An Example of Professional Creative Copywriting for Websites (Non-optimised)
Written for a website specialising in information about Lymphoma. Below are some excerpts from that site written by Jackie Griffiths, senior copywriter at Freelance Copy UK
Lymph Nodes
As well as the nervous system, and in conjunction with the blood circulatory system, the body contains another type of network called the lymphatic system. This flows throughout the entire body from head to toe and contains the process with which the body fights infection. The lymphatic system, altogether, includes bone marrow, the spleen, thymus gland, your tonsils, appendix and the lymph nodes; these last are scattered extensively at strategic points all around the lymphatic system. All these organs, and the immune cells they contain within, help defend the body from the invasion of harmful bacteria, viruses or fungi in the blood.
Running within the lymphatic system are small tubes called lymphatic vessels. Inside these are little nodules known as lymph nodes which filter out harmful substances and waste products. They remove excess protein, dead or abnormal cells and bacteria and prevent them from flowing back out into the lymphatic system. Lymph is the name given to a clear liquid containing immune cells, which leaks out of the blood circulatory system into the lymphatic system. It carries these cells to the lymph nodes where any bacteria, harmful organisms, infection or cancer cells can be isolated from the rest of the body. Lymph nodes are essential stations where hostile organisms are caught, collected and contained, preventing a sudden and wide-spread infection of the whole body.
Oval in shape, a bit like a bean, the lymph node can be varying sizes, as small as a pinhead or much larger like a grape. Incredibly, lymph nodes are their biggest during childhood, around the age of 10 to 12 years, when they measure about twice the size of a normal adult lymph node.
Throughout the body it is thought that there are up to 800 lymph nodes, with roughly half located in the abdomen. The neck is the second most predominant area where lymph nodes are most concentrated. You can also find lymph nodes in your armpits (axillary nodes) and in the groin (referred to as inguinal lymph nodes). Sometimes it's possible to feel or even see a swollen neck lymph node if your body is fighting a cold or other slight infection. Lymph nodes, which contain a large number of white blood cells, only become enlarged when they're actively warding off infection; otherwise they're a steady, smaller size.
However, an enlarged lymph node does not necessarily indicate something serious. Even an insect bite on the scalp, scratch, burn or particularly harsh shampoo can stimulate lymph nodes in your neck, causing them to become swollen. The body often reacts cautiously to a foreign condition, with nearby lymph nodes rising to the occasion as a precautionary security measure. As such, the lymph nodes in your groin might become enlarged if there's an infection or problem in your legs; or you may experience swollen lymph nodes in your armpits if you're fighting an infection or irritation located in your arms or chest. Only if the lymph node becomes painful to touch and there are extra symptoms present, such as fever, loss of appetite or several lymph nodes at once become swollen, should you then seek medical attention or become more concerned.
Lymphocytes
The human body produces several kinds of white blood cells, the two most common of which are lymphocytes and neutrophils. Lymphocytes are a specific type of white blood cell involved in combating infection and the harmful invasion of hostile cells from outside the body, like bacteria, fungi or viruses. They also battle with cancer cells. Lymphocytes are a vital component of the immune system and if their number decreases the body is left open and vulnerable to infection.
Lymphocytes are made inside bone marrow along with red blood cells and platelets. Some of them will leave the bone marrow just before they've matured and migrate to the thymus to complete their development. These are destined to become T cells. Some of these T cells will act in a regulatory way, monitoring the immune system, making sure the level of bacteria in the body is kept balanced; others will recognise and attack abnormal or infected body cells by releasing chemicals called lymphokines.
The number of T cells we have in our body dwindles with age, but this progression can also be intensified and hastened by illness or stress. As we get older our chances of getting cancer or other infections increase relative to the decline of the power and ability of our immune defence system.
Lymphocytes that remain in the bone marrow to complete the maturation process become B cells. Each B cell is designed to produce one antibody that will specifically match an invading cell or micro-organism, and destroy it. Millions of different B cells are formed in each individual person, which means that millions of different foreign cells are already programmed be recognised on entry to the body. This is our immune defence system data library.
The other most common type of white blood cells, Neutrophils, are also made in the bone marrow and, after maturity, traverse through the body via the blood circulatory system. Their job is to destroy bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses, virally infected cells and tumour cells - although they are not involved in the actual recognition process. This task is handled by monocytes. These another variation of white blood cell whose job it is to recognise and identify foreign cell presence in the blood stream.
Once an infected area has been flagged by monocytes, neutrophils invade, squeezing through their capillary walls to destroy cells and consume the remains via phagocytosis. Even in healthy individuals this task is continuous as there are huge numbers of bacteria in certain parts of our bodies, such as the stomach, nose and throat.
After a cell has been overcome and destroyed, the surviving T cells and B cells evolve into special memory T or B cells. These become situated in the lymph nodes, and remain primed to act if they come into contact with the same foreign cell in the future. Before any foreign cells have been encountered the T and B cells are naïve. It can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks for lymphocytes to recognize and attack a new foreign substance.