To all writers and non-writers out there, now is the time to start digging up those creative writing skills.With modern communication technology comes the popularity of information-based marketing, which is one of the oldest and most effective techniques in getting targeted prospects to sites and converting them into buyers. This is

Do you know the importance of unique content on your website? It can mean the difference between high search engine rankings and not being found in the search engines at all. It can also mean the difference between turning visitors into buyers or simply onlookers. It doesn't matter if you sell a service, a book, or other product, your website was designed for one purpose: to market and advertise you and your product.

But how do you go about obtaining good content? Good content can be found through free article archives, purchasing articles from freelance writers and copywriters, or by writing the content yourself.

Of the three choices, free article archives are your worst choice because the idea is to make your website so unique others want to come back and search engines want to place your website higher than your competition. (With that in mind free content articles are great for newsletters you email or distribute through print.) If you can write, your best option is writing the material yourself. But if you can't write, hiring a good ghostwriter can guarantee others do not have the same content on their websites, while hiring a freelance writer means only those who pay reprint fees can use the material which limits how many websites share the same content.

If you're serious about getting your business ranked above the competition in the search engines, you need to stand apart. You need to identify the one thing that makes you better than your competition and capitalize on that-in your web copy, in your press releases, in your advertisements, and in the product (or service) itself.

Once you've figured that out, it's time to write great search engine optimized web pages. And to help you get started, I've compiled a short list of tips:

Write keyword enriched content that is not difficult to read. The content should flow from beginning to end, should not use complicated sentence structures that are hard to get one's mind around, and should avoid technical words (unless it's a technical site).

Write content that talks-up your product or service without sounding like hype. Your content should focus on both the features and the benefits. Features talk about your service or product, but benefits answer your readers most important question, "What's in it for me?"

Write content that provokes emotion...anytime a person's emotion is involved, sales are bound to happen.

Write a call to action. A call to action tells your reader what to do once he/she is done reading your content.

Provide an appropriate graphic and if you don't have one, don't place one on the page. The image you place on your web page should match the content on that page. It should compliment the words written, not confuse the potential buyer.

Provide strong testimonies. Tell your visitors what your past customers or clients have been saying about your work. And whenever possible provide real case scenarios.

Alyice Edrich (http://dmwrites.com) is the award winning editor of The Dabbling Mum. Stop by for your chance to win free videos and books or to download three free e-books (http://thedabblingmum.com).