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Writing in Wordpress: What to keep in mind for beginners is the presentation from Jamie Smith at WordCamp Fayetteville 2014 in Fayetteville, AR.
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Presented By
Jamie Smith
Writing in WordPress: What to keep in mind for beginners
August 2, 2014
• Good writing should go relatively unnoticed. • Bad writing stands out and diminishes the
company’s/writer’s credibility. • A few people will read a good bit of the
content. • Google frequently changes its algorithms to
make sure legitimate content rank higher in its search results.
• Even if your SEO is great, many people won’t come back if the writing is bad.
Good writing will always matter
Writing for the web includes a multitude of considerations that just aren’t a factor in print: • Considerations of SEO • Effective layout and styles for the
online environment• People’s online reading habits
How is online writing different?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is important for getting your content found. So why talk about it in a writing class? A part of
SEO is in how you write including the format and words you choose.
Writing for spiders and people
Traditional writing is for one audience: the reader.
Online writing is for two audiences: the reader and the web spiders. By web spiders, I mean search engines like Google. This is where SEO (search-engine optimization) becomes vital. It’s the spider food.
Without good spider food, the human readers will never find your content.
What is SEO? How do I get it?
Search-engine optimization is more than just a subject of spam email you receive.
SEO increases the search engine’s ability to find your site and its content compared to all the other “stuff” out there.
Certain techniques both in your writing and behind the scenes will improve your SEO, thus meaning the chance for more people to see your site.
Keywords
What are they? Why do I care?
Keywords are the words people might use to find something on your topic.
Keywords can be singular or phrases (long-tail keywords)
Keywords should be used frequently, but artfully. Don’t just repeat it a bunch of times.
Tips Make a list of potential keywords
before writing. Use common sense first, then a
program like Google Keyword Tools (AdWords).
During editing, add keywords where they make sense.
Use keywords in the main copy, in the headlines, subheads and in the SEO plug-in (we’ll get to that in a minute).
Links
Hyperlinks provide additional information for your reader on the topic.
Hyperlinks enhance credibility.
Hyperlinks increase SEO.
Tips:
Link to the website of an organization or company if you mention it.
Link to your own blog posts or website pages if you refer to a topic you’ve already written about.
Use the hyperlink tool (looks like a sideways 8) instead of listing the actual link.
Don’t feel the need to link to every single thing. It is irritating to the reader’s eyes and will tell the search engines that you’re trying too hard.
Behind the scenes
Plugins and formatting help!
SEO in WordPress is easy because there are built-in tools for enhancing SEO.
Keywords are easily seen but a few “tricks of the trade” help you get the most out of your SEO.
Tips: Use plug-ins like “All in One
SEO Pack” or “Yoast” and make sure you keep it updated.
Actually take the time to fill out the information on every page and every post for the plug-in.
Pay attention to character limits (160 for description). Use keywords in the description.
Layout, design and formatting
Layout and design of your writing affects SEO but it more deeply affects the reader.
A few formatting tricks to help reader/spiders
Format helps spiders and readers
In each post, different tools help increase SEO and make the content easier for the human eye to read. These tools are located at the top of the page in the dashboard.
Remember the outlines you had to do in high school? It’s the same concept, but it’s easier (and more fun). Using subheads and lists can help you organize your writing.
Features like the bulleted/number lists and changing the format style make great spider food.
Using a picture increases SEO and makes the post more interesting to look at.
Tips:
Break up the copy into sections using subheads (use keywords!)
Use bold print and at least one of the headline html options for subheads. Don’t just increase the font size and use bold.
Use number or bulleted lists instead of long sentences. Use numbers when the order matters, bullets when it does not.
A few more technical “stuffs”
Categories vs tags-categories are a way of dividing all of your content and tags describe the specific post. (Example: in a catalog you have “housewares” and then you can choose items by color or brand, etc.)
Never “shout” online by using ALL CAPS. Use italics and/or bold instead.
Readers read from left to right and their attention span fades the farther to the right they go. So generally set your copy (words) to the left instead of the right or center. An exception would be poetry.
Online reading habitsWe read online content much differently than
print. Here are tips for a successful post.
When we read online, we really just skim. This means you need to make it easier to skim the content and have the readers still absorb the information.
Online readers have short attention spans
Writing the blog post
Key components of a blog post: 350 – 700 words Attention-getting, key-worded title Open paragraph has to go immediately to the
point Relevant image(s) Main body – make it easy to skim using
subheadings, bullet points, etc. Close with a discussion question/call to action
Better writing is easier to read
Use strong, active sentences Cut out “there are” and “it is.” Make sure the subject of the sentence is a noun
doing the action indicated in the verb. (This forces the writer to find interesting verbs!)
For example: Okay: There are very few people in this room. Better: Few people attended the session.
Cut out wordiness, which is sometimes hard to spot.
For example:
Okay: The website content writers are accustomed to writing for search engines and robots.
Better: Content developers often write for search engines.
Get rid of the passive voice Passive voice construction pushes the subject to
the end of the sentence. Active voice keeps the subject at the beginning
of the sentence. For example:Passive: The website was monitored by the tech company. Active: The tech company monitored the website.
Ditch the qualifiers! Be assertive! Consider the difference between these three
statements: We believe that customer service is our most
important value. Customer service is our most important value. Our company values customer service.
Punctuate effectively Do not use semi-colons (this one hurts) Journalism rule of commas applies online: do not use
a comma before the last item in a series For example: I like trees, butterflies and flowers.
Exclamation points – perhaps the most overused punctuation mark online. Very few occasions actually call for an exclamation point
Contractions: not acceptable in formal writing; acceptable for less formal, especially in a personal blog or writing that sounds personal
A few more things to consider
A few more miscellaneous ideas to remember when writing online in WordPress.
What is an editorial calendar?
An editorial calendar is a schedule of who writes each post, the post topic, the blog category, the resources needed, images needed (and where they’re coming from), deadlines involved, and publish date. Examples are available online or you can create your own.
What are editorial guidelines?
An editorial style guide is a list of “rules” that are followed when writing to provide consistency. This is especially important when more than one person is writing for the site. Examples of what to consider are how to refer to people in regards to titles, how to refer to a location or program on first reference, or how to list dates and times of events. Most guidelines start with a major guide such as the AP style guide or Chicago style then the guideline outlines the deviations from that major style.
Stay out of trouble
Avoid plagiarism (even copying and pasting your own work). This includes only using images with permission
Represent yourself or your company professionally
Avoid vague or false claims
Resources
Reputable sources for finding ideas, help and other resources: Hubspot.com Mashable.com Grammarist.com Socialmediaexaminer.com WordPress.com Blog.CollectiveBias.com MichaelHyatt.com
