Lisa Manfield presents Writing for the Web and SEO

Highlights from Lisa Manfield's presentation

Writing for the Web and Search Engine Optimization

Date: February 16, 2011
Time: 5:30-7:00 pm
Venue: Metropolitan Hotel

Part I--Writing for the Web

How do people view a web page?

• People scan a web page in under 10 seconds.


• They read what "pops out"--headings, subheadings, links and link anchor text.


• They usually don't go below the fold (the point at which they have to scroll.)


• The first two words in a heading or sentence are the most important.


• Jakob Nielsen's heat maps show that the eye tracks a web page in an F-pattern.


• Heat maps also show that the eye notices ads.
  

Conclusions

1. It's hard to grab people online.


2. You want your website to show up in the top 5 or 6 on a search list.

How do people read online?

People read online to find information. They want to see short overviews until they find what they need; then they want to quickly be able to get to the details.
A reader might arrive at your website through a "back door"--not your home page.

Keeping the above in mind, your copy must:

• Focus on what the reader is looking for, and offer it quickly.


• Make text scannable so the reader can easily spot what they want.


• Use headings and subheadings that are helpful rather than clever.


• Use bolding for emphasis.


• Use bulleted and numbered lists.


• Stick to one idea per paragraph.


• Use inverted pyramid style.


• Include calls to action: "register," "read more," "buy."


• Use half the word count of print writing. 400-600 words is optimal for a page.

Using Links

When you add links to other sites, you're providing a valuable service for your readers. If the linked sites are good ones related to your readers' needs, your readers will come to trust you.

• Put critical links above the fold, but not in the first sentence.
• Use links to keep people moving through your site.
• Links must look distinct.
• Don't write this: "Click here to read Tolkien's biography."
• Do write this: "Tolkien's biography is fascinating to read."

Microcontent
Microcontent is small pieces of text that describe what's coming next. It includes headlines, subtitles, intros, links and photo captions. A article should have a short "teaser" section describing its contents below the title.
Microcontent pointers:

• It's concise, descriptive, lively and inviting.


• It explains content.


• It uses plain language.


• It doesn't mislead people.


• The first two words in each "bite" are information-carrying.
  

Editing Tips

• Use shorter, simple words. Find them here.


• Use active sentences.


• Use microcontent format.


• Use the chunking principle. It says that most people can hold 7 items in their short-term memory. Apply this principle to the number of items you put in a numbered or bulleted list, or on your navigation bar, or on a drop-down menu.


• Your tone should be informal, conversation and direct. Use "you." Avoid bureaucratic or overly-promotional language.

Part II--Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

How do Google and other sites rank your website for search results?

Their algorithms are top-secret. However, by experimenting, specialists can get a pretty good idea of what the key factors are. More than 200 factors may be used to rank a site, but the key factors are:

• Age of URL. Older sites rank higher.
• Size of site. A site with more content ranks higher.
• Frequency of site updates. Add a blog to a static website to improve its SEO value.
• The quality of your on-site SEO (see below.)
• How much competition you have in your niche.
• The number and quality of inbound links to your site. This is the #1 ranking factor, and it can't be manipulated.

Inbound links

• High-ranking sites that link to yours are good.
• Links from sites with similar content to yours are more valuable.
• Enternal links are better than internal links.
• Reciprocal links are useless for SEO.

On-page SEO

The following are parts of your website to consider for SEO:

• URL--make it describe your content if possible
• Browser title--this comes from metadata on the back end
• Page title and h1 tags are important. h2 and h3 tags are less important but still play a role.
• Introduction
• Subheadings
• Links
• Photo/video captions
  

What is a keyword (or phrase)?

• A word or phrase that describes what your content is about.
• The words that a reader might put it a search engine.
• Names of people, places, companies, publications.
• Avoid highly-competitive terms.
• Many searches start with the words "How to..."

Remember, 50% or more of your website's traffic comes from people using a search.

You can choose keywords intuitively or mathematically.

Choosing mathematically means using an online tool. More...

My comments about this CPRS event:

This was a relaxed event. Participants sat at tables of 8; there were perhaps 70 people at the event. It was a good way to meet people and network. A variety of beverages and snacks were provided during the 30-minute "socializing" period before the presentation. Lisa Manfield is an excellent speaker who clearly has expertise in web writing and is eager to share her knowledge.

My final comment:

I hope this post has been a useful example of writing for the web!