Writing for Search Engines 101

by Rico on July 27th, 2007

Just like anybody else online, clients usually rely on search engines to locate the information they need. More specifically: Where can I find a freelancer who can implement my project?

The chance for your blog or website of generating inquiries depends on your online profile’s visibility. Knowing how to write for search engines will make it easier for clients to find just the person they need. You.

Write for Your Future Audience

First, put yourself in your potential visitors’ shoes: how do you want them to find you? Next, figure out what terms they’d type into search engines. Someone looking for a freelance copywriter would probably look for freelance copywriter, freelance copywriting, or even freelance copywriting services.

These are the key terms your writing should focus on. By concentrating on key terms that the average surfer will probably use, the chances of your site attracting visitors who are really interested in what you have to say will increase.

Mention the Key Terms Early

Search engines usually look at the text of your website from upper-left to bottom right. They consider the first few words they come across much more important than the rest of the section.

What this mean is that you should mention the key terms early. If you’re narrating how you executed a design project, state your message immediately, mentioning terms like freelance, design, and project as soon as possible.

General to Specific

A good way to start an article is to talk about a relatively generic point, then work your way to more specific statements. You could begin with an introductory paragraph discussing your message, then break it down into its specific aspects.

The generic-to-specific approach is easier to understand, both for search engines and human readers. Writing about a wide-ranging topic in the beginning will bring more visitors from search engines, because you don’t limit your potential audience by focusing on a point that fewer people would know about. At the same time, it also makes it easier for an actual visitor to understand what you’re saying.

Emphasize Where it Counts

By using formatting tags such as <h2>, <em>, and <strong>, you can highlight the key terms in your article and let search engines know that that’s what your writing about. Google for instance considers the text within these tags more important.

You can also emphasize the significant phrases of your article, or whatever you really want to stress. But don’t get carried away. Emphasizing too much text limits emphasis as a tool to make the important parts stand out.

Be Natural

If you write just to follow the advice listed above, without making the text as readable as possible, you’re wasting your time. Sure, search engines may refer people to your site, but if they see writing that’s obviously tailored to attract search engine traffic, and is hard to understand, they’ll simply give up and leave your site.

Writing for search engines is a unique challenge, because while your structuring your text to facilitate search engines’ efforts to catalog your site, your writing must still convey a useful or compelling message. With a little practice though, this is easier than you might think.

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