Web Development with SEO Article Writing
Hands down, I’ve found that article writing is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic. It is not just about writing well though, but also about keyword use, competition and targeted traffic. A focused, well timed and wisely placed article can bring huge marketing benefits and thousands of new visitors.
Fortunately, writing a search engine optimized article is really not much different than writing a book report. Anybody can do it. Using the right keywords, simply get them in there as much as possible, without making the content read like the transcription of a person with Tourette’s syndrome.
Search engines want originality, so be original. If a higher ranking website has the same content as you, it won’t bother displaying a link to your article. Copyscape works well for checking the web for duplicate content, but there are several others to choose from.
http://www.copyscape.com/
WordPress Specific SEO Development
Page/Post Title Optimization
The page or post title is usually the second h1 tag google sees, and typically an anchor in several places throughout a WordPress site. So, yeah. Important. Use your keywords. Be subtle if you can, or use alternative keyword sets, but get some keywords in there. Make it attention grabbing if at all possible as well.
Anchors/Links Optimization
Use your keywords and fill out the alt tag. If you are linking externally, be sure to open in a new window (target:_blank).
Image Optimization
Fill out the alt and descriptions using your main or alternative keywords as much as possible. Images can also be links, so bonus. In addition, you can also receive a significant amount of visitors through image search. I’ve also found on numerous occasions that even the image address contributed to higher rankings, so if you are leaving it as a bunch of numbers and letters with a .jpeg at the end, you are wasting an opportunity to use those keywords.
Be original with your images if you can. Think about it, do you ever actually click on those pictures taken from slightly above, with the grotesque parady of working schmoes standing around in various poses and idiot grins on their faces. Hell no. It is the pictures that make you go, “wtf?!”. Those are the pictures that get the real traffic from image search. Just don’t get too carried away, at least make the picture relevant.
Tags and categories are basically internal links to specific tag and category pages on WordPress. Use your main and alternative keywords if possible to fill out all names, slugs, and descriptions.
Let me just emphasis this one more time, any chance you get to fill out an alt tag or description, do it. Search engines see and love that stuff, visitors typically don’t care.
The Google Adwords Keyword Tool is a good source for researching keyword competition, traffic levels, and alternate keyword phrases. The monthly search volume can be a little misleading, but if Google Adwords Keyword Tool is used in coordination with other SEO tools such as Insights, Trends, and the Search-Based keyword tool, it can allow for an accurate assessment of the competition levels, volume, and trends of search and alternate search keywords.
SEO – Choosing Keywords
If choosing the right keyword set is so important for search engine optimization, how do you go about choosing the right keyword set? That is the toughest optimization question I struggle with whenever I develop a domain, and it really comes down to the following questions:
Some effective and free SEO tools to research these factors include:
Note: A very common mistake commonly made is using a business or brand name in the chosen keyword set. The brand name in the keyword set or domain name is often unnecessary, and the lost opportunity can be damaging.
Higher competition levels require optimization focus or a niche. For instance, ranking on the first page for “SEO” on a global scale would bring massive visitor volume, but would be nearly impossible because, especially with a new domain, there are a zillion other domains to compete with. Ranking for “Michigan SEO” or even “Grand Rapids SEO” would be much easier, but would have much less visitor volume.
Therein lies the trade-off. Where narrowing down keyword fields and the competition analysis for those fields becomes more of an art, and keyword choice intuition. Some ways to narrow the keyword field include:
It is important to keep in mind, searchers are becoming more sophisticated in the way they search, and are usually specific when looking for information. They are looking for a local product or service, or want specific information about a particular topic. The point is, while narrowing the field down can sometimes bring less overall traffic, it does allow for a more targeted keyword market.