For a long time, brands were confused how content impacted their rankings on Google and other search engines, and to a point we still are, because the search engine algorithms are still a mystery.
However, there are some things we absolutely know, and these are the nuggets of information SEO experts draw upon when they are creating content plans for clients.
I’d love to share these with you in this article.
My name is Subhash Kashyap, and I’m an experienced SEO consultant. If you want more information and support than this blog can offer, please contact me.
Useful content creates backlinks
The number one tip I can give you when it comes to writing content that contributes to your SEO ranking is to write content that is useful to your target audience, as this will encourage backlinks, and those are great for your domain authority.
A backlink is a link that’s created when one website links to another. It’s a little more complicated than this, but when one website links to another, search engines basically presume that the content must be useful and high quality, so you’re more likely to rank highly if someone searches for a keyword that is present on your landing page.
There are ways of purchasing backlinks, but the best way to grow the number of backlinks you have is most certainly organically, because when backlinks grow organically it is a great way to determine that content you have written is actually really useful, and that should be at the heart of all the content you create.
Walking the line
There’s a really fine line to walk between writing content that is optimised for search engines but also appeals to people. Because if you were writing just for people, you might hardly include any keywords, but that isn’t what we’re taught to do. We’re taught to write for search engines.
Once you understand that the way people interact with your content – sharing it, interacting, reading it all, back linking – is the key to SEO success, you’ll forget about your keywords and write for readers, and that is the best way to get success.
Using keywords in the right way
I’m definitely not saying you shouldn’t pay attention to keywords.
Knowing what terms drive people to your website – or your competitor’s websites – is the absolute best way to consider what content you need to generate.
If you’re an expert in your subject matter then you’ll organically include relevant keywords in your copy without thinking too much about it. That being said, there are some tips you can easily incorporate into your content writing to contribute to your SEO ranking.
Top tips for writing SEO content
- Consider your headlines
Headlines should be clear and interesting, and they should incorporate those rich keywords we were talking about earlier; keywords that people are likely to search. The headline we have used above is a perfect example. People will search ‘top tips for writing SEO content’ online.
- Write keyword rich content, so long as it is not at the expense of readers
Keyword rich content is great for search engines, but search engines are not only looking for how many keywords you have in your content, they’re also looking at how people react to it when they get there. Write keyword rich content, but only if this does not ruin the experience of reading your article for the reader, as the audience should always come first.
- Structure your posts
It is really important that your content is separated into organized categories, and you do this by breaking it up into smaller paragraphs, with headlines that keep your readers engaged. Your content should also be organized on the back-end of the website. Use tag hierarchy when tagging your headlines (H1 for titles and H2 for subtitles), as these speak to search engines.
- Propel your content on launch day
Social media is very powerful because your profiles are typically followed by people who are already interested in things you have to say. Posting your article on social media, or on any other forum you think might host people who would be interested in reading it, will drive traffic to the content and popularize it. Those stats are going to be important when the search engines rank you, so make sure you are clear in your description what your article is about, and also that there is a clear call to action and the option to share. Driving relevant people to read, share and take action on your content is key here.
If you need help with SEO…
If you need help with SEO and content management, I can help. You can ask me absolutely anything about your SEO needs by filling in the contact form on my website.
