Legal and Business Writing Consultant : Lori Herz : Write For Clients : Professional Writing and Online Content Consulting

Service professionals who want to enhance their online presence and visibility need to understand the basics of search engine optimization (SEO).

Well-written content that’s relevant and useful to the people you work with and want to work is a cornerstone of any website. But, all that great content won’t do much for you or your business if the major search engines (think Google, Yahoo! and Live Search) can’t find your site.

That’s where SEO comes in. It’s the art and a science of creating Web pages that appeal to human visitors and rank well with the search engines. There are different approaches to SEO. The resources that follow will give you some practical tips and insights on organic (a/k/a natural or non-paid) search engine optimization.

You’ll find a solid introduction to organic SEO in this:

• Beginners Guide to Search Engine Optimization from SEOmoz.org
  

• SEO Tutorial from webconfs.com
  

• Post from SEO expert Lee Odden on Search Engine Optimization Basics
  

If you want to build on this knowledge base, you can subscribe to and regularly read the:

• High Rankings Advisor Search Marketing Newsletter 
  

• Online Marketing Blog 
  

• Search Engine Journal

• SEOBook 
  

To move further along the learning curve and see how you can incorporate SEO into your online business writing, you can refer to:

• Rhea Drysdale’s post on How to Write Good for Search Engine Marketing 
  

• Heather Lloyd-Martin’s instructive SEO Copywriting Preferred Practices Guide and e-book on the same subject

• Tom Pick’s excellent roundup of the best articles and blog posts from 2007 on optimizing website copy for SEO
  

• Karon Thackston’s article on What SEO Copywriting Is … and Isn’t and directive to Stop the Slaughter of Innocent Copy!
  

• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

When I started out as a lawyer 16 or so years ago, service professionals who wanted to use their business writing to gain visibility and grow their reputation had a choice of several print platforms, including:

• Trade journals

• Newspapers

• Newsletters

• Books

Among other common features, this traditional media group boasts:

• Static content

• One-way communication

• Space restrictions

• Limited distribution

• Gatekeepers

Fast forward to 2008. Traditional media is now keeping company with, and losing ground to, a host of new media (also called social media or Internet media) outlets such as:

• Blogs 
  

• Vlogs 
  

• Podcasts 
  

• Social Networks 
  

Real-time community, dialog and interactivity are key markers of this growing media space.

Service professionals looking to (1) build business relationships and (2) direct their marketing communications through new media channels will find solid guidance and practical tips via:

• Edith Yeung’s 50 Habits of a Highly Effective Blogger
  

• P.J. Fusco’s Five Getting-Started Blog Questions
  

• Kevin O’Keefe’s post on Why Every Client Should Want an Attorney Who Blogs
  

• Pam Slim’s inquiry into What the heck is a vlog? 
  

• Darren Rowse’s vlog post on how to Differentiate Your Blog

• Openculture's Podcast Primer

• Dennis Kennedy’s Podcasting for Lawyers

• Jessica E Vascellaro's WSJ article on Social Networking Goes Professional

• Business Week’s Social Networking 101
  

• Denise Howell’s and Ernest Svenson’s exchange on Social Networking for Lawyers
  

Although a few of these posts target a lawyer audience, service providers working outside the legal profession will also find them relevant and helpful.

• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks