Search engine (SEO) friendly journalism - one-day course

How often do you bother to read those next 10 results?  The internet can help journalists connect with audiences - but without a grounding in how to get your copy some online kudos, you can end up forever on page five of your reader's results.  This thorough one-day course will introduce search engines optimisation (SEO) in its many forms today; from analysing and priming your metadata, through to interacting with the right social discovery networks.

Course tutor: Murray Dick

Date: Thursday 25 June, 2009
Time: 10.00-17.00
Venue: The Frontline Club (near Paddington station)
Number of places: 8
Cost: £320 (+£48 VAT) including lunch.

Is there anybody out there?

There was a time when newspapers had absolute control over their distribution, and a direct connection with their audiences.  But as news has moved online, so audiences find themselves with a dizzying range of sources which help them find and discover the news they are interested in.

As newspapers cede control of distribution to search engines, how can journalists ensure their stories reach core audiences, while reaching out to new readers? This course is aimed at journalists who are looking to sharpen up their knowledge in the field of online communications, but is equally relevant to those working in PR and marketing.

Themes covered in the course include:

• Skills and knowledge in the field of online communications;
• How to get your stories out there, and develop your online readership;
• How to engage with the social media;
• How to measure how well you are doing, and how well you could be doing.

Key learning outcomes include:

• Developments in online search – social discovery, aggregated search, semantic search;
• Search Engine Optimisation – black hat or white hat?;
• Writing for the web: principles and techniques;
• Managing and developing metadata;
• Syndication and other strategies for getting your content out there;
• Who is saying what? Keeping up with comment on your content;
• Managing your online presence, popularity and reputation;
• Measuring trends in news-speak.

About Murray Dick

Murray Dick is Information Officer at the Centre for Investigative Journalism, a freelance trainer in online journalism, a freelance journalist in Technology and a keen blogger.  Prior to this, he worked at the BBC for five years as a trainer in online research.  He has an MSc in Information Science.

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Testimonials

"The course will be very useful for my work; lots of relevant information I can apply and pass on... Murray is a good course leader, very knowledgeable and approachable." Neil Macdonald, deputy head of web and data, Liverpool Daily Post and Echo