seo and writing for the web understanding search engine optimization and how it can make you a...
TRANSCRIPT
SEO and Writing for the Web
Understanding search engine optimization and how it can make you a better writer
Erin Hallstrom-EricksonSenior Digital Editor, Putman MediaASBPE Chicago Bootcamp | April 20, 2012
SEO - Search Engine Optimization Technical definition: Optimizing website
content and enhancing user experience in order to produce a high SERP position.
Non-technical definition: Using tricks to improve your site’s odds of ranking high on Google, Bing or Google.
Why SEO? The majority of computer-literate people
use search engines to research or learn about new topics, products, etc.
An optimized site will ensure your site will be high on the list
Most people stop their search after 2-3 pages in to a search.
A high search engine rank = higher likelihood of traffic to your site.
Which Search Engines?
Your biggest competitor is Google. Yahoo and Bing are similarly popular Social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and
Pinterest are almost as popular for content searches
Google Panda
Algorithm change rolled out February 2011 that penalized low quality sites
Reportedly affected the rankings of almost 12 percent of all search results
Impacts an entire site's ranking or specific section rather than just the individual pages on a site.
Focuses on the date of a web page. Possible adverse affect on sites with a lot of
"evergreen content"
SEO is similar to shopping at a large bookstore with thousands of books to choose from.
Considerations for selecting your perfect book most likely will include keywords used and topical expertise.
Understanding SEO
Understanding SEO - Keywords Why are keywords important? Search
Engine Queries The most optimized site containing the
keywords being searched will rank highest on the search engine results page (SERP).
The highest ranking site = most often clicked through by search engine users.
Understanding SEO – Keywords For example: New Food Products
Understanding SEO – Keywords How to optimize your site for keywords:
Within Analytics, examine keywords that lead people to your site Don’t have access to your site’s analytics? Ask to
receive a monthly report on the external/referral keywords and internal keywords
Group like words or phrases into topic hubs Search Google, Yahoo, and Bing to see how
you rank on your top 3-5 keywords/phrases
Understanding SEO – Keywords Why 3-5 keywords/phrases?
We can’t all be everything to everyone Hone in on what you’re known for to your
visitors Continue to write your content based on
what you know to be popular
I know my keywords… now what? Understand the people you’re writing
for What have your visitors responded well to
in the past? Determine site’s list of most popular posts. Look for patterns; specifically topics that
are shared by several of the posts. Going forward, for each post, determine
what insight you can offer about one of those subjects.
Example
Keywords and Headlines
Your headlines should speak volumes about your page content What problem does this solve? Who is affected? Why does this matter? How will it help?
Remember…
Not everyone that comes to your website knows what your site is or why your site exists.
Ensure visitors know what the content is about and who it is for
Implementing SEO – Keywords Keyword Strategies
Don’t leave out words in headlines or content that might seem redundant in your magazine Bad Example: New product development is the lifeblood
of the industry. Challenges confronting manufacturers include investment in R&D during these turbulent times and length of time required to develop healthier products.
Good Example: New product development is the lifeblood of the food industry. Challenges confronting food manufacturers include investment in research and development during these turbulent times and length of time required to develop healthier products.
Watch your abbreviations Spell out abbreviations on first reference Spell out other abbreviated terms
Assoc. > Association Food & Bev > Food and Beverage
Implementing SEO – Keywords Keyword Strategies
Use headlines and dek-heads that describe article’s content. Good Example:
(Hed) 11 Steps to a Great Food Industry Job (Dek) FoodProcessing.com’s Job Board offers expert
advice on resume blunders to avoid and can’t miss tips for finding the perfect job in the food industry.
Bad Example: (Hed) The Cookie Crumbled! (Dek) We took a crack at these culinary wonders.
Headline Writing
[NUMBER] of [SOMETHING] about [SOMETHING]: Five Grammatical Errors that Make You Look Dumb 10 Secrets to More Magnetic Copy 7 Ways to Improve Your Writing… Right Now 21 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have
a Clue What [SOMETHING] can teach you about [SOMETHING]:
The Eminem Guide to Becoming a Writing and Marketing Machine
The Mad Men Guide to Changing the World With Words Aristotle’s Ancient Guide to Compelling Copy Why Split-Testing is Like Sex in High School
From: http://www.copyblogger.com/content-creation-formula/
Rewrite Examples
Headline lacks information What about Starbucks? How does this impact the audience?
Headline rewrite: Starbucks Entering Consumer Goods Territory
Rewrite Examples
Headline lacks information What is Abbott Nutrition building in Ohio? Who does it affect?
Headline rewrite: Abbott Nutrition To Build Aseptic Packaging Plant in Ohio
Rewrite Examples
Suggested Revisions?
Print-to-Online Headlines Include print headline Love the colon: Use it to set off
headline with keyword-friendly intro
Other helpful sites and tools
Analytics (Omniture, Yahoo Analytics, Google Analytics)
To see another site’s keywords, right click > View Page Source
Search Engine Watch (http://searchenginewatch.com/) Search Engine Roundtable
(http://www.seroundtable.com/) The Official Google Blog (
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/) SEO Chat (http://www.seochat.com/) ProBlogger (http://www.problogger.net/) CopyBlogger (http://www.copyblogger.com/)
SEO and Writing for the Web
Questions?
