Undoubtedly, content writing and SEO go hand in hand.
If your content is not tailored according to SEO standards, it will be lost somewhere on page 60 of the search results.
As a result, no one will read it. How bad it would be!
On the other hand, if you write content according to SEO parameters, it will be read by more readers.
As a result, it will drive more conversions and generate leads for your business.
Therefore, a strong relationship between SEO and excellent content is crucial!
Here are the nine basic guidelines for writing SEO-friendly content to maximize your SEO efforts while making your content more effective.
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Start by writing for your audience
Before diving into the writing phase, you should have a target audience in mind.
Write quality content that speaks to the concerns or interests of your target audience.
Write SEO-friendly content that is engaging and informative.
To build authority, you should write content better than your competitors.
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Write an eye-grabbing meta title & description
People have a short time span. Hence, your meta title and description should impress readers and compel them to read the entire copy.
Write a clear and captivating meta title that packs a punch. Do not forget to include the primary keyword in it.
Write a short but comprehensive meta-description that tells readers what they are going to read in the article and why it is worth reading.
The meta title and description length should not exceed 60 and 160 characters, respectively.
If you write above this character limit, the exceeding characters will be cut off from the display.
In this way, it will confuse your readers. So write as per this character limit.
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Write simple sentences
You might think difficult and fancy vocabulary will impress your readers. But the truth is that your readers will feel confused.
Using obscure and complex language makes your content difficult to read.
So avoid using complicated words in your text. Use simple language only.
Simple word choice makes content clearer. In this way, your readers will find it easier to comprehend what you are trying to say in the text.
If you struggle to simplify complicated sentences, do not be worried.
An online paraphraser can help you streamline your writing.
It simplifies all complicated long sentences and words.
Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), a word rephraser tool enhances the clarity and readability of the content.
It does this by replacing all complex words with simple and easy-to-read synonyms.
The rephrasing tool clarifies the meaning of the text in brand-new forms of words.
In this way, your readers can understand your text in better way. So a paraphrasing tool helps you save time and effort.
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Always write for humans
With all these SEO recommendations, it might be simple to forget that a user is looking for a solution when he searches on Google.
The greatest strategy to increase your chances of ranking is to produce top-level articles.
Keep your target readers’ pain points, motives, and interests in mind.
For this, you need to choose topics that are related to their challenges.
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Avoid keyword stuffing
To help readers and search engines understand what your text is about, use keyword-enriched phrases in your headlines and throughout the rest of your content.
But be careful—using too many keywords might cause you penalties for keyword stuffing.
Stick to a more natural flow and sprinkle keywords throughout the content.
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Use multiple subheadings in your content
No matter how narrow your article’s topic is, you can break it down into numerous subheadings.
This also allows you to add target keywords in the subheadings.
Subheadings let you break up the lengthy content and make it simpler and easier for readers to pinpoint the exact information they want to read.
When you provide your readers with easy-to-read and scanned information, it will favor your page’s position in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
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Include images
Images will make your posts stand out!
People love to watch visuals in the content. Therefore, including an image in your article might have a significant impact.
Articles, including pictures, can be pinned, offering another way to drive traffic to your website in addition to advertising your blogs on your other social media platforms.
Read Here: Image SEO Tips: Complete Guide to Image Optimization
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Edit & proofread your content
Now is the time to fine-tune and polish your article. You can modify the content yourself if you cannot afford to hire an editor.
How do you go about that?
Your goal while writing SEO content is to offer the greatest solution in the fewest words.
While editing your content, consider the following points:
- Is this the ideal response to the readers?
- Am I explaining my points clearly?
- Is it simple for someone to skim this page and find what they need?
You can organize your text more effectively with headings and subheadings, highlight important points in italics or bold, and change the length of your sentences to keep the reader interested.
Avoid using extremely complicated phrases since they can make your point hard to understand.
Finally, breaking up long paragraphs with images, videos, and bulleted lists is a good practice for explaining your arguments clearly.
Consider reading your work aloud to yourself as you are editing and proofreading.
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Develop a link-building strategy
Your search ranking is greatly impacted by link building.
Why?
Each website that links back to you is considered a vote for your website, which increases the credibility of your content in Google’s eyes.
As a result, your site will move up in ranking.
Writing articles that other websites will want to hyperlink within their own articles is a good idea.
Include high-value elements in your posts, such as unique data and thought leadership, to make the content on your website more linkable.
Key Takeaways
There you have it: “Nine fundamental SEO guidelines for content writing.”
This entire article can be boiled down into these nine steps:
- Start by writing for your audience
- Write an eye-grabbing meta title & description
- Write simple sentences
- Always write for humans
- Avoid keyword stuffing
- Use multiple subheadings in your content
- Include images
- Edit & proofread your content
- Develop a link-building strategy
Stick to these basic SEO guidelines and craft compelling content.
