The State of Wikipedia is a project that takes into account Wikipedia history, site statistics and results from the March 2010 Wikipedia survey conducted by the United Nations University.
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The State of Wikipedia is a project that takes into account Wikipedia history, site statistics and results from the March 2010 Wikipedia survey conducted by the United Nations University.
Guest post by William Hawkins
Have you ever heard or used certain sayings, and while you automatically may know the meaning, you’re not quite sure where the saying came from, or why others use that very same saying? These sayings are called idioms. Idioms are special phrases with figurative meanings that are different than their literal meanings. These phrases play a big role for writers who want to connect with their readers in such a way that is not so dry, and by maybe adding a little bit of humor to their work.
Incorporating idioms into your writing might be easier than you think. You probably already “know the ropes,” meaning you understand the details, because idioms are all around us, even if you don’t realize it. Any phrase or saying that you use that isn’t completely understandable by its meaning is most likely an idiom.
A penny saved is a penny earned is a very popular idiom that means by not spending you are actually saving. Has your mom ever told you that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? Of course she has: all this means is that to have something that is certain is much better than to take a risk for more because you just might lose everything in the process.
Utilizing these phrases can be a great tool for writers to convey their message all while making their work that much more entertaining for their readers. Idioms can also add a new level to whatever it is that you may be writing. It’s a powerful way to show that you can comprehend different and creative phrasing by making indirect references. The reader is being educated without even realizing it.
But you must be careful to not get too carried away with the use of these great phrases, because they can and will get you into trouble. Before using an idiom, make sure you fully understand the idiom that you are using; it will drive your readers crazy if you take an idiom out of context or you use an incorrect idiom in your work.
For example, the phrase “head over heels in love” is sometimes mistakenly written “head over feet in love.” It’s a simple and small mistake to make when you’re writing, but it’s one that can ruin whatever it is that you have written because it’s possible to lose any and all credibility you may have gained. Your work doesn’t have to be full of idioms either, so if you’re not sure what the idiom means or how to correctly use it, just don’t.
If you’re using these special phrases you must be creative with your writing because, remember, this is supposed to be fun. So next time, instead of writing that someone tried to force an issue that has been ended, simply write that they beat a dead horse. Using idioms is nothing more than a drop in the bucket! So now it’s your turn to be a big fish in a small pond.
I was speaking with a client the other day who commented on my home page, which talks about my tried-and-true SEO process. “Has your process changed much over time?” the client asked.
I stopped to think for a moment, and realized that while there have been plenty of incremental changes to my SEO process at any given point in time, the fundamentals have mostly remained the same. While Google likes to keep throwing curve balls at SEOs, their algorithm changes and new products and services don’t impact most well-developed websites.
It bothers me no end when I go to search marketing conferences to find perhaps 3 sessions that focus on SEO fundamentals, while 100 others focus on the superfluous SEO techniques du jour that may or may not bring more targeted visitors to your website. Don’t get me wrong — those more “advanced” sessions can provide awesome nuggets of information for those who already have their fundamentals in place. Yet sitting in on site clinic review sessions often reveals that most of the attendees’ websites have a long way to go with even the most basic SEO strategies.
With this in mind, today’s article focuses on your first line of SEO defense — keyword research. Optimizing for the wrong keywords — either those that are not truly relevant to what your business offers or those that aren’t being used by searchers — will have the dire consequence of making you think that SEO is mythical marketing magic that doesn’t work.
To make it easier for you to follow, I’ve broken down my keyword research process into the following 7 steps:
1. Brainstorm
2. Categorize
3. Research
4. Compile
5. Winnow
6. Determine Competitiveness
7. Choose
Brainstorm Keyword Phrases
Think about the various ways in which someone seeking your website’s product, service or information might type into Google. What phrases would they use if they were looking to buy what you offer? Jot down as many of these as you can think of. Ideally, you’ll want to look at every page of your website, because they usually have different focuses.
While your own ideas are important regarding what phrases people might use, you should also ask others to do the same thing. Find colleagues, family, friends and anyone else who might help. If you can run a small focus group consisting of people in your target market – that’s all the better!
Categorize Your Keywords
Using your brainstormed keywords, start to separate them into categories. I like to use an Excel spreadsheet with multiple worksheets for this. So, for instance, if you sell consumer electronics, you’d have multiple categories such as televisions, radios, computers, with specific keyword phrases listed under each category. For something as broad as this, you’d likely have multiple subcategories as well, such as plasma TVs, large-screen TVs, etc.
Research Your Phrases
Head to Google’s keyword suggestion tool and paste in your brainstormed keyword phrases, one category at a time. Using our consumer electronics example, you might plug in your brainstormed plasma TV keywords to start. Note: Be sure you’re logged into your Google account when using the tool or it won’t provide you with all the relevant keywords available.
After you submit your first set of brainstormed keywords through the tool, change the match preference from “broad match” to “exact match” or your data will essentially be useless. (You’ll see the keywords in square brackets if you’ve set it up correctly for exact match.) Take a quick look at the phrases that the tool spits out to make sure they’re fairly relevant, and if so, export them to a comma-separated values file (.csv).
Repeat this process for each of your categories and subcategories.
Compile Your Keyword Lists
Open each of your saved .csv files full of researched keywords, and paste them into the appropriate Excel worksheet, according to the category or subcategory in which they belong. At this point, you shouldn’t be too concerned with what the keyword phrases are or any of the numbers associated with them — you just want to compile your lists for use later. Having them all in one Excel workbook will make things a lot easier as you continue with the keyword research process.
Winnow Out Irrelevant Phrases
While Google’s keyword research tool gives you tons of relevant and related keywords to the brainstormed ones you originally entered, it also adds a lot of unrelated junk phrases. Now’s the time to remove them. There’s no easy way other than using your own brain to determine what’s related and what’s not. You can use Excel’s sorting and filtering tools, however, to search for specific words that you see a lot which you know are unrelated, and then remove them in one fell swoop. In the end, you should be left with lots of relevant keyword phrases for every category and subcategory of your website.
Determine the Competitiveness
The idea here is to learn which keyword phrases are within your reach. This simply means that they are phrases people use at Google, but many of your competitors may not have thought to optimize for them yet. Unfortunately, determining keyword competitiveness has proven to be one of the trickiest aspects of the keyword research process. It’s become even more difficult over the past year because Google doesn’t seem to want us to be able to do this easily. While their keyword research tool has a column for “competition,” it’s based on paid search, not natural search, and therefore I find it to be not very helpful in deciding the true competitiveness of any keyword phrase.
Using my method, I try to figure out how many web pages are using the keyword phrases in their title tag. My reasoning is: Because title tags are given so much weight by Google, any page that is using the phrase in their title tag is at least rudimentarily optimized for the phrase, and is therefore one of those that you’re competing against.
To do this, you can go to Google and type into the search box:
Allintitle: “your keyword phrase here”
…and see how many pages used the phrase in their title tags. One problem: While this works if you use it sparingly, as soon as you start doing a few allintitle searches in a row, our lovely friend Google will block you from continuing. (Have I told you lately how much Google dislikes SEOs?)
The only workaround I’ve found so far is to use Google’s Advanced Search page and search from there. It’s time consuming, no doubt, but the information can be valuable. Due to the difficulties with this process, however, these days I save it for only those keyword phrases that I feel are highly relevant to the website I’m optimizing.
You may ask, “What number of pages using the phrase in their title tag is a good or bad amount?” All I can tell you is — it depends. You’ll have to use your own judgment here based on your skills as an SEO and the market that you’re competing in, as well as your overall marketing budget.
Choose the Phrases for Which You Will Optimize
When trying to decide which keyword phrases to optimize your pages for, keep in mind that it’s not an exact science. The main criterion should always be relevancy. There’s no sense in optimizing for keyword phrases that are too general and untargeted that also have millions of other pages already targeting them. You’ll simply be wasting precious time that you could spend optimizing for the keyword phrases that completely and accurately describe what your site has to offer.
If a phrase is highly relevant to what you offer on your site, you should choose it, regardless of how many other pages are also using it. Just remember that if millions of other sites are optimized for your exact keywords, you’re going to have your work cut out for you. In which case, you will have to figure out why Google should show your page rather than your competitors’ pages, and make it so. If you’re going to be throwing lots of marketing dollars at your website, you can likely shoot for more competitive keywords than if you’re not doing any other marketing besides SEO.
Once you’ve completed all the keyword research steps above, you should end up with categorized lists of keyword phrases that you can then use to optimize each page of your website. Your next step will be to make a map of your site and choose 3 to 5 phrases that relate to each page, then work them in accordingly, based on sound SEO principles.
I hope this information provides you with a good start for creating your own tried-and-true SEO process!
Jill Whalen is the CEO of High Rankings, an SEO Services Company in the Boston, MA area since 1995. Follow her on Twitter @JillWhalen.
If you learned from this article, be sure to sign up for the High Rankings Advisor SEO Newsletter so you can be the first to receive similar articles in the future!
Are you one of the many bright people who speaks well but has trouble with the mechanics of writing: following those confusing rules concerning spelling, punctuating, capitalizing, etc.? Is a relative, co-worker or editor constantly whipping out a dictionary, style guide, or grammar handbook to point out mistakes in your writing, making you want to slam their fingers in Chapter 6?
If so, have you spent precious time striving to learn who’s right? Or is that whose wright?
Does it matter? If you’re speaking, perhaps not. If you’re writing, it may matter.
The reasons for not writing well are varied, but that doesn’t stop people from being good communicators…from creating fantastic stories and plots…from giving life and light and meaning to words.
You are bright. Never forget that….
Now it’s time to move forward and have fun writing right!
Yes, I said fun!
Let’s find ways to avoid common mistakes in
* Spelling
* Pronunciation
* Capitalization
* Punctuation
* Usage
And much more!
COMMON MISTAKES
A and An: “an historical book” is not idiomatic in American English. Before a pronounced (breathy) h, the indefinite article should be a. A hotel; a historical. Precede a word beginning with a “breathy” h with an a. (6.60CMS14)
Due to or Because of? Due to modifies nouns and is generally used after some form of the verb to be (is, are, was, were, etc.). Jim Wilson’s success is due to talent and spunk (due to modifies success, not talent). Because of should modify verbs. Ted resigned because of poor health (because of modifies resigned). (1101GRM7)
Its or It’s? This is one of the most common problem areas of our language, probably because possessives almost always use apostrophes. Its is an exception. Its: The possessive form of the pronoun it is never written with an apostrophe, e.g., . . . read the book. “Its title is . . .” or, “What is its value?” It’s: contractions of it is and it has. It’s time to go. It’s been great. (AHD3)
Nauseous or Nauseated Often used incorrectly, but don’t get nauseating about its usage. Nauseous means sickening to observe: disgusting. Nauseated means sick to one’s stomach. Pregnant women often experience nausea. When they describe the way they feel, they should say, “I feel nauseated,” but if a pregnant woman says, “I feel nauseous,” don’t correct her grammar: give her a hug and some ginger ale! Timing is everything.
Their, They’re, or There? Their: possessive form of the word they, e.g., Their Web site is full of typos. They’re: contraction of the words “they” and “are,” e.g., They’re doing a great job on their Web site. There: at or in that place, e.g., “Now there is a stunning Web site. (AHD3)
Your or you’re? This is probably the second most common problem area in our language. You’re: contraction of the words “you are,” e.g., “You’re up for an award. Someone said you’re leaving.” Your is a possessive form of a personal pronoun, e.g., “I like your Web site. Tom, thanks for giving your time to this effort.” Both: “Your knowledge of HTML shows that you’re a dedicated designer.” (AHD3)
Let’s tackle just a few of the most confusing word pairs and groups:
* Accept: receive…..Except: exclude
* Adverse: opposed…..Averse: not interested
* Affect: change, influence…..Effect: (v) to bring about (n) result, impression
* Appraise: value…..Apprise: inform, notify
* Lay: to set down, to place or put an item down…..Lie: to recline
* Principal: first in authority; main participant; amount of a debt less interest…..Principle: basic truth or assumption
* Ensure: to make sure or certain; guarantee; to protect…..Insure: to take out or issue insurance; to pay or be paid money in the case of loss…..Assure: convince, make sure of something, to give confidence; to declare or promise confidently
* Their: belonging to; possessive of “they” (another case where a possessive does not have an apostrophe)…..There: at, or in that place…..they’re: combination of “they are”
* To: in the direction of; toward…..Too: in addition; as well, also…..Two: more than one; less than three
GRAMMAR BASICS
* Adjectives are modifiers. They describe nouns & specify size, color, number, etc., e.g., The small “x” in the upper corner of the window is used to exit your file.
* Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives & other adverbs, e.g., The exhausted secretary screamed loudly as her monitor flickered slowly, then died.
* Alliteration can give a pleasing sound to a sentence, as long as it’s not overdone, e.g., World Wide Web . . . smelly, slimy SCSI . . . resonant ringing.
* Clauses are groups of words with a subject and predicate. A main clause stands alone as a sentence; a subordinate clause is incomplete and is used with a main clause to express an idea. Main:I will play Tetris, Subordinate: when I have time.
* Compound nouns usually form the plural by pluralizing the fundamental part of the word, e.g., attorneys general; spelling matches; vice presidents.
* Conjunctions join words, phrases or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, either, neither, yet, so, so that. (Yet & so are also used as adverbs.) Subordinating conjunctions join two clauses (main and dependent/subordinate): although, because, since, until, while, etc.
* Metaphors suggest comparison between two different things, e.g., Bill Gates has a heart of gold…His mind is a sharp razor.
* Mondegreens: Misheard lyrics. Example: “Donuts Make my Brown Eyes Blue” rather than “Don’t it Make my Brown Eyes Blue” or “Are you Going to Starve an Old Friend?” instead of “Are you Going to Scarborough Fair?” or “Ham on Rye” rather than Kenny Loggins “I’m alright.”
* Noun The name of a person, place, thing, quality or action. Nerd, Bellingham, desk, truth, discovery, frustration.
* Phrases are closely related words with no subject or predicate, and may be used as nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs, e.g., Waiting for Technical Support has kept me at my desk all afternoon (noun). The typing could have been done earlier (verb). The person with the bleary eyes is a computer nerd (adjective). Buy memory chips now, since the price will go up soon (adverb).
* Predicates are one of two main components of a sentence. They are verbs and the words used to explain the action or condition. They always agree with the Subject, e.g., Choosing the right ISP can be a difficult process.
* Prepositions show how nouns or pronouns relate to other words in a sentence, e.g., Little Susie rolled the $800 CD ROM into the bathroom; her mother hid behind the shower curtain, praying for self-control.
* Pronouns are substitutes for nouns, e.g., Judy sat at her computer and opened WordPerfect. Suddenly, her mind went blank, so she contacted Luz Vergara, the WordPerfect Wiz.
* Proper nouns form their plurals by adding s to the singular or es if the word ends in s, z, ch, sh, or zh, e.g., the Carolinas, Robinsons, Piersons, Judys, Joneses, Savages, Morrises.
* Similes show a similarity between two things, using “like.” Bill Prowell has a mind like a razor…After six hours at the computer, her eyelids felt like lead weights.
* Subjects, one of two main components of a sentence, are nouns, pronouns, or phrases used as nouns, e.g., Choosing the right ISP can be a difficult process.
* Verbs make things happen, show action or state of being & also indicate time of action or being, e.g., Jeff’s son waved goodbye to the computer repairman (past). I need to shut down Windows (present). You will enjoy learning HTML (future).
* Voice. Active is preferable to passive to create action and interest. Connie typed the letter (active). The letter was typed by Connie (passive). Sometimes, in certain types of scholarly and scientific documents, passive voice is preferred.
You can win the grammar game! If you need any kind of help with word stuff, contact Judy Vorfeld. Who knows, your question may be the subject of a future article! (With your permission, of course!)
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