Writing well works for business
August 14th, 2009 by Michael
Although SEO may at times seem quite a technical concept, the reliance of search engine spiders on text means that good, old-fashioned decent writing is vital to the success of your website. Regular fresh content will improve your chances of a high PageRank, but it takes skill and good editing to ensure that your keywords are embedded in text that will retain your visitors once a search engine has sent them your way.
The first stop for good writing is spelling and grammar. Spelling and grammar are for text much like physical appearance is for a business operator – if your appearance is sloppy, you come across as unprofessional. If your text is lacking in spelling errors and has correct grammar, not only will it be easier to read, your viewers will persist with your content and will feel comfortable with returning.
Word processing programs are useful when it comes to ensuring correct grammar and spelling, but don’t rely solely on an automated program to spot mistakes. If you are uncertain about writing content, it’s a good idea to consult either another person or professionals, such as SEO Consult. Good internet content is concise, with short sentences, and not particularly formal in language. The best web content has a conversational tone to make the reader feel as if they are getting advice from a friend. As well as keeping sentences short, keep each piece of content short as well – an article should be around half the size it would be if you were reading it in a newspaper or magazine.
Working your keywords into such short amounts of content can be difficult at times, but if you’re writing your own web copy, rely on your sense of what reads well. Keywords shouldn’t take up more than five percent of your content, as any more risks triggering a search engine’s keyword stuffing filters. Mentioning your keywords once or twice every paragraph is plenty. Having your keywords in mind when writing will also help you to keep your content focussed on what will be helpful to your readers.
Content can be repeated endlessly throughout the internet, and even content that is significantly similar to other chunks of content on the internet will trigger a search engine’s filters. Commissioning content from an SEO specialist like SEO Consult will ensure that your content is owned only by your site. If you do find other sites that appropriate your content, it is possible to assert your right of ownership to be recognised by Google and other search engines.
If your site has an international focus, decide on a region of English to use and stick to it. While UK viewers will be annoyed by Americanisms on a site and US viewers will likewise dislike seeing UK spellings of words, there is nothing more irritating than a mix of both.
It’s worth taking time to regularly review what appears on your site. Spending the extra time to edit your new content will ensure that your site maintains its professionalism when your SEO strategy brings in viewers.
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Thanks for a great article … you took the words right out of my mouth!
Companies often forget that digital browsers are people. So, if you keyword stuff sentences, it simply switches off the intended audience and defeats the object of sales writing anyway.
As a copywriter, I sadly see these copy crimes all the time. Businesses need to learn how to write webcopy if they are to make the most of all the opportunities Internet marketing offers.
Thanks again!