Why should a freelance writer learn anything about search engine optimization? After all, they’re not webmasters. All freelance writers need to be able to do is write grammatically correct copy, use spell check and engage their reader with their content, right? Well yes, that is true but in order to be a well-paid internet freelance writer, you need to know a little bit more.

Well-paid internet freelance writers are very familiar with search engine optimization, also known as SEO. Because the rules of the SEO game seem to constantly change, the best I can do here is give you an overview as of this point in time.

I say overview because I too am learning the rules of the game and am not an expert (as yet). Even though the search engine optimization intricacies are always changing, there are some basics that remain the same. Here’s an overview

Search Engines: What your reader sees:

A woman who is about to make a major investment in a pair of green shoes is curious to find out everything she can about green shoes before spending her hard earned money on green shoes. She uses a search engine of choice and inserts the words “green shoes.”

As a result of her query, the search engine displays pages and pages of links to websites, articles, pictures and/or videos about green shoes. The search engine will reach into it’s green shoe bank and display everything it has regarding green shoes. The reader happily clicks on the various links to learn about green shoes.

Search Engines: What the reader doesn’t see:

In order to provide such detailed information about green shoes, the search engine sent out its army of spiders to comb the web looking for articles, websites, etc., about green shoes. The spider (who is actually as blind as a bat) cannot read the page itself to know whether or not the page is about green shoes, so it reaches into it’s ’spidey belt’ and pulls out a weapon called an algorithm. Algorithms have the power to read the page and determine if it has information on green shoes.

These algorithms help spiders to find the words ‘green shoes’ and related terms such as ‘laces for green shoes’ and ‘cleaning green shoes’ and ‘ shades of green shoes’ and…you get my drift. When the spider finds green shoe information, the information is sent back home to the search engine, which stores the information in its green shoe bank waiting for someone to perform a search for green shoes.

Next…Search Engine Optimization: What the Freelance Writer Needs to Know…

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