For Authors

Keyword Selection – Remember the Subject

Your main subject is government contracting. Throughout the article, make sure to consistently reference government contracting with the relevant keywords from the provided list. This ensures that your article stays focused and aligns with SEO best practices, helping it reach the right audience and effectively address their interests.

Choose 4-7 Keywords: Select 3-4 keywords from the Master Keyword List that are most relevant to the article’s subject. Document these keywords to aid the web publisher.

Keyword Integration: Incorporate these keywords exactly as they appear on the list, ensuring they fit seamlessly into the content. 

Title

Title is one of the most important Article parts for both SEO, allure, clickability and overall article success. Ensure the title contains relevant keywords selected from the provided list.

SEO Best Practices:

1. Length: Keep Titles Between 50-60 Characters or under 10 words

Character Count: Aim for 50-60 characters to ensure the entire title is visible in search engine results. This length also tends to attract more clicks.
Example Title: “Unlock Success in Government Contracting with These Proven Tips”

2. Clarity: Ensure Titles Are Clear and Concise

Clarity: Titles should clearly communicate the content of the article. Avoid ambiguity and make sure the title directly reflects what the reader will learn.
Example Title: “How to Build a Thriving Government Contracting Business in one year”

3. Use a Mix of Common, Uncommon, Emotional, and Power Words

  • Common Words: These make up 20-30% of your title and help keep it relatable.
  • Uncommon Words: These should make up 10-20% of your title and add uniqueness.
  • Emotional Words: Aim for 10-15% to evoke emotions and make the title compelling.
  • Power Words: Include at least one powerful, action-oriented word to drive engagement.
    Examples:
    • Common Words: how, to, the, in, with
    • Uncommon Words: achieve, thriving, ultimate
    • Emotional Words: success, passion, breakthrough
    • Power Words: discover, proven, transform

Example Title: “Discover the Proven Path to Achieve Lasting Success as a Government Contractor”

4. Avoid Keyword Stuffing: Use Keywords Naturally

Keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords from your pre-existing list into the title naturally. Avoid cramming too many keywords, as this can make the title awkward and less effective.
Example Overstaffed Title with Keywords: “How to Master SAM Registration and 8(a) Certification for Business Growth in Government Contracting”

Example Good Title with Keywords: “How to Master SAM Registration for Success in Government Contracting”

5. Optimize the Beginning and Ending of the Title

  • The first three words should grab the reader’s attention.
  • The last three words should leave a lasting impression and encourage clicks.
    Example Title: “How to Build a Thriving Government Contracting Business”

6. Leverage How-To and “What I Learned” Formats

  • How-To Titles guide the reader on a process and are effective in drawing interest.
  • Titles starting with “What I Learned” suggest personal insights or experiences, which can be compelling and relatable.
    Example Titles:
    • “How to Master SAM Registration for Guaranteed Success”
    • “What I Learned from 10 Years of Teaching Governese

7. Use Positive Sentiment

Titles with a positive tone generally perform better. Convey optimism or opportunity in your title.
Example Title: “The Three Amazing Secrets to a Successful Government Contracting”

8. Incorporate Power Words for More Clickable Titles

These are emotionally compelling words that can make your title more attractive and clickable. Words like “Proven,” “Guaranteed,” and “Secrets” are examples of power words.
Example Title: “Proven Strategies to Achieve Success in Government Contracting”

9.  List titles 

Use list type titles to attract readers and improve clickability.
Example Title: “5 Rules of Government Contracting You Must Follow to Win.”

Article Lead

Provide article lead as a separate block for the Publisher. (Usually publishers take the first paragraph of the article to use as a lead, you can improve SEO, allure and readability by writing a specific lead to your articles). 

  • Lead is the text that appears in the Blog feed along with the title.
  • It may be different from the first paragraph of the article.
  • It must contain top keywords from the list of the selected keywords for the subject of the article.
  • It must be a single paragraph.
  • It needs to deliver the main idea of the article with an alluring approach to inspire readers to read the article.
  • Ideally between 50-100 words.
  • Maintain a tone consistent with the article.
  • Consider incorporating a subtle call to action to encourage readers to continue reading.

Example Lead for the article 

How to Build Success Like a Beautiful House that Lasts

Imagine building a house that stands the test of time. Just like a successful renovation needs careful planning and execution, so does a thriving business. We recently tackled a big project, turning an unused space in our home into a functional and beautiful area. By following a clear plan and making smart choices, we not only achieved our goal but also laid a solid foundation for future success. Join me, and I’ll walk you through the steps we took and show how these same principles can help you build a strong and lasting business in Government Space.

Article Structure

  • Subheadings:
    • Use parent level subheadings for main sections of the article.
    • Use child level subheadings for subsections within the main sections..
  • Paragraphs and Sentences:
    • Write in short, consumable paragraphs (3-4 sentences each).
    • Use concise sentences for better readability.
  • Bold Keywords:
    • Bold 2-3 key phrases that contain keywords from the list to highlight essential information.
  • Internal and External Links:
    • If possible, include 1-2 internal links to relevant articles on govassociationblog.org.
    • Ideally, include at least one external link to govassociation.org, preferably to pages related to membership, products, or groups of products, and ensure these references tie back to the article content. The main goal of this blog is to send readers back to GCA for revenue generation. Suggested use of external links is only to major government contracting related sites such as sam.gov, sba, and such. 

Final Checks

  • SEO Review: Ensure keywords are well-integrated throughout the article, including in titles, subtitles, and bolded text.
  • Proofreading: Confirm the article is free of grammatical errors and follows a consistent tone and style.
  • Publishing: Once all elements are reviewed and optimized, send the article for publishing.

Submission Requirements

  • Provide the selected 3-4 keywords for the article to the Publisher for reference.
  • Provide Article Title that follows SEO and clickability suggestions
  • Provide Article Lead
  • Provide article text, ideally, formatted with parent and child subheadings and bolded key phrases. 
  • Provide 1-2 categories from the existing list that best fit the article that the Publisher will assign the article to. 
  • Provide a list of tags from the existing tag list to be used for the article.

Adding New Categories and Tags

  • Categories:
    • Avoid creation of new categories, only suggest new categories if absolutely necessary. 
    • A new Category must be significantly different from existing and must contain at least one keyword from the Master Keyword List. 
    • If you need to add a new Category, maintain general category format (Title Case) 
    • New Category needs to be added to the Category List in the Blog Design, additional development is required)
  • Tags:
    • You may add new tags that ideally represent keywords (see tag list for reference)
    • Tags ARE keywords
    • Only add new tags if you strongly believe necessary tags for your new article are missing. 
    • Try to keep tag list organized and moderate size
    • If you need to create a new tag, make sure it’s not duplicating or are very similar to the existing ones 
    • New Tag needs to be added to the Tag List in the Blog Design, additional development is required)

For Web Publishers

Image Optimization

  • Naming: Name the main image file after the article title, incorporating relevant keywords (e.g., “How-to-Build-Success-Like-a-Beautiful-House.jpg”).
  • Size and Speed: Optimize images to be fast-loading while maintaining quality (ideal image size under 100 KB).
  • Alt Text: Then uploading images, use descriptive alt text, title and capture attributes that include one of the article’s primary keywords.
  • Additional Images: There may be additional images added to the body of the article, also named with article selected keywords provided by the author and optimized as suggested. 

Formatting Requirements

  • Title, Headings, and Lead:
    • The article title (H1) is already set; ensure it is accurate and reflective of the content.
    • Format parent level subheadings as H2 and child level subheadings as H3 and H4 within the article.
    • Ensure the lead text is added to the lead field. If not specifically provided by the Author, request the lead to be identified specifically. 
  • Bold Important Phrases:
    • Ensure the bolding of key phrases as indicated by the author to highlight essential information.
  • Link Formatting:
    • Confirm all internal and external links are properly formatted as hyperlinks with clear anchor text.
    • Verify that internal links lead to the correct pages on govassociationblog.org and that external links correctly point to govassociation.org.

Categories and Tags

  • Assign Categories:
    • Assign the article to the categories suggested by the author.
    • Also, assign the brand new article to the category Featured 
    • Remove previous head article from the category Featured and add it to the category Blog
    • If you need to add a new Category, maintain general category format (Title Case) 
  • Tagging:
    • Use the tags provided by the author.
    • If Author provides new tags, ensure they don’t exist yet in the same or similar form.
    • If you need to add a new tag, maintain general tag format (Title Case) 

Master Keyword List:

  • gov contracting
  • government contracting
  • government contracts
  • govt contracts
  • government job contracts
  • defense contract management 
  • SBA (Small Business Administration) 
  • sam registration 
  • 8a certification 
  • sam registration renewal 
  • SDVOSB certification 
  • disadvantaged business enterprise
  • government contracts for small business
  • government it contracts for small business
  • small business and government contracts
  • government contract site
  • government contracts website
  • government website contracts
  • government website for contracts
  • open gov procurement
  • opengov procurement
  • government procurement
  • government to government procurement
  • govt procurement
  • defense department contracts
  • dod contracts
  • procurement contractor
  • federal procurement
  • gov contract bids
  • government bids and contracts
  • government bids contracts
  • fed gov contracts
  • federal government contracts
  • federal government it contracts
  • federal govt contracts
  • dod defense contractors
  • government bids
  • government bidding
  • defense contracts
  • gov contracting companies
  • government contracting companies
  • government contracting firms
  • WOSB
  • federal contracts
  • federal it contracts
  • government procurement contracts
  • managing government contracts
  • gov purchase
  • government sourcing
  • us federal contractor
  • defense gov contracts
  • government defense contracts
  • government purchase website
  • government purchasing site
  • federal contracts for small business
  • sba government contracts
  • government bidding sites
  • government bidding website
  • website for government bids
  • government bid sites
  • government bids website
  • dod procurement
  • Defense contracting
  • government it contracts
  • set aside contracts
  • state government contracts
  • federal government bids
  • federal government request for proposals
  • government acquisition
  • federal contract bids
  • government contracting business
  • government contracts up for bid
  • government contractor services
  • government services contract
  • federal contract opportunities
  • federal contracting opportunities
  • gov contractors
  • govt contractors
  • fed bid opps
  • federal bid opportunities
  • government vendor
  • business funded by the government
  • government funding for businesses
  • 8a government contract
  • federal contracting companies
  • federal construction contractors
  • gov bid jobs
  • government bid jobs
  • government contractors near me
  • contractors for federal government
  • federal government contracting companies
  • federal government contractor companies

Blog Categories:

  • Capture Management 
  • FREE Resources 
  • Government Contracting Education 
  • Government Contracting for Minority Businesses 
  • Government Contracting Regulations 
  • Government Contracting Strategies 

Blog Tags (Suggest new if you believe they are needed):

  • 8(a) certification
  • 8a certification
  • AI
  • Budgeting
  • Capability Brief
  • Capability Statement
  • Capture Management
  • Certifications
  • Compliance
  • Cybersecurity
  • Defense Contract Management
  • Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
  • DoD
  • Downloads
  • Education
  • Events
  • Finances
  • FREE Resources
  • Government Spending
  • Joint Venture
  • Legislation
  • Marketing
  • Minority Business
  • Partnership
  • Past Performance
  • Planning
  • Proposal
  • Regulations
  • Relationships
  • Resources
  • SAM registration
  • SAM.gov
  • SBA (Small Business Administration)
  • SDBs
  • SDVOSB certification
  • Small Business
  • Small Business Certifications
  • Sole Source Contracts
  • Strategy and Tactics
  • Subcontracting
  • Tools