Many print-based industries have struggled over the last few years as consumer’s eyes have shifted from traditional media to the web, but a session at this week’s SES San Jose noted that some of these industries – specifically publishing and newspapers – can benefit from search engine optimization (SEO).
WebProNews reports that the session touched on topics like making sure keywords were included in the headlines of articles and making sure the editorial staff is knowledgeable about search engine optimization (SEO).
The site says that Liesel Kipp of Thomson Reuters, one of the panelists at the discussion, said that in the last 5 years, Reuters was able to increase its traffic by 500 percent with help from search engine optimization (SEO).
Ulli Muenker, search marketing manager for BusinessWeek, noted that the editorial staff of publishing companies should be taught how to properly use search engine optimization (SEO) with regular SEO training sessions, especially for new hires.
Muenker also focused on headlines, especially the addition of keywords, according to WebProNews. Making sure the headlines are rich with keywords is important, she said, but she recommended avoiding the use of puns or "funny" headlines and instead get to the point.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is already affecting the news industry with a number of organizations using the tool to increase traffic. In an interview earlier this year with the Association of Online Publishers, Drew Broomhall, the search editor for the Times of London’s online edition, said he has already seen a number of journalists add keywords to headlines and intro paragraphs.
