Copywriting to optimize your website

“Optimization” describes the process of boosting a website to the top of search engines.

Getting your site to the top demands the skills of both a web designer and a copywriter.

Focus on keywords in text. 
Search engines do not read graphics, so use search terms and phrases repeatedly throughout the text.

Understand how people search.
Web users enter multiple word searches that match their specific interests. They try “myocardial infarction + drug treatment + guidelines” rather than the single keyword, “myocardial.” So, be sure to include multiple-word phrases as well as single keywords in the copy for the site.

Brainstorm your keywords and phrases.
Just as you brainstorm content, navigation, and art for a website, brainstorm keywords and phrases before writing.  Search competitive sites to see what they might be using as keywords. Then, when it’s time to write, it will be obvious which words must be part of the text.

For on-line keyword development tools, see the BiotechNiques section of this newsletter.

Pepper your text with keywords and phrases.
But don’t be so zealous that the copy seems strained. Keyword “stuffing” is actually penalized by some search engines.

A rule of thumb: Aim for  2 to 3 of each keyword or phrase per 250-word page. Vary the terms with plurals and different tenses—they will still be picked up by search engines, which are not usage-sensitive. Your goal: satisfy the search engines while engaging your visitors.

Give special words special treatment.
Place keywords and phrases at the beginning and end of pages. Boldface and italic keywords also help, but avoid over-doing it.

Build in links with “anchor text.”
Anchor text is a link to pages inside or outside your site, constructed of key words and phrases. These links help lift a site in search engine rankings. An example: "Clinicians planning drug treatment after myocardial infarction have complex choices."

Talk with your web designer. Designers use additional tools to optimize your site, including title tags (the linking anchor to your webpage in search results) and meta-descriptions supplied to search engines. Designers can also marry an e-newsletter to your site, so that you generate clicks from the newsletter into the site. Clicking into your site boosts your rank in search engines. That’s a reason to get your site hotlinked at other sites.