Get to the top of Google with these 5 SEO Content Writing Tips
Front page rankings within the search engines are one of the most sort after goals for webmasters and today I am going to take a look at our top 5 SEO content writing tips to achieve this goal.
Also, I will discuss the key reasons why it is important to think in terms of search engines when writing new content and how you can lay a rock solid foundation for all future material you and your team write.
Rather watch a 2-minute video about SEO Content Writing Tips? Click on the play button below.
Here are the top 5 areas you need to focus on to have the greatest chance to boost your content to the front page of Google, Bing or Yahoo.
- You must run keyword research;
- Writing for human consumption, not spiders;
- On page SEO factors;
- Internal and external links; and finally
- Distribution and promotion of your key content.
Tip Number 1 – Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research is likely one of your highest priority tasks when it comes to SEO content writing. Whether you like it or not, everything we do when it comes down to SEO relates back to what people are typing into the search engines.
Long tail or short tail keywords?
Gaining front page rankings in the search engines is becoming a lot harder than it was ten years ago. Many years ago there may have been a reasonable chance to hit the front page in a major key term like Forex trading.
Nowadays, that primary key term will be saturated with the best of the best trying to get that elusive number one position.
Instead, you are better offer attempting to rank for long tail key phrases, those with four, five or six+ words in them that still have reasonable monthly searches. To find your ideal keywords and their respective monthly traffic, head over to the Google Keyword Planner. We use a combination of the Google Keyword Planner and Long Tail Pro.
Consider ranking for…
Try ranking for something like ‘short term forex trading strategies’ instead of the primary term ‘forex trading’. This way, you’ll have less competition (and less potential traffic), and if your blog post is of a high enough quality, you will still have the opportunity to rank for ‘forex trading’.
You need to know what you are looking to rank for and what your ideal target market is seeking answers to.
Tip Number 2 – Write for your audience, not for search engine spiders
Number 2 is to ensure you write quality content that is focused on addressing the key pain points of your target market.
You are never writing for search engines, but instead, focus on writing authority content answering the most pressing issues and concerns of your target market.
While we did identify doing your initial research to find the best keywords, the overriding principle is to ensure you are speaking directly to your target market.
Does your writing flow for the reader?
Your writing needs to flow, have some quality research with relevant facts and figures and educate and inform your readers if you are to gain any traction for SEO purposes.
Your goal is to be the authority in your niche, and your content is the opportunity to position you and your website as the leader in your field regarding Google and other search engines.
Google loves authority content
Google likes to promote authority content. Unfortunately, it’s hard to become the authority if you have thin, flaky content.
Google will measure this using some proprietary factors, but one of the two biggest factors is time on site and links pointing to your shiny new blog post.
If on average, your visitors are spending 20-30 seconds on your blog post or website, then Google will consider that a pretty strong indication that your content is not of a high enough quality to push to the front.
Is your SEO Content link worthy?
Also, writing for your target market is also about creating content that is ‘link worthy’. Links are one of the strongest ranking signals for search engines in 2016.
Once you have written your quality piece of content, ask yourself if you believe others would be willing to share it with their network of friends and colleagues. That is a pretty good litmus test for quality SEO Content writing.
Tip Number 3 – Make sure your on-page factors are in place
Number 3 is on page factors. These are your meta tags including your title, description and keywords.
Every page you create should have a single focus. In other words, you want to become the authority for that focus.
Let’s look at an example.
Imagine you are writing a page on MT4 tips and tricks.
- Your single keyword focus for the page would be MT4 tips and tricks.
- Make sure the title has ‘MT4 Tips and Tricks’ in it.
- Be sure your URL includes the phrase ‘MT4 Tips and Tricks’.
- Your description should have ‘MT4 Tips and Tricks’ mentioned in it as well.
When it comes to the core on-page SEO factors when writing SEO content, you need to focus on your main keyphrase. Include it in all the areas in a way that still reads intelligently and without keyword stuffing.
Do I need to include a keyword phrase?
In 2009, Matt Cutts from Google made this blog post letting everyone know the Keyword meta tag is not a ranking factor. Having said that, we find it is good practice and keeps the team focused on what the page is about.
So include the keyword meta tag as part of your process when writing your SEO content.
Tip Number 4 – Setup your internal and external links
Number 4 is Internal and external links. The search engine spiders track all the links on your site. Just as much credit is given for an internal link on your site as it is a link coming from an external site.
Use every opportunity to link to relevant pages within your site and to link to other authority sites externally too.
Keep in mind you are not trying to stuff your new blog post with all your critical pages. So long as your article flows, include a link to any internal pages on your site that help the end user on their journey.
If your content does not lend itself easily to link to an internal page, then don’t do it. Don’t force it.
What about external links to other sites?
Any well-researched article or blog post is going to draw inspiration from other writers on the web. So link to them.
This allows readers to understand where you got the research from. You are also helping them in the process of getting the answers they have been looking for.
You may want to use the no follow tag for external links, so your hyperlink code will look like this: <a rel=”nofollow” href=”https://www.mattcutts.com/”>Matt Cutts</a>
When it comes to links, you don’t need a huge amount. Instead, identify where you can add the most value to the reader. Help them. Move them forward on their journey.
Help them discover new links and research on the topic. You will be rewarded.
Tip Number 5 – The distribution and promotion of your new SEO content
Number 5 is distribution and promotion.
Now, your shiny new blog post is live; it needs to get distributed far and wide, including social media channels, key influencers and authorities within your niche.
Your distribution and promotion will account for 80% of your success.
Creating great content isn’t enough in today’s content-hungry world. You also need to find the best distribution channels for the world to see.
Reach out to the key people in your industry and let them know about your content.
A few key areas you can distribute your content:
- Turn it into a video on YouTube
- Influencer outreach
- Turn it into a PowerPoint for SlideShare
- Create an audio file out of it and publish on iTunes
- Email your list with your content in your newsletter
So there you have my 5 key SEO Content Writing Tips. Which of those 5 do you place the most emphasis on and what other factors do you watch for? I’d love to know more in the comments below.
