On Thursday, I wrote about my attempt to use the right search string so my readers could find me. I used the words "Can you start a sentence with and" because readers had not found me when I used the phrasing "Can ‘And’ or ‘But’ Start a Sentence?"
It worked.
Yesterday, just two days after I included the search words my readers use, this blog ranked number 1 of 43,000,000 in a Google search on that topic, according to my TypePad statistics.
I am delighted my reader found me fast and got the information he or she sought. Success! But more than that, I’m pleased about the 4-step writing process:
- Think about your readers.
- Determine exactly what they need or seek.
- Give it to them.
- Succeed!
As business writers, we often forget to use the same words our readers use. We don’t think about the ways they search for information. We overlook the truth that we aren’t really communicating until our readers find and read what we have written.
But if we take the time to give them what they seek–in their own words and in their own way–we have excellent odds of succeeding–much better than 1 in 43 million!
If you have a story of communicating successfully with your readers, please share it here.
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Other search spellings: buisness, wirting, writng, wrting.
