Why a headless chicken in Cambodia has nothing (and everything) to do with SEO
This post is not about a headless chicken in Cambodia; it is about SEO. But when you engage in Search Engine Optimization, chances are you will eventually run across a headless chicken in Cambodia, hot celebrity names that have absolutely nothing to do with topic at hand, or other seemingly impossible-to-use keywords that must be included in your write-up or the client will simply die.
Your writing does not have to die along with it. You can instead employ some crafty, creative and even amusing tactics to ensure you jam in those required keywords.
It all starts with attitude. Don’t think of the process as “jamming” in keywords. Don’t stuff the piece full of them, either. That’s a turn off to webcrawlers that can kick your finished piece into web search oblivion, and a giant turnoff to the readers. Here comes a hypothetical case in point with the absurd headless chicken keyword example. Let’s say you must use the phrase in an article about, say, fashion. When you think the keyword is crappy and task is crappy, your end result will be crappy.
Don’t do something crappy like this:
A headless chicken in Cambodia has nothing to do with fashion, but you should buy something from our line of clothing anyway.
When you instead look at using the keywords as a challenge, wonderful things (and cool copy!) can happen. Being the magnificent, marvelous and masterful writer that you are, you are certainly up for any challenge that comes your way, no?
Try something non-crappy like this instead:
Ever get the feeling that people are staring at you like you’re a headless chicken in Cambodia or some other type of oddity? Your clothes may be to blame, and our fashion line can be the remedy. Wearing our clothes may still get you some stares, but it will be those of amazement and envy.
View keywords not as something horrible that has to fit no matter what, but rather as something you want to sew into the piece so seamlessly that the reader doesn’t even realize they exist.
That means their arrangement is of mondo importance. Unless stated otherwise, keywords should be softly peppered throughout the piece, as if gently loosened from a shaker – not blasted in a single area as if the shaker’s lid fell off. Let’s pretend the keyword is now “fashion line.”
No one wants to read something like this:
Our fashion line is the best fashion line out of every single fashion line out there. That’s because our fashion line, unlike another fashion line we’ve seen, doesn’t look like a headless chicken in Cambodia.
Keeping the keywords slick, subtle and natural are key, as is not making them the main focus of the article. The trend has been to actually write a meaningful article, full of fun facts and content, while incorporating keyword creativity. And being the magnificent, marvelous and masterful writer you are, that can be rewarding and enjoyable.
Ryn G is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
