There is a science to SEO content writing, and it’s all very fascinating. According to Search Engine Journal, the first five organic search items that come up when you search for a query, get 67.6% of clicks. That’s huge!
In this article, we go over on-page SEO tips and tricks to consider when writing content for SEO.
Table of Contents
1. Build content-rich articles
We’ve been hearing this for a long time now, and with Google’s recent broad core update, you may realize your traffic fell during the month of September. Google is penalizing pages with thin content, which means you really need to focus on creating informative content that is helpful to your audience.
The first step is to really understand your target audience and understand what information they are seeking. The goal is to be the authority and provide trusted content in your field so that your readers know to look to you for the specific type of information you are creating. So once you define your target audience, the next step is to create a content marketing strategy that includes rich and informative content for your audience.
2. Keyword research is a must
After figuring out what topic you are covering for your next article, do some keyword research around it. Define your focus keyword and secondary keywords. What key phrases are your readers searching for? If Google determines that searchers would benefit from this article, and it uses top keywords that users are searching for, you’ll likely get ranked on page 1 of the SERP. Make sure your focus keyword is in the first line, as well as the title tag and headings of your article and that supporting keywords are included naturally throughout the article.
3. Readability
Readability is a key factor for SEO.
- Break down your article with subheadings: H2, H3, H4. Articles with subheadings are easier to read, so as a result, readers will spend more time on your page and website. Subheadings also guide readers through your page at first glance, which is very helpful for them. Use subheadings where you see fit and be sure to fit any supporting keywords within them.
- Use bullet points for easy reading. Bulleted lists are extremely digestible.
- Keep paragraphs and sentences short.
4. Optimize the title tag and meta description with keywords
Make sure you put your focus keyword in the title tag and meta description. These are helpful to Google especially since Google can read those words and place your article in search results. However, it is also good practice to come up with catchy and creative titles. If your title is attractive and catchy, this can lead to higher conversion rates.
Having your keyword in the meta description is also important, because it shows users what the article is about and can lead to higher click through rates. Your meta description is what shows up in search results when users search for a keyword. Try and create an engaging meta description that gets users to actually want to read your content.
5. Ensure your keyword is in the URL
Having your keyword in the URL will make a user more likely to click on your article versus one that doesn’t include the keyword. Also, having the keyword in the URL helps Google know exactly what the content is about and can also help build trust with users. While it is good practice to place the keyword in your URL, it is also important to keep it short. According to SEO presser, the average length of URLs that show up on page 1 are around 37 characters.
6. Name your images and include your keyword in the file name
Once you’re done writing an article, it’s easy to just upload an image, without specifying what the image is. If you name your image after the name of your article, that is great for SEO. This is because google can search for images, via Google images search. It is also important to name the Alt text of your image as well with your keyword. You need to ensure the image relates to the keyword, if not its keyword stuffing and you can be penalized. You have to figure out how to optimize for SEO but also accurately describe the image.
7. Build backlinks
Backlinks are links taking you from one website to another.. Search engines appreciate this, because this indicates quality content is written as it’s being supported by other websites. Pages that have more backlinks, can rank higher on SERPs.. It’s best to have backlinks to quality websites that are relevant to your industry.
If you follow these tips and tricks for SEO content writing, this can help your articles rank higher on SERPs.