Still think that your headline has to suck in order for it to rank in a search result? What about putting words out of order? I’m not quite sure how we came to these conclusions, but something is amiss in the world of web copy writing. No, you don’t have to follow many of the kooky tactics that some search engine experts are demanding of copywriters. In fact, some declarations are so severe that more traditional journalists, editors and writers are fearful of anything SEO.

That’s really too bad, because just a little bit of research and some carefully placed strategies could broaden your audience and increase your message’s reach. But those tactics really aren’t what you think. In fact, I’ve had a great deal of success in adopting SEO tactics as “human being optimization.”

Think about it: A search engine’s algorithm is designed to quantify and analyze the searching behavior of people using the web. Yes, it also indexes content on the web and catalogs it. And this indexing is what most people tend to focus on when fearing the search engine. However, Google, Yahoo!, MSN and all the others have invested much to improve the results by studying how often a set of search results actually give the searcher what he wanted. You’ve heard of all the “algorithm updates”… they’re tweaking the match between the search terms entered and the results they serve.

As search engines improve the results they serve, they improve their ability to get inside our heads and find what we intend to find. The human brain is a complex and often scary place, so it takes a lot of guess work. But, now we’re seeing that intent playing out in search results more accurately. Maybe it’s the search engines that are the scarier place.

With these improvements, search engines have shifted away from indexing and cataloging content according to some library archive standard, and toward how a human would catalog and associate that content in the mind. Optimizing how humans search for and identify content makes me think of SEO as becoming more human, which helps me write copy for humans, and not search engines.

Why would I go back to writing for humans? Because it’s working in search engines, too. If you think about it, search engines want to give you an article on “debt consolidation” when you enter “pay off debt,” because it’s what you want. If I’m looking for “social media analytics,” the engines aren’t going to ignore an article on “analytics for social media.” Really. Trust your good writing sense.

Here are some common complaints I hear from writers and editors. They really shouldn’t be complaints, because there is a happy medium in almost every case.

1. “I refuse to write ugly headlines for a search engine.”
First, I have to confront your idea that search engines don’t bring you traffic. Yes, yes you want to have a healthy relationship with a search engine. But, no, you don’t have to write a headline that’s bland and boring, even though the New York Times ballyhooed this very complaint.

Headlines can and must be compelling to both a search engine and a human being. How do you accomplish that? Find the most important idea in this story. You should know that. Simply start your headline with that idea. We all know headlines need to be brief, and writing for the web shouldn’t change that rule. Quick and compelling, just like old fashioned headlines. What’s wrong with, “An Outbreak of Autism, or a Statistical Fluke?” Neither a human nor a search engine would have a hard time identifying “autism” as the main idea of the article, supported by “outbreak” and “statistics.”

Write a tight headline with character. Good headline editors already need to do that. Search engine algorithms shouldn’t make you quake in your boots. (Maybe that’s why I’m not a headline editor at some swank publication!)

2. “I’m not going to stuff my copy full of the same word over and over!”
Good! Thank you!! You shouldn’t. Search engines generally spot that tactic and discount your article’s value anyway. Many SEO tools coach you to reach an ideal keyword density in your article, but I still call following those a practice in hooey. Based on all that “algorithm improvement,” search engines are using the copy on the web to statistically analyze successful search results and find common threads. It’s much like a chicken/egg spiral, since we can shape future search engine performance by writing good, compelling copy; the algorithm will figure out that it’s popular and quality content, and the algo will change to find more results like it. As all of us good copywriters band together and write compelling copy without keyword stuffing, you may see those keyword density numbers change.

3. “Why would I reverse the order of these words just for a search engine?”
The original idea here stemmed from how search engines used to operate. Sure, they associated words in unnatural ways, and sometimes you’d get better results if you ordered your search terms by importance, like “education scores school tests.” What? That makes sense to neither human nor search engine. Yes, we can do away with that old tactic of reversing word order to try to look more boolean.

Here’s your challenge: Have you researched your topic fully? Yes, you and I know the phrase is “credit score,” but how many people out there have heard the term “credit rating”? Some keyword research will reveal alternate words and phrases that people (human beings!) use to talk about your topic. It naturally makes sense to include both terms in your article because people may only use one or the other. This method of bullet-proofing your target phrases will ensure that whether people use “score” or “rating,” they’ll still find your “credit” article. Use an SEO keyword tool to find other target phrases, and you’ll find more people who will see your article when they search.

While editors and writers are lamenting that they’re being asked to use words they normally wouldn’t use, people are using the very terms that are being scorned. I cherish the days when journalists and publications were the very upholders of correct writing conventions. But, in this case, a little bit of bend can work well for readership. In fact, when you speak as your audience is, you have a chance to draw that reader in and clarify the very phrase or convention you despise. Sieze the opportunity to educate and gently correct.

Think of the humans you’re trying to reach. How best to reach them? By sticking to your guns and writing to suit the corporate style? Or meeting people where they are? Understanding how people use search engines (and they do that a lot!) and just the basics of how they work will help you overcome your assumptions and fears. Stand up to SEO experts and ask “why?” before either simply dismissing their advice, or accepting it wholeheartedly. Neither approach will work. Remember: human being optimization is both technical and organic.

This is a post from the Nullvariable Web Consulting Blog.

SEO vs. copywriters: Fighting the same side of the same algorithm