Thursday 12 May 2011

How To Choose Keywords for Online Writing

The best thing about online writing is that you have a potential readership in the millions of people around the world who have Internet access. You just might be surprised at how much farther your article will go compared to if you just stuck to writing for any other media. But then again, one downside to writing articles online is the competition. You’d definitely have to be on your toes to get your article found, read and appreciated. And that’s where keywords come in. Keywords are the words or phrases that Internet users type in fields at search engines (such as Yahoo and Google) in order to find the information that they need. The relevant question is this: are you using good keywords in the articles that you write, so as to help your article get found by more readers? So if you’re looking to find out how to choose keywords for online writing, here are some handy tips to help you out:

1. Be updated. At any given time, there’s always an issue that people are talking about and it definitely pays to know just what this is. Keep abreast of current events, whether it is social, political, economic or cultural, and try to write about them. If you feel that you don’t have the expertise to write in-depth about that particular topic, then you may use it to relate to the actual topic that you’d want to write about.
2. Utilize tools. In relation to tip number one: you should use available online tools to help you know what topics people want to know about. Some of the most helpful tools you could use are the following: The New York Times Most Searched List, AOL Hot Searches, Google Trends, Yahoo Buzz and Yahoo Buzz Index.
3. Anticipate. You can go one step further than writing about what people are talking about and searching for. You could anticipate what people will want to find out next, based on the issues currently being talked about. One example is the earthquake in Chile. You may want to write about earthquake facts, or about what to do during an earthquake. Another way is to be very aware of issues that you would be able to predict upcoming ones. A movie coming up? Maybe you could start writing about the actors and actresses starring in it, or maybe about the underlying issues that it talks about.
4. Research on search engine optimization techniques. If you own or manage a website, it’s a good idea to utilize search engine optimization (SEO) tools. These tools assist in directing traffic towards your site. They also inform you about your customers’ or readers’ activities before reaching and while on your website, such as how they got to your website (what keywords they used) and what they clicked on. Read up on SEO at Google webmaster central.
5. Have a target audience. It’s highly important that when writing, you think like your readers. Brainstorm about what they would probably want to know about a particular topic, and what terms, words or phrases about that topic they would probably use. The more specific your target audience is (ex. golf enthusiasts), the more specialized terms you would be using, and the better chances that you will have the terms that they are looking for.

There you have it! These are just some tips to help you choose keywords for online writing. In summary, it’s just really important to stay updated on your readers’ interests! Good luck!

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