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| www.sli-systems.com |
Writing by itself is hardly a walk in the park.
Writing for search engine optimization (SEO for brevity) is,
for a lack of better term, even harder.
There will be countless times wherein frustrated writers
will try to insert keyword after keyword into their articles no matter how out
of place they may seem or how off they may sound. But this is the least of your
problems. The problem really sets in and creates quite a dilemma when you give
your writers clear cut instructions and you would still see them scratch their
heads in confusion.
To you, directions such as “create clickable titles and
insert keywords or phrases in the H1” may sound like straightforward
instructions. But to your poor flummoxed writer, this is equated to jargon
speak that leaves them perplexed. While navigating through Google Land, driving
on their own might get them to their intended destination, but it not always
practical and it will be costly as well. Instead, these writers will need you
take the wheel and have them observe from the passenger seat.
Shall you guide
your writers well with clear directions, and hand them a road map if you may,
you would not only be assisting them into writing better articles (as their writing
will certainly improve) but you would be investing in your company’s ROI as
well.
To ensure that this comes into fruition, there are five
things you need to take note of:
Get a realistic assessment of your writers’ skills
This will enable you to provide the appropriate your writers
might require. Some of your writers may already be SEO writing demi-gods, but
you may have employed writers who are rather skilled in writing but are novices
in writing for SEO.
Writers who are already well versed with SEO writing would
benefit more from advanced tips and strategies while those who are newbies to
the field would need more instruction and involvement from you. Do not
erroneously assume that an experienced writer is highly skilled in SEO as
innumerable writers are still operating on obsolete SEO information which could
be detrimental to your website.
Craft easy to reference SEO content guides
Set your expectations and relay them to your writers clearly
and concisely. Be very specific on how long you want the blog posts to be, how
you would like Titles and meta descriptions to be structured and other details
you want to be included. After a rigorous training series, these things can
often be overlooked and neglected.
Create a guide that would outline what your
expectations are from your writers and their posts and provide examples as
well.
Evaluate your training options for SEO content
Simply sending your writing team to a conference would not
be very effective. Instead, it would be to your advantage and to the benefit of
your writers if you created a comprehensive and customized program. Always take
into account that your writers come from different backgrounds, some may
already have experience in SEO while some may not.
Some may have been
previously employed and had experience in a different area of writing than the
one your company is hosting. Consider these things and develop a program for
them. At the very least, your training should include SEO writing and editing
principles, keyword, and keyphrase research, creating top-converting Titles and
Meta description.
Frequent follow-up training should be offered
Google does not stay stagnant and in order to keep up with
its changes, you need to develop training sessions for you writers. Apart from
assisting your writers in refining their craft, this is also an excellent way
to review and revisit your SEO techniques, polish them and evaluate if they
might be getting obsolete.
Always provide adequate feedback
Never underestimate the power of giving feedbacks and constructive
criticisms.
Your writers will thank you for this. By consistently
providing adequate feedback, your writers will feel that you are more involved
with their work apart from you pointing out where they need to improve.
The
more you provide feedback, the more their craft improves and the more confident
your writers will feel in their work. Be specific in your feedback, point out
the areas where improvisation is called for and give praise where praise is
due. A simple “You’re doing a great job!” or “You can do better than this”
would not cut it.
Try these steps out and provide the necessary skills your
writers will need for SEO success. You will aid them in becoming confident and
effective writers and help them in safely arriving at their destination faster.
Perhaps these five steps are all you need to give your writers that map to
successfully make that trip around Google-land.
