Writing Search Engine-Friendly Web Content

How to Help People Find Your Information

j Friesen

Web Developer, IT Services

Topics

Topics

1. Is Content Still King?

Topics

1. Is Content Still King?
2. How Users Read on the Web

Topics

1. Is Content Still King?
2. How Users Read on the Web
3. Usability and SEO

Topics

1. Is Content Still King?
2. How Users Read on the Web
3. Usability and SEO
4. Code Secrets that Google Loves

Is Content Still King?

Part 1 of 4

Is Content Still King?

• Your Web site needs to:

Is Content Still King?

• Your Web site needs to:
  • draw visitors through search engines,

Is Content Still King?

• Your Web site needs to:
  • draw visitors through search engines,
  • inform them of the amazing benefits you have to offer,

Is Content Still King?

• Your Web site needs to:
  • draw visitors through search engines,
  • inform them of the amazing benefits you have to offer,
  • and to encourage other webmasters and site content managers to consider your site to be an authority on a given subject.

Is Content Still King?

• Your Web site needs to:
  • draw visitors through search engines,
  • inform them of the amazing benefits you have to offer,
  • and to encourage other webmasters and site content managers to consider your site to be an authority on a given subject.

Accomplished through QUALITY CONTENT.

Is Content Still King?

Quality Content:

• Engages the reader

Is Content Still King?

Quality Content:

• Engages the reader
• Increases search engine rankings and traffic

Is Content Still King?

Quality Content:

• Engages the reader
• Increases search engine rankings and traffic
• Promotes the likelihood of quality links from other sites

Is Content Still King?

Quality Content:

• Engages the reader
• Increases search engine rankings and traffic
• Promotes the likelihood of quality links from other sites

You have something to say that’s different than anyone else. Say it!

Is Content Still King?

“Content” is so last week. What about:

Is Content Still King?

“Content” is so last week. What about:

• Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

Is Content Still King?

“Content” is so last week. What about:

• Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting
  • Entertainment over Information

Is Content Still King?

“Content” is so last week. What about:

• Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting
  • Entertainment over Information
• Social Networking / “Web 2.0”

Is Content Still King?

“Content” is so last week. What about:

• Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting
  • Entertainment over Information
• Social Networking / “Web 2.0”
  • Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Twitter, Flickr, Youtube—The Web as Watercooler

Is Content Still King?

The Question of Text

Is Content Still King?

The Question of Text: What “normal” users see

Is Content Still King?

The Question of Text: What blind users “see”

Is Content Still King?

The Question of Text: What blind users “see”

Is Content Still King?

The Question of Text: What blind users “see”

Is Content Still King?

The Question of Text: What Google sees

Is Content Still King?

The Question of Text: What Google sees

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Pros

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Pros
  • Gets people’s attention

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Pros
  • Gets people’s attention
  • Powerful communication tool

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Pros
  • Gets people’s attention
  • Powerful communication tool
  • “Show me, don’t tell me.”

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Pros
  • Gets people’s attention
  • Powerful communication tool
  • “Show me, don’t tell me.”
  • Glitzy—better typography, motion, subtle design

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Pros
  • Gets people’s attention
  • Powerful communication tool
  • “Show me, don’t tell me.”
  • Glitzy—better typography, motion, subtle design
  • Fun

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons:
  • Much slower delivery of information

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons:
  • Much slower delivery of information
  • Often less clear / conscious

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons:
  • Much slower delivery of information
  • Often less clear / conscious
  • Exponentially greater development time, effort, expense

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons:
  • Much slower delivery of information
  • Often less clear / conscious
  • Exponentially greater development time, effort, expense
  • If we’re not careful, inaccessible.

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons: What “normal” users see:

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons: What “normal” users see:

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• What search engines see:

You must have Flash enabled to view this website.

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• What “normal” users see:

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• What search engines see:

Order of the Stick #295 by Rich Burlew.

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons: What “normal” users see:

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• What search engines see:

You must have Flash enabled to view this website.

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cons: What “normal” users see:

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• What visually disabled users see:

Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) by Leonardo daVinci.

Is Content Still King?

Lush.co.uk

• What “normal” users see

Is Content Still King?

Lush.co.uk

• What search engines and visually disabled users see

Is Content Still King?

Lush.ca

• What “normal” users see

Is Content Still King?

Lush.ca

• What search engines and visually disabled users see

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• The majority of Flash content cannot be made natively accessible to screen readers for visually disabled users.

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• The majority of Flash content cannot be made natively accessible to screen readers for visually disabled users.
• Some screen readers provide marginal access to Flash content:

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• The majority of Flash content cannot be made natively accessible to screen readers for visually disabled users.
• Some screen readers provide marginal access to Flash content:
  • JAWS
  • Window-Eyes
  • IBM Home Page Reader

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Low vision
  • Provide plenty of contrast
  • Allow the Flash content to scale to a larger size

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Blindness
  • Ensure screen reader accessibility or provide an accessible alternative
  • Ensure keyboard accessibility
  • Do not interfere with screen reader audio or keyboard commands
  • Provide textual equivalents for all non-text elements that convey content or provide a function.

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Hearing disabilities
  • Provide synchronized captions for any audio that conveys content

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Photo epilepsy
• Remove strobing content that flashes between 2 and 55 times per second

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Motor disabilities
  • Ensure the Flash content is keyboard accessible
  • Do not require fine motor skills

Is Content Still King?

Flash, Animation, Video, Audio, Podcasting

• Cognitive disabilities
  • Give users control over time sensitive content
  • Provide easy to use controls and navigation schemes
  • Be consistent
  • Use the clearest, simplest language appropriate to the content

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Twitter: Nearly 6M Users as of January 2009

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Twitter: Nearly 6M Users as of January 2009
  • Barack Obama
  • Britney Spears
  • CNN Breaking News
  • The New York Times
  • Lance Armstrong
  • John Cleese
  • Al Gore

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Twitter: Nearly 6M Users as of January 2009
• Twitter: 140 Characters max.

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Twitter: Nearly 6M Users as of January 2009
• Twitter: 140 Characters max.

“In 140 characters, a good writer can make you laugh and a great one can make you march.”

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Twitter: Nearly 6M Users as of January 2009
• Twitter: 140 Characters max.

“In 140 characters, a good writer can make you laugh and a great one can make you march.

“You thought I was going to say ‘cry.’ That, too.”

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Twitter: Nearly 6M Users as of January 2009
• Twitter: 140 Characters max.

“In 140 characters, a good writer can make you laugh and a great one can make you march.

“You thought I was going to say ‘cry.’ That, too.”

—Jeffrey Zeldman

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Twitter: Nearly 6M Users as of January 2009
• MySpace: Over 58M Users

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Twitter: Nearly 6M Users as of January 2009
• MySpace: Over 58M Users
• Facebook: Over 65M Users

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Connect with friends

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Connect with friends
• Share thoughts, web links, games

Is Content Still King?

Social Networking

• Connect with friends
• Share thoughts, web links, games
• Most of it is text — viewable on cell phone

Is Content Still King?

Trends of “The Big Companies”

Is Content Still King?

Trends of “The Big Companies”

“First, big companies (excluding AOL) ignored the web.”

Is Content Still King?

Trends of “The Big Companies”

“First, big companies (excluding AOL) ignored the web.

“Then they hired professionals who didn’t understand the web to design their sites…”

Is Content Still King?

Trends of “The Big Companies”

“First, big companies (excluding AOL) ignored the web.

“Then they hired professionals who didn’t understand the web to design their sites…

“…and other professionals who didn’t understand the web to create their content.”

Is Content Still King?

Trends of “The Big Companies”

“Last year… these companies began hiring smart, experienced web designers who understand usability and web standards.”

Is Content Still King?

Trends of “The Big Companies”

“Last year… these companies began hiring smart, experienced web designers who understand usability and web standards.

“Now they are hiring smart, experienced web content creators.”

Is Content Still King?

Trends of “The Big Companies”

“Last year… these companies began hiring smart, experienced web designers who understand usability and web standards.

“Now they are hiring smart, experienced web content creators.”

—Jeffrey Zeldman

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.
  • It can't index non-text.

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.
  • It can't index non-text.
    • audio content

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.
  • It can't index non-text.
    • audio content
    • video content

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.
  • It can't index non-text.
    • audio content
    • video content
    • Flash content

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.
  • It can't index non-text.
    • audio content
    • video content
    • Flash content
    • animation content

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.
  • It can't index non-text.
    • audio content
    • video content
    • Flash content
    • animation content
    • games

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.
  • It can't index non-text.
    • audio content
    • video content
    • Flash content
    • animation content
    • games
    • …unless they have associated text (transcriptions, etc)

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Foundation of the Web is still text.
  • Google can index text.
  • It can’t index non-text.
    • audio content
    • video content
    • Flash content
    • animation content
    • games
    • …unless they have associated text (transcriptions, etc)
• On top of a foundation of well-written text content, we can add the Sexy.

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Most companies have a significant budget for design and development.

Is Content Still King?

Conclusion

• Most companies have a significant budget for design and development.
• How big is our budget to develop good content?

Break Time!

Usability and SEO, Sitting in a Tree

Part 2 of 4

Usability and SEO Sitting in a Tree

• In the past, Search Engines were extremely vulnerable to abuse

Usability and SEO, Sitting in a Tree

• In the past, Search Engines were extremely vulnerable to abuse
• Misleading keywords and descriptions

Usability and SEO, Sitting in a Tree

• In the past, Search Engines were extremely vulnerable to abuse
• Misleading keywords and descriptions
• Submission bombing

Usability and SEO, Sitting in a Tree

• In the past, Search Engines were extremely vulnerable to abuse
• Misleading keywords and descriptions
• Submission bombing