I had the honor of presenting at this weekend’s Digital Journalism Camp at the Oregonian. (Check out video coverage of the SEO session)
The sessions were very thoughtful and timely and included Digital Storytelling, Revenue Models and Hyper-Local News sessions as well as the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) session I presented with Anvil Media’s Rachel Anderson.
Presentation focus was on case studies for organizations and reporters who are getting SEO right and garnering page one placement for prominent keywords/phrases. I shared that journalists now have two audiences, their readers and the engines. I presented an example from the Huffington Post about an article for the Amazon and Zappos deal. The journalist had done a lot of the right things: keyword-rich headline, properly tagged article, ability to bookmark, easily integrated social media, simple sign up for getting email news alerts, but what they didn’t do right was a travesty to the english language and the journalism reporter code, they spelled “acquisition” incorrectly IN THE HEADLINE. (A point that this journalism major didn’t catch, but one of the attendees did).
This is a great leap off point for the question on many journalists minds, how do we bridge the gap between great journalism and being found online? And just as importantly, why the hell is my prize-winning article buried in Google News behind some poorly written, but well-seo’ed blog post?
Welcome to online marketing, come on in the water’s fine. This issue isn’t just one for journalists, it’s one the business community has been dealing with for years. Things change online. It’s a challenge to keep up as the technology changes and people adapt to those changes. That swift and unyielding element of change is also the thing that makes the internet such a thrilling evolution of ideas. Don’t bemoan that it’s a moving target, embrace it or plan to spend a great deal of your time frustrated. To the reporters, IT specialists, content developers and publishers who attended Digital Journalism Camp, congratulations for being in acceptance of this truth;)
As promised here are 6 exercises to include in your pursuit of finding your online readership.
1 Don’t get caught up in gaming the engines – Good SEO isn’t easy. If there are 50,000 results for a given keyword/phrase, you will have to do a lot of things right to get to page one. Simply be thoughtful about implementing SEO basics.
2 Be a great reporter first and a beginner SEO second – Do your job and learn the foundation of good SEO. Encourage your organization to participate in getting content found by your readers through search engine optimization and marketing.
3 Do keyword research – Whether you are dealing with an ongoing issue or a new topic, do keyword research and think like a searcher, what words would my reader use to find this topic?
4 Add value for your reader through proper linking – If you cite information in your article that can be illuminating for your reader, share the link to that information in your article.
5 Think about what Google needs to find you – Write keyword-rich headlines, use stock ticker info in your article to help Google News identify, properly tag your article, make sure readers can easily share your content.
6 Spend time on your social media profiles- Search engines aren’t the only place your readers will find you. As a reporter, you’re a brand. Create social media profiles that highlight your unique insight, your ability to bring out truth through exceptional interviewing and your powerful writing skills. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn.
Thank you again to all the attendees at Digital Journalism Camp. Keep me posted on your progress and feel free to tweet me @mediafortemktg
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