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Optimizing Your Article for Search Engines

Help Readers Find YOU:

Optimizing your article for search engines will greatly increase its
chance of being viewed and/or cited in another work. Citation indexes
already figure in many disciplines as a measure of an article's value;
there is evidence that article views/downloads are also beginning to
count in the same way. The crucial area for optimization is your
article's abstract and title, which are freely available to all online.
We have compiled these guidelines to enable you to maximize the
web-friendliness of the most public part of your article.

Understanding Search Engines:

Each search engine has its own
algorithms for ranking a piece of content, such as a journal article.
However, many search engines estimate the content's relevancy and
popularity as measured by links to the content from other websites. Most
search engines attempt to identify the topic of the piece of content.
To do this, some search engines still use metadata tags (invisible to
the user) to assess relevant content, but most now scan a page for
keyword phrases, giving extra weight to phrases in headings and to
repeated phrases.

Make it Work for YOU:

Step 1: Construct a clear, descriptive title

In search engine terms, the title of your article is the most
interesting element. The search engine assumes that the title contains
all of the important words that define the topic of the piece and thus
weights words appearing there most heavily. This is why it is crucial
for you to choose a clear, accurate title. Think about the search terms
that readers are likely to use when looking for articles on the same
topic as yours, and help them by constructing your title to include
those terms. In the days of print-only journals, it mattered far less
if, for example, an author published an article on body dysmorphic
disorder called, The Broken Mirror in a psychology journal because the
context was clear. On the web, people search on mirror when they want an
item for their house.

Step 2: Reiterate key phrases

The next most important field is the text of the abstract itself. You
should reiterate the key words or phrases from the title within the
abstract itself. You know the key phrases for your subject area, whether
it is temporal lobe epilepsy or reconstruction in Iraq. Although we can
never know exactly how search engines rank sites (their algorithms are
closely-guarded secrets and frequently updated), the number of times
that your key words and phrases appear on the page can have an important
effect. Use the same key phrases, if possible in the title and
abstract. Note of caution: unnecessary repetition will result
in the page being rejected by search engines so don't overdo it. The
examples below illustrate the difference between an abstract which is
well-optimized and one which is not.

Example of Well-Optimized Title/Abstract:

Genocide and Holocaust Consciousness in Australia

Ever since the British colonists in Australia
became aware of the disappearance of the indigenous peoples in the
1830s, they have contrived to excuse themselves by pointing to the
effects of disease and displacement. Yet although genocide
was not a term used in the nineteenth century, extermination was, and
many colonists called for the extermination of Aborigines when they
impeded settlement by offering resistance. Consciousness of genocide
was suppressed during the twentieth century until the later 1960s, when
a critical school of historians began serious investigations of
frontier violence. Their efforts received official endorsement in the
1990s, but profound cultural barriers prevent the development of a
general genocide consciousness. One of these is Holocaust consciousness,
which is used by conservative and right-wing figures to play down the
gravity of what transpired in Australia. These two aspects of Australian
public memory are central to the political humanisation of the
country.

This article appears on the first page of results on
Google for holocaust consciousness + Australia and for genocide +
Australia. 

Poorly Optimized Title/Abstract:

Australia's Forgotten Victims

Ever since the British colonists in Australia
became aware of the disappearance of the indigenous peoples in the
1830s, they have contrived to excuse themselves by pointing to the
effects of disease and displacement. Many colonists called for the
extermination of Aborigines when they impeded settlement by offering
resistance, yet there was no widespread public acknowledgement of this
as a policy until the later 1960s, when a critical school of historians
began serious investigations of frontier violence. Their efforts
received official endorsement in the 1990s, but profound cultural
barriers prevent the development of a general awareness of this.
Conservative and right-wing figures continue to play down the gravity of
what transpired. These two aspects of Australian public memory are central to the political humanisation of the country. 

Well-Optimized Abstract:

False Remembering in the Aged

Researchers studying human memory have increasingly focused on memory accuracy in aging populations. In this article we briefly review the literature on memory
accuracy in healthy older adults. The prevailing evidence indicates
that, compared to younger adults, older adults exhibit both diminished memory
accuracy and greater susceptibility to misinformation. In addition,
older adults demonstrate high levels of confidence in their false memories. We suggest an explanatory framework for the high level of false memories observed in older adults, a framework based on the theory that consciously controlled uses of memory decline with age, making older adults more susceptible to false memories that rely on automatic processes. We also point to future research that may remedy such deficits in accuracy.

This article appears on the first page of results in Google for false+memory+aged. 

Poorly Optimized Abstract:

False Remembering in the Senior Population

Researchers studying human memory
have increasingly focused on its accuracy in senior populations. In
this article we briefly review the literature on such accuracy in
healthy older adults. The prevailing evidence indicates that, compared
to younger adults, older adults exhibit both diminished accuracy and
greater susceptibility to misinformation. In addition, older adults
demonstrate high levels of confidence in their false memories.
We suggest an explanatory framework for the high levels observed in
older adults, a framework based on the theory that consciously
controlled uses of memory decline in later life, making older adults more susceptible to false memories that rely on automatic processes. We also point to future research that may remedy such deficits in accuracy. 

Well-Optimized Abstract:

Differential Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GDH) Activity Profile in Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Summary: Purpose: Pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying temporal lobe epilepsy
(TLE) are still poorly understood. One major hypothesis links
alterations in energy metabolism to glutamate excitotoxicity associated
with seizures in TLE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether
changes in the activities of enzymes critical in energy and
neurotransmitter metabolism contributed to the alterations in metabolic
status leading to the excitotoxic effects of glutamate.
Methods:
Activities of four key enzymes involved in energy metabolism and
glutamate cycling in the brain [aspartate aminotransferase (AAT),
citrate synthase (CS), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH),
and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)] were measured in anterolateral
temporal neocortical and hippocampal tissues obtained from three
different groups of medically intractable epilepsy patients having
either mesial, paradoxical, or mass lesionassociated temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE, PTLE, MaTLE), respectively.
Results: We found that GDH
activity was significantly decreased in the temporal cortex mainly in
the MTLE group. A similar trend was recognized in the hippocampus of the
MTLE. In all three patient groups, GDH
activity was considerably lower, and AAT and LDH activities were higher
in cortex of MTLE as compared with the corresponding activities in
hippocampus (p < 0.05). In the MTLE cortex and hippocampus, GDH
activities were negatively correlated with the duration since the first
intractable seizure.
Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis suggesting major alteration in GDH
activity mainly in the MTLE group. It is proposed that significant
alterations in the enzyme activities may be contributing to decreased
metabolism of glutamate, leading to its accumulation.

This abstract appears on the first page of results in Google for GDH+epilepsy. 

Poorly Optimized Abstract:

Differential Glutamate Dehydrogenase Activity Profile in Patients with TLE

Summary: Purpose:
Pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying TLE are still poorly understood.
One major hypothesis links alterations in energy metabolism to
glutamate excitotoxicity associated with seizures in TLE. The purpose of
this study was to determine whether changes in the activities of
enzymes critical in energy and neurotransmitter metabolism contributed
to the alterations in metabolic status leading to the excitotoxic
effects of glutamate.
Methods: Activities of four key
enzymes involved in energy metabolism and glutamate cycling in the brain
[aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), citrate synthase (CS), glutamate
dehydrogenase (GDH), and
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)] were measured in anterolateral temporal
neocortical and hippocampal tissues obtained from three different groups
of medically intractable epilepsy patients having either MTLE, PTLE, or
MaTLE, respectively.
Results: We found that activity was
significantly decreased in the temporal cortex mainly in the MTLE group.
A similar trend was recognized in the hippocampus of the MTLE. In all
three patient groups, this activity was considerably lower, and AAT and
LDH activities were higher in cortex of MTLE as compared with the
corresponding activities in hippocampus (p < 0.05). In the MTLE
cortex and hippocampus, GDH activities were negatively correlated with
the duration since the first intractable seizure.
Conclusions:
Our results support the hypothesis suggesting major alteration in
activity mainly in the MTLE group. It is proposed that significant
alterations in the enzyme activities may be contributing to decreased
metabolism of glutamate, leading to its accumulation. 

Important Points To Remember:

• People tend to search for specifics, not just one word e.g. women's fiction not fiction.
• Ensure that the title contains the most important words that relate to the topic.
• Key phrases need to make sense within the title and abstract and flow well.
• It
  is best to focus on a maximum of three or four different keyword
  phrases in an abstract rather than try to get across too many points.
• Finally,
  always check that the abstract reads well, remember the primary
  audience is still the researcher not a search engine, so write for
  readers not robots.  

If you would like to provide feedback
on these guidelines or ask a question about optimizing your article
abstract or title you may contact Lorna Berrett.

Wiley-Blackwell Author Services