Copywriters like me tend to feel superior when we come across a certain type of website.

You know what I mean. Websites that clearly haven't been touched by anyone remotely familiar with copywriting. Websites that seem put-together by well-meaning, sincere people who never typed "internet marketing" into a search engine, let alone taken a copywriting class.

You've got a wonderful job, a nice place to live and lots of friends. But you realize you miss your family, who live five hundred miles away.

Maybe you just retired and you want to be closer to your aging parents. Or you want to watch your grandchildren grow up. Or you want to get closer to siblings and old friends.

Should you move? Here are some questions to help gain insight as you wrestle with a tough decision.

When I set up my very first website, I must admit I used some 4 letter words. Struggling with HTML, tracking down an elusive web designer, wondering who really had answers...yes, I had many reasons to expand my vocabulary of colorful words.

And when I had slow weeks, I agonized. I asked friendly acquaintances. I paid consultants. Which domain name would be best? Which headline?

Everybody had an opinion.

Professionals -- coaches, consultants, financial planners -- want to help their clients. They also realize that clients often cannot imagine what service delivery feels like, let alone appreciate the benefits.

So their offer all kinds of freebies to generate leads, convert visitors and attract clients: sample sessions, get-acquainted calls, bonus gifts, introductory and CDs.

Donald Trump's new show, Celebrity Apprentice, does not always feature celebrities (Omarosa has more notoriety than celebrity). And the participants will never become Apprentices. But like the original Apprentice series, each episode teaches valuable lessons -- sometimes inadvertently.

Caution: What follows may be interpreted as a spoiler.

You put up a website to attract clients for your professional service business. Maybe you even put up a sales letter - a solo web page designed to promote an information product, tangible product, or seminar.

And so far...nothing! No takers. No sign-ups for your ezine. What's going on?

(1) Get solid evidence that people want your product -- and will buy it online.

When "career counselor" was a new word (and a "coach" blew the whistle at basketball practice), we all read the Parachute book. The standard career advice line went something like this:

"People are bored. They love to talk about what they do. So call them up and ask for information. Eventually someone will offer you a job."

In my experience, that advice is as outdated as the typewriters we used back when the first Parachute edition appeared in the bookstores.

Your website's mission: Attract clients. Get visitors to sign up. Sell more products.

But it's easy to get in the way of your own goals. Most professionals and solo-preneurs really want to help others, develop their skills, and share information. So inadvertently they end up sabotaging their own website... and wonder why they're not getting more response.

Copy refers to the words on a sales page or advertisement. Copywriting refers to creating the message and writing up the actual words.

Disclaimer: This article is based on my own cats. Yours may be different.

1. Walk on the edge and take some risks.

My cats balance precariously on narrow ledges. They leap to the top of the refrigerator or the cabinet.