SEO: Writing for Google
In a nutshell, writing for SEO means learning what Google gives importance to on any given page. Google weighs keywords in each of these areas in the following order:
- Post titles (and where they are in the title, closer to front is better)
- Headings
- Link text
- Bold text
- Regular text
The most important thing you can do for SEO: always use the topic keyword(s) in your post title, and use it (or them) as close to the front of the title as possible.
If you want to write the definitive post on a topic, such as “electric cars” (google it), put the important keywords in the blog title, <h#> headings, in bold, and in the text of as many internal links as possible.
Why Social Media Matters for SEO
Success on social media can rocket a post to the top of search engine rankings due to creation of inbound links. The analogy is akin to a flash flood of traffic that carves channels for search traffic to follow later. You just have to make sure that anyone linking to your post uses the right keywords, so make it obvious for them.
And don’t forget to use the free keywords tracking tool or Google Adwords to determine which keywords to use.
A Few Examples…
- Post: World’s First Commercially Viable Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Online 2009
- Keywords: “cellulosic ethanol”
- Post: Affordable Electric Cars Coming to US in 2009
- Keywords: “electric cars”
Learning More
SEO is a truly large topic, but what I’ve described here comprises the nuts and bolts of what you need to know. For even more background, check out this Problogger post on SEO and the Beginners Guide to SEO.