Category: Content Strategy

Tags: Matt Bailey, Elements of Style, Strunk and White, William Strunk Jr, EB White, copywriting, writing, search engines, searchers, clarity

In this video interview, Internet marketing expert Matt Bailey contends that all you need to know about writing for the Web and to get ranked in the search engines was written in 1935 by the classic volume, The Elements of Style, by Willam Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. Bailey gives some examples from the book that define good writing, such as: Write with nouns and verbs instead of with adjectives and adverbs. Avoid the use of qualifiers. Don't overstate or overwrite. Use orthodox spelling. Don't use awkward adverbs. Avoid fancy words. Plain writing, Bailey says, will resonate with the searchers. One rule that supersedes all others is "clarity." If you're clear to the reader, then you'll be clear to the searcher. Dr. Wilson offers a tip that works for him: After you've written a piece, let it sit for a while, then read it aloud to spot problems. This follows Strunk and White's advice: revise and rewrite. If there's one thing to remember, it's this: Be clear! Matt Bailey is president of SiteLogic, a marketing company that focuses on analytics, usability, and search marketing -- a powerful combination that not only helps you understand what people are doing when they get to your site, but also how to improve it. This video interview was taped at the Search Engine Strategies Conference in San Francisco, August 2010.

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