Tips for writing content that appeals to people and is optimized for search engines

1. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
How to Create Searchable Content
A workshop series by Beth Browning

2. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
What is Content?
• Any type of information that is put on the web
– Text
– Media
– Images
– Podcasts
– Flash
• Some content is more search engine friendly than other types of content
• Search engines can only read text, they don’t “see” images, “listen to
podcasts,” or “watch movies”
• The goal is to create search engine friendly content
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3. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Why Create Content?
• First and foremost the goal is to provide visitors with valuable
information that will help them understand how the product or
service you offer can help them
• Optimize the content for the search engines, but don’t write for
them (search engines don’t buy – people do)
• Give people and search engines a reason to come back time
and time again
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4. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
What is a Keyword?
Let’s start with the basics and talk about what a keyword is and why it’s
important.
•Keyword(s) = the words or terms that a person enters into the search box
when they are looking for something on the internet or on a website.
•Using the right keywords in your content helps Google understand what your
website is about
•Strategically incorporating keywords increases the likelihood that your page
will be gain a good position in search engine results
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5. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Tips for Finding Keywords
• Start with a few obvious “seed” words based on what the
website and business is about
• Review website statistics to see what keyword phrases were
used by people who found your site
• Get started with 5 to 6 keyword phrases – don’t obsess about
looking for the “perfect” keyword
• Discover the search volume for your keywords using tools like
Google Trends, AdWords, or WordTracker
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6. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Tips for Writing Content
• Focus on your potential buyers
• Have a call to action
– Buy now
– Call 800-555-555 for a free quote
• Write easy to use text
– Stay away from using internal or industry-speak
– Keep it simple – don’t use big words to try and impress someone
• Keep graphics to a minimum
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7. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Tips for Writing Content
• Work with bulleted or numbered lists (the list should be able to
communicate an idea independent of the title or intro)
• Use short paragraphs
• Keep adding new pages (make sure your pages have enough content
to be optimized around 300 words is the minimum)
• Keep adding new content on a regular basis (at least weekly)
• Read it out loud before you publish it
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8. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Tips for Writing Content
• Next to customer focus, it’s important to connect with
dialog that will elicit an emotional response
• Find a way to open with a way that relates the
dilemma and the solution in a way that compels the
visitor to keep reading
– If (this is the dilemma) Then (here is an emotionally
compelling solution)
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9. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Think Behavior Not Keyword
• Talk to customers, key into the questions they are asking. “How would you search
for…..”
• Use keyword tools to evaluate the phrases and get additional ideas
• Look for trends related to your industry in LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter
• Research and use related topics – if you sell lawn mowers, those buyers also need
gas, oil, and other lawn care products
• If your business is local, include zip codes, city names, etc.
• Use Google’s auto suggest as a source for additional ideas
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10. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Use Keywords in Context
• When someone goes to Google there is most likely something going on in their life
that they need to find a solution for. They are searching with intent.
• If someone types “soy candles” into the search box, do they mean:
– Buy one?
– Learn how they are made?
– Learn how to make them?
– Benefits of Soy Candles?
• There are a couple of ways you can implement this into your SEO strategy:
– Cleverly find a way to include the phrase “how to make soy candles” in your current content about
soy candles.
– Create a new page and provide valuable information including videos and step by step instructions
(in a numbered list).
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11. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Relevancy Formula
• Keywords + Content
Here’s the formula:
• Good Keyword(s) + the WRONG context = the WRONG Theme (LOW
RELEVANCE)
• Good Keyword(s) + the RIGHT context = the RIGHT Theme (HIGH
RELEVANCE)
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12. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Relevancy Formula
Using our soy candle example:
•how to make a soy candle + a product landing page(buy me) = the WRONG Theme
(LOW RELEVANCE)
•how to make a soy candle + a landing page all about how to make soy candles = the
RIGHT Theme (HIGH RELEVANCE)
•This is an important formula to keep in mind when optimizing your site for SEO;
both real people and Google reward web pages that have high relevance. You could
almost replace the word relevance with trust.
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13. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Where to Use Keywords
When search engines crawl the pages of a website, they take into consideration various
elements of the page which include:
•Title – the most important element of a page and is the text link displayed in
search results
•Meta Data – descriptive information that tells the search engine what the
page is about – it is not part of the content that displays on the page itself
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14. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Where to Use Keywords
When search engines crawl the pages of a website, they take into
consideration various elements of the page which include:
•Pictures and Videos – visual elements on a page – (be sure to wrap
content around your images)
•Picture captions and labels – text that describes an image but isn’t
part of the image
•Links - clickable text or images that connect pages on the internet
•Body Content – the text within the body of the page
•URL – the address of the page
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15. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Let’s Get Creative about Content for People & SEO
• Think about how people use
your products or services –
can they solve multiple
problems?
• Think about the phases of a
purchase cycle:
– Problem identification
– Information research
– Comparing alternatives
– Purchase
– Post Purchase
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16. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Content Ideas
• Top 10 lists
• Interviews
• Product reviews
• Tutorials
• Tips or Strategies
• “How to” articles
• Articles that offer solutions
• Articles that educate
• Articles about industry changes
• Common misconceptions
(10 sources for Business Blog Content)
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17. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
How to Create Searchable Content
• Know your audience
• Find the right keywords
• Be relevant
• Be persuasive
• Be customer focused
• Incorporate your keywords strategically
• Promote and distribute your content
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18. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Discover Your Customers
Taking the mystery out of SEO - my services
Website Analysis and Competitive Intelligence
- Provide insights regarding strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity for improving and optimizing an online
presence within the competitive landscape.
Teaching
-Conduct hands-on search engine optimization workshops for beginners to advanced – Workshops, Onsite Training,
and Virtual training
Search Engine Marketing
-Develop marketing strategies and plans to promote both brand and business through search engine optimization
Mentoring
- Relationship based training and knowledge transfer of skills to accelerate the growth of individuals and improve
retention and performance.
Content Creation
- Generate online content that is interesting and engaging for website visitors and is optimized for search engines.
Register for one of my workshops at: http://seotrainingpennsylvania.com/
For more locations, visit: http://www.searchengineacademy.com/
Subscribe to my blog for regular tips and insights (plus occasional musings): http://discover-your-customers.com/blog/

19. Open Social Media: Where we tell it like it is
Thank You!
Questions?