As you develop your writing skills in order to make yourself more appealing to online marketing companies, honing your SEO content marketing strategy is an important component of your progress. Taking algorithm changes implemented by Google and other popular search engines into account can help you stay marketable as a content writer. These do's and don'ts of content optimization will help you stay ahead of the competition.
Do keep up with algorithm changes.
Staying in the know when it comes to algorithm changes is part of an SEO content marketing strategy that makes you more desirable to marketers. While these algorithms are constantly changing to keep up with the ever-changing needs of search engine users, there are a few tips that you can use to avoid being passed over for work.
- Never copy content word-for-word. Even if you wrote the original piece, using copied content for a new client is a sure way to get yourself blacklisted. Google algorithms penalize websites that use content that can be found elsewhere, so using recycled content will hurt clients and your chances of success in the content writing world.
- Try to find a new angle when you are writing content for a marketing company. Even if you use different words to convey a message, rehashing the same old thing hurts when it comes to SEO. Remember that you are tasked with helping clients boost their search engine rankings, and fresh content is an important part of achieving this goal.
Do include relevant links to high-quality websites.
Unless an online marketer specifically asks you to exclude links, use relevant links to improve the value of your content. Using too many links can be detrimental, but adding about one for every 100 words you have written has a positive impact. Trusted news websites and scholarly journals tend to be the best websites to use for linking purposes. Academic institutions and government agencies also tend to have accurate, relevant and recent information to reference in your copy.
Don't resort to keyword stuffing.
While the use of keywords can be beneficial as part of your SEO content marketing strategy, it can be easy to overuse these words or phrases. Instead of working your content around a certain keyword or phrase, consider writing naturally in an attempt to have your piece flow better. Awkward keywords can hurt search engine rankings, and stuffing these keywords into copy that doesn't jive with them is a recipe for disaster.
Don't write content that comes across as spam.
Even if you are writing content for an online marketing company that specializes in helping clients that sell products or services, avoid creating content that reads as spam. A call to action is an important part of a piece that is intended to encourage readers to move to the next step in the buying process, but sprinkling pushes to buy throughout the content is a huge turn-off. Not only will readers be annoyed, but search engine algorithms will flag these types of websites as spam. Instead, work to make a well-researched, relevant piece that closes with a subtle call to action.
Success as a content writer starts with creating an SEO content marketing strategy. Use the list of do's and don'ts outlined above to start building your own strategy, and remember to stay informed about algorithm changes to provide the best content for online marketers.
