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Apr 23, 2010

The Special Language of Website Writing

SEO means Search Engine Optimization (emphasis on “search”). In non-web words, is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic (visits) to a web site from search engines (have you searched something today in Google.com or Yahoo.com?) Currently, interactive shops are charging up to $5,000 for a SEO Marketing analysis and plan, and Borders even carries yet another step-by-step book “for Dummies” dedicated exclusively to SEO, from which I have included useful tips here. Please note that even though you probably have a webmaster or your cousin Eddie who actually ads content to your website, it’s important for you to understand its special DNA – as web knowledge IS power.

Important to Consider:
- If the search engines see that your website has a lot of “relevant” content to your business name, to your industry and the inclusion of useful additional links, you increase the odds that one of your web pages will come up in Google.com or Yahoo.com.
- Adding multiple pages of “relevant” content is one way to help capture more searches. Additional content means that there are more places for people to land on your site, which increases your chances of being listed more times- and for more terms- in the search engines.
- Linking to-AND-from other “relevant” web pages is an equally important tactic. What use is great content if no one is linking to it? Search engines tend to de-value a website if it does not employ an effective content and linking strategy. Hint: Do link exchanges with your suppliers and partners.

Check out your competition: Don’t just look at your competitors’ websites, pay attention to who is ranking highly for the keywords that best describe your business— these are your real competitors in the world of search. What keywords are they targeting on their websites? How much content do they have on their “About us”, “Services” and “Contact us” pages? Conversely, what keywords aren’t your competitors targeting? Is there sufficient volume for these keywords? If so, this could be an opportunity for you to fill out your webpage with these terms. Think about writing content that integrates these keywords. Hint: Every web writing follow pretty much these same principles – blogging, tweeting and even those comments you left in Univision.com’s forum.

Do you feel more powerful now?

Anllelic Lozada is the founder of SmallBIZLatino (www.smallbizlatino.com), which specializes in bilingual website marketing for Latino-owned businesses. Follow her on twitter.com/smallbizlatino

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