SEO Writing: Top Tips To Write Search Optimized Content

All websites need high-quality content to rank well on search engine results and engage audiences. Blog articles, company descriptions, and all other content must be well-written, informative, and paired with high-resolution images. 

However, quality content would be wasted if your brand can’t capture an audience that will read it. Content must be search-optimized to reach internet users and boost your company’s marketing strategies. 

What Is Search-Optimized Content?

Search-optimized content is marketing material rich in search engine optimization (SEO) components. An SEO campaign is a process wherein you design all website elements to meet specific parameters that help make it rank well on search engine result pages (SERP).

When people look up terms related to your niche or your industry, the goal is for your website to be among the first results they will see. It takes a lot of work to do so on Google, Bing, and Yahoo, among others. 

According to statistics, the number one result on Google gets nearly one-third of all clicks. Moreover, the first five organic results account for more than 67% of all the clicks. This is tremendous exposure for any company, which will lead to exponential increases in audience engagement and conversion rates.

To reap the benefits of top-notch SEO performance, your content must be search-optimized. Here are some easy-to-follow tips for writing search-optimized content and boosting your website’s SEO performance: 

1. Understand SERP for Your Content

Search terms can be very subjective. For example, the phrase ‘storage location’ can mean so many things. For you, it may mean cabinets and repositories, while for others, it may mean a warehouse for their products. And in the digital age, many would think of data storage or the cloud. Staying updated with digital marketing trends is similarly subjective, with different interpretations and applications in the ever-evolving landscape of online marketing.

To better understand SERP, you have to test your keywords. Type your target keyword or keyphrase on a search engine and see what results appear. This should give you an idea of what type of article would rank well using your keyword. 

2. Research Keywords

When people think of SEO, keywords are often the first thing that comes to mind. But as we mentioned in the first tip, keywords can be subjective. So, you need to research keywords relevant to your business and the content on your website. 

The first step is to create a general list of topics related to your business. The second step is to create a list of keywords that people may search for under each topic. Look up your preliminary set of keywords and analyze what type of content rank high on SERP. There are many free keyword research tools to make this process simpler for you. 

3. Prepare an Article Outline

Creating an outline will help the writing process flow more easily. It is also an excellent way to set up the keywords across the entire outline to prevent keyword stuffing. 

There are a couple of reasons why keyword stuffing must be avoided: One, it is not very coherent, and people will be turned off by it; and two, search engine algorithms know this trick and will possibly penalize your site with a low rank or elimination from SERP if they detect it. 

An outline will also help you plan out your article to answer as many questions about the topic as possible. Relevance to your target audience’s search intent, including the latest SEO trends, is vital to good ranking and is rewarded. Content must also have proper headings and subheadings. These make it easier for readers to scan your article for the information they need.

4. Set the Ideal Article Length

Google says article length doesn’t matter when it comes to ranking. However, software company HubSpot has said that based on its study, the sweet spot for a blog article is between 2,100 and 2,400 words. 

Who should you believe?

It’s on a case-to-case basis, according to Search Engine Journal. It is about understanding what your readers want and need. For example, an article about the history of the world, which covers so many subtopics, may need more than 2,500 words to satisfy readers. But for an article answering why a Hermes Birkin bag is so expensive, 1,000 words should suffice. 

Shoppers interested in Birkin prices don’t need to read about the history of luxury bags or other extraneous information. The ideal article length is however much you need to create an article rich in substance and relevant to your audience without unnecessary fluff or keyword stuffing. 

5. Write, Edit, Review, Get Feedback, Edit Again, and Finalize the Content

Now that you have an outline and estimated article length, you can begin writing the article. Be mindful of grammar, keywords, and formatting. Once the article is finished, give it to an experienced editor. Even when you are confident about your writing, another set of eyes will make it better. 

Implement the editor’s notes in your article and review it again. Send it to a few others for feedback—not about the grammar but the information included. Did it answer all relevant questions? Is it missing anything? Is it engaging? As part of your final review, consider using a free backlink checker to ensure your content has the right links to authoritative sources. Edit the article again with further feedback and finalize.

6. Write a Brief Meta Description

Most people don’t have the time or the patience to read more than one or two articles on search engines. They want to find the article that would be most helpful to them, so they peruse the summaries provided. And this is why an impactful and concise meta description is critical. 

A meta description is a brief summary of the article, between 120 and 160 characters. It is worth noting that mobile devices only feature around 120 characters. Integrate the focus keyword in your brief description. And finish it with a call-to-action, such as “find more,” “click here,” or “shop now.”

7. Create Internal Links

You can now publish the article. After posting the article, add the link to other pages of your website. Relevant interlinking will further improve SEO performance and help it reach its audience. 

Conclusion

Aside from being well-written, search-optimized content must be relevant and contain high-performing, relevant keywords to rank high on SERP. It must also be the right length based on the topic and what readers are looking for. A brief and impactful meta description and internal links complete search optimization. 

Sources

9 Content Optimization Strategies to Increase Visibility. Outbrain.com. https://www.outbrain.com/help/advertisers/content-optimization/

SEO Writing: 7 Steps to Create Search-Optimized Content. Ahrefs.com. https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-writing/

69 Important SEO Statistics for 2023 https://backlinko.com/seo-stats

What’s The Ideal Blog Post Length For SEO? https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ideal-blog-post-length-for-seo/255633/