How to Write for SEO

It’s not rocket science. You don?t need to hire a fancy Search Engine Optimization agency to boost your site’s ranking. The Internet has a stockpile of information on the subject of SEO, free for the taking. Here’s what we’ve found in the process of educating ourselves for our clients:

Don’t be a slave to your keywords

Writing still rules and the audience matters. Don’t represent yourself with stilted, contrived writing just to jam those keywords into your copy.

We take an organic approach, first writing the copy that best suits our clients, and then subtly massaging those keywords that best fit into the written copy.

Search for yourself

To come up with an initial dozen keywords we become a customer and search for our clients the way their customers might. We think of general searches people might use to find them. For instance, what city they are in, what general type of work do they do (realtor, plumber), owner’s name, etc.

Check it out on Google AdWords’ keyword tool

Google has a fabulous and free tool called Google AdWords Keyword Tool. Love it! Take your top keywords, drop them in to the search, and view the results.

What you want are the words most searched for, but with the least competition. For this article, I typed in “Tips for SEO” and found that “How to Write for SEO” had about 350 searches, but very low competition. Thus, the title of this piece.

Massage those words in

Once you’re set with your list of keywords and phrases, think about where they could fit into your existing copy. They may not all make it in, but that’s alright. You’re only shooting for about 5-7 keywords per 100 words of copy anyhow.

Organizing your keywords/titles

Once keywords and phrases for each page of your site are set, they need to be programmed. We begin by creating an Excel chart featuring the Title Tag (appears at the very top of each web page with a unique title for each page), the Keywords (only 5-7% keyword density per page) and a Meta Description (1 or 2 sentences that explain the focus of each page).

Programming your SEO

Depending on what particular program your site was created in (WordPress is our favorite), you can either program the Title Tags, Keywords and Meta Descriptions yourself, or pass them on to your programmer to input for you.

Another way to go is to set up Google AdWords. For a fee, your site can appear in the Sponsored Links section next to search results.

Practice makes perfect

The best advice we’ve heard is just dig in and try it. You’ve got to tinker and play to really get it. You’ll figure things out along the way, and the beauty of websites is, you can make changes any time. If you’re not seeing the results you’d like, get in and change things up.

While SEO is not rocket science, it’s also not down to a science, and things are constantly changing. We like to search for a topic and see who comes up highest in the rankings, then visit those sites and see what they’re doing with keywords and titles to get noticed.

It can be fun to learn new things, so try to enjoy the process, and happy optimizing!

Posted on September 30, 2010 at 1:25 am
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Written by Robin Angell Carroll

Robin writes all copy for the print and web projects Andiamo creates, and manages the agency’s schedules and administration. She’s been active in communications since 1991. In 2000, she launched Angell Ink, providing businesses with copy and publicity services. Prior to that she was Director of Public Relations for Chicago’s Merchandise Mart where she promoted the management’s buildings, trade shows and special events. She was able to hone her organizational, diplomatic and creative writing skills there. Today she works with an array of clients from architects and designers to retailers and corporations, providing them with superior communications. Robin’s degree is in English and Art History from the University of Wisconsin. Robin is an independent contractor to Andiamo Creative.

2 comments

  1. I love this post. Thanks for posting this.

    Comment by Rochelle Weiner

    Posted on September 1, 2010 at 3:19 am

  2. As we are all discussing How to Write for SEO | Andiamo Creative, A distinct niche marketplace typically evolves when a potential demand for a product or service is not met by any traditional supply type, or when a brand new demand arises because of modifications in society, technologies, or the general environment.The term “niche” was first used by ecologists to describe a species’ position and use of resources within its atmosphere. When applied in company the term implies a situation or an activity perfectly suited to an individual or a given type of personality. This idea has been extended from persons to merchandise within a market segment. Whereas a niche within the strict sense can be a operating position or an area suited to a person who occupies it, the marketplace niche is perfectly suited for a item of human labor.

    Comment by seo firm

    Posted on January 25, 2011 at 1:51 pm

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