Let’s face it, all the effort, time, and brainpower that you invest in blog articles for your brand is useless if nobody sees it. You can share your blogs via social media and with your email subscribers. Many brands rely on search traffic to make their businesses successful. This is where SEO content comes in.
Search engine optimization (or SEO) is the art of making search engines understand your content. When someone searches for what you offer, they will be able to find you higher up in search results.
This quick guide will show you how to create SEO-optimized content. It also explains why SEO is the king in every content strategy.
Table Of Contents:
What is SEO?
SEO is the process of optimizing written content for search engines. SEO optimization can make it easier for search engines to find blog posts, websites, landing page, images, and other content.
Let’s take, for example, the possibility that your company provides a media monitoring platform (like Meltwater!) People searching for “reputation management”, “how to contact journalists”, or “PR marketing strategy” should be able to find you before your competitors. SEO content can help you increase your search ranking.
SEO is a combination of many moving parts.
- On-page SEO
- Off-page SEO
- Keywords and keyword research
- LSI keywords
- Backlinks
- Anchor text
- Title tag and meta description
- Links to internal resources
- Links to external sources
- Rate of bounce
Although this is not an exhaustive list, it gives you an idea of the size of the SEO landscape.
SEO is Important for Content Writing
Google algorithms favor high quality content. It considers many factors when determining content quality, including the presence of external links and internal links, keyword frequency, placement, length and other factors.
Google’s purpose is to provide the most relevant search results for its users. It therefore looks for signals which indicate a good matching between query and content.
You have better odds of being ranked for keywords you are interested in if you create high-quality content.
Ranking is importantespecially for SEO content writing. It helps drive more people towards your brand. The more people discover your brand, you will become more authoritative.
When someone clicks on your content in the search engine result page ( SERP), it means that Google most likely returned a good match. This makes you more authoritative and improves your rankings!
SEO content can help you earn free website traffic. Search engine optimization puts you in front people who are actively looking for the products or services you offer. This can lead to lower customer acquisition costs and a decrease in ad spend. It also increases brand awareness.
How to think about your SEO Content Strategy
It’s not enough to simply check the boxes on a list with SEO-focused suggestions. SEO-friendly content is not a random thing. How every marketer should approach content marketing:
In SEO, Keyword Usement
Every SEO content strategy is driven by keywords. A keyword is an expression that someone types into Google to search for information, a product, or a solution.
To find keywords that are relevant to your industry or niche, you can use data driven SEO tools such as AHREFS and SEMRush. You should choose keywords with high search volumes and low competition.
Place your keywords
is also important. This refers to the place where your keywords are placed in your content.
The focus keyword for your website should be…
- Title (and title tag, meta description)
- first paragraph
- Conclusion
- At least one H2 header in the content
- Sprinkled throughout the rest.
Do not use the same keyword too often to get flagged for keyword stuffing.
Use LSI keywords
Latent Semantic Indexing keywords (LSI keywords) should be included. These keywords are related keywords.
An example of an LSI keyword is “search engine optimization” and “SEO copywriting.”
Consider search intent
The intent behind any keywords that you select is also important. Keyword intent is the user’s thought process. Why would a user search for this keyword?
If someone searches for a “red jacket”, chances are that they will want to purchase a red jacket. They won’t be interested in learning how to make a red jacket or when blazers first appeared in the fashion world.
The most popular search intent types are informational and transactional. Long-tail keywords allow you to be more specific about the types of searches you are aiming for.
Your content should have internal links and external links . These quality indicators are . This is a great way to give access to additional information and sources that support your content.
You should aim to use links-building from other sources that point back at your website. Search algorithms should consider inbound links as a sign that other sources have found your content trustworthy and high-quality.
SEO Content Ideas
Write about topics that others care about if you want to improve your ranking. Find out what people are searching for , and then build your content ideas around these keywords.
This goes back to keyword research. You can reach more people if you find high-volume keywords.
SEO Content of Quality
Google is focused on quality content. Google’s main goal is to provide quality content. However, the term “quality”, is subjective. How can you make sure your content is better than content that is already ranking well?
Well-written content is not enough to make your content well-optimized.
It is best to search for information about topics you are interested in writing about. Be aware of the links to them, the length and any missed opportunities to improve (e.g. Adding an image, infographic, or other content. ).
Consider the user intention. Also, make sure that you are writing to address the reason for the search. The intent of your audience should dictate the keywords you choose.
If everyone is writing detailed guides on a topic then chances are that you won’t be able to write a blog post of 500 words on the same topic and expect it to rank well.
7 SEO Content Writing Tips You Should Try Right Now
Let’s now put this knowledge to use in our writing. These SEO content writing tips will help you to create your strategy.
1. Write for humans first, then algorithms second
SEO copywriting must appeal to algorithms but make human readers happy. Remember that you are writing for real people. Don’t make your writing too formulaic or robotic so it doesn’t lose any emotion and clarity. This investment can have a significant impact on your campaign’s performance via semantic SEO.
This is particularly important if content marketing is part of your PR strategy. PR is about humanizing your brand, appealing to your target audience and building emotional connections.
2. Double the impact of your headline
Your headline will be the first thing that users see. It will help them determine if your content meets their needs. Research shows that 70% of people only read headlines before sharing articles.
You need to create a headline that sets the right expectations and encourages people to share your content.
3. Add a Meta Description
Meta description is a short snippet that appears below the search result. This preview explains the content of the article to the user, and can encourage them click through.
Google may create a meta description for you based upon your content if you don’t specify one. It is best to decide how the meta description should read. It is usually easier to make your meta description more compelling than search engines.
Your main keyword should be included in your meta description. Give a brief description about what your content is all about.
4. Illustrate with Images
Images can break down long walls of text, and make your content more appealing . Images can also be used to illustrate your article or story and give the reader more value (think graphs, charts, etc. ).
A further layer of interest is how images can assist the visually impaired. Google is now favoring websites that are more accessible. Images with descriptive alt text enable all users to have a better browsing experience.
5. Write long-form content in short sentences
The average person reads between 7th and 8th grade. Your content should cater to this average reader. Short sentences (less than 20 words) support user-friendly content. It’s also easier for algorithms to scan and comb your content, especially long-form.
6. Keep creating new content
Another indicator is the age your content. SEO content marketing is not a one-and done activity. It’s an continuous process. Creating new content regularly will help you build authority and brand recognition.
Also, you can update existing content by adding new links, stats and images. When content is updated, search engines notice.
7. Hiring an SEO Copywriter
Hire someone who is skilled in SEO if you aren’t ready to tackle an SEO strategy on your own. A SEO copywriter can be like a secret superpower, helping you to immediately start leveraging all these tips.
Tools to help you with SEO Content Writing
There are many tools available to assist you in your SEO content marketing journey. You can use the right digital marketing tools to help you identify topics to write about, optimize optimization, track analytics, and perform performance monitoring.
These are our top tools for SEO in no particular order.
UberSuggest
UberSuggest is an easy-to-use, yet powerful tool for keyword research. You can try it for free and get a long list relevant keywords, search volume, difficulty, and other information.
ahrefs
Larger agencies use ahrefs to do more advanced keyword research and build backlinks. This tool will monitor your backlink performance and allow you to monitor your brand authority. You can also see which keywords are being ranked for by your competitors so that you can outrank them.
Hemingway App
Hemingway App is a free online tool that helps with SEO writing. This online tool allows you to copy and paste content and then “grades it” based on its complexity. This tool helps you to appeal to both your target audience as well as search engines by highlighting areas you can simplify.
Meltwater
Meltwater’s comprehensive suite of social listening and brand management tools, as well as competitive insight tools, can help you plan your content creation strategy. Get real insights from consumers to help you choose what topic to write about. Monitor your social performance across multiple channels and share it with others to see where and how you are moving the needle.
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It takes all pieces of a large puzzle to write SEO content. It gets easier as you practice. This guide to SEO can be used to help you get started and see your results grow.