Web writing and search engine optimization (SEO)

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Monday, May 14th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

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You’re a Web writer. That’s enough, surely? You don’t need to do anything else - just write for the Web.

Well… yes and no.

Yes, because most of your clients will just want you to write Web pages, ezines, autoresponder sequences, etc.

No, because the more services you can offer, the more valuable your writing becomes. (In a nutshell, if you do more, you can charge more.)

Web writing and search engine optimization: vital for your clients, even if they don’t know it

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a vital strategy on the Web. Essentially, SEO means ensuring that those factors which will allow a Web page to be found by those who are looking for it, are actually ON the Web page. This is called on-page optimization. SEO also means adding off-page optimization factors - links from other sites - which will again, ensure that a page is found.

SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) are new disciplines, which have developed with the growth of the Web. Since there are many billions of Web pages, and millions added every month, a Web page is just a leaf blowing in the wind - no one will know it exists, without a certain amount of SEO.

As a Web writer, you’re not expected to be a search engine expert. However you’ll provide a better service for your clients, if you do know how the search engines work, and how to optimize a page. Therefore, spend some time tinkering with your own site.

Optimize a couple of pages on your own site, as a test

SEO works. But you won’t know exactly how it works, and how to get a page optimized (pages are optimized, not Web sites as such) until you do it yourself. Do some SEO on a couple of pages on your own site, and check the pages with Google, MSN and Yahoo each month, to see where those pages are in the search query results.

This process can take time. A new site will take months just to be indexed. You can speed up the process in various ways. However, estimate that from the time you start optimizing a page, it will take six to nine months to see great results. Once you know how long it can take, you can make it clear to clients that SEO is not an instant fix. It’s a long-term project for any Web site.

For a Web writer, there’s no need to become an SEO expert. However, a little SEO knowledge can make you much more valuable as a Web writer, and will help you to differentiate yourself from all those Web writers who have no experience with SEO.

SEO Resource: Bruce Clay - great starting point to get up to speed.

Create your own site, fast - my ebook: “Super-Fast Money-Making Web Sites For Writers: Join The Web-Publishing Bonanza”.