In the rush to populate web copy with keywords the most important thing is sometimes forgotten. The copy needs to well written, lively, interesting and relevant. It is astonishing how often this is forgotten in the charge to upload text that will rank highly in Google.
Engaging content can have a direct impact on search engine rankings and consequently on traffic. Some websites sacrifice the need for good written content because their search engine optimisation advisors have influenced key words and their placement in the text to such an extent that the site no longer informs or entertains.
What this process fails to acknowledge is that the quality of the content is critical to receiving high rankings, because it will affect the number of pages viewed and the stickyness of the site. Crafting words is a core skill for the majority of PR people. We also need to consider how to deliver quality content in all of its other forms – still images, audio and video. Whilst using the agency or in-house digital camera is useful for the old application for important work we will still tend to use a professional photographer. The same should apply for audio and video content.
Words still lie at the heart of all of this. The right words will bring audiences but in the the wrong alignment they will drive them away, perhaps never to return.
Last night I got involved in a heated debate about PR and search engine optimisation (SEO) . Partly because the debate was on twitter and it was late into the evening (I think most of us were on UK time) it was fast moving, free flowing and it also involved many of the people who know most about the emerging roles of digital PR.
PR and the Social Web 