Step 4: Search Engine Optimization

Remember that this information can be used many times – in your brochures, presentations etc. 

FOR EACH ARTICLE

  1. Create an outline of the story. Internet writing usually uses the inverted pyramid style of writing.
  1. Find the words that your audience would use to search for the topic.  Use those words to write the article – but do not start writing yet!
  1. Use several search engines and search the web using the words that you created in step one.
    1. These are the businesses that show up to your potential audience – is this the group you want to be included in?
    1. If not, keep changing the keywords and searching the web until you find the right combination of search words. Consider www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, www.dogpile.com and http://vivisimo.com . Vivisimo organizes information by topic; it is always interesting to see how they choose the topics. Check it out! Are there any topics that might be added to step 2?
  1. Now you have the words people use to search for the information you are going to create. Keep this list; these are the META TAGS KEY WORDS for the page. Each page will have it’s own TITLE tag, KEYWORD tag and DESCRIPTION tag.
  1. Now it is time to write!  Create the content; be sure to use the words you have in step 5 multiple times.  Do not go overboard with it; just be aware that search engines will rate the page higher by adding the META TAG KEY WORD content – the search words people will look for – in the actual page. Keep the information short, sweet and to the point. A web page has approximately 1 minute - at most - to capture interest.  Long wordy pages lose viewers.
  1. Get as many critiques as possible.  Did the message you want to convey come across?
  1. How is your grammar?  Yes grammar counts!  Search engines do not want to display pages that insult the intelligence of their clients. I use Microsoft Word’s grammar check.
    1. To turn on Microsoft Word Grammar Settings:  Tools -> Options ->Spelling & Grammar.  Under the Grammar section, make sure the following are checked:  Check grammar, show readability.  I also change the writing style to Grammar and Style.  When in Microsoft Word press F7 and the grammar stats will show.