|
Your ad placed
here. See the Ad Rates
page for both the web site and newsletter rates.
Contests,
grants, markets that pay writers may list at no charge...as long as they pay.
Send to Hope.
| |
SEO Basics
By Linda Lyle
Search Engine Optimization, better known as SEO, is the
practice of maximizing traffic to a website by increasing
prominence in search engines. SEO has gotten a lot of hype
recently, but before you invest time, energy, or money, you
should get a clear understanding of what constitutes good
SEO writing. Whether you are writing articles for the web or
your own website, SEO can be a great marketing tool if it is
used correctly.
So, how do you go about it? There are a multitude of techniques
out there, but SEO techniques are basically grouped in two
categories: white hat and black hat. White hat techniques are
those that conform to search engine guidelines and are not
deceptive in nature. Black hat techniques – link farms, keyword
stuffing, article spinning– are by their very nature deceptive
and can often result in banning a website from search engine
results. This article focuses on white hat techniques: unique
content, keyword optimization, links, and meta tags.
The first and most important tip for SEO is the same rule that
applies to any type of writing: good content. Search engines,
like editors, are looking for useful and unique information
that is clear and accurate. This includes limiting all web
pages to a reasonable size and covering only one topic per
page. Too much information on a page can slow down the time
it takes to load the page and can overwhelm the reader.
Second, make the most of your content by using keyword
optimization. As with any writing project, choosing keywords
starts with knowing your audience and knowing the goals for
your website. Once you have identified who you are trying to
reach and what your end objective is, then you can work on
how to achieve your goal. Think about what words your audience
would use to search for information. Then, choose specific
keyword phrases from your list. Each page should have keywords
specific to that page’s topic as well as keyword phrases that
represent the entire site. After you have identified the
keywords, make sure they are sprinkled throughout the text
wherever it fits the content, but don’t overuse them. There
really can be too much of a good thing.
Third, make the most of hyperlinks. Make sure that you cross
link between pages of the website. Also, include hyperlinks
intended to help people find interesting, related content
when applicable. Just like keywords, you don’t want to overuse
links. Only use them if they enhance the value of the website
content.
Finally, utilize meta tags properly. The descriptive title
attribute should include a keyword phrase that is a descriptive
and accurate representation of the entire site and should be
used throughout. Also, use the meta tag description attribute
by writing a concise explanation of the web page’s content,
preferably shorter than 400 words. It should include the keyword
phrases. Finally, use the alternate text attribute for photos,
which helps with both search engine prominence and accessibility
for the disabled.
If you truly want to increase your website’s prominence without
going to extreme measures, then you should follow a few simple
rules:
Write unique content.
Use keywords appropriately in content and meta tags.
Cross link between pages of the website.
Follow the guidelines of major search engines.
Register with search engines.
For more information on ways to improve your search engine
ranking, here are links to SEO guidelines from a few of the
top search engine providers:
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769
http://help.live.com/help.aspx?mkt=en-us&project=wl_webmasters
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/search/basics/basics-18.html
http://www.bing.com/community/blogs/webmaster/archive/2009/09/03/search-engine-optimization-for-bing.aspx
BIO:
Linda Lyle is a freelance writer and part-time English
instructor with five published novels and 10 articles to
her credit. She shares her house with a Maine-Coon mix
named Goldie. She recently went live with a website for
TopTen Reviews.
| |
A Carolina Slade Mystery
www.chopeclark.com
Writer's Digest 101 Best
Websites for Writers - 2001-2011
|
