With the advent of the digital marketing industry, the need for effective, engaging, and SEO-optimised content has increased significantly. This content can be any form, including writing, video, audio, or graphics.
Out of all the above-mentioned forms of content, this article is going to talk about the widely produced content, which is written content.
Before uncovering the key ways to write SEO-optimised content, let us discuss what SEO writing is.
What is SEO Writing?
SEO writing is a kind of writing in which we create content that ranks top in search engines like Google. We write the content keeping in mind our reader’s search intent which allows Google to evaluate it (considering other features besides search intent) and rank it accordingly.
This is how SEO works!
08 Key Ways to Write SEO-Optimised Content:
Out of various ways to craft SEO content, this article will guide you about 08 most widely followed ways to make your writing SEO-optimized. So don’t stress yourself out. Let’s begin with the first one.
Know Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience is as simple as this: You cannot send out a letter to anyone without knowing him/her first. It is the first and foremost element of writing SEO-optimized content. Therefore, it is highly suggested to do a handful of research and get to know your readers well before starting to reach out to them.
Why is it important? Simply put, it will give you a chance to build a rapport with them by studying their pain points, their area of interest, their doubts and fears, and the challenges they are facing.
By keeping these points in mind, whatever you write, you will do so by slipping into their shoes, engaging with them on every challenge and providing solutions to all their problems. So, now, if you are planning to craft your next SEO Optimized content, grab a paper and pencil and get to research your target audience first. It’s very effective, try it yourself!
Well, do not forget the maestro here, that is Google. If the content that you write speaks eloquently to your target audience, Google will appreciate you and as a reward, will title your content as SEO Optimized content, giving it the top position in the search engine.
Do the Right Keyword Research
Keywords are the backbone of your SEO content. They are inserted keeping in consideration the intent of the user or let’s say his/her interest. But one thing must be kept in mind and that is keyword stuffing.
Keyword stuffing is an act of putting keywords excessively in your content to make it look SEO-optimised but that fails to serve the main purpose of content writing which is meeting the user intent. Therefore, it is discouraged by the majority of the leading SEO writers.
In this regard, SEO Team Lead at SE Ranking Anastasia Kotsiubynska says “Today, SEO writing is more than just focusing on keywords”.
Pro-tip:
You can find relevant keywords by visiting sites like SE Ranking, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner. These are the best sites to begin with.
While writing this, I just came across another thought, are you familiar with the term keyword optimization? Because it is also one of the important concepts in keyword research.
Let’s explore it in a bit more detail!
What is Keyword Optimization?
It is the art of using keywords evenly in your content so that it does not make your writing sound boring and repetitive. For it, you have to plant it at proper stages in a way that optimizes your content as per SEO standards to increase visibility and enhance readability.
Readability is very important to consider while writing content. If it will not be reader-friendly, it will not RANK. And to elevate it, do one thing, just don’t stuff keywords! Hence, disperse them properly in your content, only then it will be ranked in search engines otherwise it will be given the last spot in the content ranking, which you do not want, for sure.
You can do so by following this simple guideline:
Use long tail keywords as they have less competition and more chances of meeting the buyer’s intent. For example, take a keyword like makeup products. If we write it as skin-friendly makeup products, then it will be more specific and meet the buyer’s intent fully. The buyer would be attracted towards this keyword more likely.
This is how you research the right keyword and then optimise your content accordingly. Now, after collecting all the relevant keywords, you have to place them in your content at places that are more likely to catch the reader’s eye.
It is highly recommended to place them in the following spots:
- Title
- Meta title
- Images (if you are adding any)
- Headings (also subheadings like H2, H3 etc.)
- At the opening of the paragraph or the end
- Use alternative words for the main keyword effectively without disrupting its sense or meaning
- Just add a maximum of 2 keywords on 1 page. Again, don’t stuff the pages with them.
- Avoid the repetition of keywords on a single page, it gives a monotonous effect.
Now, moving forward, the next step is to:
Add an Optimized Title
Yes, the vital element! Short but blows hard.
The title or header is the most important part of your content. It should be written in a way to attract the reader’s attention in a quick snap and compel him to read your piece of writing.
Therefore, after knowing your target audience and searching the relevant keyword, the next step is to give a suitable title to your content. But, that should also be SEO Optimized!
The title is the most exposed part of your content and it will decide whether the reader should open your content or not. So, its optimization is as necessary as air for you.
Now, the burning question is how to optimize the title to attract the reader’s attention. The answer is NOT so simple! A few things should be kept in mind while curating the title:
- Add main keyword: It is highly suggested to add your main keyword in your title. It is a good practice and is used by accomplished and successful content writers.
- Numbers are attractive: Add the number in your title like “5 easy steps to land your dream job”.
- Give the offer and take the click: Humans are attracted towards offers more easily, you can write as “a guide to write a job-winning resume + a free template”.
- Add the element of curiosity: Teasers can be a good way to arouse curiosity. You can add “We experimented with our new product, and look how it turned out to be.”
Give a Definite Layout to Your Content:
Content structuring is very important in making your writing reader-friendly, SEO-optimised, and increasing readability. A well-structured content will be easy to follow and in turn, increase the time spent on your website.
Generally, the use of headings, subheadings, bold and italic sentences and correct grammar (never forget it) are some of the key elements that help in improving the overall look of your content and give it a structured layout.
Psychology runs behind the inclusion of these elements. The human mind is more attracted towards headers, bold and italic words and cohesive thoughts with which he can relate. Therefore, it is highly recommended for any SEO writer to prioritize the structure of his/her content.
Pro-tips:
- You can add all the mentioned elements in your content at the end as well after writing the first draft.
- For grammar, Grammarly is a good tool to use to check possible errors.
Another thing must be kept in consideration while structuring your content. It is its form! Keep your content in a long format because long-form content is welcomed by the readers as well as Google as it provides a bulk of information.
It then becomes easy to structure long content as you can locate many header points and sentences to italicize and bold. Rockcontent’s SEO Maturing Assessment test can help to identify the main spots where you can add subheadings to increase effect.
Prove Your Content’s Credibility:
There are a lot of accomplished SEO content writers around the globe who are publishing top-notch content daily. Their websites are ranking and the businesses are driving insane traffic and making cutting-edge sales just through the word of hand.
It is important to read what their minds are storming and their fingers typing not to copy but to get an idea and most importantly, to back your claim by referring to their words. It is usually done by inserting the links of such valuable web pages.
This is also called external linking, a widely used term in the SEO industry, which allows a reader to explore multiple dimensions regarding a specific topic through a single page.
In this way, your reader will trust your words soon as well and you will develop a good rapport with him too.
Such sites are a fruitful source of quality information and Google appreciates such a practice of providing your audience with quality and useful content to consume.
For your information, I must add that, linking to other sites is not only for quality written content or information, multiple resources have valuable insights packed in the form of videos and images.
SEO Optimised Content Is Directly Proportional to Social Media:
Social media is the greatest platform where your reader stays for a longer period. So, take maximum benefit of it and optimise your content on social media in a way that drives traffic to your website.
They both have a close-knit relationship with each other in their functioning when it comes to promoting content, brand awareness, and reader engagement.
Make your content so simple, easy, and engaging to read that even a layman can understand it and also share it with his contacts widely.
A common practice is to place share buttons widely on your social media channels that are easy to spot and click in one go. You must add links to your websites too.
Non-Written Content Boosts Readability:
Yes, you read the heading right! Adding non-written content to your written content will make your readers stay connected with you till the last page.
From non-written content, I mean:
- Images
- Videos
- Infographics
- Audio
This method is also preferable because there are few keywords whose user intent is multimedia or non-written content.
For example, if the keyword is how to knit a woollen sweater; tips by granny. Most likely, Google will show the content that would have a video in it because that would best match the user’s interest.
Similarly, if you add relevant pictures, graphs and videos to your content by keeping the keywords in consideration, your content’s chances of getting ranked would increase.
In this way, readers will like to read more of your content because of the way you deliver your ideas to engage them.
It Is Now the Time for You to Start Writing SEO Optimised Content!
Now that you have known all the key ways to write an SEO optimised content, you must start writing your first draft by following these.
From title to conclusion, make sure to keep your thoughts and fingers in the right direction on the above-mentioned writing track so that it is your content that would be in the line next to get ranked on Google.
To make your writing easy and more SEO driven, don’t forget to take maximum benefit out of the tools being mentioned as they will assist you along the way. Add SEMrush tool to the list as well. It is a great tool to guide you about SEO in further detail.
