writing an article for online syndication
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| writing an article for online syndication |
By looking at your web site’s content themes, and the key phrases associated with them, you will be able to write targeted, key phrase rich articles. Listening to the conversations around your brand, and seeing what customers are saying, can also lead you to topics relevant to your web site and your customers. Refer to your SEO strategy, and the keywords you are targeting, to create articles that complement your SEO efforts.
Optimise the article and publish it to your own site
Using SEO and web copy guidelines, ensure that the content is optimised for search engines, as well as engaging for readers. Publish the article to your own web site first, to establish the authority of your web site. Doing this will:
Allow you to reap the SEO benefits of fresh, optimised copy.
Enable your site to be regarded as the expert on that subject.
Avoid Google’s strict duplicate content policies.
Firstly, the article needs to be optimised for your web site. Implement all the tactics covered in the online copywriting chapter, such as correct meta data, optimised title and key phrases, optimal use of <h> tags and links. Once it is live, you will need to wait for it to be indexed by the search engines: if you type the article title into the search engine and it returns the page with your article on it as a result, it has been indexed and it’s now ready to be submitted to the online article syndication sites/directories.
The article then needs to be edited for syndicating. Different directories have their own requirements and guidelines which need to be adhered to.
For example, some directories require that all links to your web site in the body of the text, bar one, would need to be removed, as well as all mentions of your company as a brand name. You will also need to create an “About the Author” section at the end of the article. This can tell readers more about your company, and the information they can access by visiting the site. You will be able to add two or three links in this section, depending on the directory. Send one link to the home page and the other(s) to pages within the site.
Most directories allow the inclusion of keywords relevant to the article. Ensure these are relevant to the article and that you include the key phrases for which you have optimised the article . These key phrases will allow readers to find your articles, using the search function on the directories. This is also called tagging your article.
Many directories also allow a description. This description will be displayed, along with the title of the article, when someone has searched the directory for a key phrase or category for which you have tagged your article. The description should entice the user to read your article, so it needs to be succinct and gripping.
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webPR › webPR tactics › online article syndication
Once you have done this, you will then need to convert the article into HTML. The
HTML is very basic, and while the different directories have their own HTML guidelines
which you will need to familiarise yourself with, the standards tags are as follows.
To bold: <strong>phrase you wish to bold</strong>
To italicise: <em>phrase you wish to italicise</em>
To underline: <u>phrase you wish to underline</u>
To list: <li>lines you wish to list</li>
To create a paragraph: <p>paragraph here</p>
To insert a line break: <br/>
To insert a link: <a href=“page url”>phrase you wish to link</a>
For each directory, the submission guidelines will indicate requirements for the text.
