Content writing is a key aspect of any business website or blog. Effective SEO content drives website visitors. Did you know that 90 percent of consumers will choose from the first few pages retrieved by a search engine?
If you are writing content, it is highly unlikely that your client is selling a one-of-a-kind product or service. Chances are your client is one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of businesses trying to market to a niche audience online.
To help them stand out it is important to integrate certain essential elements into your website content, blog posts, directory submission articles, and social media content. This makes it easy for search engines to find your content and will improve your clients' overall search engine ranking.
Here are 7 quick and effective tips for writing more effective SEO content:
1. Include a keyword phrase in your title
Amusing and witty tiles might be fun to write, but titles with keyword phrases bring in the bucks. A huge goal in your content writing should be to write for Google and its algorithms. With over 5 billion searches done each day, it is the most popular search engine on the Internet. Google gives heavier weight to the title of articles and blog posts. Including keyword phrases in your titles is thus an easy but effective way to create content writing that ranks higher in search engines.
While we are on the subject of titles, try to use lists and odd numbers in your title to grab the attention of users. It isn't a coincidence that this article has 7 tips.
2. Use and bold the keyword within the first sentence
The very first sentence on your blog or other content writing should include the keyword phrase either in the form of a statement or a question. Additionally, bold the entirety of the keyword phrase. When Google and other search engines scan or “crawl” your site, they will give extra weight and priority to bold words and phrases. Google will also give extra weight to italicized words.
3. Do NOT keyword stuff
Keywords and keyword phrases are most effective when they are used once every 125 to 150 words. Keyword stuffing gives off a poor and awkward impression of your writing skills.This can make the content writing unappealing to the reader. Additionally, when Google crawling registers an excess of keywords and keyword phrases it will often register the article as spam and negatively impact the business's search engine rankings.
4. Make it evergreen content
Evergreen content is quality content that is in-depth and perpetually relevant. Social SEO – improving a website's visibility in search engines via social media – is becoming increasingly more important to content writing. Your content should engage your audience and remain relevant long after its first online publication. This will make it more apt to be shared or otherwise promoted by readers, improving a site's SEO in a more viral and grassroots way.
5. Target geo-specific key phrases
Because online markets are becoming increasingly crowed, it is important to specialize to stand out amongst the crowd. If your client serves a specific geographic area, make sure you use geo-specific key phrases in your content writing. Prospective customers are specific in their online searching, and will often want a provider that can offer a product or service near or at their location.
6. Call it a banana, not an elongated yellow fruit
You are not writing the next great American novel; you are writing content that is interesting, engaging, and sells a product or service. Avoid using verbose phrases and complex words. Instead, use plenty of short action verbs and throw around a few popular industry buzz terms to spice your writing up.
7. Use plenty of linkage
Just as with bolding and italicizing, Google search engines give extra weight to keywords and keyword phrases that include a clickable link. Use hyperlinks to related articles and products offered by your client, or use links to industry references. A great place to include this at the beginning or end of your article. Closing out with a call-to-action and a link your client's contact page is a great SEO strategy.
