Download What is search engine optimisation?

Writing for search engines
Why write for the search engines?
School-leavers and others within your target market are more likely than not to use an
Internet search engine such as Google or Yahoo to search for information related to your
school, course, event, news story or subject area.
While people do search for specific information, companies or products, eg “Glasgow
Caledonian University”, most of the time they search for answers to specific questions, eg
“how to become an engineer”, or solutions to specific problems, eg “funding for postgraduate
study”.
Writing your content with the search engines in mind can help your target market find you
online.
What are keywords?
Keywords are the words and phrases people use to search online. Their queries reveal what
they are looking for. Often users begin with a more general search, such as “physiotherapy”,
and then narrow down their results by adding specifics, such as “physiotherapy courses in
Scotland”.
The goal for all websites should be to rank as highly as possible in the search engine results
pages – ideally on the first page or no lower than the top three pages – for keywords
relevant to their content, services and products.
It’s easier to rank higher for specific keyword phrases than general keywords. For example,
“physiotherapy” generates nearly 5 million results, whereas “physiotherapy courses in
Scotland” generates 131,000 and “postgraduate physiotherapy courses in Scotland”
generates 26,700.
By strategically sprinkling your web pages with keywords, you can benefit from the free
publicity offered by the Web and target people searching for what you have to offer.
What is search engine optimisation?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of your web
pages in Google, Yahoo and other search engines to make it easier for your target market to
find you in the search engine results pages.
The easiest way to improve your search engine rankings is to make your content as search
engine friendly as possible by including relevant keywords in your text.
Search engines love:

Fresh, regularly updated content, eg blogs and news pages


Web pages containing keyword-rich content targeted at one particular audience or
revolving around one main subject area, eg Engineering or Computer Science
Keyword-rich links (See Link, link, link...) between your pages and other relevant web
pages
How to research keywords
The first step in optimising your pages for search engines is to undertake a little keyword
research. Make a list of the keywords your target market might use to search for information
related to your web pages. Professional search engine specialists spend many hours
compiling huge lists of keywords. You don’t need to go to those lengths. The most important
thing is to be aware of your main keywords and know how to fit them into your web content.
Here are four easy ways to find your important keywords:
1. Look at your existing web pages to find important keywords in the content
2. Browse your competitors' sites to find keywords you may have missed
3. Find new keywords by putting yourself in the mindset of someone searching for the
information you offer
4. Use some of the tools listed in Resources
How to add keywords to your content
Always write for your human audience first, rather than trying to shoehorn keywords in to
your text from the start. If you are writing about a specific topic for a specific audience, you’ll
find that a lot of your keywords will appear naturally. When you have a first draft, go back
through it to see where you can insert more keywords without spoiling the readability and
flow of your content.
Where to place keywords?
Ideally you should look to place your main keyword in your headline, first paragraph, last
paragraph and any relevant links and subheads. Then try to sprinkle keywords around the
rest of your content, without going overboard and making it unreadable.
The ideal length for content on a web page should be no more than 400 words. You can add
more content, and therefore more opportunities to insert keywords, by adding lists of links
(see example below), short summaries of the content on pages you link to and testimonials
or case studies.
Ideally you should focus on one main keyword and a couple of secondary keywords on each
page.
Keywords in a list of links example (keywords in bold):
Find out more about studying Physiotherapy in Glasgow
Browse undergraduate Physiotherapy courses
Browse postgraduate Physiotherapy courses
Learn more about a career in Physiotherapy
Keywords in text example (keywords in bold):
1. No keywords:
About our courses
Our courses are recognised by employers around the UK and abroad, and our
graduates have an excellent employment rate in a variety of fields. We offer some of
the best facilities in the country, and you will undertake placements in NHS hospitals,
as well as in private practices, to gain valuable experience that will help you in your
future career.
Click here to find out more.
2. Good number of keywords:
Physiotherapy Courses at Glasgow Caledonian University
Train for a rewarding career in physiotherapy
Our physiotherapy courses are recognised by employers around the UK and
abroad, and our graduates have an excellent employment rate in a variety of
physiotherapy fields. We offer some of the best facilities in the country, and you will
undertake placements in the physiotherapy departments of NHS hospitals, as well
as in private practices, to gain valuable experience that will help you in your future
career as a physiotherapist.
Tip: Use plurals to cover your bases, eg “engineering courses” can be found by people
searching for “engineering course” and “engineering courses”.