The key to a successful online marketing strategy is to create content that people want to read. But even the most creative and useful content can be overlooked if customers can’t find it in a quick online search. The best SEO content writing finds a balance between keeping readers entertained and giving the search engines the keywords and information necessary to rank your site.
Keeping Readers Happy
Always start by creating something that appeals to the persona you are targeting in every way. Use the right industry lingo, or leave out the jargon and simplify your words. In the beginning, focus on engaging your reader with useful and entertaining information while also incorporating SEO keywords and strategies.
Also keep in mind that readers aren’t interested in low-quality content stuffed with keywords and tossed up on a blog. If the copy isn’t relevant to a potential customer, they won’t read it and it’s less likely to rank well on search engine results.
Courting the Search Engines
Search engine algorithms use keywords to sort sites by their content, but cramming too many into one post can have an effect opposite the one intended. Be cautious of this when writing for SEO. Using keywords aggressively will not only steer readers away from your blog or landing page, but it will also cause your site to drop in rankings.
Instead of stuffing your content, use direct keywords a few times and disguise the rest as longer phrases or variations of the same word or words. You can also build up rapport with search engines by linking to other credible businesses and having them link back to you.
The SEO Content Writing Formula
When you create content, use these tips to convert more customers while optimizing search engine results:
- Identify Your Potential Customers. Think about your current and potential customers and identify what you can do for them to make their jobs or their daily lives easier and better.
- Understand Your Audience. When you know exactly who you are speaking to and exactly what they’re looking for, you can choose the right topics and the right language to hold their interest and convince them to take the next step.
- Use Keywords Effectively. Give the search engines the right signals by using good keywords in your titles, subtitles, and meta descriptions and by letting the rest of your text naturally incorporate long-tail keywords and phrases.
- Write a Great Headline. It doesn’t matter how impeccable your content is; if the headline doesn’t grab the reader’s attention, the content is sunk. According to Moz, the most clickable headlines include a number (i.e. 5 Best Ways, 7 New Things), one or two nice superlatives (best, most, worst), and describe exactly what to expect so there is no clicker’s remorse.
- Use Good Formatting. Web readers like when text is broken up into little chunks, with only a few sentences per line. Paragraphs should be broken up with a handful of subheadings and important information should be singled out using bullet points or numbers.
Hanging With the In Crowd
SEO content writing is all about creating something that real people can use while still following a few solid guidelines for getting the attention of search engines like Google. When you focus on providing solutions while keeping things like keywords and content structure in mind, your content will be just as popular with the search engines as it is with your readers.