How Written Content Works For You
If you've been a Webmaster for more than a week, you'll know how mysterious and unpredictable Google can be.
For almost every aspect of internet business there are several translations of Google's methods and intentions.
But one thing should remain your primary consideration; Google intends to supply the best results for their searchers.
Google began by serving websites to searchers based on written content. This is their strength. It's been in development from the beginning. And while image searches, video and news have all been added since, they are all based on the same original technology and the same principle of providing the best results for each search.
While linking and popularity are of course highly important, the content that those links point to is just as vital, especially for a small/new/unknown blog or site.
More Content = More Traffic
The more written content there is on your site the better your site will do in Search. While an image blog may occasionally do well, it is unlikely unless there is plenty of original text to go with it. And you have to consider that an exclusively image-based blog does well, how much better would they do WITH original written content too?
While all content should be primarily written for the Human visitor, we have to consider SEO and how this works with your written content to bring you visitors.
When we consider on-page SEO and the things needed to draw visitors into our site, there are a few things which need to be at the forefront of your mind.
1. Post Title
This should include an accurate description of your post content, while being encouraging to your audience.
2. Post Tags/Categories
Categories should be limited and not used as frequently as Tags.
Tags should be used while considering the content OF THE POST and not while considering how often you might appear in search results.
3. Post Content
Images should have an accurate alt="" tag. There should be at least 100 words of original text to accompany your post. Written content provided by your sponsor should be avoided at all cost.
4. Linking out
Linking to your sponsor from your post should be limited. There are several theories and opinions of whether too many links harm you. If we judge this by recent developments with Google and Blogger, they now view too many links from a post as spam. Is it unfair to assume that this rule has been rolled out beyond the walls of Blogger itself? From my own experience, posts do better with images linked, and one text link with compelling copy - "CLICK HERE FOR MORE!" etc.
Creating the best Copy
In the spirit of working with Google rather than trying to find the key to con the system, your content needs to be considerable and original.
Consistently using content supplied by the sponsor will certainly do you harm unless you happen to be the first person to use it, then the first to be crawled.
In a world of hundreds of thousands of competing blogs, your chances of being the first are very slim. And even then, if another site has used 50% more original copy while you've consistently been seen by Google to use duplicate content, there's a theory that Google will immediately trust them more than you, even if your did get there first.
Your written content should first intend to draw the reader into your site. Basically, you want to make sure they're horny. Your goal is to sell them a product after all.
It needs to be compelling, and sometimes witty or suggestive rather than explicit. It depends on the nature of your site and the way that you want to connect with your audience.
It needs to be clear and well presented. While it is true that the occasional spelling error can draw in visitors, most searchers know their interests and they know how to spell what they are searching for. Those who do not know how to spell a specific word (especially related to a niche) are not likely to be so interested in spending money on that product.
Break up text into paragraphs and never leave it in one block of copy. A wall of text is seen as a full-on meal, while readers prefer paragraphed nibbles.
If you're providing 100 words or less, this can be at the head of the post as an introduction to the gallery or video beneath.
If it's more than 100 words it is better to place this at the bottom so as not to hide the enticing media below the fold (the bottom of the screen). You want viewers to see some of the first image to encourage them to scroll down. Those interested in reading the content will do so when they get to the bottom - perhaps it tells them something about the video or gallery that you haven't shown?
Once the content is written, then it's time to really consider your on-page SEO.
Some quick research of keywords and phrases related to the post will likely reveal several opportunities.
The best way to do this is to search using one of the great tools out there to check on some of your predictable terms, then see what alternatives there are and their competition levels.
Select only two and go back to your post. Try to find ways to fit them in. It's best to use the top one in the title, and then two or three times in the body of the text itself. The second one can be used in the body twice at most (assuming your content is approximately 300 words).
Both can then be used as tags, and in connection to any SEO plug-ins you have.
Viewing in HTML will display whether you have the alt="" tag in your image code.
If it isn't there, you can add this yourself. This is done after the end of the image location and before the dimensions. Keep it simple and accurate for the image you are displaying. If it features a model, use their name and describe what they are doing. I have found that a very short sentence is far more effective than several keywords.
And Finally...
Something many bloggers forget is that this content will be on the site for as long as they need it there.
You shouldn't look at a post and think that writing so much for one set of images is a waste of your time.
Imagine that you are writing a novel. This is done through writing in installments, and at the end there is an entire book full of content.
Your blog is a novel. As long as you don't delete it, those posts will be there for the future, forever drawing in visitors and increasing your traffic.
A week or two after publishing a post, you can go back and really start to promote it through linking.
If you know what keywords you want to rank well for, go to Google and type site:yourdomain "keyword" this will show you what post Google thinks is the best result on your site for that word or phrase.
All you need to do is then support this idea by linking to that page using that keyword.
You are building your links in support of Google's opinion.
In theory, you have a great head-start.
All the best
Conran
Conran Thomas is a professional writer providing services to independent bloggers and gay adult businesses. A writer for fifteen years, Conran creates copy and offers advice to clients in an effort to encourage emotive response in readership, develop their organic search traffic and - ultimately - improve their profit.
