1. Writing, blogging and SEO for journalists Ian Reeves

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Entrepreneurial blogging □There is money to be made… http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jul2007/sb20070713_20 2390.htm http://www.quickregister.net/wordpress/2011/06/08/top-ten-most- successful-bloggers-in-the-world/ … if you can get the traffic

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. ...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

11. 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?

12. SEO sources □http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2008/06/how_to_maximiz e_your_sites_visibility_in.php □http://news.cnet.com/2100-1038_3-6155739.htmlhttp://news.cnet.com/2100-1038_3-6155739.html □http://news.cnet.com/Newspaper-headlines-lost-in-Web- translation/2100-1025_3-6155618.html?tag=mncol;txthttp://news.cnet.com/Newspaper-headlines-lost-in-Web- translation/2100-1025_3-6155618.html?tag=mncol;txt □http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/weekinreview/09lohr.html?_r=1http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/weekinreview/09lohr.html?_r=1 □http://www.cyberjournalist.net/can-seos-and-journalists-really-be- friends/http://www.cyberjournalist.net/can-seos-and-journalists-really-be- friends/ □http://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-ways-journalists-and- newsrooms-can-conquer-seo/8364/http://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-ways-journalists-and- newsrooms-can-conquer-seo/8364/ □http://www.searchenginejournal.com/5-tools-for-keyword- brainstorming/6874/http://www.searchenginejournal.com/5-tools-for-keyword- brainstorming/6874/