One phrase that has gained much traction recently is “SEO writing.”
But how does article writing for search engines vary from other types of writing? Do you have any writing tips or tactics for SEO that can help your post rank much higher in Google Search?
This 9-step approach contains all of the secrets that are listed below.
Step 1: Delegate Keyword Research to Competitors
If you only remember one thing from this book, it should be that more than 90% of blog posts get no traffic from Google.
Do you want to be among the 10% who see traffic? The next step is to become an expert in keyword research. We’ve discovered that the keyword research strategy I reviewed below works quite well. It’s surprising how little people talk about it online.
As a freelance writer, you may not have much to contribute at this point. This technique can still be used to recommend substitute terms that have a higher likelihood of appearing in search engine results pages, or SERPs.
There are numerous keyword tools available, like Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, and KW Finder. Finding out how “powerful” your website is should be the first step, regardless of the technique you select. Next, you might focus on keywords that your rivals or similar websites are ranking for. This website’s score is given by Ahrefs as a “Domain Rating” (DR).
The next step is to find similar websites writing about the same topics. To find them, enter a search term related to your industry, or use the Organic Search tab in Ahrefs.
Step 2: Decide What Kind of Article Is Required
To rank on Google, having a solid keyword is just the first step. You should find out what kind of content Google—and thus, its users—favours before you start writing.
The following categories typically apply to blog articles:
- How-to manuals
- Round-ups and listicles
- Original investigation
- Product evaluations
- Videos with lots of images
YouTube videos appear first on the search engine results page (SERP) for this term. A 3,000-word how-to manual without a video is not likely to rank.
Every brief or outline should be written with the article type in mind. This increases the likelihood that your content will rank well on Google.
Step3: Determine the Correct Word Count
As we’ve said before, optimizing the word count is essential to successful SEO. Not everyone fits into one size.
A 600-word post is unlikely to make it into the top 10 if every top search result on “The benefits of switching to Windows 11” has more than 3,000 words.
But there’s a catch to this.
An article may rank with far fewer words if the website has a lot of authority (as shown by a high domain rating) or if it receives a lot of backlinks.
On the other hand, more recent websites with lower domain authority may score higher for word counts than usual. When examining the search results, bear these two points in mind.
Word counts for the highest-ranking articles can be obtained using SEO tools such as Ahrefs, SEO Surfer, and Frase. You can use the free browser plugin SEO Minion to view individual websites.
On Searchbloom.com, there is also a bulk word count checker.
Note that the accuracy of these word count checkers varies sometimes. They count every on a page, which may contain adverts, calls to action, and other irrelevant material.
To avoid incorporating forums, home pages, product pages, etc., it’s a good idea to average similar blog pages and exclude any outliers.
Step 4: Compose Headlines for Google and People
One important SEO ranking criterion is the page title tag. Additionally, it draws people to click on your search results. Get the best title tags by using these 5 pointers.
1. To prevent truncation, keep titles under 60 characters.
Google trims long titles in the search results.4
This is perplexing and leads users to select different websites. Additionally, it has a detrimental effect on the click-through rate (CTR), which hurts SEO.
2. To stop Google from changing title tags, avoid making them too short.
According to industry studies, 61% of the time Google rewrites title tags that are either too long or too short. Frequently, the outcomes fall short of expectations.
3. Use the title to include your main keyword.
You’ll be shocked at how many individuals overlook this important guideline.
4. Follow the advice of the search results.
Look at what Google is ranking right now and take note of all the finest parts.
“Itinerary” appears in the titles of the top three search results. This implies that “itinerary” ought to be a part of our title as well. As we covered in Step 2, it might also be a good idea to organize our content around it.
Moreover, phrases like “unmissable, perfect, ultimate” are used in the top search results. Employing powerful terms such as these can truly make your page titles stand out.
Step 5: Maximize Your Headings
John Mueller works at Google as a Search Advocate. He regularly engages in conversation and advice-giving with SEOs on Twitter. He talked about the effectiveness of header tags back in 2020:
Thus, headings on a page aid in our understanding of the content that is presented. There are more factors besides page headings that affect ranking. We also examine the content independently.
However, occasionally a page’s clear header provides us with a little additional context for the part in question.
Think about the following headings:
Benefits Drawbacks FAQs
These general titles could be applied to any topic when used alone. We ought to be more descriptive to heed John Mueller’s counsel.
Step 6: Don’t Stress Out Too Much About Keywords
Ever since the first search engines arrived on the internet, keywords have been crucial. It is advisable to place primary keywords here:
- Within the page heading
- The meta description
- In the introduction’s opening few sentences
But, it’s important to concentrate on offering a pertinent, helpful response for the search query rather than just the quantity of keywords utilized. This is seen in several of the headlines (as well as keyword variations) liberally throughout the content.
How are we going to do that?
The best course of action is to observe your competitors (the top search results) and take note of the subjects they address. This procedure can be sped up with SEO tools like Frase and Surfer SEO.
The next step is to compile the most important subjects from each article into a single, all-inclusive reference. You should also add a unique touch to the motif for maximum impact.
This might be:
- Staying current with best practices and new data
- Presenting an opposing viewpoint that provokes thought
- Including first-hand accounts that exhibit an in-depth understanding of the subject
Reddit subreddits, Quora, and forums are excellent resources for finding these kinds of content ideas. As an alternative, AnswerThePublic offers a quick summary of any subject using Google data.
Step 7: Write Not for English Teachers, but for Netizens
These two brief statistics may surprise you.
1. The average reading level in the United States is Grade 7.
2. It’s only nine years old in the UK (Grade 4 in the USA).
Nevertheless, a lot of authors find it difficult to resist the need to use lengthy, complicated sentences. The reading age of a blog article is raised by both of these. Furthermore, they may turn off a sizable portion of your readership.
Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s okay now.”I’m writing for a knowledgeable readership.
However, consider that your target persona is commuting to work via the metro. She has her phone in one hand and her bag in the other. She is rapidly reaching her stop when she comes across a link to your blog post on social media.
This implies that our writing ought to be scannable. Here are some pointers to help with that:
- Swapping out complicated terms for more straightforward ones
- Eliminating rambling, lengthy sentences
- Reducing filler and fluff
- Adding additional white space
- Employing bullet points
Readers with limited time benefit from all of these features as they peruse your blog posts. Additionally, it makes people want to read through your calls to action (CTAs) rather than turn around when they encounter large blocks of text. Additionally, raising the time-on-page measure helps SEO.
Step 8: Adjust for Highlighted Snapshots
Eleven presently appears for more than 50 featured snippets, which are prominently displayed at the top of search results pages.
Check Google to see if featured snippets are available for your primary keywords to rank for them.
Should they occur, they will manifest as follows:
- Lists with numbers
- Lists in bullets
- Condensed sentences
- Desks
- Motion Pictures
When you find a featured snippet that already exists, you should incorporate its format and content into your article rather than just copying it. Seek out any opportunities to enhance the present display.
Step 9: Make your FAQs “People Also Ask”-friendly
Google’s search results also always include “People Also Ask” boxes.
Several of these queries ought to be covered in your essay already, as was covered in Step 6.
If not, or if you are unsure of where to put them, SEO can be improved by including a FAQ section.
Here are some pointers to help you do that:
- Put a term in the title, such as “Laptop Bag FAQs.”
- For the inquiry, use an H2 tag, and for the response, use ordinary text.
- In two to three sentences, respond to the question.
- Use FAQ Schema (or suggest it) to improve search engine optimization.
