Avoid Keyword Problems and Awkward Writing in News Stories

Updated on April 20, 2011. See below. Finding your Associated Content news story at the top of search rankings is always exciting. It's good for you because it provides you visibility and recognition on a newsworthy topic. Because your story has a high placement, it's likely to be seen by thousands of readers. That's why it's important we publish quality content.

Articles that awkwardly incorporate keywords into titles and the first paragraph can often be a turn-off for readers. If they're not happy with what they find, they're more likely to avoid Associated Content -- and your work -- in the future.

Below are ways, suggested by writers and AC staff, to incorporate keyword phrases and build keyword density without sounding too awkward. Remember that although we allow you to use keyword phrases in your content, it shouldn't come at the expense of the readability or quality of your content.

Update: Your Title/Headline is THE Most Important Aspect

Associated Content tweaked its title advice in April 2010, based on new information from Google. Among the highlights:

Keep your title under 70 characters.

Update: Your Descriptive Overview is What Your Readers See in Search Results

Remember that along with your title, searches and potential readers see your Descriptive Overview in search results. Make sure it is:

* Engaging, compelling and a must-read

* Free of grammar, spelling, punctuation and factual errors.

* Filled synonyms of your keyword phrases in your Descriptive Overview.

* Use this tool to see how your Descriptive Overview will most likely look on Google search results: http://www.seomofo.com/snippet-optimizer.html

Write Keywords into Bolded Subheads

Subheads traditionally introduce new sections that are related to the main topic or provide a needed visual break. But subheads can also help increase your keyword density while providing readers with new and interesting ideas. Also, bolded subheads break up your text visually and give readers an easy way to scan your article for important information. This keeps readers on the page and looking at your article, increasing the likelihood they could click further into your content.

Vary the location of the keyword phrase in the bolded subhead and avoid putting it at the beginning every time. An example: Should TCU Be in the National Championship? by Lee Andrew Henderson

Rearrange Keyword Phrases

Using the exact same wording every time you include a keyword phrase can make an article sound awkward or, worse, that it's written by a robot. This degrades the quality of your writing. Vary the construction of your sentences. For example, instead of writing "the 2009 NFL playoffs" repeatedly, try "the playoffs in the 2009 NFL season." Or try semantically related keyword phrases, such as "Super Bowl XLIV" or "Super Bowl 44."

Use Contextually Related Keywords or Synonyms

Google has been hinting in recent months that it is using semantic indexing more in search results. As a result, it is absolutely fine to use synonyms for your keyword phrases to help break apart the monotony. Another benefit is that it will disambiguate your content from content that has the same keywords but is about a different topic. For example: studs (horses) vs. studs (drywall).

If you're writing about Obama, you could begin by calling him President Barack Obama, then alternate between "the president" and "Obama," including phrases like "commander-in-chief," "Democrats," "Capitol Hill," "the White House," "foreign policy" and so forth, depending on the focus of the article. Reaching a rich and intelligent combination of related keyword phrases that is used naturally used throughout the content takes some brainstorming on your behalf.

Another tip from a CM: Read something aloud if you're trying to include a lot of information (or, in this case, keyword phrases) to make sure it's not awkwardly worded. When you hear it read aloud, it's easier to notice repetition and sentences that can be stumbled over due to poor wording.

Above are best practices; below are a few requirements for news stories, especially titles. Not following these can result in a decline of content -- either when submitted or post-publish.

Use Only One Instance of a Keyword Phrase in a Title

We suggest placing a keyword phrase at the front of your title. But do not use a keyword more than once in a news title. Doing so can (1) make for an awkward read, (2) unnecessarily lengthen your headline and (3) encourage a news search engine to flag your content as spam.

Additionally, you must write your keyword phrase into your title so that your title makes sense. Generally, you can accomplish this by using your keyword phrase as a subject and then following with an appropriate verb and object, if necessary. We highly prefer that you do not simply place a keyword phrase at the start of your title and then write the rest of your title. An example of what not to do: "2010 Grammy Awards: Britney Spears' Clothing Choice is Awful." Instead: "2010 Grammy Awards Expose Britney Spears' Awful Clothing Choice."

Updated on Feb. 16, 2010: We understand you sometimes need to use a colon after a keyword phrase (e.g., "Keyword Phrase: Rest of Headline"). Very occasionally it's OK. However, if we find you abusing this, your content could be declined and you could be asked to write a new headline.

Use (Photo Links), (Video Included) and Other Added "()s" Intelligently

A () is a title add-on that alerts your reader to additional contextually related information contained in your article. For example, (Photo Links) would be added to the end of your title if your article contains photo links to your subject. This is allowed in news article, but it cannot be abused. Only use this at the end of your title and only when necessary.

Do Not Use Overly Long Titles

This is subjective, but if you find yourself trying to introduce more than one long keyword phrase in your title, you're probably going over. If they are two separate thoughts, figure out which one you want in your title and move the other -- if you can -- to your subhead.

Semi-colons vs. Colons in Titles

Just as in your text, semi-colons in titles should be employed when two separate complete sentences are used.

WRONG: "Beyonce Wins Six Grammys: Musical Performance Dominates Show"

CORRECT: "Beyonce Wins Six Grammys; Musical Performance Dominates Show"

Colons should be used to introduce what someone says.

FOR EXAMPLE: "Bill Clinton: More Aid Needed in Haiti."

Do not use a colon to introduce your topic in a news title.

Judiciously Use Keyword Phrases in Your First Paragraph

Again, we suggest placing a keyword phrase at the front of your first sentence. Another good practice is to incorporate the keyword phrase no more than three times in your first paragraph, as long as your first paragraph is of sufficient length so that you reasonably space out the instances of your keyword phrase.

However, the obvious repetition of keyword phrases (such as using someone's first and last name when it's redundant and unnecessary) is not allowed and can be declined post-publish if Associated Content believes it to be superfluous. It's your duty as a writer to make sure you employ this delicate balance intelligently.

Updated on Feb. 16, 2010: Often, the three-time use of a phrase is far too common and will negatively affect the quality of your article. As stated above, the "obvious repetition of keyword phrases" generally means that your content suffers from phrasing so awkward that it detracts from the readability of your article. Content that meets this threshold can be edited or declined pre- or post-publish at the discretion of the Content Manager.

Further, avoid starting off multiple sentences in the first paragraph with the exact same keyword phrase every time.