SEO companies can learn a lot from Ernest Hemingway.
Hemingway, in one of his frequent moments of brilliance, once said “There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”
But, he was mistaken. There is one rule on writing, and he actually is responsible for stating it in the most Hemingway-esque way possible (short, concise and communicative): “The first draft of anything is shit.”
Both are true and relate directly to search engine optimization writing. As Timothy wrote, it is important to write solid, readable content more than posting frequently. But while you may have great information, how do you make it readable?
When writing a blog post, it is important to remember the basics of writing itself, then worry about writing for the Web. And these Hemingway quotes are extremely pertinent to online writing.
“The First Draft of Anything is [... err... trash]“
I know from experience that writers, stereotypically, don’t like to believe this. I know I don’t. But it’s true. It’s always good to write something and, if time allots, take a day or two before rereading it. This is the best way to edit. For example, if you have 10 blog posts to do in a week, spend a day or two on research, spend a day or two knocking out the articles, then read them in the order you wrote them. This way, the one you wrote longest ago will be your first edit, and you can see the mistakes and wordiness and superfluous flair that seemed like a great idea at the time.
Writing is like having one drink too many: What seems like a great idea in the excitement of the moment will probably seem very different after a little time of reflection.
“Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”
Another great Hemingway quote that perfectly describes the art and business of writing. Sometimes a blank screen or sheet of paper can look a little like a cliff face when you don’t have carabiners or crampons. If a particular subject has you stumped, come back to it later. This is the importance of spacing out all your topics and/or clients. Don’t focus on one before moving to another. Do a bit here and a bit there to keep yourself fresh, spry and producing the best writing possible.
And remember, good writing is simplistic. To quote Mr. Hemingway yet again, ““Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.”
The purpose of writing is to communicate. So do this in the most simplistic way possible. This isn’t 18th-century Russia: the days of long, winding passages of words stacked like broken steps are over. Here’s an example:
There should be no supercilious abashment born in the new-found proclivity to employ search engine optimization marketing firms as the future of marketing businesses rests in the dexterous digits of these digital doyens.
Search engine optimization is a smart investment because it is the future of marketing.
This example may be absurd, but clearly the second sentence is more readable and user-friendly. Without unnecessary language, it communicates the same idea. And that is what writing for the Web is: Communication.
