If Google were high school, the top of the search results page would be the popular kids’ table. With everyone wanting to take a seat, it is essential for writers to distinguish themselves from the competition and improve their article’s SEO, which can be done in five simple steps:

1. Know Your Keywords
When it comes to optimizing your article for search, keywords are key. These are the words or phrases that best and most specifically identify the focus of your piece. Your two to three primary keywords should match the words or phrases potential readers would be plugging into a search engine to find just such an article.

But knowing your keywords is only half the battle — where and how often you place them into your article is crucial. For more tips, read 5 Ways to Improve Your Article’s SEO. [subscription required]

– Andrea Hackett