For every content writer, the ultimate goal is to get good traffic on her blog and see her blog or website feature at the top of Google search rankings. But in an increasingly populated blog-o-sphere, how does one beat out the competition? The answer is: by incorporating some SEO tactics. In this article, I am sharing some of the best SEO content writing tips for content creators/writers.
SEO Content Writing Tips for Content Creators
Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the first step towards getting your website gain more visibility on the internet. You can generate more traffic for your website if your website ranks higher on Google search results. Various studies show that users barely go beyond page one of Google search results when searching for something, so your aim will be to make sure that your website MUST rank on the first page of Google search.
But how does one achieve that?
The idea is to have such content that Google’s search algorithm can locate them when people search for certain keywords. Doing SEO for your website is now a priority, and any content writer or brand today does that so that they can reach out to their target audience.
However, remember that SEO tactics should be clean if you want to build your reputation and get organic traffic on your website. Many content writers hire shady content marketing agencies which buy clicks or generate traffic through unethical means. This usually leads to their websites being flooded with bad leads and spam.
If Google detects spam-heavy websites, it will shut them down slowly and the owners will incur a Google penalty. A good SEO agency uses ethical tactics for generating traffic- like social media shares, guest blogging, link building and display advertising.
But if you are an independent blogger and want to get more hits for your piece of content, you have to keep a few things in mind while writing and publishing your stuff.
What is SEO copywriting?
This is an extremely important step. It is more of a summation of a number of talking points- but it is important that you pay attention to it. SEO copywriting is about writing good, unique and readable content for your blog post that contains the right keywords and keyword density so that your content is easily read by the Google spiders. The better you are at SEO copywriting, the higher your content will rank on search results. In short- SEO copywriting is about making your website more readable for audiences and searchable for search engines.
Here are some tips that will help you improve your search rankings:
1 Write regularly by incorporating SEO friendly content writing tips
As we often say, content is king. The first thing you should do to improve your SEO search rankings is to make sure that your website is updated regularly with fresh content.
Sites which do not update their content regularly lose out on readers and drop out of top search results. A site which has been inactive for a long time will ultimately end up attracting junk and will be eventually shut down.
2 Write unique Content
The internet is a vast space, and there is no shortage of duplicate content. However, that is a total no-no for good bloggers. If you want to rank higher, you must provide content that is fresh and unique.
Apart from the legal dangers of hosting duplicate or plagiarized content, your blog may ultimately lose traffic to other sites that have the same content. Plagiarism will also earn you a Google penalty, and slowly, Google will shut down your website.
3 Get a good keyword generator tool
Of course, your content must contain relevant keywords, so that it gets hits when potential readers search for some terms in the search engines. But what keywords should be used?
Many bloggers simply go by their gut feeling, but choosing the correct keywords is by-and-large a counter-intuitive job. What you need is a good keyword generator tool, that will provide you with the keywords that are relevant to the topic you are writing. Do some research and find out which tool is best suited for you.
4 Look carefully at keyword density
A mistake many rookie bloggers do is flood their content or blog post with keywords. This is counter-productive. It almost always ends up looking like spam. Secondly, too much repetition degrades writing quality and ultimately puts off readers.
On the other hand, if you do not use keywords as much as needed, your content will not respond to Google algorithms. The right amount of keyword density is also necessary to embed on to your readers’ minds- it is necessary to phrase and repeat some words so that they register with your target audience.
So, be vigilant with keyword density- and use just the right amount. Going overboard in either direction will make your website less readable. This is one of the most ignored seo content writing tips among beginners.
5 Be thorough with meta descriptions, image captions and subheadings
Let’s just say that reading a wall of text is boring- even or machines. If you are searching for some particular words or phrases, it is difficult to locate them in a solid, monolithic, lengthy text. So, make sure that your content is broken up into clear sections with appropriate subheads, with proper meta descriptions and image captions.
Make sure that your image file name and caption also have keywords. All this helps with SEO because this increases text readability and makes it easy for Google’s spiders to locate keywords and word clusters/snippets easily while searching. This improves the chance of your website featuring on top of Google rankings. Follow these SEO content optimization tips without fail.
6 Make sure you have good images
A huge amount of people search for images, so make sure that your blog contains good images. A lot of organic traffic comes from Google image search, so make sure that your image is eye-catching, and will prompt the readers to click on it in the search results. If they like what they see, chances are they will visit your blog and even share a link. This is one of the most ignored seo content writing tips among beginners.
7 Pay attention to your image file names and captions
Most good content writers include images, videos and infographics in their blog posts. But most of them forget to check what details the image descriptions and file names contain. Remember, while searching for keywords or images, it is easier for Google spiders to locate files and text that contain relevant keywords.
Make sure that your image file name and caption also have keywords. All this helps with SEO because this increases text readability and makes it easy for Google’s spiders to locate keywords and word clusters/snippets easily while searching. This improves the chance of your website featuring on top of Google rankings. This is one of the most ignored seo content writing tips among beginners.
8 Get a website audit from a good agency
While good bloggers can generate good content, it is always recommended that you do a technical audit by a good and reputed SEO agency.
A professional technical SEO audit will make your website more readable, make it faster and help you improve your Google rankings fast. This way, your website is optimized such that Google’s spiders can crawl your website more easily, and hence, ranks your website above your rivals even when both are using similar keywords.
So, if you want your website to be the next internet hotspot, keep the above points while creating content. Quality content is always in demand, and if you follow good SEO practices, your voice is sure to be heard.
9 Keep checking your analytics
The most thing to remember while writing content is that the internet is in a constant state of flux. The market changes, and so do customer trends. What customers may have searched for yesterday may not be relevant today.
So you have to keep monitoring your blog through Google Analytics or similar tools/mechanisms. Get to know about your site’s loading time, bounce rate, views per page and other relevant information and use it to better orient your content.
10 Update your content for new keywords
If your blog is falling behind in search rankings, there is a good chance that your content has not been updated. You have to update your content with new, relevant keywords, re-check keyword density and even update the information in your blog post. This is especially true if you are pushing products- you must update the descriptions.
This is also extremely important for websites that target a younger crowd. Find out what keywords they are searching for, and try to keep your blog updated with them accordingly.
11 Pay attention to non-content things too
A website or blog may have excellent content but may turn off readers due to a lot of other reasons. It may be slow, may have ugly design elements, it may feature a lot of pop-ups or badger viewers for signing up. These are elements that cause readers to lose interest and abandon your site.
Even if they search for the same keyword next time, there are high chances they won’t click on your website. So make sure that your site gives a pleasant surfing experience for your target audience, instead of irritating them.
12 Use social media to promote your blog
This is a no-brainer. Nobody knows your brand and your blog like you, and hence, you should take to social media to promote it. It is not simply about sharing a link, engage with the readers and look at customer feedback.
Be yourself- people are more interested in quality authentic content than having a large number of URLs being shared every day. And while promoting your blog on social media, try to include keywords in your descriptions and hashtags as well.
13 Integrate social media on your website
This is very important. Integrate social media sharing options on your website and blog posts. If your readers like what they see, make it easier for them to share. They can simply click on the social media icon of their choice and share your article on their profile. This not only saves time, but it is also great for making content going viral.
14 Give time to yourself
Nobody is born an expert in anything and SEO is no exception. If you want organic traffic and want to generate good leads and build up your reputation, you have to be patient. Learn about writing with SEO guidelines, and practice. Nobody gets it one go, and you will get better at it. Remember, organic traffic is much more sustainable and impactful that generating clicks via unethical means and spam. This is one of the most ignored seo content writing tips among beginners.
So, here are some pointers for you to keep in mind while writing content for your blog. Remember, like any craft, you need the practice to get better at it. Do not dump your content on the website at one go, revise, orient according to SEO guidelines and keep an eye on changing analytics. But at the end of the day, remember you are writing for actual people, so keep your content lively and engaging.