Writing, blogging and SEO for journalists Ian Reeves

Why should journalists blog? □Visibility – reaching your audience and letting your audience reach you □Vulnerability – showing that you’re open and transparent □Veracity – allowing, even encouraging your audience to correct your errors □Variety – giving yourself an option to express yourself in a different voice

When should journalist blog? □Often □When researching certain stories to understand what the audience thinks □When you see something interesting elsewhere that is relevant to your audience – link blogging □To keep following a running story □When you need to explain your approach to a story

How should journalists blog? □Using a blog tool on their publication’s main site, or □Using any one of various free blogging tools – Wordpress, Blogger, Movable Type etc □Then publicise your blog – register with Feedburner, Technorati etc

Entrepreneurial blogging □There is money to be made… htm successful-bloggers-in-the-world/ … if you can get the traffic

So how do I get the traffic? □Who are you writing for? Readers? Or Google’s computers? □The answer is both □The readers might not see you if the computers don’t notice you □So balance is required □Some of the print-based rules, particularly headline writing, need to be rethought

Search Engine Optimisation □A way of ensuring that internet search engines (Google, Bing) etc, will list your content as prominently as possible if a user types in certain key words □Key words used in headline and intro are particularly important □Think about the terms a reader would use for their search

SEO headlines □Headline accounts for 30% of decision to click through □Headline has big impact on search ranking □Headline also important for RSS feeds □BBC headlines max 33 characters

Classic headlines... □Gotcha! □Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster □Headless Body in Topless Bar □Super Caley Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious □Zip Me Up Before You Go-Go □Churchill Flies Back To Front □Dr Fuchs off to Antarctic

...given the SEO treatment □Argentine warship Belgrano sunk by British forces in Falklands War □Comedian Freddie Starr ate my pet hamster, claims blonde model □New York police search for killer of headless victim in topless bar □Inverness Caledonian Thistle beat Glasgow Celtic in Scottish Cup □George Michael arrested for lewd conduct in public toilet by Los Angeles police □Winston Churchill returns to rally British troops in France □Polar adventurer Doctor Vivian Fuchs explores Antarctic

SEO intros □Intro par accounts for 43% of decision to click through □Include the key words you imagine people will search for, and tell the story concisely and compellingly. □Include geographical locations if appropriate, and full names of key players/institutions in the story □Think: who do I want to read this, and what Google alerts will they have set?

SEO sources □ e_your_sites_visibility_in.php □ □ translation/ _ html?tag=mncol;txthttp://news.cnet.com/Newspaper-headlines-lost-in-Web- translation/ _ html?tag=mncol;txt □ □ friends/ friends/ □ newsrooms-can-conquer-seo/8364/ newsrooms-can-conquer-seo/8364/ □ brainstorming/6874/ brainstorming/6874/