5 tips for increasing your article's search engine discoverability.

1. Create a search engine friendly title

• Include 1-2 keywords related to your topic
• Place your keywords within the first 65 characters of your title
• Keep your title short
• Consider moving a phrase from your title to the first or second sentence of your abstract

2. Optimize your abstract

• Place essential findings and keywords in the first two sentences of your abstract
• Only the first two sentences normally display in search engine results
• Repeat your keywords 3-6 times
• Don't forget the purpose of your abstract is to express the key points of your research, clearly, and concisely.

See below for an example of a well-optimized abstract.

3. Use keywords throughout your article

• Include keywords in your title (1-2), abstract (2-3), and keyword fields (5-7)
• Keywords may be keyword phrases rather than just single words
• Incorporate keywords in your headings too
• Headings tip off search engines to the structure and content of your article
• Find specific keywords on Google Trends and Google Adwords keyword tools
• Remember that keywords are important for A&I services as well as SEO
• Use keywords consistent with your field
• If you're unsure, check the words used in your field's major papers
• Let keywords flow naturally and in a contextual way
• Search engines dislike too much keyword repetition, known as keyword stuffing, and may 'un-index' your article, making it hard to find online

4. Be consistent

• Refer to author names and initials in a consistent manner throughout the paper
• Remember to be consistent with any previous online publications

5. Build links

• Link to your article across your social media, networking, and institutional sites
• The more inbound links to your article, the more search engines like Google will value and highlight your content
• Encourage colleagues to link to your article
• The more links from respected individuals/trusted sites the more powerful the effect. Don't forget to do the same for them!