If you’re going to have a go at writing your own SEO website content, you’ll find the guidelines contained in this article extremely useful! Even if you plan to outsource your SEO content writing work to us, this article is still handy because you can understand the different criteria that we aim to meet with all of the SEO content that we provide.
So, first things first, what’s SEO content? SEO stands for search engine optimisation – the process of getting a website to the top of the search results for related search phrases. SEO content is content that has been written with SEO in mind – it’s usually keyword rich.
Here are the ten SEO content writing guidelines that all good content writers and companies will adhere to:
1. Write for people – not search engines!
It sounds silly, but search engines care more about the satisfaction of users and searchers. Don’t publish content that’s keyword stuff and unreadable – publish content that’s engrossing and will keep your bounce rate low – content that draws repeat readers, recommendations and even back links and social media shares.
2. Use headers
Headers are an important part of SEO – headers are also important for readers because they help to break up what would otherwise be extremely dense chunks of text. Using proper header tags brings discourse to your content both for readers and search engine spiders – everyone is happy!
3. Say no to keyword stuffing
A few years ago some people found they could rank websites highly by using unreadable, keyword stuffed text. The reality is that search engine algorithms have come a long way and keyword stuffing no longer works. It’s ok to incorporate a keyword or two here and there, but they shouldn’t be shoehorned in for the sake of it. The readability of your work should take precedence over the compulsory inclusion of keywords.
4. Always proof read your work
It goes without saying that all content, blogs, articles and press releases should be properly proof read before being published. Proof reading allows you to weed out silly spelling and grammar mistakes and polish up areas of text that perhaps don’t work as well as they should.
5. Conduct plenty of research
It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing general website content or a blog post – it should always be accurate and well researched where necessary. No one wants to waste their time reading content that’s full of factual inaccuracies, and if you publish such content it won’t paint your website in a particularly good light.
6. internal links
When publishing your SEO website content it’s important to include internal links within the text wherever possible – cross referencing other pages on your website. Internal links encourage users to read deeper on your site – they also help with SEO.
7. Don’t aim for a word count
One of the biggest mistakes that people make in the world of SEO content writing is trying to hit a certain word count on every page. We think that SEO content should flow properly – write as much or as little as you need for each page on your site. Typically “Contact us” pages require just a sentence of two of content – whereas an “About us” page may need 1,000 words or more. Don’t aim for a fixed word count on every page on your site – write what’s necessary; nothing less, nothing more.
8. Use calls to action where necessary
Remember your website content is going to be read by real people – therefore it needs to coerce them into “converting”. A conversion occurs when someone takes advantage of the services that you have to offer, buys a product from your site, or gets in touch. All good website content persuades and convinces users they need to become a customer or client of your business – or they need the products or services that you’re selling.
9. Include external references where required
Sometimes it’s a good idea to reference external websites in order to backup data, or reinforce a point you’re making. Typically references are reserved more for articles and blog posts, but sometimes it’s appropriate to include external reference links in general SEO website content – so make sure you do!
10. Write naturally
What we’re trying to say in most of the above points is that your SEO content should just be natural, informative, unique and offer real value to readers. There are some things you can do to help in terms of SEO (including the use of headers), but if you think keyword stuffing or hitting a set word limit on each page is going to help your SEO efforts, you’re wrong!
Search engine algorithms are evolving on a constant basis, but the above tips should remain timeless. The most important thing to remember is that you’re writing for people, not search engine spiders. Even if you get lots of traffic on your website, you won’t make any sales or see any conversions if your content is bad.
We hope that you find these SEO writing guidelines helpful! Why not let us know your thoughts in the comments section below?
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