Let's face it, unless your content shows up on Page One after a keyword search, chances are nobody will see your content. "The best place to hide a body is Page Two of Google."
This is funny, but very true quote often used to promote SEO services. Ask yourself how many times, when looking for something on the internet you clicked the arrow to go to the next set of results. Exactly.
SEO content is your sales pitch to the masses, albeit in a more nebulous way than simply creating an attractive advertising stating how wonderful that product you are selling may be.
The fact that content is part of an article or blog, gives it a certain air of legitimacy.
What is SEO?
Yet another internet acronym that actually means Search Engine Optimization. The internet does love its acronyms! It is the generic term given to any activity, which seeks to improve search engine rankings and results.
The results of a search in Google are all there because of SEO wordsmiths. To sum it up, SEO is a way of optimizing your content for search engines, so it will rank higher than everybody else content (from competing sites) targeting the same audience.
Companies are now realizing that most of their customers are going to be searching for their services or wares through a search engine…usually Google.
An important fact regarding all SEO content is legitimacy. As you probably have experienced, there is a lot of misdirection and false links, geared to either take you to a questionable content or assault you with unwanted advertisements or worse, expose you to viruses.
What is SEO Writing?
SEO writing is all about knowing your audience and gearing the content and words to engage them. Understanding the purpose of the content and to whom it should appeal.
It is all about creating useful, compelling and relevant content with a specific focus and target audience. There are well-documented best practices for creating amazing SEO-friendly content.
Keywords are…well, the key to all of this. Repeating words and phrases that are in line with what is to be promoted action will garner more clicks.
Offering a solution is better than asking many questions. People are attracted to your content because it has promised to help them, educate them or entertain them. Be sure to deliver.
Encouraging people to 'Share' the article and including links to all social media platforms will increase the eyes on, and clicks to your content.
Preparing for your written article is also important. These steps will provide you with the idea of what is happening out there in relation to the article you are writing.
- Research Keywords: Google what you are going to write about - see what is working!
- Optimization of Keywords: Check out SEO Optimization service sites for recommendations, and learn about new trends.
- Promotion of Content: link your content to social media feeds and high traffic sites to leverage that activity to your own content.
- Organization of Content: by having your content set up in an orderly fashion, readers will stay longer and be more prone to 'click-thru' to adjacent content.
- Use Google products: Google loves you to use their stuff and will reward you for it.
- Google+
- Google My Business
- Google Analytic
- Follow all guidelines outlined by Google.
See Also: How to Create an Effective Keyword List for Growing Your Traffic & Revenue
Some Facts and Stats:
Google displays web pages in their search results based on the "authority and relevance of the page to enhance the user experience".
How is it Measured?
- Relevance is determined by analyzing its content based on where (and how often) you use certain words in that article or content.
- Authority is measured by the number of links pointing to your page (and more importantly, how valid those links may be).
Did You Know
- The number one organic search result drives 33% of clicks.
- Page One results contain over 90% of traffic.
- Page Two receives less than 5% of traffic.
- Pages Three receives about 1% of traffic.
- Paid search results receive about 10% of traffic.
Editorial Calendar
Keep track of what you are doing and what keywords you are focusing on. As well, track their success.
By creating a calendar, you are able to plan proactively and have an organized and thoughtful keyword strategy. This will also prevent you from becoming repetitive and irrelevant.
The Headline is the Bait
A compelling headline is what catches the reader's attention. It has to contain the words they were searching for and address the subject matter in a clear and compelling way.
Keep it under 72 characters if you want the entire headline to be readable in a Google search. You will receive more clicks if the headline is complete.
See Also: 15 Online Content Writing Tools That Help Bloggers Engage Their Audience
People love lists and tangible promises. They want to know that there are answers in the article and even though reading many articles is going to take up a considerable amount of their time, they want to think they are saving time.
Do not write the title until you have finished the article. Then you can incorporate the keywords from the content into the title.
Writing SEO Friendly Content
You won't get it right the first time. You will have some degree of trials and errors as you get to know what works for the audience you are targeting.
Longer posts (1500+ words) gather more results as there are more opportunities to use the keywords and expand on the subject matter people are seeking.
Use short paragraphs. Long stretches of verbiage will give many readers Science book flashbacks! Keep your ideas in neat, concise packages for people to digest easier.
Highlight certain words or phrases to draw attention to them. Offer adjacent links as part of the content. This allows the reader to expand on the subject and see you as an excellent authority and resources for the subject matter.
A friendly, non-intimidating tone always works best. Humor is also a great way to engage and entertain your audience. People love to laugh. Content that is clever and engaging is also more likely to be shared on social media.
Analytic
Stats are a great way to understand in real time the impact your content is having - and how many people are looking at it. This will allow you to adapt and amend your content on the fly to gain better results. There are loads of tools for analyzing SEO success.
SEO is an ever-changing, somewhat mysterious term for targeting and appealing your content to the right audience.
See Also: Evergreen or Seasonal: Which Content Should You Choose to Boost SEO Sky-High