Effective writing for your website is a combination of focus, flow, and keyword inclusion.
For those who want to make the most of what search engine optimisation (SEO) has to offer, you must focus on creating interesting, informative content that includes the proper keywords to help boost your rankings on search engines.
It can seem like effective writing and SEO are two different things. In many cases, the keywords or key phrases may seem clumsy or awkward to include in most content. But they must be included if you want search engines to rank them highly.
In the early days of SEO, it was about gaming the system. In other words, basing content on what the algorithms of the search engine would use instead of focusing on the reader. Today, effective writing is based on the capturing the interest of the reader while using SEO to augment the number of people who will see it. What follows are some tips on how you can write effectively for your website while striking the right balance with SEO.
Find the Right Keywords
Finding the right keywords take a combination of knowing your audience and doing the proper research. The keywords you use should relate directly to the content and not seem out of place. This means that you will need to shape your keyword research to find the phrases that fit in as seamlessly as possible with your content.
It may not be a perfect match, but it needs to be close enough so that readers are not distracted or find the use of the keywords jarring. This not only means matching the keywords to the content, but also the intent of the article or post as well.
For example, there are substantive differences between content that is informative, sales, and navigational in nature. Sales copy will require different keywords compared to informative copy. Knowing the difference will help you choose the right keywords that work every time.
Catchy Headline
The headline is the front porch of your content. The more attractive and eye-catching you can make it with a snappy headline, the more effective it will be in capturing the attention of the reader. Remember that effective SEO content is a combination of bringing people to your site, getting their attention with a great headline, and then providing informative content that keeps them on your website.
The headline must fit the content but must also grab attention on its own. You should try to fit the main keyword into the headline but be sure that it works first.
Title Tag, Meta Description, and Headline Optimisation
Now that you have your headline, you’ll need to optimise it with the keyword to make it most effective in capturing attention. You’ll need to keep the following in mind.
60 Characters: Search engines will cut off headlines after 60 characters, so be sure the keyword is within the first 60 characters of the headline.
Reach Out: The headline should be engaging right away. Asking a question, making a promise, or other interactive statement that gets attention.
You should optimise the meta description as well. This is relatively easy if you use the main keyword and keep the description itself relatively short. The same is true for headlines within the content. You’ll want to optimise them with a single tag that includes the main or relevant keyword whenever possible.
Clarity
This may seem obvious, but too many writers focus on the number of words to make their content longer or how many keywords they want to include. Instead, the focus should be on creating clear, concise content that informs the reader and does not waste space or effort on things that are not relevant to the point.
To be clear in your writing, you need to focus on specific points that relate to the reader. You can use specific keywords in this regard, but only if they fit the points that you are trying to make. Start with the main keyword in the first sentence or two. End with the main keyword, and then only use it again if it adds clarity to your points.
Do not make long introductions or repeat points. If that means shorter content, then so be it. Remember that SEO is what brings the readers to you. You must keep them there with clear, concise content that provides valuable information. Don’t mess it up by losing focus or too much elaboration on points.
Avoid Keyword Stuffing
This should be obvious, but that doesn’t mean some people will still try to cram in as many keywords as possible. The old days of stuffing keywords into content and getting results are long gone. Today, there are many factors that go into search engines placing your content at the top of results pages. Keywords that are repeated too many times will penalise your content.
This means that not only will your content rank lower, if at all. You also lose the interest of the reader who sees the overuse of keywords. This double-blow is enough to drive down interest in what you have to offer.
Instead, write the introduction and conclusion of your content with the main keyword. Do not use that main keyword again unless it is necessary and fits perfectly with the content you are writing. You should instead focus on creating the best content possible and then inserting the keyword where necessary. With secondary keywords, you should try to fit them in once and then not again unless they fit what you are trying to get across.
Bullet Points
It may be that bullet points are overrated, but they are certainly effective in laying out the content is a short, precise manner. The advantages of bullet points are as follows
- They stand out for easier reading
- Highlight important points that can be elaborated later
- Help make your points more concise
- May include keywords for better optimisation
As you can see, bullet points can be quite effective and help to break up the content nicely.
Link Optimisation
If you include links in your article, make sure they are optimised as well. First, the link should be to a respected, highly ranked article if possible. Then, you’ll need to optimise it properly if you want it to be successful.
Remember that link optimisation is only as good as the link itself. If you follow the proper content writing style and incorporate SEO in the right manner, it may be your articles that get linked to in other content.
Patience
It takes time even for the most insightful to find the right keywords for your content. This means that you will engage in trial-and-error before finding the right keywords that bring in the proper audience. There is no magic formula to make it work right the first time. But with patience and persistence, you can find the keywords that work for you.
There are few, if any overnight successes when it comes to SEO. This means that you want to enjoy success, you will have to earn it through repeated accomplishments with each article or post that you make.
If you want to boost the rankings of your website, blog, or videos, proper use of keywords is a must. However, even the best keywords mean nothing if the content itself is not informative to the reader. Start by shaping the content to fit the interest of those you want visiting your site. Then, include the proper keywords in the right proportions to maximise your reach.