Search Engine Optimization, more often called SEO is a way of making web content easier for web users to find by using search engines. Content which is properly search engine optimized is far more likely to be found by people who are searching for words or phrases which are contained within the web page, blog or article without having to dig through the millions upon millions of other sites on the internet in search of what they're looking for.
Now you have a very rudimentary view of what SEO is and what it does - but what does it mean for you as a writer? This background information about search engine optimization should give you an understanding of how the placement of the kinds of words and phrases which people may be searching for online (these are called keywords and key phrases). By using terms which people are looking for, you make your content easier to find - for instance, let's say that you have written an article on the topic of fly fishing. This means that the keyword that should be targeted in this article is "fly fishing".
Now since you are probably writing this article on the behalf of someone else, how many times should you use this phrase in the article? That all depends on what your client has asked for. You might see search engine optimization articles which use the target keyword just once; in the title and others which use the keyword more than 20 times
Another question to be considered is whether just one keyword should be used in an article or a group of keywords which are related to each other - this is again dependant on what your client has asked for. Remember that your client is probably not the only person involved here; they may have clients of their own who want input as to how the articles are done. Typically, a freelance writer will see a job - an article or a set of articles which come with a fairly detailed set of instructions attached. These instructions are usually clear enough about what the client requires; as such, they should be followed as closely as possible.
However, there are going to be those occasions when you'll run across a request or requirement which needs some clarification when you're writing articles for search engine optimization. When this arises, get in touch with the client as soon as possible and ask them to explain anything which is unclear to you - in fact, the best time to do this is before beginning the assignment so there are no delays along the way as you write the piece; this ensures good turnaround time and a finished piece which the client is happy with.
Now you have a very rudimentary view of what SEO is and what it does - but what does it mean for you as a writer? This background information about search engine optimization should give you an understanding of how the placement of the kinds of words and phrases which people may be searching for online (these are called keywords and key phrases). By using terms which people are looking for, you make your content easier to find - for instance, let's say that you have written an article on the topic of fly fishing. This means that the keyword that should be targeted in this article is "fly fishing".
Now since you are probably writing this article on the behalf of someone else, how many times should you use this phrase in the article? That all depends on what your client has asked for. You might see search engine optimization articles which use the target keyword just once; in the title and others which use the keyword more than 20 times
Another question to be considered is whether just one keyword should be used in an article or a group of keywords which are related to each other - this is again dependant on what your client has asked for. Remember that your client is probably not the only person involved here; they may have clients of their own who want input as to how the articles are done. Typically, a freelance writer will see a job - an article or a set of articles which come with a fairly detailed set of instructions attached. These instructions are usually clear enough about what the client requires; as such, they should be followed as closely as possible.
However, there are going to be those occasions when you'll run across a request or requirement which needs some clarification when you're writing articles for search engine optimization. When this arises, get in touch with the client as soon as possible and ask them to explain anything which is unclear to you - in fact, the best time to do this is before beginning the assignment so there are no delays along the way as you write the piece; this ensures good turnaround time and a finished piece which the client is happy with.
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Before you do something online, check out this article on search engine optimization at joe cotroneo's blog about internet based marketing
