Download - Optimising Content for Online News Audiences
Optimising Content for Online News Audiences
SEO and Social Media Best Practices
be.linkedin.com/in/truusheremans @trooogle
www.sociallyvisual.com
Journalists use their headlines to hook readers into a story, to convince them of the importance
of reading a particular article
Great newspaper headlines – like "Gotcha” – do not work online, it is said…
• Online, people search for news and information • Using specific terms or keywords • To find the information they are looking for • On search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo
How do Search Engines work?
• Googlebot – Google’s web crawling robot
• Indexing the pages that are found
• In Google’s Index Database
• So that it appears in the Search results
When you enter a search query into a search engine using keywords, the engine examines its index database
and provides a listing of best-matching web pages
How do Search Engines work?
Google Algorithm
• A program used by Google to determine rankings of pages in its search results
• A number of factors – Keywords
– Freshness
– Links
– Content
– URL
– Social
How can you get people to best find YOUR headlines and specific news articles online?
This is where SEO comes into play
What is SEO and how does it work?
• Search Engine Optimisation
• Improving the visibility of your content in the search listings
• For relevant search terms or ‘keywords’
Why is SEO important?
85% of all traffic on the internet is referred to by search engines
90% of all users don’t look past the first 30 results - most only view top 10
SEO is not the enemy of good writing!
The purpose of SEO is not to destroy your writing’s artistic integrity, it’s to make sure people can
actually find your work better
Online, articles can have FOUR headlines, that affect your search
engine rankings
1. Content (articles) 2. Connecting your story to other pages 3. How you appear in the search results 4. Social media
HEADLINE 1 CONTENT OPTIMISATION
Content
On-page headline
Image
Content
• The content of a page is what makes it worthy of a search result position
• It is what the user came to see and is thus extremely important to the search engines
Use likely search terms in your article content and headline
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Riots in Stockholm Likely searched
key terms?
Images
• Google cannot understand what the images are about
• Use ‘text’ to describe what the image represents • Caption • Place near to the article’s headline • Google Images Search
HEADLINE 2 INTER-LINKING
• Home page
• Channel pages – International
– Sport
– Culture
• Tag pages (related content)
There are many ways to reach a news story once on a news site…
• Google takes account of the words used to link to a page
• Another way you can target a page for certain keywords
• Write short versions of headlines for navigation pages
• Use Anchor text
Internal Linking
Link descriptively
• Latest developments in ongoing saga - link to previous articles to give some background
• Use relevant keywords (i.e. headlines) – NOT: ‘click here for my previous article’ or ‘for more information click
here’
• Search engines look at the hyperlinked anchor text to help assess the relevance of a page
HEADLINE 3 HOW YOU APPEAR IN GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS
Title tag
Meta description
URL
Title Tag
• Shown in Google Search Results and your Web Browser • Ideally 60-70 characters • Keywords are critical • Make compelling so that people will click on them • Can be different from your on-page headline, but
should both include most important keywords
Meta description
• Further explains what your article is about in the search results
• Include keywords, but also make it compelling • Optimally 150-160 characters
URLs
• Include keywords • Avoid too lengthy URLs
– Lengthy URLs get cut off easily – Diluted effect
• Make sure that the category hierarchy of the given website is reflected in URLs
Types of Search
News Results
• Priority – fresh and original content
• Use format “keyword:headline”
And they will pick up even more traffic from the search box in the normal web results…
News Results
• Use images
• Be quick publishing breaking news – References from other sources
– Increases authority
– Publish immediately, and edit/elaborate later if needed
– Use social media as a support
News Results
Google Trends
Search insights – what are people looking for?
Google Trends
http://www.google.com/trends
SEO Copywriting Best Practices
• Use explanatory terms people could be looking for
• Understanding typical users ‘search habits’ (Google Trends)
• Write unique content
• Spell out in detail the ‘what’ and ‘who’ of the story
• Link descriptively
• Consider keywords, without sacrificing quality
Consider keywords without sacrificing quality
• Avoid keyword stuffing
• Don’t abbreviate, unless well known
– Use people’s full names
– Companies
• Cover likely terms searched-for to increase your content’s relevance
You can still write great on-page headlines while benefitting from search engine traffic
HEADLINE 4 SOCIAL MEDIA
“If searching for news was the most important development of the last decade, sharing news may be
among the most important of the next”
- Amy Mitchell, Tom Rosenstiel & Leah Christian
Where social media links come from
http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/mobile-devices-and-news-consumption-some-good-signs-for-journalism/what-facebook-and-twitter-mean-for-news/
Where social media links come from
Facebook • Friends and family
• News they might well have gotten someplace else if Facebook did not exist
Twitter • A more even mix of family and friends and news
organizations
• Most of these users also feel that without Twitter, they would have missed this kind of news
• Social media platforms continue to emerge as newsgathering tools
• They offer exciting opportunities • for reporters to collect information • for news organizations to expand their reach
Social media for News
But they also carry challenges and risks
And that’s why its important to identify best practices and policies
Engage in two-way communication
Social media isn’t broadcasting, it’s interacting
and responding
USA TODAY responds and interacts successfully
Be careful
• There are often limits to the value of engagement
• Social media opens the door to dialogue with readers and viewers – but not all dialogue is friendly
• Participate in conversations but avoid arguments and angry responses
• Sometimes it’s better to not respond
Be Accurate and Verify
• Social media is instantaneous and in real-time • Reporters should maintain similar investigative standards
for material obtained by means of social media as to any other information source
- Is it accurate - Is the source reliable?
Boston Bombing
Different platforms, different purposes Twitter • Rapidly aggregated information and images
from everyday people at the scenes • #BostonStrong • Less personal
Facebook • Care and support • Friends and family • Facebook Page
• Social media, a great supplier of information for many • However, a source of inaccurate information and frustration
for some
Break news on your site, not Twitter
Social Media • A great way to drive traffic and increase reach • Include links where possible
Careful, as competitors • Could snap up your scoops first hinted at on Twitter • To accelerate the publication of a story • Moving forward with your story, receiving all the traffic
However, there are times when it is advisable to post on Twitter before a story posts on your website… • Press releases • Press conferences
Be transparent and correct mistakes if you make them
• Quickly admit when you’re wrong…
- Mistakes happen, just like in print - Issue a correction tweet or Facebook post thereafter
• Only delete the post if you have noticed the mistake right away
- If interaction has already occurred, do not delete it! - Instead, respond and provide the correct info
Optimise your profiles
• Fully complete your profiles • It’s your first impression • It’s how people can find you
Twitter Best Practices
• Include Twitter bio • Optimise visuals, including header image • Use hashtags, to help people discover your content • Follow others
• You have 140 characters, use 120 of them. This allows your followers to easily RT you
• Retweet, but do it wisely
• Automated tweets - Do it, but in moderation - Also craft your own messages
Twitter Best Practices
Use Hashtags
Make sure they are relevant!
Don’t hashtag everything!
Twitter for News
https://twitter.com/TwitterForNews
Choose a compelling cover photo
Add custom tabs
Facebook Best Practices
Fill out the ‘About’ section
• Include compelling images • Ask questions to generate interaction
Storytelling
Share breaking news
• People want to be informed about news as it happens • Included terms such as “breaking” or “breaking news” for higher engagement • Keep people updated as the story develops
Storytelling
Use a Conversational Tone • Facebook is a people-driven
platform. • Let your audience know there’s a
person behind the posts
Storytelling
Reward Your Audience with Exclusive Content
• Post "sneak peeks" or behind-the-scenes content that rewards your audience
Storytelling
Share Behind-the-Scenes Photos & Videos To Grab Attention
• Provide a glimpse into the newsgathering process • Show your audience that you’re on the ground
Monitor
• Monitor key terms – Hashtags
– Events
– Ongoing stories
• Monitor your brand
• Monitoring tools – Hootsuite
Hootsuite • Set up and track relevant keywords and hashtags • To keep up to date with the latest – all easily accessible in one place • Connect to your social profiles
– Monitor mentions – Retweets – DMs
Social media alone doesn’t close the deal…
• Social media for news
– Still relatively small audience
– Not frequently
• Other methods of getting news are still popular
– Going directly to websites
– Via Apps
– Via search
http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/mobile-devices-and-news-consumption-some-good-signs-for-journalism/what-facebook-and-twitter-mean-for-news/
be.linkedin.com/in/truusheremans @trooogle
www.sociallyvisual.com