Four Things Writers and Editors Need to Know About SEO

When it comes to SEO, writes Ian Lurie at Conversation Marketing, "Publishers have it easy: Make some changes, site- or server-wide, and you're a hero." This isn't quite the case, though, for writers and editors. "Editorial staff," he continues, "have to apply sound SEO and online writing practices to every new article, photo or video." To help your editorial team's SEO efforts, Lurie offers a number of recommendations such as these:

Write a headline that makes sense, even out of context. "[It] might show up ... in an RSS reader, a search result or who-knows-what," Lurie says. "So the headline alone must tell the reader what to expect. And, of course, the headline will likely become your article's title tag, which is key to SEO."

Write links that describe their destination. Avoid a generic "click here" when inviting visitors to read more. Instead, link from a descriptive phrase in the text that tells readers where they're going.

Mention the primary subject in the first paragraph. "Again, duh," Lurie notes. "Yet I see lots of articles that don't have the name of the person, the description of the key event or whatever else in the first freaking paragraph. Why oh why?"

→ end article preview
Read the Full Article