Interview Skills: Formatting an Interview for SEO

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh Oct 1, 2009

This month Mia Carter, editor of the Mind & Soul section, will be contributing a series of posts on how writers can master the art of the interview.

Interviews can add credibility to an article; they can also be the basis of an article, particularly in cases where the interview involves a high-profile subject like an author or a celebrity.

Many writers struggle when it comes to utilizing the information gleaned in an interview. And some writer's simply don't know how to present the interview in an SEO-friendly manner. Today, we'll take a look at the different ways to use an interview as the basis of an article, and we'll examine how to provide added credibility to an article using quotes from an interview.

Using an Interview as the Basis of an Article

You can also use an interview as the basis of an article in normal paragraph form, with a handful of bold, title case, keyword-centric subheadings.

When using this format for an interview, you'll begin by selecting a handful of quotations that you'd like to include in the piece. Then, you arrange the quotes in a logical order and "write around" the quotes, expanding upon ideas discussed in the quotes and creating segues between topics.

Quotes from an interview can also add interest and credibility to an article. Rather than writing an article about the interview, you can use one or two quotes from the interview in an article on a related topic.

Formatting an Interview – Q&A Articles

Web writers may be tempted to write up a Q&A-style article that's essentially a transcript of an interview. But this is rarely an SEO-friendly option because generally, these articles lack proper keywording. And when SEO is poor, there's a chance the article may end up on page 27 of the search engine results and this means that very few people will have an opportunity to read about your wonderful interview!

There are a few ways to improve keywording and overall SEO in a Q&A article.

One method involves using your interview questions as the subheading, try to keep the questions brief. You can also re-word your question and add vital keywords, creating an abridged version that can serve as a subheading; under that subheading; you'll use your original question in italics, followed by the interviewee's answer.

For brief questions and answers, group several questions under one subheading section. The subheading should contain essential keywords, while summing up the questions and answers that appear in the section. After the subheading, add a brief introduction to each section, and summarize the main highlights of the questions presented in that subheading section. Then, include two or three related questions and answers.

Introductions and Conclusions in Interview Articles

Remember that every article — including Q&A articles — must contain an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction will summarize the main points of the article, while addressing the who, what, when, where, why and how elements of the article. The conclusion should be approximately 100-150 words that reiterate the article's main points.

Check out next week's Limelight Blog post for more tips on how to secure interviews!