“I think that journalism is inherently SEO friendly,” Lancaster said during the Twitter chat. “People searching for news find sites based on search engine power.”

The following is based on tips that Lancaster shared during the hour-long chat, as well as suggestions, resources and links provided by him and writers who participated. This is by no means the end-all, be-all on the subject, but should be enough to get you started. If you’re interested in learning more, I’ve included some additional resources at the end of the post. If you know of others, please feel free to add them in a comment.

What is SEO?
SEO is a way of formatting information on the web so it appears in the highest possible position within results of searches people do on Google or other popular search engines.

What should I add to my articles, blog posts or other Web copy so it shows up in searches?
For SEO purposes, you can tag your articles or posts with a variety of descriptors including:

• Permalinks
• Meta links
• Keywords
• Links
• Alt tags

What are permalinks?
By default, WordPress uses your article’s title as the permanent link or to the content. But sometimes the title is too long for search engines to pick up. WordPress lets you use a “permalinks” tool to edit an article’s URL. Lancaster suggests editing a permalink down to 3 to 5 keywords to help an article rank better. “Sometimes I’m lazy and forget to edit my own permalinks before publishing, which brings me to an important point,” he says. “Once your article goes live, it’s too late to edit the permalink.” Doing so will cause a 404 or “file not found” error, which causes Google to drop the article from the index. So, don’t edit any permalinks after the fact.

What are keywords and what’s the best way to use them?
Keywords are a handful of words or phrases that briefly sum up what an article is about. Putting keywords in headlines is a great way to snag traffic. Using keywords in subheads also helps stories or posts get picked up by search engines. For personal blogs, “SEO isn’t about keywords really, but (they’re) a big part of the picture,” Lancaster says.

Should writers worry about keyword density? Isn’t that what content mills encourage their writers to use?
Keyword density describes writing web content in a way that packs as many keywords as possible into as few words as possible. But, according to Lancaster, writers shouldn’t worry about keyword density. New research into something called LDA is showing that keyword density doesn’t matter. “Well-written content trumps low quality content in the long run,” he says.

What’s the best way to pick keywords to describe a story or post?
Use keyword research tools such as SpyFu, Soovle, and Google AdWords Keyword to find popular keywords, then work those terms into your content. Writer Dawn Papandrea suggests asking ourself what words someone would use to search for a specific topic, and then including that phrase in your headline or first paragraph. Or, Papandrea suggests, “Start by doing a Google search on the topic and see what comes up. Try different phrases/word combinations.” Or look at search terms that brought people to your blog in the past and use the same terms when you write about that subject again.

What’s so great about links?
To maximize SEO, include links to other web content in your stories or blog posts as a way to get other relevant, quality websites linking back to you, which will boost traffic, and search results. “Encourage linking. If you can get links to your blog or Facebook page, you will raise your credibility with search engines,” Lancaster says. “Good sites link both in and out, and I believe sites with outbound links to other good sites rank better.”

What does anchor text have to do with links?
Anchor text is the text you click on in a link. On most websites it shows up as blue, underlined or both. You can learn more about it in this anchor text cheat sheet from SEOmoz.

What are ‘alt tags’ and why do they matter?
Alt tags are short text descriptions of an image that search engines pay very close attention to. A well-optimized page has images, and those images have alt tags containing keywords. Writers and bloggers who run their blogs on Blogger’s free blogging software platform can follow instruction in this post on The Original Blogger Tips and Tricks blog to add alt tags to images in their Blogger posts.

How can you tell if the SEO formatting you’re adding to a blog post or story is working?
Google Analytics is the key, it can show both trends over time and recent top keywords. “Using tools, you find what people are searching for, then you write about that,” Lancaster says. If you’re running a blog, website or news operation on WordPress.org, Lancaster recommends the Google Analyticator plugin. He also recommends using Google Webmaster tools to see where a site ranks on specific search terms.

Any other good SEO plugins?
The All in One SEO Pack WordPress plugin is good for focusing on either categories, tags, or archives, Lancaster says.

What about quirky content, the new or unusual stories that readers wouldn’t know to search for but love once they find them. How do you get traffic to them?
It’s hard to use SEO for quirky content. One option is making it easy to find by using a easy-to-recall phrase in it. But, Lancaster says, since people aren’t searching for those types of stories, using social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to promote them is probably a better way to go.

How can fiction writers use SEO?
Fiction writers can benefit from SEO, mostly to build their reputation and audience. Fiction writers can use SEO to generate traffic, then convert that traffic into subscribers or Facebook fans. “Maybe SEO can help you if you want to rank for something like ‘Denver children’s author’ or ‘Colorado fiction writing’,” Lancaster says.

How much time should a writer who’s busy with paid assignments and maintaining their own blog (or blogs) spend on SEO?
Some experts suggest an hour a day. Sara Lancaster, wife of Jason, copywriter and WordCount Blogathon participatant and sponsor, says: “As much time as you can spare. What good is a blog or website if no one can find it?” As you’d expect, Jason Lancaster says writers should concentrate on what they’re good at and pay someone do do their SEO work for them (no doubt a nice option if you can afford it). If you can afford to go that route, what would it cost? Basic SEO reviews of a writer’s website or blog like the kind Lancaster does run approximately $499. Read about one such SEO review Lancaster did in this post on the Spork Marketing blog.

What are big SEO mistakes that writers make?
Using free blog hosts and not using Google Analytics. “If writers want a successful personal website, they’ve got to get away from Blogger, etc., and get their own site,” Lancaster says. Then, use Google Analytics to see what’s happening.

Other tips:

• The first basic concept for SEO: search engines must understand your content. Have a search-friendly site.
• Search engines use links to determine authority and trust. More links equals more trust and higher rankings.
• Re-writing or editing old posts with an SEO slant can be a great way to get more traffic.

One final note – According to Lancaster, SEO consultants have a hard time finding competent copywriters who can write, understand SEO and meet deadlines.  ”I know of a few SEO consultants who have tried to pay someone overseas to write their stuff cheap, and it never works out,” Lancaster says. “As SEO consultants learn and grow, they’re starting to recognize the importance of high quality writing.” You can read more of what he has to say on the subject in this post on Search Engine Journal.

Here are some previous WordCount posts on SEO:

• SEO for writers? Forget about it
• 7 simple SEO tips for writers
• The well-dressed blog post
• SEO and blog post tags: more isn’t better
• What freelance writers should know about SEO

Here are some other useful resources for learning more about SEO for writers:

• The Beginners Guide to Search Engine Optimization (SEOmoz)
• A freelance writer’s basic guide to SEO (Daily Writing Tips)
• Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Optimization (Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guides)

Major media companies are working to beat the recession by repackaging and repurposing what they do to get more customers – and you can too. You don’t even have to think of innovations yourself. Just copy what the big boys are doing.

One example – the New York Times recently announced some of its most notable writers and columnists will be teaching online classes through the paper’s Knowledge Network online education center for $125 to $185 per session. If you’ve been in the writing business for awhile, taught a class or two or regularly talk to industry conferences or local groups, you’ve probably accumulated enough background material and experience working in a live setting to offer yourself as a writing coach. Whether you charge as much as the New York Times is beside the point – it’s another potential revenue stream.

Here are a few other examples of innovations big media or online companies are undertaking, and how freelance writers can follow suit:

1. Put on a fresh face. Over the next few months, Yahoo will be giving its various online services a major facelift, including its flagship search engine service. Among other things, the new look is meant to make search results more relevant to what people are looking for, and to tap into information from social networks.
The freelance twist – If you haven’t touched your website or blog design in a while, it’s time for a remodel. If you don’t have the hours, money or inclination for a complete overhaul, at least read through the text on your site’s standing pages to make sure it reflects the current direction of your business, or where you’d like to take it in the next three to six months – all the better to stay relevant to what visitors to the site are looking for. If you have a blog, a minor tune up could include checking to see if links on your blogroll still work, swapping out old picture for new ones, or adding a landing page for new Twitter followers.

2. Go online. Earlier in 2009, a cash-strapped Seattle Post Intelligencer opted to shut down its printing presses and go online-only. The news outfit – you really can’t call it a newspaper anymore – cut its editorial staff but added dozens of neighborhood bloggers.
The freelance twist - If you’re not already writing for web-based publishers or blogs, now’s the time. That doesn’t necessarily mean signing up to write for a pittance for content aggregators such as Examiner.com or Demand Studios. There are plenty of other relatively well-paid online-only publishers in consumer, business, technology and trade magazine niches. As outfits like the SeattlePI.com ramp up neighborhood news coverage, some are looking for experienced writers who can cover hyperlocal beats. You might not make a lot of money at it at first, or by itself, but it could become a launch pad for other work, just as community newspapers have long served as a training ground for young journalists.

3. Team up. Come September, the Los Angeles Times will take over delivering papers for its one-time arch-rival The Orange County Register (no word what affect a potential a bankruptcy filing of the Register’s parent company that’s expected any day might have on the deal).
The freelance twist - Find a couple like-minded freelancers and collaborate on a project. Parenting freelancers Teri Cettina, Kris Bordessa and Jeannette Moninger turned their shared interest into an e-book on successful parenting article queries called Cash in on Your Kids they’re marketing through their respective websites and other channels. Another group of freelance writers spearheaded by Jennifer Maciejewski latched onto the frugal living phenomena and started the Cities on the Cheap franchise, with individual writers running websites that list coupons, freebies and cheap things to do in their respective cities.  It’s a great example of the power of working together to create a whole that’s more than the sum of its parts.

4. Go mobile. From Wired to BusinessWeek to NPR, news organizations ares repackaging content and sticking it on the iPhone. Wired’s app lets you read every gadget review the tech magazine’s every published. BusinessWeek’s has data on 42,000 public and 322,000 private companies worldwide. NPR’s lets you listen to your favorite public radio station whenever and wherever you are.
The freelance twist – Pair up with a local software developer and come up with your own mobile app. Take classes on how to get started from organizations such as Knowledgewebb, News University or the Online News Association. Because mobile apps of all kinds are so popular, you don’t even need to know how to do all the back-end stuff yourself – you can buy pre-packaged software code for functions such as sending messages to users or completing online purchases from mobile app startups like UrbanAirship.

Have you taken an idea from a big company and recast it into something that works for you? If so, please share.

Do I write for Web content aggregators? No.

I write for magazines that publish stories in print and online. I write for business and trade magazines that publish some stories in print and some online. I write for e-zines, news sites and custom publishers that publish only online. I write for this blog.

I don’t need to write for content aggregators. After more years in the business than I care to share, I don’t have to. I know a good story when I see one. I can find sources. I’ve pulled court documents and interviewed relatives of homicide victims and dying children. I’ve combed through 10Ks and dissected proxy statements. I’ve walked the floors at trade shows and grilled CEOs. I know how to write a basic news story in the inverted pyramid style. I can write an essay, a feature, a Q&A, an op-ed, a column. I can write headlines, cutlines and pull quotes, charticles and “at a glance” fact boxes. I blog. I tweet. I can do simple HTML coding, add keyword tags and know the basics of SEO (sort of). I can take pictures, though I’ve yet to tackle video or podcasts.

So content aggregators hold no appeal.

But writing online, that’s attractive. At one point, I freelanced for some of the biggest newspapers in the country, the biggest tech magazines and the largest financial wire service in the world.

Today, 90 percent of my stories show up online right away and 100 percent eventually.  And I’m well paid for the work – in fact, extremely very well paid.

If that makes me a Web content writer, so be it. Because in another year or two, even more news stories, essays, columns, blog posts and charticles from established media companies and publishers yet to be born will go directly online.

I’ll be ready.