Write for Google? Write for People? How to Strike the Right Balance
If you have a business website, naturally you want to rank well in search engine results. If you do, it could mean a huge boost in business…and if you don’t, your e-business could slowly starve. So it’s only natural that when it comes to online content, most business owners are very concerned about writing in a way that will satisfy the algorithms.
But when you do that, it’s easy to lose sight of the people who will be brought to your site by the search engines. Even if you rank #1 for every relevant keyword on Google, it’s still the people who matter most. They have to like your site, your content, and your products for your company to succeed.
Many website owners feel they have to choose one: appeal to customers or appeal to search engines. This isn’t necessarily true. But appealing to both does require some skill. Here are some guidelines to writing copy that catches the notice of search engines-without alienating your customers.
Pick the right keywords. It takes some time to figure out the best keywords to use. Keyword research often starts with some brainstorming, and ends with a research tool such as Overture.com.
When researching keywords, it’s important to pick the right ones. Bear in mind that more general keywords will be tougher and more expensive to optimize for. There may be specific phrases that target a niche within your customer base. These will bring in a smaller audience, but you won’t be competing against the biggest companies.
Break up your keywords. Once you’ve chosen a key phrase to use, you’ll need to work it into your content. Some set up libraries of content articles on their sites, each with a focus on a different keyword. This is a good idea, but remember to make sure your content appeals to readers-not just search engines.
The longer your key phrase is, the more awkward it will be to use it often in any article. For example, let’s say you own a jewelry store and your phrase is “silver heart pendant necklace.” Even if you only repeat that specific phrase three or four times in an article, it will sound awkward and stilted to the reader. Good conventional writing seeks to avoid repetition-but search engine optimization seems to demand it.
Those who seek to repeat key phrases endlessly in documents, however, may be operating under outdated rules. There is no best arrangement of keywords in a document. In fact, in the age of LSI, it’s better to use slightly different versions of your keywords through out your copy-and break up phrases instead of repeating them together. Google’s search algorithms look for copy that sounds natural-so it’s in your best interest to write it that way.
Avoid stuffing. Keyword density is another red herring. There is no “right way” to optimize your page for a certain keyword. You don’t have to mention the keyword once in the first paragraph and three times in the second and then twice in the third.
And no keyword density percentage is the “right” percentage, although a high one is definitely wrong. An article crammed full of “silver heart pendant necklace” will signal to search engines that you wrote it with them in mind-and it won’t rank as well as a more natural-sounding web page.
Remember your purpose. What is the document you’re optimizing actually for, aside from drawing in traffic? Is its purpose to sell? To inform? Ask yourself what effect this document will have on readers. Because if your optimization works, a lot of readers will see it.
If you’re looking to inform, don’t write a keyword article with shallow coverage and poor organization. Write an in-depth, on-topic article that will actually help someone. If you’re looking to sell, optimization is important. But hitting the reader’s “buy-now” hot buttons is even more crucial. If you don’t do this well, a lot of your traffic will hit the “Back” button instead of spending money on your site.
Search engine traffic can make or break your business-but it’s people you ultimately have to impress. Get good at writing optimized, people-friendly copy-and you’re sure to reap the rewards.