Quick Web Writing Tip: Add Synonyms
May 15th, 2009 by Val Nelson
When you’re done writing that perfect blog post or webpage, go back and sprinkle in a few synonyms of your main topic. For example, if you’re writing about “volunteering,” refer to it as “community service” too. Why?
It’s People-friendly.
Not everyone uses the same words you use for your topic, so it’s more reader-friendly to offer alternate words. You say “sweet potato,” I say “yam.” (But let’s not call the whole thing off.)
It’s Google-friendly.
As an added bonus, Google loves synonyms. It helps them understand the main points of your page and potentially show your webpage in the search results for a broader set of search terms (keywords).
Be sure to add in your synonyms logically, such as the way I did for “search terms” and “keywords” in the previous paragraph.
Your Trusty Thesaurus… and More
Sometimes you need more than a thesaurus to find new words. What about idioms, phrases, and slang? Here’s some handy free references on the web:
- Idioms and phrases at FreeDictionary
- Slangasaurus
- Merriam-Webster (dictionary and thesaurus) – my favorite standby
