Writing For Google

1. 67

   LisaMarie724posted 11 years ago

   I was wondering if any of you think that writing for Google cheapens your writing?  Of course we are all here because we love to write but let's face it we want to earn income as well.  So we come to Hubpages with this dream of writing and learn pretty early on that we need to focus on writing in a way as to be found on Google or else no one will read our writing and we will earn nothing.  My question is, do you think that this effects the quality of your work?

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   1. 86

      Simone Smithposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It *should* affect the quality of one's work positively, in that Google is looking for high quality, unique, genuine content.
      
      I suppose the one thing one has to change search engine wise is to use more 'common' language that reflects terms people might use when conducting searches on the subject, but many of our best writers used coloquial language (heck, even Dante did!), so I don't see that is being a particularly bad thing either.

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      1. 67

         LisaMarie724posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         In school we are taught to write one way but here on Hubpages we write another way.  I'm not complaining at all, I love being here.  I simply just wanted to get everyone's take on it.  I feel like when it comes to SEO we don't write and cannot write college level if we want to be found.  Thanks for your take Simone

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   2. 85

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think so, done properly. 
      
      My approach is to write the way I want to write. I don't think about whether I'm writing for 8th graders or college graduates.  Once I'm happy with the article, then I do my keyword research, looking for keywords which will enhance the article's chances of being found.
      
      Bear in mind that these days, "keyword stuffing" will see your article being penalized, not loved, by Google, so it's only necessary to get a variety of keywords into your title and headings, and repeat them two or three times in your text, and you're set.  That can usually be done without making your prose sound unnatural.

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2. 96

   wildernessposted 11 years ago

   Yes and no.  You must do basic on page SEO at a minimum, but that needn't affect the quality of your work.
   
   However, if your definition of "quality" is something that Forbes magazine might publish, or a college textbook, then you aren't going to find many readers.  Write for the readers of "People" magazine or the National Enquirer and you should.  A common suggestion is to write at an 8th grade level of reading ability.
   
   So the "quality" you must aim for is something that people will not only find through searches, but want to read and find it worthy enough to post backlinks for you.

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   1. 67

      LisaMarie724posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You hit the nail on the head!  I do feel like when writing for Google (or just plain SEO) we do tend to write at about an 8th grade level using the same words or phrases again which in college you are taught not to do.  Thanks for giving me your take also

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3. 0

   Gypsy Rose Leeposted 11 years ago

   I've been writing mostly poetry and that appears not to earn anything at all. Yet poetry is a wonderful way to express oneself and there are many wonderful poets on HP. However in view of Google I am thinking about starting to write articles plus poems 'cause poetry is in my heart. I believe that one of the most difficult things about articles is that there is already so much information about everything on the Internet that it must truly be written exceptionally well enough to be Google liked and not offer any duplicate material. So I am slowly starting a list of possible subjects and then I'll see how it goes.

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   1. 96

      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think you nailed it - writing poetry is a wonderful way to express oneself.
      
      Unfortunately, not many people are interested in hearing Gypsy Rose Lee express herself.  A passer-by in your profile may read a poem (or 2 or 12), but no one is going to actively search for your poems.  They are going to search for the answer to a question they have.  No matter how beautiful or heartfelt your poetry is it won't tell anyone the population of Tibet or how to fix the brakes on a '32 Desoto.  When they search for that information Google knows you can't answer their question and your beautiful work will never be seen as a result.

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4. 56

   wabondposted 11 years ago

   Google makes its money from advertisers and so Google is only interested in pleasing them.  This means that like Google, if we want money, we also have to write for the advertisers as well.

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5. 71

   healthyfitnessposted 11 years ago

   There is certainly a way to write and still rank in google!
   
   People just want to rank overnight so they stuff their writing with tons of keywords that make no sense and make it look like spam.
   
   Just write with the reader in mind, get your headings and url properly optimized and you will rank regardless!

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6. 80

   2besureposted 11 years ago

   The best way to learn how to write, is to write.  Hubpages is a good place to improve writing skills.  You can also learn from successful writers here, how to write to get noticed by Google.

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7. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   When I am writing here I am writing web content.  When I am writing novels I am writing novels (etc).  I think I keep the two pretty separate.

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