Aug 16, 2009

 

How to Write for the Search Engines without Becoming a Robot


Search engines are constantly improving their ability to index, sort, and categorize web pages in order to create good search results. In order to make it easier for search engine bots to do their job, you have to incorporate target keyword phrases into your content, title tags, and meta descriptions. Anytime people search for the keyword phrases, they are more likely to come across one of your pages than one of those of a competitor whose site does not contain relevant keyword phrases.

When you add keyword phrases to your site, you need to be sure not to add them so many times that it makes your content sound unnatural. For example, if you say, “wedding photographer in Los Angeles”, in every other sentence of your content, you are going to annoy your human visitors. The key is finding a way to write content that pleases the search engine bots as well as humans. After all, your content is ultimately meant for human eyes, not search engine bots! Mentioning a keyword three to four times per page is more than sufficient.

The Importance of Titles

For every page of your website, make sure to create unique titles. Make your titles read like catchy headlines so they draw people to click on them when they are seen in search results. Include a target keyword phrase in each of your headlines to please the search engine bots. Also, make sure that your titles are no longer than 75 characters long. Search engines and humans alike tend to stop reading after that point.

Tips for Creating Compelling Content

Even if your content is killer and your site is amazing, nobody will be able to find it if you don’t write your content with SEO in mind. When writing web content, you have to focus on providing informative, quality content to your target audience without neglecting to appease the search engines.
Content should be around 250 words per page. Both search engines and humans favor content that’s around 250 words per page. When it’s too long, your readers will get bored and move onto something else. You want your content to be informative but you also want to get your point across quickly to prevent snoring.

When you write website copy with Google in mind, place relevant keyword phrases around the main keyword phrases. That way when your site description appears in Google search results, people will see those relevant words and be drawn to your site.

When choosing keyword phrases to use in your website copy, make sure to think of the way people actually speak. Otherwise your content will sound painfully awkward. If you have to, add a word or two in a target phrase to make it sound natural. For example, if you are targeting the keyword “limos Boston,” feel free to use, “limos in Boston,” instead so your content sounds more natural and not like you are obviously trying to rank for a keyword.

Use keywords in an optimal way when writing your website copy. For example, instead of just saying, “our company,” say, “our Los Angeles loan modification company.” You can take advantage of such opportunities to incorporate target keyword phrases without being obnoxious.
Keep these tips in mind when creating content for your site so search engine bots can crawl your site and index your pages more effectively. Furthermore, visitors will be able to find your site more easily when they search for the terms you are targeting.