Association Publishing - May/June 2009

UNMASKING

THE

MYTHS

OF

EFFECTIVE

SEO

BY JULIE STURGEON

Association publishers don’t need a definition of search engine opti-

mization in 2009 — if you put your content on the web, you’re fully

aware that SEO drives the number of visit sessions from Google,

Yahoo! and MSN to your site. And these hits eventually evolve to

product sales, advertiser hits, and membership dues.

“Folks who are familiar with our publication know they can come to our site to find those kinds of articles,” says Rene Shonerd, director of IT at the National Apartment Association in Arlington, Va. “SEO increases your ranking, which makes it more likely someone else will find your articles, too.”

For many associations, how these browsers work has been more of a mystery left to the IT department. Or at least

it was until the advertising models began rapidly changing; suddenly, snagging online eyeballs has become everyone’s job.

Tina Ma, web manager for the Reston, Va.-based American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, has always worked with the editorial department to help review content for SEO. However, as the association plans to roll out a reconstructed website in August 2009, she’s picking up the pace on these

workshops. “We’re constantly doing improvements, but this is the opportunity for us to get a clean, fresh start. Obviously, SEO is very important to us,” she says.

“SEO is a buzzword right now,” Ma adds. “I usually tell the staff, ‘Don’t forget there are humans behind these hits.’” Here is a list of the most prevailing SEO myths and misunderstandings that associations like Tina Ma’s are addressing these days.