Writing an optimized blog post is quite the skill. Not only do you have to meet the target audience’s needs, but also those of search engines.
SEO optimization can be a tedious and challenging task because you have to strategically select and write content, keep the audience engaged, and adhere to SEO rules.
Here are some content writing tips for SEO to make things easier.
Why should you keep SEO in mind?
Before we answer how to write content with SEO in mind, let’s look into how SEO can work wonders for your blog.
1. Increases Rankings and Visibility
One of the most important functions of SEO is to increase your blog’s visibility. It makes it easier for prospective readers to find your page when they search for a set of keywords.
Visibility and search engine rankings are directly proportional to each other, and so are the key to increasing your organic page ranking. This aspect is essential if you consider that 1/4th of web users never look past the first SERP!
2. Increases Web Traffic
When your blog’s rankings and visibility increase, so does your web traffic, which is one of SEO’s primary goals.
The golden grail for many bloggers and brands is the coveted “Featured Snippet,” or position number zero since it ranks above the first URL.
In short, if you want more people to read your blog, you’ve to adopt the best practices of SEO so that ideally, you can rank at number one, or at least in the top 5 among SERPs.
3. Improves Page Authority
Page Authority (PA) measures how trustworthy your page is, based on the quality, relevance, and reliability of content offered. Its scores range from 1 to 100, and the higher your score, the more authority your web page has. While it’s difficult to influence PA to work in your favor, experts believe adding external links from credible sources with good web traffic could hold the key.
Some SEO Content Guidelines
Knowing the most important SEO elements and how they work will help you answer the question “How to do SEO content writing?“. Here are some SEO tips content guidelines that you should try and keep in mind while writing a blog.
1. Keyword Density
In simple words, keyword density is one of the elements of keyword optimization and refers to the number of times a target keyword is used. Its percentage indicates how frequently a target keyword appears relative to the total number of words on the web page.
So, tracking keyword rankings is not enough; you also need to hit the right keyword density. While there is no set rule on what the ideal keyword density is, most SEO experts believe it lies around 1-2 percent.
The best way to approach keyword density after your analysis of keywords is to write as you usually would and organically use the keyword in your content. You could also use semantic keywords, which are basically variations contextually related to the target keyword. Keyword stemming by adding a prefix or suffix to the target keyword or pluralizing it is another strategy you could use.
2. Content-Length
According to recent research, the volume generated from organic searches to any particular URL is measurably higher when the posts are longer. The optimum post length for SEO lies somewhere between 2,250 to 2500 words. For blogs, on the other hand, 1,000 to 3,000 words is a good length.
To rank well, it is essential that your blog is shared and backlinked as much as possible. If you have a longer blog, it is more likely to generate quality backlinks, which in turn, positively affect ranking factors.
However, one of the best practices for SEO tips is to focus on quality as much as quantity. Search engines invariably place high-quality SEO content that focuses on user intent at the top of their page rankings.
3. Keyword Prominence and Ideal Placement
Besides tracking keyword rankings and hitting the right note on keyword density, ideally placing them is essential for writing a good blog. Keyword prominence refers to the location of a target keyword in the page’s HTML source code.
In simple terms, it is the strategic placement of keywords in your blog where search engines can find them. As for the ideal placement, the higher up a keyword is on the webpage, the more weight it is assigned by the search engine when a user types in the keyword.
Some general rules for placing keywords are as follows – title, subheadings, beginning of a sentence, top of a paragraph, and the start of a webpage. If you use the strategy of keyword prominence for your blog and place keywords in suitable locations, you’ll be increasing the probability of your page being found.
4. Readability
One of the most common SEO tips in article writing that you’ll get, is to craft thoughtful content with your specific target audience in mind. Needless to say, the ability of your target audience to digest and understand your content plays a vital role in content marketing.
Besides being one of the most important strategies for content marketing, this aspect, termed readability, also helps improve SEO results. Good readability means that your content is valuable and has a purpose, which registers well with your readers.
Search engines measure these positive behavior signals and rank your page better. They prefer content with high readability, which offers satisfactory results to the end-users. Therefore, it helps you build a good rapport with your potential audience.
5. Placement of Images
If you’re planning to use images in your blog, know this – there are techniques to optimize your visual content to help you rank better on search engines. One of the best SEO tips, and practices for images is to decrease the file size to improve loading time.
If you’re wondering how to image search to improve your blog’s SEO, here are a few tips to keep in mind. First, consider the context in which you’re using the image, for it should be added where it’s the most relevant to satisfy any search engine’s algorithm.
Next, keep in mind the image size. Search engines like Google tend to favor rectangular images in proportions like 4:3 or 16:9. Once you’ve ticked these two parameters, name the image appropriately. Search engine crawlers have a limited understanding of reading pictures and will read your file name instead to rank the page.
The final step in how to image search and place the image is to write an appropriate caption. Search engines use captions to extract information to try and understand the image. Catchy captions are also excellent opportunities to engage your readers since, on average, image captions are read 300 percent more than the main content!
Don’t forget to check out:
- Best SEMrush Guide + How To Use SEMrush Like a Pro 2023
- Search Engine Optimization FAQs: Rank On Google
- Optimization of Search Engines Guide 2022
- SEMrush Review 2023: SEMrush pricing, features, Detail
- 11 Steps building links to website [Backlinks]
Things To Avoid
1. Long Paragraphs
Apart from good grammar, vocabulary, and visuals, paragraph length also affects your blog’s readability. One of the best SEO tips in article writing is maintaining short paragraphs throughout, as these are more pleasant to the eye.
Short paragraphs also add structure to your content while making it more skimmable. If your blog is well-formatted, readers will feel like going through everything and can also quickly return where they left off, should they get interrupted.
To avoid long paragraphs, split sentences with a new meaning to a new section below. Alternatively, you could stick to the rule of thumb where each paragraph has only 2 or 3 sentences clumped together.
2. Keyword Stuffing
One of the best content writing tips for SEO is to avoid keyword stuffing. The term keyword stuffing refers to the act of repeating the same target keyword multiple times to rank well.
In fact, keyword stuffing was a popular black hat SEO tactic or a misunderstood SEO shortcut to improve rankings. Keyword stuffing goes against the best practices of SEO and does more harm to your blog than good. So, it’s essential to be aware and not accidentally engage in it.
Keyword stuffing has a very high keyword density percentage and goes against Google’s SERP guidelines and best practices. It can lead to search engine penalties and subsequent removal of your page from SERPs.
In addition, an excessively high keyword density could create a poor reading experience, even with a good analysis of keywords. Keyword stuffing can affect the readability and clarity of your blog, causing readers to bounce.
3. Complicated Vocabulary
Another great one among SEO article writing tips is to steer clear of complicated vocabulary. While writing a blog, it is important to use the “right words” depending on the niche you’re writing in.
Good vocabulary helps you connect with your audience, keeps them engaged, and makes them more receptive to the message you’re conveying. On the other hand, unnecessarily complex language will negatively affect your blog’s readability since the text becomes hard to understand.
Suppose something is too hard to explain through words, research how to google image search, and convey your message through visuals. The strategic placement of good visuals helps paint a better picture and makes it easier for readers to understand your content.
Conclusion
This article would have given you an overview of some of the best content writing tips for SEO for your blog. From keyword analysis and prominence to readability and optimization of images, there are several SEO elements to consider while writing a blog. Understanding the nuances of SEO can be pretty tough, but with a little bit of trial and error, you’ll be able to ace it in no time!
FAQs
1. What is SEO on-page?
On-page SEO or onpage SEO is one of the best strategies for content marketing, where individual web pages are optimized to rank higher and gain more traffic. It refers to the optimization of both the content and HTML source codes.
2. What is SEO link building?
SEO link-building is yet another content marketing strategy where hyperlinks from other credible sites are used in your content. This process could help improve page authority and generate more traffic on your site.
3. What is SEO WordPress?
While, by default, WordPress is a search-engine-friendly platform, you may need to use some of the best practices for SEO to optimize your content further. You can do so by using some of the content writing tips for SEO mentioned above.
4. What is SEO meaning?
SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. It refers to the optimization process of a website’s content relevance, technical configuration, and link popularity to rank better on search engines.
5. What is SEO writer?
An SEO content writer understands the best practices of SEO. Therefore, they write content that’s informative and engaging. They also use SEO article writing tips that will help improve readability and content relevance, two crucial aspects of SEO.
6. What is SEO, and how does it work?
SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of getting traffic to your page from free, organic searches on search engines. Technical, on-page, and off-page optimization are the three pillars of SEO that help satisfy search engine algorithms in a way that your page ranks better.
SEO Tips While Writing A Blog [Infographics]
