Contrary to popular belief, SEO content writing is more than stuffing many keywords and hoping for the best. Instead, it’s a skill that requires time, effort, and knowledge of data analytics.
In addition, with the marketplace so saturated, it can be challenging to get your website to rank higher and garner the attention it deserves.
While this guide will unfortunately not provide you with a magic formula to crack SEO content writing, we have rounded up some great tips that are bound to help.
Do you want to work as an SEO content writer? Check out our other article which shows ways to improve employability skills.
Here are 10 tips on how to use your ability and write SEO content like a professional:
Mastering the Art of SEO Content Writing
1. Know your Target Audience
This might surprise you, but most SEO writing happens away from pen and paper. Before getting down to business, you need to understand your audience.
An important question you need to ask yourself is, what do they want to read?
After all, you are writing for your audience. If they’re not interested in what you have to say, your website won’t rank.
2. Target Keyword Research
Once you’ve got a topic to write on, search for keywords commonly searched for. However, don’t just go for the top ones. Include a mix of secondary keywords and longer phrases.
3. Structure your Writing
We can’t stress this enough, structuring your content is critical for SEO. Not to mention, it makes it easier to skim through and be reader-friendly.
Some pointers to look out for are:
- Meta title and description
- Headings
- Small body paragraphs
- Short sentences
4. Length of your Content
Your word count has a considerable role in optimizing your content for search engines. However, don’t go overboard with adding fluff since that’ll put many readers off.
5. Visual Content
SEO content writing isn’t just limited to writing. You can add visual graphs, bar charts, images, and even videos. This helps keep your audience engaged and increases your chances of being shared on other authoritative websites.
6. Link Building
Backlinks, external links, and internal links are all great ways of getting greater brand visibility. It allows your website to garner traffic and boosts your credibility.
7. Update your website
With time, your content is bound to die out. For example, no one wants to read a year-old blog post that is no longer relevant. To counter this, you need to update your content regularly to ensure your website is fresh and active.
8. Convert, don’t just Alert
Your content should provide your audience with value, but what’s that worth if you aren’t converting them into regulars?
Your content is the primary form of communication between your audience and you. So, include call-to-actions and encourage them to take action.
9. Get a Second Opinion
Have someone read your piece and give you constructive criticism. This helps you get an objective view.
10. SEO Content Writing Services
Writing optimized content can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. There are several SEO content writing services that can help your website rank.