ARTICLE
SEO is an acronym for search engine optimization. Put simply, writing articles for the web is not the same as writing academic papers and essays. Whether you are self-publishing on your own blog or publishing through other sites like Associated Content by Yahoo! your article must incorporate specific words and phrases people commonly type into their Google search bar.
To attract visitors to your content and make your article writing pay well, it is important to know what people are searching for. How can you know this? To get a general idea, go to Google’s homepage, Bing, or Yahoo! search, and type in the question “what is SEO?” On the search return page, you will notice (under the bar with your text in it) just how many people are searching for information on the topic “what is SEO?” The result will no doubt be many millions, and Google has a great web tool to help you analyze how many people are searching exactly, where they are from, and what synonyms you might like to use as an alternative. Search for the words; keyword research tool to find a good, free tool. With millions of people searching for the topic you want to write about, the competition will be tough. So what can you do to get started and grab some of that action to convert your articles into cash?
Get a Thesaurus
Get a thesaurus, or use the one in MS Word. You already have it, and it will pay to make use of it. By using a thesaurus, you can come up with alternative phrases and words to research and see where there is less competition. When you figure out which of those words you want to use, go back to the keyword tool and enter them to see how the competition is for them too. You will want to know there are a few less people searching for your phrases and words, but who are looking for exactly the same information. Be sure to pepper these words throughout your article. Do not overdo it, though. People hate to read articles with repetitive words and phrases, especially if you are not teaching them something that will be useful for them later.
