Since search engines use keywords as a jumping off point when filtering results, it’s incredibly important to make sure that you know how to use keywords in your content correctly so that your content has a better chance of being found, indexed and ranked.

While there are many opinions on how to use keywords for SEO, I want to provide you with a basic and quick step-by-step guide on how to correctly and safely use keywords in any type of SEO content that you write/post.

How Many Keywords Should You Use On A Page?

When talking about how many keywords to focus on in a page, the answer depends a lot on the keywords you are wanting to use, how related they are to one another, and if they help push the message of the content forward. With the right keyword research, though, it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with a list of 5-10 keywords. That being said, it doesn’t mean you should focus on all 10!

Let’s first discuss the rules of keyword hierarchy. There are 3 main types of keywords for SEO:

1. Primary Keyword
2. Secondary Keywords
3. Additional Keywords

Your primary keyword should be the main focus of the entire article, so the title and ensuing content should reflect that. You can’t really write a good piece of content about 2 separate topics, so only one primary keyword should be used to drive the meat of the content forward.

Secondary keywords are complementary keywords to the primary one, but just slight variations. Usually a main topic will include 3-5 main talking points so using a handful of those secondary keywords makes sense.

Additional keywords are just any other related keywords that are phrased or spelled differently than the first two but mean the same thing. This is a catch-all net to get different variations of your main keywords in there to try and rank for one (or all) of them. Typically, “long-tail” keywords would be included in this category.

So Again, How Many Keywords for SEO?

In most cases, it would be 3-8 total, based on the length of the content. This breaks down into 1 primary keyword, 1-3 secondary keywords and 1-4 additional keywords. This gives you a fighting chance to start ranking for one of them and then further down the line you can even reoptimize your content based on what it’s currently ranking for at that time.

Using more than 8 or so keywords (assuming you don’t have either insanely long content or extremely short content) can come off as spammy. It’s also incredibly hard to naturally incorporate that many keywords for SEO into writing, and really isn’t necessary. What you’ll find is that related keywords will naturally and automatically come up when writing content based around a few really good keywords. Doing more than this usually hurts readability and sticks out like a sore thumb to readers as well as to Google’s page crawlers.

Where to Use Keywords for SEO in Your Content Writing

It’s easy to just say “you need to add keywords for SEO”, but implementing it is a different matter entirely. In fact, there are certain rules and best-practices for adding keywords to a website that can make your SEO efforts much more worthwhile.

You should insert keywords into your content writing using the following steps:

1. Use Keywords in Your Meta Description

This is one of the most basic ways to add keywords for SEO, but it’s often overlooked. The meta description acts as a simple summary to describe what the content is about, so placing the keyword in this summary helps Google to better filter your results. It’s a powerful way to get 1 or 2 of your most important keywords attached to the part of your page that’s directly served up by search engines.

As a refresher, a Meta Description is a 160 character (or 20-25 word) description of what your page is all about. This description is what shows up under a page name and URL when people search for a keyword phrase on search engines. Here is an example of a Meta Description as it appears on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

How to Use Keywords for SEO in a Meta Description

First, it’s important to have the right tools. If you’re using WordPress, try downloading the Yoast SEO Plugin. This little plugin allows you to quickly optimize your content for both SEO and readability, as well as gives you spots to enter in your Meta Description and SEO Title Tag (see step #2).

Next, when using SEO keywords in a meta description make sure to use the keyword at least once, but no more than twice. Be sure to prioritize a helpful, enticing description over keyword stuffing though, since this is the first thing someone will read before ever visiting your website.

SEO Pro Tip: If you can get a secondary keyword in your meta along with one instance of your primary, you’re killin’ it when it comes to using keywords for SEO.

2. Insert Keywords in Your SEO Title Tag

Keep in mind, I said SEO title, not your main article title. You’ll be optimizing that in just a minute. First things first, let’s get some helpful keyword data in your SEO title tag (also known as a meta title tag). This title tag is similar to the meta description in that it is the name of the page that users will see on search engine results pages (SERPs) when they search a keyword phrase. This title will be clickable from the SERPs and will take the user directly to your page. Here is an example:

How to Use Keywords for SEO in a Meta Title Tag

Similar to meta descriptions, you only have a few characters (about 50-60) to use when writing your SEO title tag. Because of that, you typically want to limit your title tag to just your primary keyword as well as your company name. This is the most concise, user-friendly and SEO-friendly way to execute it.

3. Use Keywords in Your Article Title

If possible, put the keyword in the title of your content. Since Google pairs this title header with your meta description to paint a picture of what your content is about, having the keyword in the title is very helpful as long as it can be used naturally.

If the keyword can’t be used naturally in the title, use a variation that still gets the point of the article across while hitting some of the main words from your keyword phrase. A little is better than nothing!

4. Use Keywords Within the First 200 Words

Many experts believe that Google gives more weight to the first 200 words in your content. The reason why is because usually the first 100-200 words of an article are where a content writer sets up the introduction of what will be discussed. Since most readers only continue on in an article if the introduction is good, it stands to reason that it could be a ranking factor as well.

Where to Use Keywords in an Article Introduction

Knowing that Google scrutinizes the first 200 words of a blog post, it’s very important to make sure that you put your primary keyword within the first sentence or paragraph, if at all possible, without sacrificing the quality of the content. Similarly, you should try to use at least one secondary keyword in the first 200 words as well (though not in the first sentence).

Keep in mind that Google is trying to get an overall picture of what the article is all about, and the way you outline your content really matters. You have to be careful to lead Google to the keywords you want it to focus on and not confuse it when optimizing content for keywords. This means your primary keyword should live in all the most important places, your secondary keywords next, and then any other additional keywords after that. Think of it as a pyramid of usage, with primary keywords at the top.

The focus of the article (and introduction) would be the top of the primary, filled in by secondary and lastly additional keywords to make up an entire keyword structure and strategy for that piece.

 

5. Insert Keywords Naturally Throughout the Article

In a seemingly SEO-centered digital world, it’s easy to forget that the reader actually comes first. You should never compromise your reader’s ability to be engaged, informed and enlightened by your content because of bad keyword placement. But believe me, it happens all the time. Here is one solution to help you write your keywords more naturally in your content.

Use Stop Words in Awkward Keyword Phrases

One way to help you write keywords more naturally is to utilize “Stop Words” in your keyword writing. These are words that can be added within keyword phrases to help them read more naturally without decreasing their ranking value.

For instance, if you had a keyword phrase you were targeting that reads “plumbing Salt Lake City“, there is literally no way you can insert it into your content exactly as-is without it either looking like a typo or a blatant keyword insertion. The better way to add keywords for SEO is to use a stop word in that phrase. Adding the stop word “in”, would now have it read “plumbing in Salt Lake City”, which can much more easily be inserted into natural writing. Try it out!

You can easily find a list of commonly used stop words you can utilize when adding keywords to your website.

How Many Keywords Should You Put in Your Content?

This is a great question that’s often discussed and argued about among SEOs. The real answer is that it completely depends on the types of keywords you have and the length of your content.

The general rule, however, is you should try to include your primary keyword about once every 100-150 words. So if you’re writing a 1000 word article, inserting the primary keyword around 7-10 times would be appropriate. Also keep in mind that you want to fairly distribute these instances of the keyword throughout the article. You don’t want all 7 instances of your primary keyword in the same 200 word section or you lose the flow of a consistent keyword theme throughout.

Secondary and Additional keywords, however, shouldn’t be in the article more than your primary keyword. Whatever your baseline is for using your primary keyword in your content, decrease by about 25% for secondary and another 25% for additional keywords for SEO. Then you can keep a healthy keyword structure that Google crawlers should easily be able to follow.

6. Use Keywords in the Last 200 Words

Similar to how an introduction of an article is important to keyword rankings because it sets the framework for the content, it could be argued that the conclusion (or last 200 words) is just as important, if not more important. For this reason, try to include your primary keyword again near the last or second-to-last paragraph and include a secondary keyword if possible.

For blog posts, it’s usually good practice to include a call-to-action (or CTA) in the very last paragraph, so if you can fit the primary keyword there, great! If not, get it in that second-to-last paragraph as we talked about above.

7. Use Keywords in Headings (H1s, H2s, H3s, etc)

Headings are a formatting tool that most text editors offer to allow you to help break up your text. From a purely visual standpoint, they are a must-have. Huge chunks of paragraph content with no end in sight are intimidating and often skipped completely. Using headings to break up content allows you to visually move the reader along to the most important points, or the ones they are most interested in.

From an SEO standpoint, headings might be even more important. The HTML tags used to identify H1s, H2s, H3s, etc are also ranking signals for Google to know what’s most important in the content. Adding keywords to headings in content may be the single best way to try and rank for multiple keywords. The more content you have, the more headings you have – so longer content usually ranks better than shorter content.

When a keyword is used in headings, it brings more emphasis to the meaning and importance of the keywords. This helps the search engines to know how relevant those keywords are to your content. Here’s an example of where to find heading formats in a text editor:

How to Add Keywords to Heading 1s (H1s)

Heading 1s, or H1s, are typically reserved just for the main title of the article. If you use multiple H1s in your content, you’re basically asking Google to get confused. Instead, just stick to a single H1 as your article title with your primary keyword included.

How to Use Keywords in Heading 2s (H2s)

Heading 2s, or H2s, are where you can do the bulk of inserting important keywords. H2s are the headings that break up the main sections of your content and usually come into play every couple hundred words. For a 1000 word article, you can plan on around 3-5 of these H2s. this is where you’d want to include the primary keyword again in one of them and reserve the rest for secondary keywords you are targeting.

How to Insert Keywords to Heading 3s (H3s)

Heading 3s, or H3s, are used to help break up and list individual points in the main sections. You might find H3s in the form of numbered lists or clarifying sections to an H2 heading. This is another good place for an instance of the primary, but probably a better spot for secondary keywords and any additional keywords you have.

8. Use Keywords in Anchor Text Links

When a keyword is used as an anchor text link in your content, it implies that there is a place to find even more information regarding that word. This helps to place added emphasis on the keyword and the relevance it has to the content it’s being linked to. So how does that apply to the article you’re currently writing?

Well, it doesn’t. Not exactly. Using keywords as anchor text links in your articles can help OTHER pages on your site. This is also known as creating an internal link structure showing Google where the most important articles are for exact keyword phrases. If you can plan your content accordingly, you know you can use anchor text links of certain keyword phrases to drive the authority of other “pillar” pieces.

SEO Pro Tip: Do NOT use your primary keyword (or variation of it) in anchor text that is linking to another page unless you’ve completely given up hope of ranking for that keyword on that page. Doing this basically tells Google to ignore that keyword on the page you’re working on and to look for it in the page you’re linking to. This is a common mistake that a lot of content marketers make. Instead, find a related topic within your article with an associated keyword that you can link to another page to help improve it’s authority. For any of the main keywords you hope to rank for on the page you’re working on, DO NOT LINK out to other pages using them as the anchor text.

I won’t get too much more into the specifics of link structures in this article, but if you’re interested then check out what Neil Patel has to say.

9. Use Keywords in Image Alt-tags

First of all, if you aren’t using images in your content writing then PLEASE do so! I can’t overemphasize how many opportunities you’re missing out on if you aren’t using some kind of visual cue to help educate, engage and inform your readers and prospective clients. Images and content writing (and videos for that matter) are a perfect marriage when it comes to user engagement.

How to Use SEO Keywords in Alt Tags

In terms of keyword usage, using your keywords in an image alt-tag can help it to be shown during image searches. This can help users to be led to your content in a round-about way.

Not only do images help break up the text and give it color, personality and sex appeal, they also can be a great opportunity for you to add keywords for SEO to your website. Take advantage of putting images in your articles and the blessed alt-text you’re allowed to manipulate.

10. Use Keywords in URL

Last, but not least, when it comes to adding keywords to your website to maximize your onsite SEO, you should always try to put your primary keyword in the main page URL of the article you’ve written. If you’ve done the steps above and put your primary keyword in the title of your article, it should be in the URL automatically when you go to publish it. But even if your title is similar to the main keyword but doesn’t include it completely, you should tweak your page URL to include it after the fact.  Here is an example:

There has often been talk among SEOs and content marketers of whether or not it’s necessary to put your primary keyword into your page URL and if it affects rankings. Based on a study we did here at BKA Content, analyzing around 60 posts over a 6 month period, the posts we had with a keyword as a part of the page URL were overwhelmingly ranking for that exact keyword, where posts that didn’t have the targeted keyword in the URL did not. That’s enough evidence for me that it IS effective to include the keyword in the page URL.

SEO Pro Tip: During that same content marketing study we did here at BKA Content, there were some concerns that changing the URL after the fact might hurt any existing rankings we had for that page and that the page might not recover. After changing the URL after the fact (while always including a redirect from the original URL), there was always an immediate drop in tracked rankings in our keyword tracking tool, but it never affected our actual site traffic. In fact, almost every page that had the URL adjusted ended up rebounding in about 3-4 weeks in our keyword tracking tools to rank for more keywords than they were originally.

Track, Refine and Use Different Keywords If Necessary

Last of all, don’t forget that you can go back and re-optimize your posts in a few months once the dust has settled. Give your content about 3 months before you decide to make any real changes, then go and see what keywords it’s ranking for and what’s gained traction, and optimize further from there. If your post is ranking better for a secondary or additional keyword than the initial “primary keyword”, then switch your primary keyword for SEO!

Just be sure to be careful about making massive changes or you could end up capsizing the entire boat. Engage in the art of SEO maintenance and make small changes to optimize keywords and see if the results are favorable. Do this over and over again and you’ll have a really fine-tuned content marketing strategy on your hands.

Conclusion: How to Use Keywords for SEO

• Focus on 3-8 keywords total per article (primary, secondary and additional).
• Add keywords to Meta Descriptions, Meta Title Tags and page URLs.
• Use keywords in title, headers, Alt-Image tags.
• Insert keywords in the first and last paragraphs and evenly throughout.
• If it doesn’t work naturally, don’t use it. Keywords should be relevant and highly applicable to your content, if the word is odd or doesn’t fit, use the correct version of it that makes sense or throw it out.
• While keywords are great, the meat of the content is the most important thing you should focus on. Keyword-riddled content helps nobody and Google will not rank your content unless it helps somebody.

So there you have it, basically everything you could ever want to know about how to use SEO keywords in your writing. Have anything to add about using keywords for SEO? Leave it in the comments below!

What Are Subordinate Conjunctions?

So what is a subordinating conjunction? Subordinating conjunctions join independent clauses with a dependent or subordinate clause. A clause that is dependent (subordinate) is a clause that contains two qualities.

The first quality is that a subordinate clause does not complete a thought on its own, which means it can’t act as a sentence on its own. The second quality is that it relies on an independent clause, which is a clause that can act as a sentence on its own.

The word because is a great way to quickly help you to understand subordinate conjunctions. The word because exists to show you the cause and effect of something, which is essentially what a subordinate conjunction does.

List of Subordinating Conjunctions

Whereas coordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions link two equal elements, subordinate conjunctions are the link between two unequal elements. This usually occurs when you link a main or independent clause with a subordinate or dependent clause. This combination creates a complex sentence that requires the use of a subordinating conjunction.

There are many subordinate conjunctions to keep track of, but here is a list of those most commonly used.

After	Once	Until
Although	Provided that	When
As	Rather than	Whenever
Because	Since	Where
Before	So that	Whereas
Even if	Than	Wherever
Even though	That	Whether
If	Though	While
In order to	Unless	Why

Although many people consider them to be subordinate conjunctions, words such as however, accordingly, still, otherwise and so forth are referred to as conjunctive adverbs, which are slightly different in function from subordinate conjunctions, and they’re punctuated differently as well.

How To Use and Punctuate Subordinating Conjunctions

There are two main functions of subordinating conjunctions: to transition between two ideas and to reduce importance of one clause over another. On the matter of importance, the main clause is the one that is given importance over the subordinate clause.

Transition: I often sit down to write articles after my children eat breakfast.
Reducing Importance: Although it is a beautiful day outside, I plan on working inside at my computer.

There are four main ways to construct sentences using subordinating conjunction. See the subordinating conjunctions examples below:

1. Main clause and subordinate clause. There is no comma required with this simple structure.

– Amber rubbed her eyes as she opened a new training article.
– I prefer to write while my children are at school.

2. Subordinate clause and main clause. Because the sentence is beginning with a dependent clause, a comma should usually come at the end of the subordinate clause before starting the main clause.

– While Drew sets up the trading show booth, Jon explains BKA services to some interested guests.
– Although Katie assured me it was OK, I felt terrible about asking for a writing extension.

3. Main clause and essential relative clause. This involves the use of a relative pronoun such as where, who, that or which. If the relative pronoun is used to clarify a general noun, it is essential and does not require a comma before it. If the essential relative clause interrupts a main sentence, do not put commas around it.

– I like to type in the bedroom where the ceiling fan is located.
– Sharon graciously edited the articles that were due later that day.
– Interrupted: I can usually tell when my neighbor who owns an old truck leaves for work in the morning.

4. Main clause and nonessential relative clause. This again uses a relative pronoun. When the relative pronoun follows a specific noun, the clause is nonessential and should include a comma before it. If the nonessential relative clause interrupts a main sentence, put commas around it.

– Few people enjoy May 4th as much as Greg, who loves Star Wars.
– I curled up to read the first book of The Prydain Chronicles, which is one of my favorite series.
– Interrupted: When it comes to law articles, Claudia, who is a legal whiz, knows just what to write.

Subordinating Conjunctions: Make Your Writing Interesting

Complex sentences make blogs, articles and web pages unique with interesting writing. Now that you know the essential elements of constructing complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions, which subordinating conjunction do you use the most in SEO content? Can you identify how many were used in this article outside of the examples? Sound off in the comments below! 

 

Need Help Writing Your Website’s Content?

Just because you know the rules of writing great content doesn’t mean you have to do it all by yourself! If you’re a small business owner or digital marketing agency looking for help writing content for SEO, look no further! We have writing experts that also know how to implement proper keyword research and strategy to create a winning content formula. Check our our monthly SEO blog writing services to learn more!

I personally love the use of adverbs at certain times to further clarify the action of a sentence, especially when taking on an SEO writing project. Although there is some debate as to whether or not adverbs weaken writing, there is likely to come a time, whether you are writing a journalistic article or a short story, that you will need to use an adverb. Incidentally, many prolific content writers find themselves using sentence adverbs more often than they realize.

 

Define Sentence Adverbs

So what is a sentence adverb? Whereas an adverb typically modifies the verb of a sentence, a sentence adverb is an adverb that appears usually at the beginning of a sentence and modifies the sentence as a whole. This type of adverb usually ends in –ly and is often followed by a comma.

Sentence Adverb Examples:

– She carefully considered whether proper grammar should dictate her future friendships.

In this sentence, carefully is an adverb modifying the verb considered.

– Thankfully, the lower roads were free of snow and ice on our drive over.

In this sentence, the adverb thankfully applies to the entire sentence and not just the verb.

 

List of Sentence Adverbs

There are many different sentence adverbs that are usable at the beginning of a sentence. Here is an adverbs list of the most commonly used ones:

Actually	Fortunately	Regrettably
Apparently	Hopefully	Seriously
Basically	Ideally	Strangely
Briefly	Incidentally	Surprisingly
Certainly	Indeed	Thankfully
Clearly	Interestingly	Theoretically
Conceivably	Ironically	Truthfully
Confidentially	Naturally	Ultimately
Curiously	Predictably	Wisely
Evidently	Presumably

If you look carefully, you will notice that not all of the adverbs on this list end in -ly. The main qualification for identifying a sentence adverb is whether it modifies the whole sentence.

 

The ‘Hopefully’ Debate

If you happen to know anyone who is a bit of a grammar snob, he or she might tell you that it is incorrect to use hopefully as a sentence adverb. This is one of those grammar myths that is not necessarily true. Some people profess that the use of hopefully is indicative of lazy writing and makes the meaning of the sentence unclear.

However, hopefully appears in all kinds of writing, and you can even find it in the dictionary as meaning “I hope” or “it is to be hoped.” While certain individuals might nitpick and even argue with you over its use, hopefully is a generally acceptable sentence adverb, especially in plain language pieces. Even the Associated Press Stylebook, which once rejected the use of hopefully as a sentence adverb, now accepts it as grammatically correct.

 

Use Sentence Adverbs Wisely

If you have ever used an adverb at the beginning of a sentence in order to modify the entire sentence (and not just the verb), then you have successfully used sentence adverbs. Despite what some people may tell you, even hopefully is not necessarily among the lazy and weak words to avoid in writing. As with any words in writing, my greatest tip is to remember not to overuse sentence adverbs in any single blog or story.

What do you think of the use of sentence adverbs in fiction and nonfiction writing? Was the adverbs list above helpful or do you have any suggestions? Do you have any additional sentence adverbs examples to share? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Need Help Creating SEO Content?

While sentence adverbs can help to strengthen any individual piece of writing, creating SEO content regularly can help to strengthen the online presence of your website! Let the SEO content experts at BKA Content put these grammar rules into practice while creating SEO blog content that increases traffic, leads and sales. Contact us to learn more about our affordable SEO content plans for small businesses as well as our custom SEO writing solutions.

When I’m spending hours at my computer coming up with an article topic, I’m often too tired to notice many of the minor mistakes in my writing. Because relying on spell-check software can weaken writing, this is when it helps to have an extra set of eyes to look over my work. I could just call on a friend to help me out, but there are some types of content that need something more: an editor. Just like there are different types of editing, there are many different types of editors out there, so how do you know which one to hire?

What Do Editors Do?

When most people think of editors, they imagine someone scrutinizing a paper, their pen dripping with red ink. Some editors like to edit the old-fashioned way, but for the most part, editors are simply people who tweak, fix and enhance the content you write. Their invaluable corrections and advice can make a boring piece of content flourish.

Editors today can be found in all settings, such as in the workplace of a newspaper publishing company or online through freelancing services. Not all editors get an English degree, some come from communication or journalism backgrounds. Over time, they get enough experience to become expertly skilled in grammar, spelling and story structure.

What Are the Different Types of Editors?

Selecting the right editor for your project depends on your needs and, sometimes, your budget. You’ll want to familiarize yourself with the different roles editors can play in getting an article or a book published.

1. Beta Reader

Beta readers are generally those people you let look over your writing to get their opinion. They aren’t required to have a lot of background in editing, but they have valuable advice that only a fresh pair of eyes can give. This is an ideal way to receive feedback if you are writing a book.

Many authors may ask for beta readers and create a questionnaire for the readers to get early feedback on a story. You want to find beta readers if you are looking for feedback from the general public for your work. Knowing how the audience feels about your writing can help you create a more compelling version before you publish.

2. Proofreader

The types of editors and their roles may vary, but proofreaders are one of the most common types. Proofreaders look over content after it has gone through other stages of editing. It is the final readthrough before publishing. Proofreaders often only look for glaring mistakes in grammar and punctuation, and they may give little feedback as to quality or content development.

You want to hire a proofreader if you are concerned about spelling, punctuation or grammar mistakes, such as in articles or resumes. It is also reassuring to have one read-through before publishing your work. Some proofreaders will mark up the content to show where the corrections were made, while others will simply catch anything they see and move on.

3. Online Editor

The term “online editor” includes anyone you can find online to look over your content. These types of editors are most likely freelancers, and their skill sets may vary. Hiring online can be a helpful option if you don’t know who to turn to.

If you plan on hiring an online editor, first make sure he or she is well-versed in the type of editing you are looking for. Prices may vary, so be sure to find the right level and type of editing expertise that you are looking for.

4. Critique Partner

A critique partner tends to be a writer or published author who looks over a story and helps another writer or aspiring author to raise the quality of his or her work. A CP may act more as a coach than an editor. You want a critique partner when you need guidance on developing a story for publication.

If you have connections with other writers, this is a great way to swap work and receive great feedback. Because your CP is also a writer, they can find specific ways to improve your writing such as developing characters, describing the setting more naturally and cutting out cliché writing.

5. Commissioning Editor

Also known as an acquisition editor, a commissioning editor is the one who looks for books or articles for publication. This is the person to talk to if you’re looking to get a book published or if you’re a freelance writer and want to pitch an article or blog to a particular site or company.

This type of editor searches for books and articles that will benefit the publishing house or company. They keep an eye on market trends and find authors, book proposals and potential ideas that can appeal to hungry readers. If you think your novel or article is extraordinary, pitch it to a commissioning editor.

6. Developmental Editor

Developmental editors act as coaches for writers to get a story ready for publication. They cheer you on and help you stay on track with the tone, structure and audience. They also challenge you to improve your writing and may fight with you on how to develop your plot.

When you need guidance on moving your story forward, developmental editors should be able to help. They may also spend some of their time ghostwriting. Especially for novels, this type of editor is a must-have.

7. Content Editor

Content editors look at everything the writing encompasses. With books, they look over the story and make changes as necessary to the plot, characters, setting and so forth. In journalism or online publications, a content editor ensures the article’s scope is accurate for its audience and subject matter.

If you’re looking for extensive editing, this type of editor is a great option. They will look at everything in your work, making sure that overall, the content is high-quality and engaging. Some content editors even consider marketing strategy and the overall effectiveness of the writing.

8. Copy Editor

Copy editors, also known as line editors and sometimes as content editors, usually look at everything from facts to grammar and formatting. These editors can do it all. Copy editors specifically study punctuation and grammar. They have extensive knowledge of the English language and are familiar with writing styles.

9. Associate Editor

Associate editors often work for newspapers or magazines. Another term for this position is “section editor.” An associate editor often has the same responsibilities as an acquisition editor; he or she is in charge of seeking out stories or content for publication.

These types of editors read and review material that will be published. They often coordinate topics that may be interesting to readers, and they’ll do some tweaking to make the title and content engaging. They keep the overall goal of the newspaper or magazine in mind while picking and editing content.

10. Contributing Editor

Contributing editors tend to contribute their services to a magazine or newspaper and may also be referred to as a roving editor. In the journalism industry, a contributing editor is sometimes called an editor-at-large. A contributing editor has more freedom to choose what they edit or work on and they contribute regularly.

11. Chief Editor

Also known as an executive editor, the chief editor is the person overall in charge of an article, story or other content. The chief editor is the one who looks over the final product to ensure it meets company standards and approves it for release.

It may take years of experience to be considered for this position. But if you’re looking for someone who knows what they’re doing, a chief editor can have the final say on your written content.

12. Editor-in-Chief

So what is an editor-in-chief? The editor-in-chief is generally the person who oversees the editing department and manages all of the other editors for the company. They distribute the work to the editing team and oversee bigger projects. The EIC is also responsible for maintaining the voice of the company and upholding its philosophy and mission. Publishing companies sometimes refer to editors-in-chief as editors-at-large, which essentially means they can work on whatever project they choose to.

Different Types of Editing: Make the Right Choice

Don’t underestimate the power of a good editor. Even the best proofreading and editing tips for writers are no substitute for a fresh set of eyes. Whether you are working on a novel or publishing blog posts for your company’s content marketing strategy, an editor can improve your content.

Here at BKA Content, we have some of the best SEO content editors on the planet. Whether you need someone to look over content for spelling/grammatical errors, optimize content for SEO-keyword best practices or adjust and fix AI-generated content, we can help! Contact BKA Content today to learn more about how our managed SEO content solutions can help take your business to the next level online!

For a few years during elementary school, virtually every sentence my friends and I uttered included the word “like.” This awful speech habit led to plenty of well-deserved ridicule, which made me determined to stop overusing unnecessary words. I thought I was succeeding on this front for years, until I started doing freelance content writing assignments for a client who wasn’t a fan of superfluous words, including “that.” Then, I learned just how guilty I was of overusing the word “that” in my writing. It was basically my new, written version of “like.”

While phasing out “like” was pretty simple, removing unnecessary uses of “that” from my content writing proved challenging because this word legitimately belongs in many sentences. To help you avoid similar grief, today I’d like to share a few tips for avoiding overusing “that” and using “that” in a sentence correctly.

When to Use ‘That’ in a Sentence

First, it’s important to know when “that” is really needed in a sentence. This word frequently attaches dependent clauses to independent clauses, and it is strictly necessary if a clause begins with certain subordinating conjunctions, such as before, while and in addition to. “That” also should be used before clauses that clarify a noun.

• She said that although the sunrise workout sounded like a brilliant idea, sleeping in also sounded good.
• The notion that their project would be finished by the original deadline was laughable.

“That” additionally should appear after certain verbs, such as contend, estimate and point out. If you’re a native speaker, you can probably intuitively identify many of these verbs.

• He enthusiastically declared that he would stop procrastinating tomorrow.

You also should use “that” if a sentence would sound awkward without it. If you’re in doubt, include it, since this does less harm than incorrectly omitting it.

When to Leave Out ‘That’

To decide whether you can omit “that” from a sentence, check how naturally and intelligibly the sentence reads without it. Usually, you can drop “that” if it follows a verb that essentially means “to say.” This omission mimics natural speech and shouldn’t change the meaning of the sentence.

• The children claimed an ice cream break would help them study more effectively.
• She insisted she wasn’t responsible for the houseplant’s untimely death.

However, it’s usually better to keep “that” if other words fall between the verb and the dependent clause.

• The kids also said this morning that a television break would enhance their studying.
• She admitted begrudgingly that she might have contributed to the plant’s demise.

You also can usually omit “that” if it precedes a simple relative clause.

• Neither of them was particularly excited about the compromise (that) they reached.

Using ‘That’ Twice in a Row

When you’re trimming unnecessary uses of “that” from your writing, be sure to pay attention to sentences where it appears multiple times or even twice in a row (“that that”). These sentences can be grammatically correct but stylistically undesirable. For example, at BKA, we use Associated Press Style, which requires sentences to be constructed in a manner that eliminates consecutive uses of “that.”

• He confessed that that plan had been formulated on three hours of sleep.
• He confessed that they had only slept three hours when they formulated that plan.

Even if you’re not following a strict style guide, it’s often beneficial to try revising sentences to avoid using “that” too redundantly.

Using ‘That’ or ‘Which’

It can be tempting to cut back on “that” by replacing it with “which,” but these words aren’t actually interchangeable. “That” introduces information that is integral to the meaning of a sentence, while “which” precedes information that is non-essential and offset by commas.

• The first kindergarten class that all 31 students attended was miraculously free of mishaps.
• The first kindergarten class, which all 31 students attended, was miraculously free of mishaps.

In this example, each sentence has a distinct meaning. The first describes a specific class when all 31 students were present for the first time, while in the second, the attendance of all 31 kids is a non-essential detail.

Got All That?

Striking the right balance between overusing the word “that” and omitting it improperly takes a little thought, but with practice, it should become second nature. What other common words do people overuse? Tell us about it in the comments section! If you’re looking for help on grammar rules, check out some of our other GrammarSpot posts.

Our SEO Content Writers Can Help!

Even if you understand grammar rules, implementing them for business writing at scale can be daunting without help. If you’re a business, digital marketing agency or publisher in need of SEO content writing help, you’ve come to the right place! Our expert SEO content writers can assist you with content creation on a monthly basis or with a one-time project. Whether you need monthly SEO blog writing services or a managed content writing solution, we’ve got you covered. Contact us to learn more!

 

Good marketing content should make things happen. That could be persuading a potential client to click to visit a website, add something to the cart, pick up the phone to call you, or more. Many elements go into how an SEO content writing service actually does that and the content word count of any type of SEO article is one important element.

 

What Are The Correct Word Counts for SEO Content?

When it comes to SEO and optimizing content for search engines, the simple rule is that more is better. More content around a subject (and related subjects) gives you more indexable space to add keywords and show Google that your piece of content is all about the topic you’re trying to rank for. That being said, more content isn’t always better when it comes to the type and purpose of the content. A 1000-2000 word blog would be acceptable because a reader expects to find out all the answers to their questions in that medium. A 1000-2000 word product description, on the other hand, is sure to turn off readers immediately and push them over to competitor sites.

You may need multiple pieces of SEO content on more or less the same topic, but exactly what is to be written and the SEO word count length will vary greatly. Some things like meta descriptions or Twitter posts will have forced limits but for most things, you are left on your own to determine the content word count lengths you want.

Following are some industry guidelines to help you get started. You can use these SEO content word counts when you write your own content or when you work with a professional article writing service.

 

On-Page SEO Content

Website content’s job is to create a home base for your most sought after organic keywords and to move people along in the buying cycle. Every page should give just enough information to accurately answer a specific question and instill the reader to click to the next step or to call you. The content should also be long enough to be able to insert your top keywords naturally without the content sounding spammy. Website content is usually written by skilled copywriters that can engage readers while expertly inserting keywords in as concise a way as possible.

How Long Should Web Page Content Be?

In general, web pages should have an SEO word count between 200 and 400 words for the main body of content. This, of course, does not include a sidebar or navigation content. Exceptions can also be made for longer “how it works” type content, that goes into more depth on specific services or selling benefits.

 

E-commerce SEO Content

Some exceptions to the above guideline (when it comes to on-page content) include category or product description pages on e-commerce sites. Typically, product and category descriptions are meant to be succinct and highlight only what you need to know. These small descriptions aren’t the place for flowery, run-on sentences. You usually only have a few seconds to tell someone what the product is and why they should buy it. Being concise about benefits, features and selling points is a must in e-commerce content.

How Long Should Product Descriptions Be?

Product descriptions are going to be the e-commerce content type with the shortest SEO word count. The ideal SEO word counts for individual product descriptions would be between 50 and 250 words. Most of these words are going to come in the form of bullet points and even incomplete sentences in order to drive home the point.

The reason for this is that your product page likely already has images, product specs, customer reviews and pricing listed. The only thing left is to sell consumers on are the specific benefits and features as quickly as possible. When people are shopping online, they are usually quickly comparing between a few sites. Getting consumers the information they need as quickly and simply as possible is to your advantage.

How Long Should Category Descriptions Be?

The ideal word SEO count range for a category description would be between 100 and 300 words. Category descriptions are a place where you can set the stage for the use-case of multiple products as well as highlight why potential consumers should buy them from you. Since you’re talking about more than just a single product, you have a little more leeway to be able to add extra words (and keywords) for SEO benefit.

 

White Papers

White papers showcase your thought leadership in a given area and establish you as the expert. They are also used to help explain a complicated subject, service or product in a problem/solution format.

How Long Should a White Paper Be?

How long should a white paper be? The simple answer is that your white paper word count will likely be longer than most types of SEO content.  A good white paper should have an SEO word count of at least 1,000 words in length but could be close to 4000 or 5000 words, in order to provide the level of detail truly needed here.

It’s also good practice to include a lot of cited research and images to illustrate points in order to make your white paper word count that much more effective.

 

Informational SEO Articles

In a way, you can think of these SEO documents as condensed white papers. They should always provide very useful and specific information but in fewer words. Optimizing content specifically around a single keyword phrase with a lower competition difficulty level may allow you to start ranking organically without as many words.

How Long Should an SEO Article Be?

SEO articles should focus on a specific keyword phrase, and not be as broad as a guide or as extensive as a how-to blog post. Most SEO article’s word count should be between 500 and 1500 words.

This means the message and content of these SEO articles will be more focused than in white papers in order to get the point across succinctly. On top of that, utilizing SEO posts in this way gives you a chance to still get some SEO ranking from long-tail keywords while also helping you stay in budget (since most content writing services charge per word).

 

Blog Posts

Let’s face it—some blogs exist almost solely for the purpose of boosting SEO. Other blogs are really intended to be read, boosting credibility and follower loyalty. The best blog posts, however, do both. Because of this, there is no one-size-fits-all word count for blog posts. In general, the blog word count of newsworthy posts designed to fuel the part of the SEO engine that rewards fresh content can be as short as 500 words but should be created more frequently.

Blogs designed to be more thought-provoking—even controversy generating—can be as long or longer than SEO articles or even white papers. The longer the blog word count, the more captivating it should be. An integral part of this is the voice used to keep readers interested.

How Long Should a Blog Post Be?

If you’re looking to create informational content that also helps you rank for high-volume industry terms, then longer SEO word counts are necessary. So how long should a blog post be? According to recent studies, the average word count length of a blog post that was winning the top spot in search engine rankings for keyword phrases was 2000+ words. It’s good SEO word count practice to save your longer blog posts for your more in-depth guides so as not to overwhelm your audience with too much content in every post.

 

Press Releases

Press releases are meant to be a formal way to introduce a company change, new product, key employee, or any other relevant story pertaining to a company or organization. A written press release is designed to cover the who, what, why, where, when and how of the information. They also have some very specific formatting elements that need to be followed in order to be deemed as such.

How Long Should a Press Release Be?

The ideal SEO word count for a press release is usually in the 400-500 word range. This allows you to have enough words to fill out each section of the press release (think title, description, body, boilerplate, etc.) without losing the impact of the announcement because it’s buried too deep somewhere in a massive online document.

 

Match SEO Word Counts to Content Purpose

At the end of the day, the most grammatically perfect sentence is not at the heart of what SEO content writing is about. Matching the message, audience, vehicle and SEO word count length are what will deliver the results that you need. This combination of the art and science of writing is what a content writing service thrives on. We live and breathe this every day, making sure that our SEO content does what our clients need it to do.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but did you know you need less than 40 to complete standard photo descriptions? These are quick and easy to write—not to mention fun!—and they can also add a lot of value to a site that heavily relies on images.

 

What is a Photo Description?

An image description gives a short, simple explanation of a photo. This is a handy way to elaborate on a picture or add depth to a piece of content. However, there are different types of descriptions with specific requirements. Here are the most common:

• Caption: A catchy description that elaborates on a photo but doesn’t necessarily focus on the visual elements. Also known as a cutline.
• Alt Text: A concise description of important features in the picture, originally designed for readers who are unable to view or understand the image. It is often used for coding and SEO purposes.
• Image Description: A more complex description for a photo, giving members of the blind and low vision community and other groups a textual explanation of the photo.

Although each type of description has a different use, including a few can improve your content and make your photos stand out.

 

Why Do We Need Photo Descriptions?

There are many reasons why a description or caption is needed. For instance, a site that specifically sells stock images would rely on photo descriptions – since they would replace your standard product description. Or a site that sells artwork for a living would need to have someone that can put that picture into words for the consumer – again replacing the need for product descriptions. Other types of companies that may need great picture descriptions just to sell their products include clothing retailers, jewelers and more.

Outside of the company types listed above, pictures and their descriptions can also be a great help to standard content marketing campaigns.  Finding any excuse to add some relevant content into your blogs and web pages is what you must do to create an advantage over your competitors. Adding image text can help your readers and optimize your blog posts.

 

How To Write a Great Photo Description

Do you want to make a stunning description or caption, but you don’t know where to start? Never fear, the process is easier than you might think. Don’t shy away from this exciting type of content marketing and get started with these four easy steps.

 

1.  Write a Simple Title That Summarizes the Picture

In the past we’ve explained the art of creating attention-grabbing article titles, and the rules apply to photo description titles as well: They should summarize the picture while engaging the audience and matching the client’s style.

Especially for captions, titles should be both informative and interesting to read. Here are a few tips to improve how “catchy” your captions are:

• Be concise
• Keep your audience in mind
• Use strong verbs and adjectives
• Write what stands out to you

You don’t have to get too creative to write something that catches the eye of readers. Stay simple and to the point. When you first look at the picture, what do you see? Tweak a few words, add a little more spunk and you’ve got a picture-perfect photo description.

​

DO: Having Fun With Food

DON’T: Vitamin C Is a Powerful Antioxidant That’s Abundant in Fruits

 

2.  Add Timeless Details to Describe the Picture

Your photo description may be vivid and well written, but it won’t serve the client if it dates the copy. Stick with timeless details that will always be relevant. This not only improves the value of the products you may selling, but it makes an article a perfect read no matter what season or year it is.

Along with adding rich, relevant descriptions, keep in mind what the audience is looking for. Readers generally what to know the who, what, why, when, where and how of pictures. Be specific and professional, so that viewers have a better understanding of what they are looking at.

DO: Regardless of the season, guests will be more comfortable with an extra throw nearby. Swap out heavy wool blankets with lightweight cotton throws in warmer months.

DON’T: The calendar may say spring, but a cool breeze through your open window makes a lightweight throw blanket a must-have.

 

3.  Give the Picture Context So That It Pertains to the Subject Matter

If necessary, speculate about what’s happening in the picture to give it context and make it pertain to your products/services (or your clients’ products and services). This is a no-no in photo journalism, but it’s perfectly fine to use a little imagination when writing photo descriptions for content marketing purposes. This can help drive home a point and add context and narrative to a blog.

Adding a little commentary to a picture can help you link it back to the content you’re writing. For SEO purposes, don’t forget to include a relevant alt-text. Write a short explanation of the picture and connect it to the subject of the blog or article. This will help you rank for relevant keywords.

DO: Having a happy marriage can be difficult when a couple doesn’t see eye to eye. When love and respect are replaced with anger and finger pointing, it may be time to consider divorce.

 

4.  Polish Your Work

It doesn’t matter if you are writing 40 words or 400 words, always spell check the document and proofread your writing. That being said, when photo descriptions ARE your business, then having the content checked for spelling and grammar becomes even that much more important. Always have a second set of eyes looking over the content to make sure it stays sharp and makes sense.

While you’re editing, try to avoid unnecessary phrases such as “pictured above” or “an image of.” With captions and photo descriptions today, you can cut the fluff and get to the meat. Focus on what you want your readers to know about the picture and let the rest of your content enhance and support your images.

That’s it. You’re done!

 

Photo Descriptions on Social Media

Although photo descriptions are already important online, social media gives a whole new meaning to captions. A good caption of a photo on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter can lead to more customer interaction, or simply, more likes on a post. So how do you create perfect image descriptions on social media?

 

Instagram Photo Descriptions

This social media platform is already picture-based, so the little content you include counts. Instagram users scroll through their feeds quickly, so consider included smaller, catchier captions. Keep in mind that captions are cut after a few lines and require readers to click a button to read the whole thing, so keep the most important information at the top.

Here are a few Instagram caption tips from Hootsuite:

• Give shout-outs with the @mention feature
• Use emojis, quotes and questions to change things up
• Give insider tips
• Offer instructions, background information and stories
• Use minimalistic captions for striking pictures

Instagram is a space where companies, personalities and personal accounts can display images with thought-provoking captions. A simple image description is not always the best way to complement a picture. Get creative and keep in mind that you have a character limit of 2,200.

 

Facebook Photo Descriptions

This platform is more content-based, unlike Instagram. However, photo descriptions can still have catchy, short captions that can spark engagement. In fact, influencer Jeff Bullas found that the ideal length for Facebook posts is 80 characters or less. Keep in mind that you can share photos on Facebook in a variety of ways. Here are three of the most popular:

• Upload a photo with a description. You can also tag friends and change privacy settings.
• Edit a photo you have already posted and add a description.
• Add a caption to a photo that has been shared by someone else.

Whether you are promoting a business or yourself, consider adding a link to your post. This can lead to the article your picture is about, more pictures or other valuable sources.

 

Twitter Photo Descriptions

Twitter requires users to be short and concise with their captions. With a character limit of 140, your image descriptions should be catchy and easy to read. This social media platform is known for being an open and honest sphere, so get creative with the way you introduce your photos.

If you want to create photo descriptions for the accessibility of the blind and low vision community, you will have to do it manually. Once enabled, you can add a description for a photo by tapping the “add a description” button at the bottom of the image. Users who require this will hear the text through screen reader technology.

 

Take Advantage of Photo Descriptions!

The next time you have an opportunity to write descriptions for your site or social media, take it! Doing so is a great way to add some relevant content/keywords to your posts and add additional value to your readers.

If you have lots of photos that need descriptions, don’t get overwhelmed – we can help! Contact us about your photo description project and we’ll outline ways we can help you as a professional online writing service.

Comment below and let us know if any of these tips have worked well for you!

 

The importance of skillful writing has most certainly become more apparent nowadays. Well-written blog posts, speeches, advertisements, product copy, TV shows or instruction manuals can be invaluable to businesses. No matter what kind of writing you want to do, there’s a write—excuse me—right way to go about becoming a professional writer.

 

How To Become a Professional Writer

To start, writing is not for everyone. Just like anything else in the professional world, writing is a skill that has to be worked on and developed over time to really grow into something that can be marketed and turned into a full-time money-making career. Learning how to become a writer doesn’t happen overnight.

There are also many different types of writing out there that need to be approached in different ways. Technical writing, creative writing, scriptwriting, business writing, medical writing, legal writing and copywriting all have slightly different goals and utilize different skill sets/experience. On the one hand, it’s exciting to know all the different writing opportunities that are available to you as a freelance writer, but on the other hand, it’s important to make sure you’re developing the right writing skills in order to become the writer you hope to be some day.

While deciding what kind of writer you want to be doesn’t have to be done right away, there are some things you can start doing now to help get you on your way to becoming a writer. People commonly take these five steps to earn the title of professional writer:

 

1. Write, Write, Write

The first step you need to take to become a writer is … to write. Obvious, yes, but it’s more important than you may realize. Before you invest in classes, a degree or anything else, it’s best that you make sure you actually like writing. If you don’t, you’re wasting time and money you could invest in pursuits you actually enjoy. Take out time to write, blog or journal, and ask yourself if you could do this day in and day out for a living. Here are some other writing exercises you can do to gauge your actual level of interest in becoming a writing professional:

• Start a personal blog
• Do some creative writing (short stories)
• Journal (either online or in private)
• Join a writing workshop
• Write letters/emails to friends or family

Whether in public or private, start putting some words on paper. The joy of writing comes in the doing. You’ll quickly realize that good writing takes into account more than just words when you factor in spelling/grammar, flow, outlines, reader intent, tone and style. It’s a form of art to be able to get it all to flow together in a way that someone finds value in it—whether that be in the form of entertainment, information, emotion or otherwise.

The first step in learning how to become a writer is ultimately to find the desire within to write.

 

 

2. Earn a Degree

To get the most out of your professional writing career, you’ll likely need a degree. What degree should you get to become a writer? While there is no “one” degree that is a must-have, there are many degrees that will give you a well-rounded approach to writing in a professional atmosphere.

For instance, an undergraduate degree in communications, English, journalism, technical writing, fine arts, creative writing or professional writing is sure to open more doors and offer you more opportunities than not having a degree related to writing. Also, your school might offer job placement to help you get started or writing resources you can put to good use. You might look for internships or online content writing companies that will allow an unseasoned writer to start gaining experience while working through a degree.

In many cases, developing your writing through internships and freelance writing can open doors to be a professional writer even without a degree. Being a writer without a degree has its benefits in that you can start working right away, but your earning potential may also be limited depending on the niche of writing you are pursuing.

When learning how to become a writer, considering the educational avenues you want to go down to help build your portfolio and harness your skills is a worthy venture.

 

 

3. Build Your Writing Portfolio

Any school writing projects you complete or work you have published should be added to your professional writing portfolio. Your portfolio shows potential employers the kind of work and results you produce, and it could be just the thing they need to make a decision regarding hiring you. If possible, add a variety of content types to your portfolio to show that you’re a well-rounded, experienced writer.

Some other ideas of how you can add “published” content to your writing portfolio include:

• A personal, online blog
• Guest posts on online publications
• Product copy on an Etsy site
• A press release on a free PR platform

The internet is your best friend when it comes to developing your writing portfolio to help you become a professional writer. Expand your network and try to get blogs/articles on other people’s sites. Usually, if you pitch them on providing the content for free in exchange for a byline with your name and a link back to your website, you can get author credit to help boost that writing portfolio. This is one of the best avenues to pursue when wondering how to start a writing career.

 

 

4. Decide What Kind of Professional Writer You Want To Be

One of the absolute best things about being a professional writer is that there are so many avenues to explore. It’s a good idea to seek out as many of those avenues as possible to see what’s out there. Doing so will help you decide if there’s a specific area of writing in which you’d like to specialize.

For instance, do you have a knack for composing marketing or advertising material? Do you feel that you’re better suited to technical writing? Or maybe you like writing essays, product descriptions and articles for magazines and online sites. Decide on your focus area, and always remember that there are likely a few writing stones you have yet to upturn. In other words, always be on the lookout for new writing opportunities. Here are a few more professional writing opportunities you might explore:

• Medical writer
• Legal writer
• Technical writer
• Proposal writer
• Copywriter
• Business blog writer
• Video script writer
• Grant writer
• Content writer
• Freelance writer
• Resume writer
• Novelist
• TV writer

This isn’t a comprehensive list of the types of writing professions out there, but I think you’ll start to get the point. There’s always a need for good writing! Try your hand at a few different types of writing to start narrowing down your strengths and preferences of writing. Once you do, you’ll be much closer to your ultimate goal of becoming a writer.

 

 

5. Look for Writing Work

There are plenty of online resources available for finding writing work, and knowing the type of writer you want to be can help you know which resources to use and how to use them. If there’s a magazine you’d like to contribute to, check its website to see if they accept work from freelance writers. Explore job boards to see if you’re interested in any companies that might be in need of a writer of your caliber and with your expertise. If you’re looking for jobs where you can write from home, you can even apply to be a writer here with us at BKA Content.

If you really want to learn how to become a writer, you have to be persistent in looking for writing work. At the beginning of your writing career, your options may be slim. But as you add to your portfolio and gain experience through different writing projects, more doors will open to you, and the idea of becoming a writer full-time will look much more doable than it did in the beginning.

 

You Can Learn How To Become a Writer!

While there’s a lot of hard work involved with becoming a professional writer, it’s most certainly worth it in the end. The key is to not skip the developmental writing steps. Your writing will become better the more you practice, and your writing portfolio will get more robust over time if you keep at it. If you have any additional tips or steps to becoming a writer that you’d like to share, leave them in the comments below!

Twitter’s unique design only allows up to 280 characters per tweet. This forces users to be both creative and succinct with their messages, making each tweet potent. So how do you use your character count to the best of your abilities? This is the guide for you. 

Twitter Character Count Rules

As you may be aware, Twitter has always had some pretty strict twitter word count and character count rules. With that being said, how many characters are allowed in a tweet? The answer is 280 characters.

Toward the end of the year in 2017, Twitter upped its tweet character count from 140 characters to 280 characters. This change helped writers everywhere to pack twice as much into a tweet than was previously allowed.

While brevity is still the name of the game with tweets, having the ability to go to 280 characters is very appreciated as writers can use complete sentences now and add more value and context to the social content they’re putting out.

 

Do Spaces Count as Characters on Twitter?

This is a good question since most character counter tools give you both the “characters with spaces” and “characters without spaces” results. But in regards to whether or not spaces count as characters on Twitter, the answer is Yes. Spaces between words count towards the 280-character Twitter limit.

 

Do Links Count as Characters on Twitter?

One question commonly asked is whether or not links, or URLs, count towards the overall 280-character count allowed by Twitter. The answer is yes, mostly. URLs go against the character count as they take up to 23 characters.

 

Does Replying to Someone Count as Characters on Twitter?

When using an @ to reply to someone, the @-name does not go against the overall character count. So the answer is no, it does not count. Reply away!

 

Best Twitter Character Counter

As a writer, the only way to check a tweet outside of twitter was to highlight the tweet in Microsoft Word, go to the word count at the bottom and click it, and then look at the “characters with spaces” section. While this doesn’t take too terribly long, not every writer uses Microsoft Word. This is where a free, online character count tool can really come in handy.

The one that we’ve picked is twittercharactercounter.com.

This free Twitter character count tool gives writers who don’t have, or who don’t want to use, Microsoft Word a way to quickly check character counts without having to log into Twitter. The character count tool does not require registration to use and is as easy as copying and pasting in your tweet to see how many characters you have used of the 280 characters available to you.

If you go over the allotted characters allowed, the Twitter character count tool eliminates any characters above the 280 character limit so you get a real time view of what your tweet will look like. Once you have your tweet looking the way you want to, you can copy and paste from the tweet character counter into Twitter, or click their “Pass on to Twitter” button which will reroute you to Twitter to post your tweet.

 

Other Word and Character Count Tools

While there are many other character counter tools out there, this is one tweet counter we like specifically for Twitter since it gives you a preview of how your tweet will look as you write it. That being said, we’ve compiled other character counters and word counters you can use for general writing. You can find a list of word count tools and character counter tools on some of our other blogs.

 

Do you have a lot of tweets that need to be written but don’t have the time? Let us write those tweets for you! Check out our social media writing services here.

When writing SEO content using AP Style guidelines, understanding how to report AP style time and dates can be critical to conveying accurate and complete information to readers. The following guide can help you more fully understand some of the more complicated rules.

 

 

A.D.

A.D. is used when referring to anno Domini or the year of the Lord. Using A.D. to represent the time is acceptable in all references. The full term with year would not read in the year of the Lord 99 as it’s not common and may not be understood by many people. Instead, use A.D. 99.

Do not use the eighth century A.D because it is repetitive. Stating the eighth century is appropriate. Time is presumed to be A.D. if not specified otherwise.

 

B.C.

B.C. should be used when referring to the time period before Christ.

The full reference would be in the year 99 before Christ, but the acceptable abbreviation is B.C., which is placed after the year: 99 B.C.

 

Century, Centuries

Unless used when referring to a proper name, use century in lowercase.

Spell numbers out if under 10: the second century, the 35th century.

When using lowercase to report centuries, spell out any numbers from zero to nine: seventh century.

When reporting proper names, adhere to the organization’s treatment: 21st Century Fox

Figures from 10 and over should be written as numbers: 43rd century.

 

Dates, Decades and Years

Dates are reported using Arabic figures. Do not use nd, rd, st or th.

Proper usage: Jan. 6, 2008, Class of ’88, the 1990s.

Refer to the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, as 9/11.

Use a comma after the year when referring to month, date and year in a story.

 

Days of the Week

Capitalize the days of the week and refer to the full name of the day in your stories: Monday, Wednesday, etc.

Exception: When using a tabular format, it is acceptable to refer to three-letter abbreviations for the days of the week: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri and Sat. Do not use periods after abbreviations in tabs.

 

Historical Periods and Events

Widely recognized names of epochs in geology, anthropology, history and archaeology should be capitalized: the Dark Ages, the Pliocene Epoch, the Bronze Age.

Popular names for events or periods that are widely recognized should also be capitalized: the Boston Tea Party, the Great Depression, the Atomic Age, the Civil War.

When referring to a century, use lowercase: the 20th century.

Capitalize the adjectives or proper nouns in period general descriptions: classical Rome, the fall of Rome, ancient Greece, the Victorian era.

If the information about the period or event is not listed, use Webster’s New World College Dictionary capitalization examples. Use lowercase entries if the dictionary lists the format as acceptable.

 

Months

All uses of the names of months should be capitalized. If your story or article uses a specific date, spell out the month when used alone or with a year. When designating the months Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec., an abbreviation is acceptable.

If reporting a month and year, do not use a comma to separate the year.

When the reference is a month, day and year, use commas after the year in the sentence.

Month references in tabular form should use three-letter abbreviations. Do not use a period: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

Examples:

• June 2018 was a hot month.
• Aug. 8 was the hottest day of the year.
• Rick’s birthday is April 7.
• The sergeant listed Jan. 12, 2011, as the target date.
• The judge ordered depositions for Tuesday, Oct. 5, right after lunch.

 

 

Time Element

When writing news stories, do not use tonight or today. Refer to the day of the week.

Write out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc., when referring to the days that are within seven days of the current date, either before or after.

When appropriate, use the month with a figure. See the section for “Months” above.

Prevent redundancies in reporting such as last Monday or next Monday. The tense surrounding the verb, such as the present, past or future, will generally indicate which Monday the story is referring to: Her job ended Monday evening. Jake will order pizza on Tuesday.

Awkward time element placements should be avoided, especially when suggesting a day of the week as the object of a transitive verb: The court arrested Wednesday.

Rephrasing, using on or moving the time element can be used as potential remedies to correct the phrase.

 

Time of Day

Most stories don’t require an exact time of day to express when an event will happen or has happened. However, there are occasions when a time of day should be reported specifically and in a particular format.

Specifying Time

Specify the time when it offers the reader a clear picture of the scene. For example, were people at home when the earthquake occurred, or were they at work? Although reporting a clock reading in each datelined community may add information, it is more illustrative to use descriptors such as rush hour traffic or pre-dawn hours.

If time is a critical element in the story, specify the moment. For example, what time will the moon set? When will the president address the nation? What is the kidnapper’s deadline?

Using Clock Time

When reporting a clock reading in a datelined community, use the time in that area.

If there is no dateline in the story, report the clock time where the event took place or will occur.

Exception: When using a tabular listing or reporting a nationwide story involving radio or television programs, specify when the program will be broadcast using Eastern time. Follow the noted time with EST or EDT and specify the clock time in a separate paragraph when the program will be aired in the different time zones if it is practical to do so. If the nationwide program will be simultaneously broadcast across time zones, note that as well.

Abbreviating Zones

Only use the zone abbreviation of EST, EDT or PST after a specific clock time if:

• The story refers to specific times involving travel or other activities affecting people in more than a single time zone. Examples may include a televised speech or a court building’s closing hours.
• The item reported involves radio or television programs.
• The advisory item is meant for editors.
• There is no dateline on the item.

Converting Time

Report the actual time zone within the continental United States in your story rather than converting clock times to Eastern time. If a high interest is expected from different areas, add PST, CDT, etc., so readers can determine the equivalent of their local time.

If the story is from outside the United States and time is critical to your narrative, provide an Eastern time zone conversion following this format: The plane reportedly crashed at 8 a.m. (2 a.m. EDT) yesterday.

 

 

Time Zones

When writing stories reporting about a particular time zone, capitalize the full name: Central Standard Time, Eastern Standard Time, Eastern Daylight Time, etc.

Stories written in short form should use lowercase time zone designations, except for the region: Mountain time, Eastern time zone, etc.

If there is no clock time reported, spell time zone out: San Francisco is in the Pacific time zone.

When stories refer to time zones within Mexico, Canada or the United States, it is acceptable to use the abbreviations of EST, CDT, etc., on the first reference when a clock reading is linked: 10 a.m. PST, noon CDT. (No commas are used to set off the abbreviations.)

Spell out time zone references that are not within the contiguous United States: If the rocket blast occurred at noon EDT, it would have taken place at 1 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time, and the Alaskan people would have witnessed the event at 8 a.m. Alaska Standard Time.

GMT

Universal Time, or Greenwich Mean Time, is an exception to the AP guide’s spelled-out format. It is acceptable to add the abbreviation of GMT if a clock reading is used on the second reference.

The time kept by the atomic clock can also be referred to as Universal Time Coordinated, or UTC.

 

Today, Tonight

Use the day of the week instead of using tonight or today in your news stories. The only exception is when referring to general phrases with no specific day or within direct quotations: Customs seen as acceptable today are much different than those from a century ago.

It is acceptable in some writing narrative types to use this morning, tonight, today and this afternoon when referring to the weekday would be awkward.

Example:

• Writing an internal company memo: Jack Jones became vice president of human resources at noon today.
• Writing a public announcement: Jack Jones became vice president of human resources at noon on Friday.

 

Years

When referring to a day and month within the current year, omit the year: The court convened on March 22.

Include the year when writing about a future or past year, and set it off with commas: Sep. 10, 2028, is the anticipated target date.

To indicate the span of centuries or decades, use a lowercase S without apostrophes: the 1900s, the 1750s.

There is an exception to the general rule about starting a sentence with numbers when writing about years: 2020 was not a particularly good year.

 

Just in the Nick of AP Style Time

Hopefully, this AP style time and date guide helped you kill time. The rules are nuanced and a little difficult to get used to at first, but with practice and by continually referencing this guide, you’ll learn them in no time. Which section helped you this most? Comment below!

 

Need Help With Your SEO Content Creation?

If you have SEO content writing projects that need strict attention to AP Style rules, look no further than BKA Content! Our team of expert SEO content writers can create monthly SEO-optimized blogs or fulfill large, custom writing projects that meet AP style requirements. No matter your SEO content creation needs, we can help. Contact us today to learn more about our managed SEO content creation services!