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There’s been a lot of talk on the net lately about how Google is moving away from actual keywords and is ranking sites based on content.  Which means all the writers who write ‘articles’ (I’m using the term loosely there) stuffed to the gills with keywords will be out of business.  They’re going to have to start writing proper articles, filled with useful content, and only a few keywords used in an appropriate context within the article.

Here’s the disclaimer:  I’m no SEO expert.  I only recently realised that I had to enter details in to my SEO WordPress plugin.  I’m also no expert, if there is such a thing, on how Google ranks sites, or even how search engines find and display information.  I’ve done some research on it, done a lot of reading, and I have quite a few friends who are professional writers as well.

I have been told that having keywords in your title, in <h1> tags, helps because it tells the search engines give those words priority.  I’ve also been told that having the words ‘Sex’ and ‘Home Business’ also tend to rank well (this article has both sex and home business in the title deliberately)  and they attract a lot of traffic to your site.

However, if someone is coming to my site because they searched on the word ‘sex’ then they’re unlikely to be interested in the business information available here.  Finding the site through ‘home business’ would help them certainly.  I’m not too sure that I’m the right person to help them if they searched on ‘sex home business’ though!  I’ve also had a lot of searches for “make money online quickly” which pulls up this previous post, however I’m pretty sure those people are disappointed as well. 

For those of us who aren’t experts in SEO and are uncertain of how Google works (does anyone really know?) the best way to optimise your site with keywords and for SEO is simply to write quality content.  People will find you, other sites will link to you, your site url will be passed around as a go-to quality site that is worth the time to read.

Search engines are machines and websites aren’t read by machines – they’re read by people.   You need to write for people and not for search engines.  Good quality content, with enough keywords that fit organically within the context of the article will ultimately do more for your SEO and rankings than stuffing an article so full of keywords that it’s unreadable nonsense.  And in the process you’ll attract the customers that you want to bring, who will in turn bring others.

If you want to read about SEO from a person who knows a lot more about it than me, my good friend Marc Pieniazek is currently writing a series of posts on SEO.  I’ll be reading his posts avidly to learn more about SEO, and I highly recommend you sign up for his RSS feed so you don’t miss any as well.

For now, I’m going to be watching my stats with interest to see how well the keyword stuffing in the title draws traffic and from where.  Popcorn anyone?

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This is the third of three guest posts brought to you by Marc Pieniazek of Welsh Scribe.

In this final instalment of the 3 part series on writing effective blog posts we take a look at the all important but oft overlooked end of the post.  Previous posts in this series discussed the importance of the title of the post and how to structure your copy to keep reader’s attention.

You’ve worked hard to entice the reader in with a catchy title and you’ve managed to keep their attention with compelling copy so the last thing you want to do is to end on a weak note and leave that reader hanging.

Thoughts like “now what?” and “is that it?” do nothing to compel the reader into doing something. They feel unfulfilled, like dining out in a fancy restaurant yet leaving hungry despite having a full course. If that was you would you return to dine there? Then why should your reader’s come back for more if your writing doesn’t fulfil them?

Talking of food. The first and most essential thing you need to do is what’s called sandwiching your copy. Let me explain.

Bringing The Closure

We all know what a sandwich is right? Two slices of bread with something in the middle as a filler. Well what would your sandwich be like if it only had one slice of bread? That’s right it wouldn’t be a sandwich.

By the same token you need to end your post on the same note you used to open it. In traditional teaching the structure is along the lines of telling your students what they’re about to learn, teaching them and then telling them what they just learnt.

Sounds a bit repetitive and redundant I know but this repetition has an important psychological effect. It’s called closure. The easiest way to create this closure is to simply mirror your opening paragraph. If you start with a problem then end with the solution.

When you make a sandwich you probably start with two slices of bread. Do the same with your writing start with your opening and closing paragraphs. Then add the filling.

Take a look at how I sandwich this post.

Beyond Psychology

So you’ve made a nice sandwich and your readers are feeling all the better for consuming it but it doesn’t mean they are going to do what you want them to do.

Sure they’re much more likely to return for more which is always a good thing but there are things you can do to increase those chances.

Promise them something at the end. This 3-part series is one example of enticing readers back to your blog. TV shows like LOST and 24 end on cliffhangers. As viewers we just have to know what’s going to happen next so we tune in again the following week. Can you end your blog posts on a cliffhanger?

The end of your post is also where you insert your call to action; subscribe to RSS for example, use social media to promote the blog post or even get them to buy from you. Whatever it is you want them to do just remember you must explicitly ask for it.

Now you are armed with all the knowledge you need to end your posts. Make that end note a strong one so that you don’t leave your readers hanging.

This also concludes the 3 part series on writing an effective blog post. Time to re-read the previous entries to see just how I integrated all the tips into each of them.

I hope you enjoyed this short series. Please do comment with your thoughts or questions.

Marc is a freelance writer and SEO specialist who helps freelancers build a profitable business. Grab his RSS feed today

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Today’s post, and the following two this week, are brought to you by Marc Pieniazek of Welsh Scribe.

Marc has the honour of being the very first Guest Poster on this blog!  He writes great copy, has a wicked sense of humour and is a lovely guy to know.  I hope you all enjoy his posts here as much as I do.

This first post in a 3-part series explores the structure of a blog post, in particular what you need to do in order to draw the reader in and get your message across.

Lets face it. Writing for the web is totally different from any other form of writing you have to do. Take a novel for example. Unless you’re a 3 year old, you don’t care that your book doesn’t have any pictures in it but we all know how important it is to have an image in our blog posts.

The most critical factor however is attention span. Not only do you have to grab a reader’s attention but you have to keep it. A difficult feat in this day and age.

Fortunately there are a few things you can do to increase your reader retention.

Start At The Top

The title is the first thing any potential reader will see and is therefore the most important element in any online writing. Don’t underestimate its power.

You can have the most important message mankind will ever hear, the best product or service guaranteed to solve every one’s problems but if your title fails to attract attention, that message won’t be spread and no-one will buy that super product or service of yours.

Steal From Others

T.S Eliot once said, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”

Marketers call it a swipe file.

If you want to know what titles get the most attention then copy what works. Not word for word, obviously, The title has to remain true to your post. “Top 10 Fashion Tips From The Celebs” is no good if you blog about dog grooming.

Brian Clark has an entire series on how to write magnetic headlines.  Well worth a read but if you’re looking to get off the ground quickly here’s a list of time-tested titles that draw in the most readers.

•    The “How To…”: It’s no coincidence that this post begins with the words “How To”.  How to articles are the most sought after content online.

•    The “Top X…”: Another extremely popular type of article or blog post is the list post and an easy way of creating a list is by compiling a Top 10 or 50 or 100.

•    The “X reasons/secrets/ways Why…”: Expanding on the above point about list posts are titles containing a number of reasons or ways why something will work. The best example is Brian’s article 7 Reasons Why List Posts Always Work. On my own blog, the top 3 popular posts are of this format.

•    The “[celebrity] Guide To…”: Everyone wants to be successful at something and there’s no better example of success than a celebrity.  This is why my post “What the Phantom Of the Opera Can Teach You About Writing” is still getting traffic or why “The Winnie the Pooh Guide To Blogging” received 132 comments.

So there you have it.  Next time you write a blog post try fitting the title into one of the above categories. Spend a considerable amount of time on it, your post deserves it.

In the next post in this 3 part series I’ll take a closer look at the body of the blog post and what you need to do in order to get your message across, even to those that just skim through.

Marc is a freelance writer and SEO specialist who helps freelancers build a profitable business. Grab his RSS feed today.