Recently, Jim Morris-Knower, Cornell’s Mann Library liaison to Cornell Cooperative Extension, presented to the lab that I belong to – the Cornell Department of Natural Resources Civic Ecology Lab. Our lab team had been wondering out loud how to increase impact by paying attention to search engine optimization (SEO). I have always learned great things from Jim, and I reached out to him for insights on this one. He did not disappoint.
Jim presented “5 tips to increase your scholarly impact”. I walked away from the presentation not only feeling like these were good ideas for academic work but also recognizing that most of the tips aligned with the suggestions that I share during “Writing Impact Statements” webinars and training. It turns out that digital content that is findable and searchable is about keeping messaging simple and understandable and using relevant keywords, which helps make the work more user-friendly for all. Below are the five tips that Jim shared.
Use a search-friendly article title. What does that mean? In terms of friendliness to search engines, use your keyword in the first 65 characters. Search engines tend to focus on the beginning of a title. Some other things to be mindful of: avoid jargon, use meaningful titles, put important terms up front, keep your writing succinct, and avoid hyphens.
Doesn’t that feel relevant to Extension writing? It is challenging to use plain language sometimes, particularly as we translate research-based knowledge, but knowing that it might increase the likelihood that someone will find what I’ve written… I am more likely to apply this tip.
Optimize the abstract In academic publications, the search is only in the abstract and title. Even if you are not writing manuscripts for publication, you can think of the introduction of your digital work as critical. The first 2 sentences are the most important. Put loaded keywords in those places. Repeat the keywords 3 – 6 times in the abstract or introduction.
Need some help with this kind of writing? Tools like Grammarly and Chat GPT can help you revise your draft. A good prompt will get you the best results. And, of course, always be sure to review and revise to be certain that the response still makes sense and is indeed a better response.
Repeat, repeat, repeat, but not too much. How much is too much? Ask colleagues to review…feedback is a gift.
Consistent author names – how to maximize your discoverability. In his presentation, Jim cautioned about using different names or photos that are connected to your work. For example, always use your full name and presence. The photo that you use should also be consistent. You are marketing your work. Linked In and Orchid (an academic profile that lists named publications) are high priorities for consistency.
So, for example, while I use “Cel” Carmichael to sign my e-mails, when I publish anything that I’m working on, I should consistently use my full name, written in the same way. We want to make it easier for outsiders to find us.
Create links to your published article. Links to social sites, Association sites, university sites, etc. We are all creating content – these tips are intended to help get attention from readers. Many of you have attended my reporting webinars where we talk about “indirects”, “directs”, and “impacts”. Getting the attention of the public for Extension work is important. In reporting terms, this counts as “indirect” data, which is related to how many people actually follow our guidance and recommendations and, in the end, are impacted by our work. So, while it is hard to document how many we reach indirectly via social media or links to published articles, it is important to consider how we are getting the attention of our audiences so that they know about the work that we are doing.
I hope that this is helpful. Keep doing great things and share your work. Go get ’em! 🙂
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