The Art of Information: Writing for the Web

The Information Age
The internet has brought new meaning to the Age of Information. Whether you’re seeking consumer knowledge, factual research on any given subject, or just rare trivia, chances are there’s a website that has the information you need. Internet users have to rely on the fact that the information they need is just a click away. Savvy web developers know that fresh, original content in the form of articles will drive traffic to their site and increase the opportunities to reach customers. Whether you’re operating a web-based business or just starting community of like-minded individuals, well written articles will attract the audience you need to make your venture a success.
Standing Out in the Crowd
It’s a fact that the incomparable vastness of the World Wide Web and the sheer amount of information out there can be overwhelming for anyone searching for specific knowledge. Search engines such as Google make the task a little easier by narrowing the possibilities down through the use of keywords and key phrases. Spending a little time learning about how search engines operate can make the difference in whether your web content is easily found, or lost in the crowd. Don’t be intimidated by technical terms such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or keyword density, both are simple concepts that are easily integrated into your web articles.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is a fancy way of saying that a web page will appear near the top of the results list for any given search engine. Search engines operate by indexing web pages based on the amount of content relative to the search terms used by internet users. Search engines get their information in one of two ways:
• Web crawlers or spiders- These are automated programs that search the web and analyze web pages based on content, html tags, and links. Once the information is analyzed, the gathered data is placed in an index and ranked according to the amount of relevant information available.
• Human input – Some search engines compile data by receiving submissions from website owners and setting up the indexes manually.
Ways to increase your search engine optimization include adding links to other web pages with similar information, use the html meta tags to provide a concise description of what your site has to offer, and provide articles and content rich in keyword density.
Keyword Density
Keyword density is simply the overall percentage of how many times a relevant keyword appears in your article. For example, if you operate a website that provides information about buying and raising dogs, you would want to make sure the word “dog” was adequately represented in your content. Generally you want to keep your keyword density around 4%-6%. Search engines are wired to sniff out articles with deliberate keyword spamming and overstuffing your content will result in a lower ranking. While good writing is often recognized by the lack of repetitive phrasing, web writing rewards you for it.
Letting the Web Work for You
By following these few simple directions, it’s easy to make the search engines work in your favor and draw traffic to your website. There are many tools online that will aid you in making the most of your web content. A little research can result in successfully getting your information into the hands of the people who need it most.