Keywords- Why are They Important

April 13, 2016October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 31 Comments

All Bloggers are, theoretically, familiar with the term keywords. If you’re like me, understanding what they are and what they do for our blogs is still a mystery. I’ll admit, this is one area of blogging, I haven’t gotten a complete grasp on, yet.
Keywords are words or phrases used in search engines to find the information we’re seeking. For example, place any word or phrase (best is 3-5 words) into Google, Bing, or Yahoo and a list of content reflecting your topic will appear. Keywords are either short tail (one word) or long tail (a phrase). Every article or blog content can be reduced to a few key topics. The trick is to choose your keywords carefully. Common keywords will receive thousands of clicks per day, others a few. As a blogger, you want the find and use the keywords that increase traffic to your site.

How to Find the Right Keywords:

Research keywords.
Keep track of your keywords in a spreadsheet – include the number of clicks per day.
Don’t spam – using keywords arbitrarily.
Write great content that people want to read.
Once you find relevant keywords, place them where they’ll give you the biggest bang.

4 Keyword Mistakes:

Too many keywords – best for search engines to use one per post.
Using exact phrases – Google understands related words and phrases. Don’t be so rigid.
Not using keywords in photos – photo optimization is essential.
You don’t research keywords

Resources for Finding Trending Keywords:

• Hubspot – Download your SEO template to organize keywords
• Google Adwords Keyword Tool
• SEMrush.com & Market samurai – find out what keywords are competitive.
• Keyword Finder

Where to place the keywords:

Title.
Heading and subheadings.
Introduction sentences.
Concluding paragraphs and meta descriptions.
Title tag.
In the text, you hyperlink to other pages.
When you use photos, include keywords in the file name
When you reference other links.

Want more information on keywords? Check out these articles:

So, what about you? Do you have a grasp on keywords?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently

Jargon – How and When to Use it in Writing

April 12, 2016April 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 12 Comments

Day 10: #atozchallenge
Jargon – What is it and when is it okay to use it in writing?

“Jargon is a literary term defined as a use of specific phrases and words by writers in a particular situation, profession or trade.” It is deliberately developed and used for a particular occupation or businesses. Consider legal or medical terminology.

Even though I retired from nursing twenty years ago, I still use medical jargon. Old habits die-hard. For example, a medication taken as needed is, in medical jargon, referred to as a PRN medication.

Twitter has brought the use of jargon into the mainstream. Here are a few examples:

BTW – By The Way
IMHO – In My Humble Opinion
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
CYA – See You Around (most of us know of another favorite phrase)
FYI – For Your Information
LOL – Laugh Out Loud

Jargon is not the same thing as slang. What’s the difference?

“Slang, more often spoken than written, is a type of informal category of a certain language developed within a certain community and consists of words or phrases whose literal meanings are different from the actual meanings.” Think about the South. We have quite a few slang words and phrases. I’m sure you’re aware of the Southern slang expression, Y’all.

When is it appropriate to use jargon in writing?

Jargon is used in non-fiction, academic papers, professional documents, essays, and fiction. There’s a place for its use, but you most know the audience you’re writing for and provide enough explanation that the reader will understand.

Want to know more about when and how to use Jargon? Check out Write it Sideways article, How to Use (not abuse) Jargon, Slang and Idioms.

What about you? Have you used jargon in any of your writing?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Editing Made Easy – 7 Free Tools for the Writer

April 6, 2016April 5, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 19 Comments

Day 5: #atozchallenge

pinterest.com

One of the most annoying, time-consuming and necessary aspects of writing is editing.

For me, after writing a piece, I find it difficult to spot all the things I might need to revise or eliminate.

Because I can’t afford to hire an editor for every short story or chapter I write, I use editing tools available to me via software downloads.

Each tool has pros and cons, and it’s worth repeating, no software can take the place of a good pair of editing eyes, but it’s a start and a good resource to have at your fingertips.

My top 7 Free Editing Tools

Hemingway App – assesses the number of adverbs, complex words, passive voice, and readability.
ProWritingAid – provides analysis, identifies overused words, sentence length, redundancies, clichés, plagiarism, consistency, and writing style.
EditMinion – one of my favorite, uncomplicated tools. It checks for weak and overused words, passive voice, adverbs/prepositions, homonyms, and more.
Word & Phrase Frequency Counter: This tool does exactly what it says, counts the number of time you use a word or phrase.
Readability Score – indicates reading ease, grade level, text statistics, and keyword density.
Cliché Finder – afraid you might have used a cliché or two? Identify them with this handy tool.
The Writer’s Diet – Is your writing flabby or lean? This simple, automated feedback tool provides a quick look at some of the sentence-level grammatical issues which weigh writing down.

My top 3 Paid Editing Tools

Grammarly – Enhances clarity and meaning, identifies most writing errors, vocabulary enhancer, contextual spelling checker, and offers a Safari extension. A little pricey for the premium plan @ $139.95/yr. – a monthly and quarterly plan is also available ranging from 29.95/mo. – $59.95/quarterly.
Ginger – Basic- $ 61.20/yr. – Offers a browser extension, unlimited grammar checker, translations, and definitions. An upgrade to $111/yr. will give you sentence rephrasing, analysis of mistakes, text reader and more. The software is available on a month-to-month basis ranging from $8.30 -$14.60/month.
AutoCrit – An online manuscript editing tool specifically for fiction writers. Ranging from $60 – $144/yr. This tool provides analysis in 25 areas in your work, highlights key elements, fiction style errors, repetition, pacing, word choice, and a comparison of your manuscript to published fiction.

There you have it, my favorite editing tools. Although it will never replace a good set of eyes, any one of these will make the process of editing easier, faster, and smoother.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. You can find me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Dictionaries for the Writer

April 5, 2016April 4, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 28 Comments

Day 4: #atozchallenge

Wikipedia.org

Don’t you hate it when the word you want to write escapes you? There’ve been times I’ve stared at my computer screen repeatedly saying the word aloud as if it would magically appear.

That sort of magic rarely happens, so I’ve collected a number of dictionaries at my disposal, and they have proven to be life savers.

My Top 20 Dictionaries for Writers:

Do you have a favorite dictionary you use? Feel free to add to my list and pass it on.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. You can find me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.