSE English Language and English Literature.

By |2016-10-08T21:33:50+00:00October 7th, 2016|freelance copywriter|Comments Off on How to improve GCSE English Language in 2017

Stuart Walton, no wine, and I’m whining

Stuart Walton, my name. I thought again about my name tonight as years ago, an astute and talented colleague of mine, Mark Williams, a History teacher in Stoke on Trent, delighted me one morning when he carried in a book he’d bought for me, with my name on it. Stuart Walton.

By |2016-09-11T08:27:04+00:00September 10th, 2016|freelance writer|Comments Off on Stuart Walton, no wine, and I’m whining

Email Copywriting, how to get success for business

I don’t know about you but I’m inundated daily by emails, with many examples of woeful email copywriting. Inundated with emails offering 50 free spins, a free £10 spreadbet, £50 if I open an online poker account – and I don’t even gamble – except in Spring, accompanied by lambs, obviously.

By |2016-09-25T15:10:13+00:00August 24th, 2016|freelance writer|1 Comment

Generation Rent – why the future scares me.

Generation Rent – me? No. Not me. £30 a week I paid at 18 for halls of residence accommodation on the 9th floor of Wearmouth Hall in Sunderland, pre-demolition obviously. £120 a month, which included breakfast, evening meal and all utility bills.

By |2016-08-03T09:35:09+00:00August 3rd, 2016|freelance writer|Comments Off on Generation Rent – why the future scares me.

10 Downing Street – who did Cameron use to sell?

David Cameron left number 10 Downing Street today and handed over the keys to Theresa May in possibly the quickest exchange and completion ever – apart from pub ownership exchange in “Eastenders” or “Coronation Street.”

By |2016-07-13T16:06:57+00:00July 13th, 2016|property writing|Comments Off on 10 Downing Street – who did Cameron use to sell?

Great Yarmouth – what is its oldest house?

In an idle moment, I began musing about old properties in this part of east Norfolk, knowing that Great Yarmouth has 1000 years of history, with the Minster (St Nicholas Church) being one of the most historic.

By |2016-07-06T21:02:17+00:00July 5th, 2016|property writing|Comments Off on Great Yarmouth – what is its oldest house?

Writers needed – how to spread your writer’s block

Writers needed – how to spread your writer’s block:  is a title that sounds like a case of the lurgy? But it’s a search term “writers needed” that I sometimes reach out for, to go all Linkedin, to find some “synergy” and ahem income.

By |2016-07-02T10:39:28+00:00July 2nd, 2016|freelance writer|Comments Off on Writers needed – how to spread your writer’s block

Manchester copywriter, make the sun shine, online.

Manchester copywriter – how to make the sun shine, online. Ambitious title, perhaps, as we all know (well Mancunians at least) that the rain in Manchester is a fallacy?

By |2016-06-26T16:10:56+00:00June 24th, 2016|freelance writer, copywriter|Comments Off on Manchester copywriter, make the sun shine, online.

25 things I can do for your business

Meet Stuart Walton, freelance writer and copywriter, here listing 25 things I can do for your business. Read on.

By |2016-11-01T11:49:36+00:00June 17th, 2016|Content marketing A, Content Writing, copywriter, freelance writer, SEO, Social Media Management|Comments Off on 25 things I can do for your business

Web content – how to jump and make a splash.

A few months ago, I had a conversation about web content with a Manchester designer who wanted me to have a look at his draft of an article he was writing on brochure websites.

By |2016-06-17T18:19:38+00:00June 14th, 2016|freelance writer, SEO|Comments Off on Web content – how to jump and make a splash.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

The Guardian, that bastion of muesli-munching, Birkenstock wearing, bearded, politically correct readers – i.e., me, published an article this week that caught my eye for its unusual candyfloss content: the 10 Best Albums of the first half of 2016.

By |2016-06-11T17:58:31+00:00June 11th, 2016|freelance writer|Comments Off on When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Estate agency websites – 10 things you need to do

Estate agency websites are often neglected by their business owners, with many labouring under the misapprehension that as long as a property is on Rightmove or Zoopla, it will sell. As Bob Dylan croaked though, “The times, they are a changing.”

By |2016-05-23T18:05:16+00:00May 23rd, 2016|Uncategorized|2 Comments

26 reasons why you should pay a writer.

Free writer doesn’t mean free from payment. In this expansive publication, I thought I’d address – at great length – whether writers, document writers, article writers, should write for free. It’s handily labelled A to Z with some decent (and some not so decent) attempts to subtitle like an acrostic poem. X was tricky –

By |2016-10-27T20:25:51+00:00May 19th, 2016|freelance writer|1 Comment

Can you sell property without Rightmove or Zoopla?

Given the huge portal costs and the attempts by the On The Market to break this duopoly, can you successfully sell a property as an estate agency without using these three behemoths?

By |2016-05-16T11:37:35+00:00May 15th, 2016|Content marketing A, Content Writing, property writing|Comments Off on Can you sell property without Rightmove or Zoopla?

What are my charges as a copywriter?

It’s a difficult business this writing malarkey – we all can write to some degree so perhaps we expect it to be free. Like teaching English, Paul Calf (Steve Coogan’s mulleted monster) once asked what’s the point of that? You may as well teach walking.

By |2016-05-03T18:35:43+00:00May 3rd, 2016|freelance writer|Comments Off on What are my charges as a copywriter?

How to move up, not sideways, in crabby Cromer.

Cromer, proclaimed as the “Gem of the Norfolk coast” on its welcome signs, is a rather grand Victorian coastal settlement, with a vibrant property market, which I’ll talk about later.

By |2016-04-24T13:17:46+00:00April 24th, 2016|Content marketing A, Content Writing, property writing|Comments Off on How to move up, not sideways, in crabby Cromer.

How to win customers with my ghostwritten skills.

Unpacking books with my daughter, an argument ensued about her Rainbow Magic books. They’re ghostwritten I told her, but Ruby, my 9 year old daughter, obviously knows better.

By |2016-04-08T19:08:55+00:00April 8th, 2016|Content Writing, freelance writer|Comments Off on How to win customers with my ghostwritten skills.

If you believe they put a man on the moon?

Tim Peake is busy demonstrating his powers in space, like some British Chris Hadfield (without the songs), and taking photos of Manchester and London from the ISS. The moon has had Jupiter sat next to it too, last week, I recall.

By |2016-02-03T12:24:58+00:00February 3rd, 2016|freelance writer|Comments Off on If you believe they put a man on the moon?

How to write, 5 great tips from a writer – teacher

Last week, I had yet another conversation about what I do now: eyebrows were raised, when I said I’m a writer, a freelance writer, a copywriter.

By |2016-01-18T10:20:36+00:00January 18th, 2016|copywriter, freelance writer|Comments Off on How to write, 5 great tips from a writer – teacher

Calling all estate agents – how to engage customers

The James Paget Estate, in south Gorleston, is regarded locally as one of the best areas to buy or rent in.

By |2016-01-13T09:57:35+00:00January 13th, 2016|property writing, Social Media Management|Comments Off on Calling all estate agents – how to engage customers

This Girl Can – a superb marketing campaign

In the city yesterday, my eyes were drawn to a hashtag campaign I’d never seen before: This Girl Can in M and S. Never heard of it or seen it.

By |2016-01-10T22:22:28+00:00January 10th, 2016|Content marketing A, Content Writing, Social Media Management|Comments Off on This Girl Can – a superb marketing campaign

How to emotionally connect with consumer psychology

I blogged yesterday about SEO and consumer psychology, with a promise of an article expanding on the ideas I’d outlined – so here goes.

By |2016-01-05T11:47:26+00:00January 5th, 2016|Content marketing A, property writing, Social Media Management|Comments Off on How to emotionally connect with consumer psychology

What is Search Engine Optimisation? No shouting now!

IWent into Norwich today, emancipated, semi-retired, liberated and got into random conversations in various shops. Taken out of context, read here, they might sound like the ramblings of a social misfit, but no the conversations came round to social media and what is Search Engine Optimisation.

By |2016-01-04T22:29:05+00:00January 4th, 2016|SEO|Comments Off on What is Search Engine Optimisation? No shouting now!

Pinterest power strategies – how to create success

Pinterest is something I use regularly to divert traffic to my website and blog post. Here, I’ll give my tips for creating marketing success from Pinterest.

By |2016-01-02T20:07:33+00:00January 2nd, 2016|Content marketing A, SEO, Social Media Management|Comments Off on Pinterest power strategies – how to create success

Social media spotlight – seize it with a strong writer

I deactivated a social media account, Facebook, last week in a fit of impetuous pique, but today I logged back in. Why?

By |2015-12-28T19:45:58+00:00December 28th, 2015|SEO, Social Media Management|Comments Off on Social media spotlight – seize it with a strong writer

Social Media Management – 5 new year resolutions

So as 2015 draws to a close and the horizon lights with 2016, we make resolutions, which are apparently broken by 90% of us before February dawns.

By |2015-12-26T13:04:04+00:00December 26th, 2015|Content Writing, Social Media Management|Comments Off on Social Media Management – 5 new year resolutions

Copywriter? What is a Copywriter?

So what is my role as a web content writer, what is a copywriter by definition?Words are everywhere - they dominate print and the web. We are influenced by words,moved by them and the right words to the right audience deliver the right results. I’ve always wanted to be a writer from the age of

By |2020-10-03T19:59:06+00:00October 7th, 2015|copywriter|Comments Off on Copywriter? What is a Copywriter?
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