This week I read a comment from Nick Usborne, the moderator of the I-Copywriting discussion list and author of "Net Words, Creating High-Impact Online Copy". I've read, enjoyed and reviewed his book here, http://www.website101.com/arch/archive138.html.

The gist of what he said in that post was that professional writers were being segmented into categories based on whether they offer additional skills to their clients. One particular comment swerved closely toward my specialty of search engine optimization (SEO), when he said,

"In addition, there is a whole new skillset required for writers who choose to specialize in search engine writing. SEO is a complex skill and an area in which writers are finding a profitable niche. My only concern there is not that writers acquire SEO skills, but that some SEO experts tout themselves as professional writers, when they are not."

My response to that post follows:

Your comments in "One Day We'll Just Be Writers" could be shared by any professional doing business in any capacity. One day we'll just be attorneys. One day we'll just be doctors. One day we'll just be auto mechanics. Each profession requires skillsets from other specialties, each without complete mastery of a career built upon those separate skills, but with contributions, drawn of necessity, from that specialization.

You, as a skilled professional writer, are lamenting that even lowly SEO's (Search Engine Optimizers) are claiming to be writers when we're not. I don't claim to be a writer, but I end up doing writing for clients because Search Engine Optimization necessarily involves words, text and arrangement of keyword phrases on a page within a requisite web page structure.

Today I saw an article by an investment advisor (!) discussing high search engine rankings and was ready to be incensed by his words treading on my expertise. Then I went to read Ulli Niemann's article and found that he "gets it" in a way that most people don't. He's ranked number one for important finance industry keyword phrases and was sought out by CNN as an expert because he was top ranked in a Google search done by CNN staff seeking an expert for an interview.

Remember that writing isn't the issue here, SEO is the topic. Take a moment and review his words at the following link. Notice his comments regarding writing skills, or lack of them. He's an investment advisor writing articles about investments, not a professional writer penning masterpieces on investments.

http://www.sitepronews.com/archives/2003/oct/27prt.html

Most often, SEO's are RE-writing - not writing. Our work is NOT concerned with grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, reading level of the audience, sales letter length or any other "writer centric" issues.

SEO's take existing web copy and massage it to make the text and page structure "crawler friendly" so that search engine spiders will recognize what a given page is "about". The goal is to gain top rankings in the search engines for competitive keyword phrases targeted by our clients.

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Those clients could often benefit from a seasoned professional writer RE-writing their web pages as well, but only if they were willing to FOREGO high search engine rankings. That's correct, you heard me well! Although it is possible to craft a well written and polished web page with skillful writing, those pages will score far lower in the search engines than will a page properly placing keyword phrases in randomly generated text. As a matter of fact, there is software available to do just that. While I'm opposed to the use of that software, which is used in conjunction with cloaking software by unethical webmasters, it does prove my point.

I've been called by clients after a web site re-write due to drastic drops in search engine ranking following the work of skilled copywriters on that client web site. It's not due to the pristine clarity or sizzling sales copy, it's because the writers don't understand search engines!

What would a writer do that hurts search engine ranking? Here are a few writers' Search Engine Optimization killers.

Professional writers would not want to see a keyword phrase repeated the optimal six or seven times on a page of just 600 words. They most often recommend reducing that 600 word page to 250 words or less to gain clarity and focus, they'd vary words to avoid repetition, re-write headlines to emphasize the sizzle rather than the steak, and opt for simple metaphor rather than industry buzzword.

BUT every one of those moves would destroy search engine position for that client, who now has a beautifully written page that nobody will ever find by doing a search at Google. Congratulations on your stellar written work - which is now invisible to the search engines!

I don't know that there is a happy solution to our conflict until search engines appreciate the skill of great writers above the skill of search engine geeks. We manipulate words toward different ends. SEO's will eventually adapt to the search algorithms as the search engineers adjust those algorithms to recognize great writing, but not until then.

About The Author
Mike Banks Valentine is a Search Engine Optimization Specialist practicing ethical SEO for Online businesses SEOptimism.com.

Take our Search Engine Quiz to test your Skills Level. email link: http://privacynotes.com/cgi-bin/M/msb.cgi?2

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