While the most exciting part of this internship was the writing, the importance of the SEO work that I did cannot be understated. I was mostly expected to write for print but wrote a few articles for just online publication. However, I was tasked with converting print articles written by others to be fit for online reading. There are many things to consider during this conversion process, understanding that print and online consumer experiences and expectations differ. Many of these were explained in an instructional Zoom meeting at the beginning of the semester.

First, search engine optimization is critical. Each digital article needs to be tagged and its URL and headline customized to assist algorithms to find that story when relevant. This involves designating each article’s genre(s) and identifying keywords. Additionally, articles need to be reformatted for online publication. Different elements such as photos and copy, including captions, listicles, and subheads, must be changed for digital readability. Moreover, whereas headlines for print tend to be short and artistic, digital headlines must be more descriptive. This serves the dual purpose of making sure that readers can identify what articles are about when seeing them listed on the homepage and then incentivizing them to click in to read them. A good online headline is active—involving or promoting action—, has a local hook, accentuates timeliness, and leaves something unanswered so that readers want to know more. For Modern Luxury, including a sense of exclusivity or optimization is also a priority and can be achieved through buzzwords like “the best” and “jaw-dropping.”

This growth has been aided by my PWR experiences at Elon. PWR courses have helped me understand rhetorical situations including the needs of different platforms and how expectations differ between print and online mediums. PWR has also armed me with the tools to identify story genres so that I can tag them accordingly. Essentially, PWR has given me the foundational knowledge to be flexible and adapt my writing style as well as others’ to the situation at hand, as well as the post-writing process of ensuring that the writing is accessible to readers. I am still working on my ability to work on digital platforms, especially creating effective headlines. Still, throughout my time at this internship, I think I have improved and anticipate company analytics that can be the judge of my work.