1. Writing for
Semantic Search
Zara Altair – Actation now!
actationnow.com zara@actationnow.com

2. Old SEO and New SEO
Before, you just had to write about something.
Now you have to say something useful.
Richard Hussey
SEO and Semantic Search
Google+ Community

3. Goal
Drive people to your website
Answer a question
Solve a problem
Take action

4. Writing for SEO is dead and
buried. However, editing for
visibility, authority and
discoverability is not. Write
for humans, edit for search
engines and you won't go far
wrong.
Jason Darrell

5. SEMANTIC SEARCH
Concepts and Questions

6. Semantic
• Relating to meaning in language
or logic

7. Semantic Search
• advanced data searching
technique
• search query targets to
determine the contextual
meaning of the search
words
• intent of the searcher
rather than focusing on
finding just the keywords
http://www.business2community.com/seo/seo-future-predictions-next-year-2016-
01398135#r3LBHd2YRE2wEpJi.97

8. Algorithms for meaning
• Penguin - spam & link bombing
• Panda - quality
• Hummingbird - understand verbose queries
• RankBrain - interprets languages and interprets meanings

9. Query
• Connect the dots
• Find meaning in text

10. THEORIA
The What

11. Writing for machines is over
• Write for people
• Use natural language

12. Search has changed
• Natural language
• Answer a question
• Think concept not keywords
• Not how much content, but
quality
• Find meaning in text
• Connect the dots of your content
Change your content
strategy

13. Relationships among
concepts
Everything you
say is connected
to your business

14. KEY CONCEPT
Thought, Text, and Relevancy

15. Preempt the query
Lead towards a goal - shared understanding,
ultimate goal
Answer a question
Initiate dialogue
?

16. Be the piece of the puzzle
your customer is
searching for

17. Goal: Content Writing that
connects the dots

18. Resonate with your
reader
Visitor
• Solve a problem
• Discover new ways of
thinking
• Collaborate
Your Content
• Win a place in visitor’s
attention
• First place to enter a win-
win relationship
• Every page a landing
page

19. interconnected
Website + blog + social media

20. Digital footprint
• Website
• Social Media
• Blog

21. RELEVANCE ABOVE RANKING
Your business niche

22. Retrain your Brain or…

23. Relevance
Google isn't going to openly tell you what
the relevant ingredients are in your particular
niche (nor is anyone else ) they've just
levelled the playing field for everyone. Now
you need to search out that relevancy for
yourself especially if you want to produce
higher quality content than your competitors.
Peter Hatherley

24. Get Ready Now

25. Quantum Computing
In order to be able to take full advantage of search now and in
the future you need to:
• Have information on your website that is practical,
accessible and rich in detail.
• Maintain an active presence across social networks that
creates a consistent, persistent breadcrumb trail leading to
your website.
• Use social networks to build and maintain your reputation
(sentiment mining is going to play an increasing role here).
• Use the online world with the same care and attention to
detail that you use the offline one.
David Amerland
http://davidamerland.com/seo-tips/1058-quantum-computing-search-and-the-web.html

26. USER FRIENDLY
Talk to your visitor

27. User Friendly Writing
• Answer a question
• Use natural language
• Structure from concept introduction to details

28. SEARCH FRIENDLY
Show search your details

29. Google Webmaster
Guidelines
• Quality Guidelines
• Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines.

30. PRAXIS
How to write semantically

31. Search Optimization
Low and slow…
Way to go.

32. Answer At Least One
• Does it answer a specific question the reader may have?
• Does it create a challenge for the reader?
• Will it leave them feeling enriched?
• Is this content that helps establish your company’s authority?
• Is it going to help generate greater equity for your brand?
Google Semantic Search, David Amerland, p. 103

33. Choose your theme
• One keyword/topic/theme per article
• Keyword research
• Word bank collection of related “companion” words (the
vocabulary)

34. Vocabulary
Builders

35. Your school teacher was
right
Keep It Simple

36. Title or Headline
• Clear
• Relevant to topic
• Include on focused keyword
• Keep it short (Maximum 70 characters)
• One H1 per page

37. Headings
• Clear
• Relevant to topic
• Set off next section
• Keep it short 45 – 60 characters(Maximum 70)
• Easy to skim the logic (get the idea from reading just
the headers)
• Easy to skim for targeted answer (shows where to find
the answer)
• Descending order of importance (except for
summary)

38. Sentences
• Clear and short
• Avoid heavy vocabulary or industry jargon
• Easy to skim the logic
• Allow reader to quickly read

39. Paragraphs
• Clear and short
• Avoid heavy syntax and advanced rhetoric
• Aim for three sentences per paragraph
• Main point in first sentence
• 180-210 characters including spaces and
punctuation
• 6th grade reading level (Yes, I know.)

40. Sequence
• Topic/Overview - Clear and focused
• Romance but not bombast
• Pertinent details explained – focus on benefits
• Special features
• Additional features/you may want to know
• Summary with a little more romance
• Call to action

41. Tone
• Conversational
• Avoid promotional text and hype
• Don’t talk down to the reader

42. Keep In Mind
• What question being answered
• User experience
• Detail and thoroughness
• Visuals
• Quality of writing
• Information and data elements

43. Don’t do this!

44. Do this
• Give an example of overcoming a
problem.
Seth was struggling with bounce rate on his site until we redesigned his page and helped
him write the introductory content for his landing page.
Kathy has lots of followers but no sales. We taught her the three key questions to ask her
prospects and how to develop a conversation. List the three questions.
Keith wants to give his girlfriend a beautiful and unique gift. A really one-of-a-kind item.
Describe the labor, intensity, and unique material that go into your beaded basket.
Joanne thinks she needs SEO for her self-hosted website but doesn't know what that
really means. You have an evergreen article that explains, What is SEO and Why You
Need It.

45. Use natural language
About Us
• The Special Dentistry Center®
(SDC) focuses on performing Smile
Makeovers (Oral Rehabilitation,
Dental Reconstruction) for dental
phobia patients. Our multi-specialty
in-office team of dentists is sought
out for the most complex cases in
dentistry. One office visit could
involve, for example, Cosmetic
Dentists, Endodontists, Oral
Surgeons and Lab Technicians all
working together in one office
during a routine day. Significant
cosmetic changes can occur in one
treatment visit.
About Us
• Here at Smiles by Payet Family
Dentistry, we have put together a
team of people that we think you’re
going to LOVE. We know you
expect professionalism, empathy,
and kindness, and that’s what we
strive for, as well as the ability to
really listen to your concerns. So
we’d like to introduce you to the
wonderful people who will be taking
care of you, along with Dr. Payet:
Used with permission.Fictitious name, real wording

46. Clarity and Focus

47. Proof your work
• Grammar, spelling, and punctuation count (grammarly.com)
• Reading level (Hemingwayapp.com)
• Internal relevance (cise.info/semantics)

48. Structured Data
• schema.org
• Search Console: Data
Highlighter
• developers.google.com/struct
ured-data/testing-tool/

49. Rich Snippets
• Mark up articles for headline, images, publish date and
description.
• Google may use your rich snippet markup to power
features like “In the news” and content carousels.
• Use most specific applicable schema.org type: a news
article should be marked up as schema.org/NewsArticle
and a blog post as schema.org/BlogPosting.
https://developers.google.com/structured-data/rich-snippets/articles

50. FOLLOW UP
Keep track of visitor action.

51. Quick check

52. Site visitor behavior
Google Search Console

53. More Tools To Add
Semantic Value
• Yandex, Rambler, Yandex Checker, AlchemyAPI,
Schema Creator, Gruff

54. Goal
Drive people to your website
Answer a question
Solve a problem
Take action
Give them a reason to return
One-visit conversions (without trust) are as rare as
rocking horse poop. Jason Darrell

55. Empathy
It's not about Google, SEO or indexing... it's
about empathy and your customers.
Empathy for more customer focused content
marketing.
Omi Sido

57. Find a Semantic Writer

58. Basic Qualities
• Takes time to know your business
• Researches your industry and competitors
• Asks about your current customer base and any desired
changes to the demographic
• Understands your products and services
• Is current on search optimization

59. WHO TO FOLLOW
Keep up with the conversation.

60. Contextual Thought
Leaders
• David Amerland
• Jason Darrell
• Peter Hatherley
• Teodora Petkova
• Omi Sido
Alphabetical Order

61. Search Engine Thought
Leaders
• Bruce Clay, Inc.
• Ammon Johns
• John Mueller
• Bill Slawski
• Google Webmasters
• Google Webmaster Hangouts

62. THANK YOU!
Questions?
actationnow.com zara@actationnow.comGoogle Me
Zara Altair – Semantic Writing