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Content for Search
Engines
Creating search engine friendly web pages goes far beyond
tweaking codes -- it's a delicate balancing act between pleasing
the search engine and the people who will ultimately read (and
act) on your content.
All too often I've seen aspiring webmasters obsess over meta tags,
keyword density, and the other arcana that's supposedly important
for successful search engine optimization. While there's no denying
that a certain amount of basic "blocking and tackling"
helps improve search engine rankings, ultimately it's the quality
of content that counts.
In short, content that pleases search engine users, and fulfils
and information need or prompts them to purchase something, is
good. Content that's highly optimised for search engine algorithms,
but fails to satisfy search engine users, is virtually doomed
to a fate of obscurity.
So how do you write good content for search engines? Unfortunately,
there's no magic formula. But there are some excellent online
resources that can help you learn to be a better online content
writer.
Start with Nick Usborne's "Writing Online" column at
ClickZ. While Nick doesn't specifically focus on writing for search
engines, he does focus on effectively communicating in an online
medium. Following his advice will help you sharpen your messages
and improve your "search friendly" quotient.
Then take a look at the work of two acknowledged search engine
writing gurus: Jill Whalen and Heather Lloyd-Martin. Jill and
Heather originally worked as a team, publishing the Rank Write
newsletter. Though they're both on to new, independent ventures,
the Rank Write archives still offer a treasure trove of advice
for search engine writing.
Jill's new endeavour is a newsletter called the High Rankings
Advisor. She still frequently writes about writing, but also touches
on a wide array of other search engine optimization issues.
Heather is also publishing a newsletter, co-authored with I-Search
moderator Detlev Johnson. Like the High Rankings Advisor, TagLine
covers both writing for search engines and broader search engine
optimization issues.
Heather has also made a chapter from her upcoming book, "Successful
Search Engine Copywriting" available for free viewing. The
chapter, called "Writing for Spidering Search Engines,"
is packed with practical advice and examples drawn from successful
search engine optimization efforts. It's an excellent read, and
a good indicator that the entire book will be a must-read once
it becomes available.
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