Ken Richman's Blogfolio

Ok – I know SEO isn’t really a word but if it were it would be among the weaseliest of all weasel words. A lot of people apparently take the approach that SEO copy is simply dropping search words and phrases ad nauseum into otherwise potentially useful copy in order to fool the search engine robots into thinking your website has something useful to say about a topic whereas in truth you’re just trying to wangle your way up the Google listings. It can be tedious and patronising, and it’s the antithesis of good copy.

Let’s say for instance you genuinely wanted to know a bit about using mobile broadband abroad. ‘Mobile broadband abroad’ goes into google and out may indeed come this SEO puffery:

The pros and cons of using mobile broadband abroad

Of course, the main downside of accessing mobile broadband abroad is the cost of access, which can be very high if users are not mindful of the charges that are in place. On the upside, being able to access mobile broadband abroad provides both business travellers and holidaymakers with complete freedom to conduct business, enjoy entertainment, keep in touch with loved ones, and much more. Being able to access mobile broadband abroad also means that you do not have to pay the costly fees that some hotels may charge for access to the Internet.

On the other hand, some users may find that a cheaper alternative to accessing mobile broadband abroad is simply to get access through a local Internet café. Some hotels may also offer free Internet access, which is another alternative to accessing mobile broadband abroad. When considering accessing mobile broadband abroad you need to take into account your needs. For example, if you are travelling on business and need access whilst out and about then access to mobile broadband abroad is going to be far more convenient than using Internet cafes or hotels. However, for holidaymakers that just want to keep in touch with friends and family access at hotels and cafes may be a cheaper alternative to using mobile broadband abroad

This is verbal diarrohea. Soon, thanks to the present demand for SEO copy, we could have diarrohea over every page on the net. Lovely.

I see the sense in dropping some keywords into copy, the earlier in the story the better, to get some action from Google et al;  what I object to are whole articles of keyword drivel, with no attempt to infom or entertain the reader.

Life is just too short to have to wade through this kind of spam.