Guidelines for becoming an Expert for Expat Arrivals
Welcome!
By becoming our local expert for your city you can provide valuable insider knowledge to new expat arrivals and also to long-time residents - advising on everything from opening a bank account to recommended dentists or what's on in the city.
Win-win-win
The project is designed to be beneficial to all parties: you get exposure, ad revenue and the enjoyment of sharing your knowledge, while expat readers benefit from your expertise when planning their big move.
Expat Arrivals is aimed primarily at affluent English-speaking expats (so mostly British, American, Australian, Canadian, South African and Kiwi), so aim your writing at this market, but bear in mind that the content is likely to be read by expats from all over the world.
In many cases the core content for a destination is in place and we now want the useful details that resident expats can provide. Expat Experts can add and edit the sections shown below, plus any others they can think of. We recommend that you write the content offline (in Word or notepad) and then cut and paste it into the system. Please do not cut and paste directly from Word as this causes formatting problems, instead paste into a text editor such as notepad and then paste into the system and add your formatting then.
If you prefer you can email your writing to us for uploading. We will take care of formatting and inserting pictures.
We also have a Forum as part of Expat Arrivals; Experts will be expected to answer as many questions as they can within their area.
Writing for the web
Writing content for the web is slightly different to writing for print as we tend to scan content online rather than read word-for-word.
- Content should generally be short and punchy and you should use plenty of descriptive sub-headings and paragraphs. Don't waffle and keep sentences short.
- Try to front-load the content - so put the conclusion first and then follow with the what, how, where, when ... or whatever.
- It can help to bold important words or phrases.
- Add internal links to other relevant pages within expatarrivals.
- Use lists, they are often easier to read.
It should go without saying, but please do not copy content from other web sites. It is illegal!
Google Adsense
Once you set up a Google Adsense account (www.google.com/adsense), you will retain the advertising income from the Google advertising on the right of the pages you develop. This advertising is sold and managed by Google and the revenue will be related to the number of clicks on the ads, and therefore to the number of users which visit and read these pages. You are therefore encouraged to publicise the guides to fellow expats and also to write the content in such a way that it will be shown on relevant search engine results. This is called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
SEO
There are various techniques that can be used to ensure that pages appear towards the top of search results on Google and Yahoo etc, but the key is to ensure the pages are interesting, up-to-date, useful and well-written - if they are people will visit the guide and recommend it to friends and other websites will link to it (which is the most important factor in getting high search results). Here are some SEO tips:
- All content must be original, otherwise Google will not list the page in their search results. Do NOT copy content from other websites.
- Try to include keywords and/or key phrases in the content - keywords are those which users will use to find the page in search engines and will normally be the words in the page titles - e.g. Shopping in Cape Town
- Encourage other sites to add links to expatarrivals.com, ideally to the pages you have written or the overview page of your city. If you include link to other sites, email them asking for a reciprocal link. Many sites will be delighted to
- Add internal links to other relevant pages within www.expatarrivals.com.
SECTIONS
As an Expert you may create and edit new sections or use the sub-sections below (Cape Town hyperlinks used for example only). Not all these sections are relevant for each destination. For example, Safety is a big chapter for South Africa, but not necessary for Switzerland. Similarly, "Learning the language" is important for China, but not relevant for Australia.
When determining which sections to add or write simply make sure it is useful and relevant for an Expat in that destination.
When determining which sections to add or write simply make sure it is useful and relevant for an Expat in that destination.
CITY GUIDE HIERARCHY
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Main page
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Sub-pages
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Description of Content
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Moving to Cape Town
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Introduction to the city / Why live there / What’s it like/
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Bulleted list of pluses and minuses of living in the city / Provides snapshot overview of the good and the bad
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Geography & Orientation
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Layout of the city / Main landmarks, rivers, mountains
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Accommodation
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Overview of the various options / Mention of the best areas / Tips on getting settled / What to look out for
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Best areas for expats to live in with brief description of each / Info on compounds
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Finding a rental / Sources of information / The lease / Deposits / Process
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Getting connected with water, electricity, gas etc / Deposits / Brokers
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Availability / Cost / Where to find / Contracts / General advice
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Buying property
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Currency restrictions / Commission / Pros and cons
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Security
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Necessary? / Best providers / Costs / Considerations
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Working
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Business areas
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Hubs and Popular areas / proximity to residential areas
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Customs
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Cultural factors in doing business / Rules of etiquette / Insider tips / Attitude to bribery
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Salaries
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General range of salaries for certain occupations / Contract negotiations / Housing allowances
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Recruitment
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Advice if looking for a job / Recruitment agencies
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Key industries
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Main employers and industries within the city
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Lifestyle and Shopping
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Main places to shop / where best selection and prices / Main grocery chains
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Describe best organic, food, and variety markets
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Lists spas, hairdressers, beauticians, massage etc
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Main exercise options / Clubs and societies
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Describe main destinations and regions within 3 hours of the city
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Travel
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Entertainment
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Cinemas / Casinos: If relevant, list reputable ones / Tax on winnings?
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Education and Schools
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Nursery school
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List according to location, educational approach / Contact detail and website
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List according to location, educational approach / Contact detail and website
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List by language and curriculum / include location, gender mix, contact details
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List according to location, educational approach, gender mix, curriculum / Provide contact details, website / Reputation and quality of school
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Brief overview and details of main higher education colleges
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Language schools
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Where to learn the local language
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Holiday dates for this year and next, in table format
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Healthcare
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Hospitals
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List main hospitals with contact details
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Doctors and dentists
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List doctors and dentists surgeries / Costs
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Health concerns
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Local diseases / malaria
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Private healthcare
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Describe and list private healthcare options / medical insurance
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Natural remedies / New age practitioners / Directories of providers
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Best hospitals / process of maternity / gynaecologist or midwife / Costs / Medical aid
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Shipping and Removals
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Best way to ship possessions / Customs clearance / Pets / Recommended companies
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Transport
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Getting around the city / Buying a car / Licensing / Traffic and rush hour
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Communications
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Internet & telephone
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How reliable, expensive and fast is internet access / Main providers / Factors to consider / Telephone providers / Mobile phone costs and reliability / Main mobile providers
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Satellite/cable TV
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Providers / Costs / Censorship / General advice
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Networking resources
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Connecting with other Expats / Online resources / Expat clubs /
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FAQs
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Common questions about the city with your answer / Information that won’t fit elsewhere goes here
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Events
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Annual events of interest to expats / Concerts / Cultural occasions
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Restaurants
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Introduction to the city’s cuisine / Brief listing of best restaurants
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Attractions
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Main sites of interest / Essential things to see and do / Especially appealing to the expats family
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Kids
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Overview of things to see and do for children / Cautions / highlights/ Overall suitability of city for families
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COUNTRY GUIDE HIERARCHY
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Main page
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Sub-pages
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Description of content
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Overview
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About the country / highlights / summary of pros and cons
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Banking
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Opening an account / What’s the local banking system like? / Main banks and links to them / Off-shore banking / Costs of banking / Bureaucracy
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Money
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Currency / Credit cards / Stability of currency / Inflation
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tax rates, when to expats become resident for tax, recommended local advisors
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Insurance
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Household or personal insurance details if necessary
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Overview of telephone, internet, mobile, TV
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Transport & Driving
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Driving license / Side of road / General advice / internal flights/airlines
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Public Transport
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Overview / Options / Reliability / Costs
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Buying a car
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Where to find / Licensing / Costs
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Standard and quality of healthcare / Health insurance / Public vs. Private healthcare
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Business climate / office culture / main industries and employers
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Work permit/visa
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What docs are needed / How to get them / Costs
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Business permit
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Details connected with starting a business
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Describe the social and religious climate / Is living here hard to adjust to? / What cultural challenges are present?
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Personal and property safety / Risks / Is security necessary / If so who and what type
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Cost of Living
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Is the country expensive compared to Europe / What is good value – and expensive / Sample costs for every day items
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Shipping and removals
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Methods / Providers / Pets / Customs
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Common questions about the city with your answer / Information that won’t fit elsewhere goes here
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Good luck!
