What Matt & Megan need in a Red Alert…

1. What Matt & Megan need in a Red Alert… The link as soon as you have it Check if piece should be free or paid Let us know when the first two paragraphs are done Let us know when you’re completely done Let us know if anything changes (link, etc) Ping us before you sign off

2. How to Write Titles that Will Make Us Millions • In other words: This is the most important presentation you’ll ever see. • In other other words: If a tree falls in the forest, and it doesn’t have a good title… Google doesn’t index it.

3. 4 things you want in a title • Good keywords • Clearly indicates what the piece will be about • Easy to scan quickly • Compelling

4. SEO Writing titles & links that get picked up by search engines… so that we get more traffic & money How Google Ranks Pages: • Backlinks • Page Title • Keywords in body of page

5. Tips for good SEO • Use popular keywords in the title • Use them as early as possible in the title • Use them throughout the piece • Use them in links • Avoid using uncommon words or acronyms

6. How to determine which keywords to use • What would a regular person search for if they wanted to know about the articles topic? • Use Google’s Adwords Keyword Tool • Country names are our best keywords… then major events and political figures.

7. Not good • Fighting Resumes with Ethnic Militants in Northeast Myanmar • Smaller Companies’ Troubles Challenge China’s Economic Policies

8. Good • Iran Benefiting from the Saudi Presence in Bahrain • The Bin Laden Operation: Tapping Human Intelligence

9. Clearly indicate what the piece is about • Be specific • Show what the benefit of reading the article is • Avoid words that don’t add meaning: details, implications, consequences, issues, intentions • Balance specificity with length

10. Not good • MILF: Short-Term Advantage, Long-Term Challenges? • Implications of a Conservative Victory in Canada • China: Crunch Time

11. Good • The Seattle Plot: Jihadists Shifting Away from Civilian Targets? • The Muslim Brotherhood Joins the Egyptian Protests • China: Loosening Economic Policy on the Horizon

12. Easy to read quickly • Keep it short (70 characters max, but fewer is better) • Avoid big or uncommon words, like devolution, paradigm, impetus, moratorium, uptick (harder to scan, bad for international users)

13. Not good • Strategic Security in the U.S.-China Talks • Difficulties in Afghanistan After the Death of Karzai’s Half-Brother

14. Good • The Divided States of Europe • Beijing Downplays Its Debt Problem

15. Compelling • Why should the reader care about the piece? • When possible, use a verb to connect ideas, rather than “and”

16. Not good • China and Copper: Special Report • Jiang Zemin’s Health and Chinese Political Stability

17. Good • Why China Hoarding Copper Matters • Monster Trucks in Mexico: The Zetas Armor Up • How to Travel Safely – Tips from a Former Agent

18. Exercise • Poland Looks for Security Alternatives • Jiang Zemin's Health and Chinese Political Stability • Yemen's President Makes an Appearance