The connection between content and SEO is of utmost importance for the success of your business. The main purpose of SEO content writing is to drive organic traffic to your website. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done.
Adding a couple of keywords will no longer suffice — the entire process of site optimization has become much more complex. Gone are the days of merely pushing content and writing for the sake of writing something. Reaching out to a competent agency and getting an SEO content writing service will help you maneuver all of those factors and create first-rate material that will drive traffic to your site.
To help you satisfy both search engines and your target audience, here are some tips and reminders to keep in mind while creating content.
Importance of Keywords
While keywords are not the only element of SEO content writing, they are the most paramount one. Finding the right keywords to include can be particularly tricky. The magic word is — balance. Your aim should be to find a keyword that is directly connected to your topic, unique enough, and widely searched by your target audience.
What’s more, your focus should be on the so-called long-tail keywords. They are more specific in nature, and as the name suggests, longer than the commonly used ones.
Including other keywords that are closely related to your main one is also advisable, but do use them sparingly. If possible, use your main keyword in the title of your article and its subheadings, as well as in the very first paragraph. This will enable the search engine to find your article easily.
Don’t Disregard the Search Intent
Whenever we use a search engine, we do it with a specific goal in mind. To put it simply — there is a certain intent behind our every search. Skilled copywriters need to be familiar with the four types of search intent:
- Informational, where users search for information, usually to define something or on how to do something
- Navigational, where users have a specific page in mind to navigate
- Commercial, in which users investigate a product or a service before they decide to make a purchase
- Transactional, where users already have a clear goal in mind and are one step away from purchasing the product
Determining the best kind of search intent that is bound to drive traffic to your website should be your ultimate goal.
Meta Title and Meta Description
Having a well-composed meta title and meta description is fairly important, too. Make sure both your meta title and meta description contain your keyword. They are the part of the article that the search engine shows to your target audience. A good meta description should intrigue the audience just enough to continue reading the article.
A well-written meta description with the right amount of information and well-placed keywords might be just what you need to get an edge over your competition. It should sound natural but compelling, original yet not overbearing at the same time. It should be connected to the meta title, with a call to action. This might sound contradictory, but if done well, it will bring you closer to that click you covet.
Keep SEO Tools in Mind When Writing Content
Frequently, content writers can get sidetracked and disregard SEO tools. While the quality of your content is extremely important, strategizing is integral, too. Make sure you don’t overlook the power SEO strategies hold and use that knowledge to your benefit instead.
Take advantage of free SEO tools to select your keywords, analyze the success of other web pages, troubleshoot possible problems, and even keep a close eye on your competition. This will give you sufficient insight and help you determine which elements need improvement and what your weaknesses are.
Organization Is Half the Work
Having a well-structured, gripping, yet knowledgeable article goes a long way. If you want to achieve this, there are several rules you should follow:
- Use headings and subheadings for better structure and easier readability.
- Cover one idea per paragraph, and avoid digressions as much as possible.
- Include bullet points or organized lists for some additional structure.
- Make sure you are consistent and your topic sentence is answered.
- Provide an outline if your article is on a longer side.
- Avoid overly technical language that may confuse and drive away potential readers.
- Stick to simple, straightforward sentences. You are not writing a literary essay, so store away your philosophical musings.
- Don’t be afraid to reuse your ideas, especially those with a high success rate.
Visuals Matter
As we’ve already mentioned, structured articles fare well in the world of SEO. What’s more, there are other elements you can introduce to make your article even more visually appealing. Readers are easily transfixed by images or graphs, which will make your article more memorable. In fact, most high-ranking articles have at least one image included.
This does not mean your writing is lacking — it simply means people are more likely to read content that is more than just endless paragraphs of text. Think of it as a way of breaking the monotony. Needless to say, any image or graph you decide to include needs to have a purpose. It should be directly connected to the topic and resized accordingly so that it can load quickly.
Analyze Your Competition
Never disregard your competitors, regardless of your previous success. When writing about a certain topic, make sure to check out what others had to say about it. Have a look are the first couple of pages your search engine provides. They are at the top for a very good reason.
Make sure to take note of the keywords, images, headings, and subheadings they’ve used, as it will give you a clearer picture of where you want your article to go. Of course, this analysis will also give you an insight into those competitors who have the same search intent and target audience while also helping you do the same job even better.
