Think Big Blog

We’ve all seen the trend online with web sites trying desperately to raise their search engine page rankings by absolutely flooding their site – and other sites – with content that has been infused with specific keywords and keyword phrases. While content is important in helping a site gain traction with their search engine optimization efforts, it is also meant for other purposes, which should not be ignored.

Content has a number of objectives in the online arena. For one, web sites have understood that in their quest to increase web site traffic they must engage the assistance of the online search engines. In so doing, they must use throughout their content those keywords that are likely to be used in a search for the services, products, and information that they offer. And so by including these keywords in their content they are able to trigger the attention of the search engines and raise their page rankings – the position in which their web site is delivered as a part of their results.

But this must be done carefully; content that has been “soaked” in keywords is likely to have the opposite effect of the writer’s intention; it will trigger the search engines as the content is likely to come off as unnatural.

The easiest way to walk this line in search engine optimization is to write for the reader because that is the secondary purpose of online content. We want the content to be something that Internet users would read anyway – something that they find interesting, informative, or entertaining; and to that content we can add the keywords that are likely to be used in a search – in a natural way. By approaching content in this way web site owners are likely to find their web site traffic is much improved – not just because they have engaged the search engines but also because they have inspired readers to return again and again.