Transcript Internet Usage - American Horse Publications

Writing for the Web
AHP 2009
By Christy West and Kim Brown
Writing for the Web

Freelancers need to be
 Versatile
○ Writers, photographers, videographers, bloggers,
Tweeters, podcasters, and any other –ers you can
think of!
 Confident
 Knowledgeable
 Passionate
Writing for the Web
Research a potential employer before you
contact them for work; why do they need
you?
 This is more than just understanding an
article’s direction or scope or the type of
image needed to illustrate a story.
 Today’s freelancer MUST broaden their
scope of coverage.

Finding stories/sources that sell
 What does that publication/Web site need?
 Where are advertisers putting their money with
that publisher (PDFs, articles, videos, blogs)?
 Could a previous source give you that golden
idea for your potential client?
 News still sells! But what is news today? Check
out your potential client’s magazine/Web site
and see what they are using.
Writing for the Web

You have your story and source, but what
can you offer the client for a Web site?
 Article
 Photos
 Video
 Blog (yours or theirs)
 Etc.
Print vs. Web

It’s a different world online!
 The language is different
 The photo needs are different
 The ancillary needs are different
Web vs. Print
A different language?
 YES!

 Keywords: What are the keywords that a client is
trying to maximize?
 How do you use those to write your headline
and first paragraph?
Switching Gears:
Reader Internet Usage
More than 90% of users never go past the
first page of search engine results
(http://www.useit.com/alertbox/search_en
gines.html).
 So now we have to worry about getting
higher in the rankings.

What does this have to do with you?
If your content is heavily read and picked up
by other sources, the demand for your
services will grow.
 This will also give you a good footing for
negotiating rates.

Search Engine Optimization
Factors for Freelance Writers
Title Tags: Primary keyword or brand name first,
followed by others
 Keyword relevancy (how close keywords on the
page match the user's search terms)
 Content quality: Content that gets picked up,
read, and referenced by many

So… let’s get that article
popularity up!

What do you have control over?
 Content quality
 Keywords used

Content quality:

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

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Short
Sweet
Engaging
To the point
Organized! (i.e., subheads)
REVIEWED!!!!
Moving on to keywords…
The point: See what words describing your
concepts are most popular, and thus, will
drive more traffic to your client’s site. They
may not be the same words you think of
first to describe the topic.
 Let’s start with an example, say, an article
on founder in horses. Variants: Laminitis.

Twitter
Google Keyword Tool
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
“Founder” looks like the hot tip!
BUT…
(there’s always a “but,” isn’t there?)

Check out Google Trends to see what articles are driving the
article popularity (www.google.com/trends)
Let’s look at that again.

This time let’s try “horse laminitis” and
“horse founder” on Google’s Keyword Tool.
Not such a clear winner, is there? (14,300 local for
founder phrases, 18,100 for laminitis ones)
So which do you use?
BOTH! Take advantage of all of that
searching, not just half.
 If one were a clear winner, that’s the one
you’d make sure to repeat in your headline,
deck, intro, rest of story.

Keyword Placement
Headline, preferably at the beginning
 Deck, also preferably at the beginning
 Introductory paragraph or two of story
 Later paragraphs as works out
 No keyword stuffing
 Careful with the abbreviations

Headline Examples

Equitation Science Meeting to Focus on Horse Sport and
Welfare
 One suggestion: “Horse Sport and Welfare Are Focus of
Equitation Science Meeting”
 Another suggestion: “Horse Welfare In Equine Sport Theme of
Australian Meeting”
International authorities in horse behavior, training, and
welfare will converge in Sydney, Australia, for the fifth
Equitation Science Annual Conference, to be held at the
University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science and
Centennial Parkland Equestrian Centre July 12-14. The
theme this year is "Ethical Equitation: A Sustainable
Approach," focusing on how horse sport and horse
welfare can go hand in hand.
Examples

Poll: Majority of TheHorse.com Readers
Vaccinate Against WNV
 Suggested change: “Vaccinating Against WNV:
Poll Results Show Majority Says Yes”
 Suggested change: “Vaccinate Against West Nile
Virus: Poll Shows Horse Owners Say Yes”

U.K. to Investigate Environmental Impact of
Equine Carcass Disposal
 Suggested change “Equine Carcass Disposal:
Environmental Impact Investigated”
More examples

How would you change these headlines?
 LSU Vets Aid Horses Trapped in Trailer
 AHC National Forum Tackles Equine Welfare
Issues
 Colic in Horses: An Overview for Owners
 Do Tapeworms Cause Colic? Age-Old Question
Remains ...
 Kester News Hour, AAEP 2008
Web vs. print: A different
language?
Same message, less attention span = Same
story, half the words if that!
 Scannability is key: Use subheads, bullet
points, and/or short sidebars to give readers
more “information scent” as they decide
whether to read your carefully crafted story
at all.

What else can you do?

Basics
 Hit your word count assignments**
 Hit your deadlines**
 Self-edit**

Provide additional information
 If you’re anything like me, you like to know everything
you can on a topic of interest. And sometimes you just
can’t squeeze it all into your word count.
 LINKS!!!
○ Not to competitors
○ Related/relevant articles on same site or noncompeting
sites (save editors the trouble)
○ University/government educational resources (i.e., NAHMS)
Put Together the Whole Package
If the source mentions having photos of the
topic, get them! (And their permission to use
them.) It may not get you paid since it’s not your
photo, but it sure will earn you brownie points
with your editor and it takes very little time
since you’re already making the contact.
 Mention the journal name/link for any refereed
publications; some readers may look for it for
more info, and this also saves your editor the
step of searching it out.

Further Reading/Resources

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Useit.com (usability and web writing
w/research):
http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/
Google Keyword Tool:
https://adwords.google.com/select/
KeywordToolExternal
Google Trends: www.google.com/trends
Google Insights (search analysis by category,
region, etc.):
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#
Many more!
Questions? Comments?