It’s hard looking at tutorials and whitepapers on writing for SEO. Some are decorative and thoughtful, but most are dry, rigid and even misleading.
Writing for SEO is an art; so much so, it’s better to just refer to it as writing, copywriting and/or blogging – all of which take skill, time and patience. The best writers for the web don’t think in terms of titles, SEO words or length, but rather tone, style and consistency.
Writing for SEO begins and ends with a few simple considerations:
Research
A key to creating a quality piece of content is research. The more drawn out the creative process; the better. This involves looking analyzing the competition and audience through intensive research – both online and offline.
Structure
Depending upon the target audience, the structure of content will vary. Blog articles tend to be more long form while static product, service or brand copy usually follows Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Note* This includes general philosophy on problem solution, or ‘feature – benefit’ oriented content. Click here to learn more on the differences between copywriting and blogging.
Readability
Keeping readers engaged is an important part of writing, or ‘writing for SEO’. A few key components of readability range from storytelling and metaphors to accompanying media, pep talks and quotes.
Goal Oriented
Last but not least is content that’s goal oriented. Having a mission oriented mindset is key component to maximizing impact. Without it, the above becomes irrelevant.
All this in mind and under proper execution, here are traditional SEO components that come together organically:
Titles or Title Tags
Headers (h1, h2, etc..)
Copy & Imagery
Linking & Citation
And here is some best practice SEO documentation to go along with them.
