Search engine optimization (SEO) represents an effective strategy to drive traffic and eventually leads and sales to your website. With SEO, the focus is on understanding how the Google algorithm works and taking full advantage of it by writing high-quality content that serves the needs of Google users.
Google can be described as nothing less than a vast AI machine that is programmed to answer millions of questions from 4.3 billion users worldwide. The Google algorithm works by recognizing and rewarding search patterns that work.
Google has its own definition of what "works." And to be fair, it can get quite complicated quite fast. But to make it quick, it simply means the type of content that drives people to a site and keeps them returning to it.
Adopting and practicing good SEO simply means positioning your business to take advantage of that fact. In this article, we briefly describe how you can implement the best on-page SEO practices with high-quality content.
What Is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization and refers to the practice of writing web copy or content that increases your chances of “ranking” on Google’s search engine results page (SERP).
This means that Google users can see your website or web page among the top results, preferably the top five to ten based on how you write, structure, and format your content. There are different types of SEO. Here, we need to distinguish between two categories — On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO.
On-page SEO refers to techniques that are conducted within the blog or article, whereas Off-page SEO refers to techniques that occur behind the scenes, through authority and reputation building. Here, we discuss only On-Page SEO. Within on-page SEO, there is Technical SEO and non-technical SEO.
Technical SEO refers to the technical things you need to do to make sure that your site can be indexed by Google and that users have an enjoyable technical experience. We will not discuss this here. Instead, the focus is on the non-technical aspects of SEO. This includes choosing the right keywords and topics to write about, strategically placing these keywords in headings and subheadings, making your writing scannable, and so on.
However, in this article, the focus is non-technical on-page SEO. Google is not the only search engine in town. There are several other search engines, such as Bing, Duck Duck Go, and Yahoo. However, for this article, we look at on-page SEO in the context of Google.
How SEO Works
SEO is often thought of as a mystery. But it doesn’t have to be. Think of SEO as working your way backward to answer questions that customers have. In short, you begin with what the customer is looking for when they type search terms in that Google bar.
You should not approach SEO academically, thinking that it is logical to expect the customer to focus on this or that specific sub-topic based on your understanding of a topic. Instead, you first find out what the customer is looking for.
There are several ways to do so. You could simply make use of free tools, such as Google Trends or sthe Google search bar. Just taking note of things such as search results, how autofill works, and features such as “People also ask” can all help determine how best to write an article that ranks.
However, the more professional method involves using SEO tools to conduct keyword research. SEO tools are software that can provide specific data on what keywords are being used by searchers and potential customers. Some of the more popular SEO tools include SemRush, Ahrefs, and Surfer.
With SEO, the focus is on clearly organizing information so Google can easily recognize its structure and how it can help people looking for answers in Google. At its best, Google is about finding solutions to problems people have by answering their questions.
Therefore, always keep at the back of your mind how the content you write can serve the person looking for the answer. Writing SEO-friendly content means using keywords strategically in your headings, subheadings, and throughout the body of your text. Let’s take a look at how each of these SEO methods would work.
Using SEO tools
SEO tools are effective in providing specific information on keywords. Keywords are at the heart of SEO. They refer to the words or phrases that searchers use when trying to find information or when trying to locate products or services.
For example, an academic researcher looking for someone to edit or proofread their scientific article would search for “best proofreading services.” This would provide a list of results, including the websites of proofreading companies and professional proofreaders/editors to choose from.
Keywords could exist as single words, phrases, or even questions or sentences. SEO tools can help you determine what keywords are being used the most in what country. They provide a range of metrics, including keyword difficulty (or KD) and keyword volume.
Keyword difficulty is an estimate of how difficult it would be for your blog or article to rank for a keyword. Keyword volume is an estimation of the number of people searching for a keyword, based either on individual countries or globally.
This information will help you decide what content strategy to go ahead with. For example, if your website is relatively new, you would want to go for keywords with high search volume and low keyword difficulty. This would be easier to rank for.
There are a wide range of SEO tools. The most popular ones include:
Surfer
SemRush
Ahrefs
There are many others. They serve a wide range of functions, including telling you how healthy your website is in terms of SEO and how it can be improved, in addition to revealing information about specific keywords.
An example of an SEO tool at work
In only teaching what you know. In my experience as an editor who owns a website, I use SEmRUsh for keyword research. One of the most popular keywords in this industry is “best proofreading services.”
This is what you call a BOFU or bottom-of-the-funnel keyword. In other words, people searching for this term are looking to buy proofreading services. Therefore, this would be an ideal keyword to rank for.
Using SemRush, here is what the results for research around this keyword look like.
The results show that the keyword volume is relatively large and evenly distributed across several countries. This gives you an idea of where your potential clients would be coming from.
You can also see that the keyword difficulty is only 24%. This is described as “easy.” Anything below 50% usually is. This means that as long as you write quality content you will be able to rank.
It also shows that the Intent is commercial. This means people are searching to buy services. The CPC stands for Cost Per Click. It’s what advertisers are willing to pay for advertising. This gives you an idea of the potential commercial value of a keyword. The more they are willing to pay, the more valuable the keyword.
Using Google tools
The Google search bar can reveal what works, as the Google algorithm is designed to have a bias toward content that people like and that answers their questions. Carefully studying what that is can put you on the path to writing great content that ranks on Google.
You don’t want to over-rely on SEO tools. Don’t get me wrong. SEO tools are awesome, as I have shown. However, these tools are only as good as the data they possess.
Remember Google is proprietary software, and its algorithm is more or less a trade secret. There are aspects of how Google works that nobody could fully discover, including sophisticated SEO tools.
Therefore, it would be best to respect and work with — wherever it makes sense to do so — the information that Google provides. So, how do you go about using the Google search bar?
This could mean simply Googling a keyword to see what ranks. Frequently, SEO tools lag behind Google when it comes to showing this information. Google also has tools such as Google Trends and features such as “People also ask.”
Google Trends shows how keywords fluctuate and show seasonal patterns based on the time of year. "People also ask" may give you ideas on what subheadings or FAQs to include in your blog.
How to create SEO-friendly content
There are two aspects to creating SEO-friendly content. First, you should provide useful content that directly speaks to searchers. Secondly, you should structure your content in a manner that is Google-friendly.
This is where SEO turns into an art. You have to balance three things here. Providing useful content, making your content Google-friendly, and a third secret thing — writing well.
I think most people can learn how to write SEO. But the art lies in making all these three things work simultaneously. This can be difficult. AI and ChatGPT alone won’t help. You need a human writer who is talented and who knows how to balance these three things.
If you don’t have confidence in your writing, think of hiring either a professional writer or editor. However, for now, we will focus on how to write Google-friendly content.
1. Incorporate keywords in your title, headings, and subheadings
Including keywords in your title, headings, and subheadings is a basic of SEO. The search engine would hardly be able to rank your content if you fail to do this. However, this does not mean you should overdo it.
There is a danger of over-optimization. There was a time when people would get away with stuffing keywords in headings and subheadings and the body of the text. However, the Google algorithm has become advanced enough to the point where it can recognize when this is being done, and your content may even be punished for it.
Keywords should be incorporated naturally and tactfully. You should have at least one or two subheadings with keywords included. More importantly, focus on headings having a logical flow.
2. Structure headings and subheadings logically
Headings and subheadings have various levels that should be structured logically and consistently. This is to avoid confusion and make your content scannable for both human readers and machines.
Most content management systems (CMS) recognize the title as H1, and first-level headings as H2, and so on. In Google Docs, it may be different. The title is usually its own level. So if you are transferring content from Google Docs to WordPress or Wix, please keep that in mind and adjust accordingly.
Here is an example of a logical flow for headings and subheadings. If there’s an article on the benefits of jogging
H1: The benefits of jogging
H2: Health Benefits
H3: It increases metabolism
H3: Reduces the risk of heart disease
H2: Social benefits
H3: Running clubs provide a chance to make friends
H3: It creates a greater sense of community spirit
This heading order categorizes the benefits of jogging logically in terms of health and social benefits. This makes such content easy to read and easy to follow.
3. Make your writing scannable
This is closely related to properly organizing headings and subheadings. But it also includes things such as the size of paragraphs. If you are an academic writer or you are fresh from graduating from university and writing research papers for assignments, you would be used to the idea of a solid paragraph.
This would be a paragraph of several lines that contains the development of an entire idea. In SEO content writing, this wouldn’t do. The focus is instead on thin paragraphs that are a few lines long.
The paragraph unit is often based on length, not the idea. So one idea may be stretched over several small broken-up paragraphs. It may not seem natural for someone who has freshly graduated from an academic or literary writing course, but it is the standard for SEO.
This is because SEO is based on appealing to the widest audience possible. And in our chronically online era, this does not mean professors or academic readers. It means the average person scrolling through social media.
Just think of it like this. In the same way that Instagram and Twitter allow you to scroll through and scan content, the formatting of your content should allow readers to quickly scan your content to identify what they like and are looking for.
Scannable content allows readers to skip what they are not interested in reading at the moment. They could always come back when they are ready to read the specific sections they skipped over.
4. Understand and serve customer intent
When writing SEO-friendly content, you should prioritize the needs of the searcher. You should be able to figure out if the customer is searching for informational purposes or if they’re in a buying mode.
For example, I mentioned earlier that in the niche of academic writing “best proofreading services” signal customers thinking about buying services. However, a keyword such as “how to write a scientific article” would signal informational intent.
This should determine the approach you take to writing and formatting your article. If the customer is interested in buying and making price comparisons, it would be best to include price comparison charts.
Above is a price comparison price chart I included for an article on “best proofreading services” that ranked No. 2.
If, on the other hand, they want to learn how to do something, it would be best to include screenshots or excerpts that give both details and examples of how to perform a task.
There are several other aspects to SEO. They include things such as:
Creating Alt descriptions for images
Writing meta descriptions
Taking care of the technical aspects of your website, such as speed and mobile friendliness
Developing a strong backlink profile
Interlinking related articles within the same blog
There are many others. But this was intended to be a brief introduction.
SEO done right can boost your business
SEO can play a crucial role in attracting leads and sales for your business and should not be ignored. For too many businesses and entrepreneurs, their websites and blogs are simply seen as addons that every website should have to look professional or complete.
You'll often hear freelancers describe websites or blogs as their portfolios or online resumes. Businesses may call them online storefronts. However, if no one knows who you are, they won't be searching for you and will never get a chance to see either your online portfolio or your digital storefront.
With SEO, you get the chance to begin with the customers' or searchers' needs and work from there. This means instead of relying on random chance or massive investment in ads to be discovered, you instead rely on your ability to satisfy the search intent of your prospects or customers.
Being able to rank in the SERPs through SEO is ideal for your business, as it comes with several benefits. The most important being the way it can drive down your advertising budget. With SEO, you get the chance to bootstrap your business from zero to one hundred.
You'll be using nothing more but the ability to write in a way that makes both Google and your potential customers happy.
Here is a quick list of the benefits to be had from SEO content writing:
It drives organic traffic to your site
It develops customer trust and loyalty
It Increases your brand awareness
It generates leads and sales
A blog can capture customers at all stages of the sales funnel
However, always remember optimizing for a search engine is not everything. You still have to make sure that your article is serving the customer or searcher. Just think of SEO as the framework within which you provide this value. Good luck with your content writing!
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2024, August 1). SEO Content Writing: A Brief Introduction. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/seo-content-writing-a-brief-introduction |
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