SEO and content writing are two staples in many digital marketing strategies. That’s because both these practices have consistently driven in results, despite the ever-evolving digital landscape. When combined, you get SEO writing–a digital marketing strategy that combines the best aspects of content marketing and SEO.
Today, many websites use SEO writing in their webcopies. Look at all the top ranking pages on SERPs. More often than not, these pages have optimized their content for SEO and their effort truly did pay off.
Want to find yourself at the top of the SERPs? Read more about SEO content writing and how you can incorporate it into your digital marketing strategy.
What Is SEO Writing?
SEO writing is the process of creating and optimizing content with the intention of having web pages rank higher in search engines. To do so, writers produce high quality content paired with targeted search terms or keywords to get a higher position on SERPs. This helps increase your organic traffic as well.
Unlike traditional copywriters, SEO writers focus on delivering SEO friendly content on webpages. Of course, SEO content writing still delivers valuable and engaging content. Basically, SEO writing is the perfect combination between optimization and user experience when it comes to content.
Is Content Writing Necessary for SEO?
At this point, almost everyone in the digital marketing industry knows the saying: “Content is king.”
Content plays an important part in your SEO strategy and without it, you really shouldn’t expect to rank significantly for any keyword. Undoubtedly, high-quality content is vital. However, your content isn’t always enough to pull you to the top of the SERPs.
That’s where SEO comes in.
If you have a competitive Hong Kong SEO service, then you’re probably combining quality content and SEO strategies. Simply put, SEO and content writing are a match made in digital marketing heaven. SEO writing delivers both relevant and valuable content and SEO optimization–allowing you to rank higher. That’s a significant metric, considering the fact that 28% of users click on the first result Google offers.
With SEO content writing, you increase your organic traffic and rankings. Remember good SEO content will keep working for your website, unlike PPC–so investing in SEO content writing is never a bad thing to do. After all, ranking first on search engines is a huge feat and a cost-effective way to ensure that you get one step closer to your business goals.
What Are the Basics of SEO Writing?
Creating quality content and optimizing your SEO pages are two things, but together they have an impact on your SEO rankings. These two also come together in what we know as SEO writing. But what is it really and how can you make sure that you’re writing the correct way?
Thankfully, SEO content writing is fairly straightforward. That doesn’t mean that it’s always easy or repetitive though. In fact, SEO writing is very dynamic because of the ever evolving search engine algorithms and the nuances of each industry and brand.
Here are some of things to keep in mind when you start writing for SEO:
Content Plans and Topic Research
A reputable content marketing agency knows that content writing begins even before you write one word. This is even more important when it comes to SEO writing. Aside from keyword research, you should also plan out your topics. For inspiration, you can look at websites like Quora, Wikipedia, or Reddit–these are gold mines for topics! But if you want to speed things up, then using tools like Ahrefs or Answer the Public can greatly help.
Keyword Research
Despite the many nuances, the one thing that every high-quality SEO-optimized content has in common is excellent keyword research. This is the hallmark of knowing what users are searching for and it sets you up for success. With the right keywords as your foundation, you can build a solid SEO strategy which your writing can build upon. Once your topic research is done, you can conduct the keyword research so you can find the appropriate keywords.
Search Intent
Search intent refers to the purpose of a query and when you create content, this is something that you should always keep in mind. Basically, your content should give users the information they want. That being said, search intent should also match your keywords to ensure that you give them the right content type. A quick way to check if your content and keywords match users’ search intent is to input your keywords and see what kind of content pops up in the SERPs.
What Type of Content Is Best for SEO?
There are many types of content available on the internet. From social media posts to videos, there’s a huge selection of content types for you to choose from. To give brands their best chance, digital marketing experts have figured out how to optimize these various content types.
Since we are focusing on SEO writing, the next big question is “What is SEO friendly content?”
Well, SEO and content really do go hand-in-hand. That’s why technically all kinds of content can be optimized for SEO. After all, there’s a relationship between quality content and SEO performance. Of course, some types fare better than others!
Check out these content types that will really excel when optimized for SEO:
Blog Posts
Blog posts are one of the most common types of content on the internet. They’re also one of the best ways to constantly produce SEO-optimized content. Almost every brand has its own blog online, which is why it’s no surprise that blogging for SEO has become a staple in most digital marketing strategies today. Constant high quality blog posts are valuable pieces of content in digital marketing. Not only do they give you a way to talk to your audience, they also help you form a better reputation.
Product Pages
If you have an ecommerce website, then product pages are what you should really optimize for SEO. Quality product pages not only appear higher on SERPs, but they also influence conversions–which is something that any ecommerce website really wants! Employing SEO-based content writing on your product pages can give you a significant boost.
Longform Articles
Google loves informative content–which means that most of the time, longer articles are preferred over short articles. This is strengthened by the fact that Google’s Panda algorithm rewards content which gives more information. Longform articles (which means articles with about 1000 words) allow you to pack more information than your competitors. This makes you more valuable and relevant in Google’s eyes!
Lists
At one point or another, you’ve probably read one of those amusing yet extremely helpful listicles online. If we’re being precise, lists are just another kind of article. However, their short and concise way of unpacking information makes them more enjoyable to read for many readers. It’s also why it is a good practice to create them with SEO content writing practices.
Guides
Many people search the internet for how-to guides and instructions…so it comes as no surprise that guides should be one of the content types that you do SEO writing on. Longer guides are excellent when you have a particularly complex subject matter. In fact, you might want to consider having multiple guides (divided into pages) which you can link to each other if you’re discussing a very complicated topic. Of course, no matter what the subject is, make sure to clearly answer the queries of your readers.
The Fine Print: Metadescriptions and Their Importance in SEO Content Writing
Metadescriptions refer to the HTML element which describes and summarizes the content of an article. The best way to recognize them is to look at the title and the short page description you see on SERPs. The title tag and the description both make up what we call metadata.
In traditional copywriting, writers don’t pay a lot of attention to the metadata. SEO writers, however, recognize the importance of the metadata. That’s why this small detail is still optimized in SEO content writing.
Metadata is incredibly important since that’s what users see in SERPs. When writing metadata, it’s a good idea to always keep things short. After all, your aim is to entice the users while giving them just enough information about your content.
Here are some things you can try when writing metadata:
- Minimize the use of unnecessary characters and make your headlines snappy and easy to read. Remember, you only have a limited space on your metatitle (roughly 50-70 characters). Shorten what you can.
- Put your offer on the title. Be direct about what your content is about.
- Add CTAs to the metadescription. When writing product pages, putting a short and clear call-to-action can help potential customers take action.
SEO Content Writing Tips and Tricks
At this point, every individual in the digital marketing industry will agree that content is key and king. Content that is valuable, engaging, and informative will inevitably be the one that users will flock towards. It will also be, unsurprisingly, one of the higher ranked pages in SERPs.
However, as we established earlier, SEO and content writing are a match made in heaven. If you’re really aiming for the top spot, SEO writing should be your go-to for many of your produced content. Of course, even with SEO optimized content, there are those which really stand out.
We’ve compiled a list of best SEO content writing practices to help you get to the top of the SERPs:
Write for humans
This is the most important tip for SEO writing.
When you begin writing SEO-based content, it might seem tempting to optimize, optimize, optimize. Sure, it might work–for the first few tries. However, you have to remember that Google gets smarter and algorithms constantly change. If you’re writing just for optimization, then your content won’t always be the “best”.
Instead, make sure that you’re writing for humans. That means creating content that actual people will enjoy reading. Whenever you write content, keep in mind that you’re not writing for a search engine and focus on making an enjoyable article your audience will find valuable.
Utilize your headings
Headers provide an overview of what your content is all about. From H1 to H4s, these all contribute to how easy it is for readers to understand your content. But it isn’t just users who benefit from clear and optimized headings.
Google crawlers actually understand your articles better when you have optimized headings. Much like actual users skimming your blogs, crawlers will depend on headings to tell them what each section is about. Subheaders (H2s-H4s) that reflect the content and have keywords help your page rank higher in the SERPs.
Optimize your metadata
A big part of what sets aside SEO writing versus traditional copywriting is the impact that metadata has on your rankings. Metadata, especially the metatitle, can help you rank higher when you include a keyword. Similarly, metadescription can also contribute to your performance.
When you optimize your metadata, always remember our first tip. You are writing for humans! Given the limited space available, write a short yet compelling sneak-peek of what your article is about. Remember, your metadata isn’t a summary, but a preview.
Be concise
In SEO content writing, providing the answers to your users’ queries is paramount. While Google does value longer content, it’s also important to give answers as quickly as possible. As you write, try to give a direct answer to queries within the first paragraph of your subheading.
In general, it’s always nice to have an answer to WH-HOW questions within the first sentence. It’s also a good way to optimize for Google’s featured snippets. This shows users that your page provides the best answer to their query.
Have a link building strategy
Content is one part of SEO writing…links are another!
Aside from backlinks from quality websites, internal links are a great way to optimize your content for SEO. Linking to your other posts is extremely helpful for your webpages for both users and search engines. That’s because internal links do two things:
- It directs users to valuable and related content; and,
- It allows search engines to index your pages and have a clearer picture of your site’s structure.
When creating internal links, make sure that you’re using natural language. Don’t force the insertion of your internal links. Ensure that the pages are related and that the article isn’t jarring in any way because of the internal links.
Enjoy the Top Ranks with SEO Writing
Getting the top spot on SERPs takes a lot of effort. Thanks to Google’s algorithms, many users can have the answers to their numerous queries every day easily. That’s why Google does its best to ensure that the first search results are of high quality.
If you want to nab the top spot on Google, it will definitely take time and effort. SEO-based content is one aspect of that and it’s an important aspect of your digital marketing strategy. Work with experienced digital marketing experts today and see just how SEO content writing can make a huge difference.
