Have you ever tried baking a cheesecake without the recipe?
Trying to bake a cake without following a recipe is like you have all the ingredients, but without the right guidance, you may end up with a result that falls short of your expectations.
My first cheesecake was a mess.
So was my first blog.
Actually, it took me a few years and an SEO course to get the hack of it.
That’s why I completely understand SEO content writing for beginners can be intimidating. It’s natural, as most beginners start content writing to satisfy their urge to write something.
Slowly they realize that they need to cater for the audience.
Not complicating the topic any further, let’s first learn what SEO content writing is.
What is SEO content writing?
To understand it you need to know what is SEO and what content writing is. Let’s start with what is content writing.
What is content writing?
Content writing is crafting content for the internet. Articles, blogs, webpages, website copy, and social media posts are different types of content. You write content for different purposes like education, marketing, and entertainment.
Your job as a content writer is to research the topic, and then write content clearly and concisely. You also need to edit and proof your content to make sure it is grammar and spelling error-proof.
What is SEO?
The full form of SEO is search engine optimization. Simply put, SEO refers to improving your website so that it shows up more often when people search for things like the products you sell, the services you offer, or topics you know a lot about.
Let me explain it in a better way.
What do you do when you want to find some answer?
You go to Google and type your query, isn’t it?
Then, Google shows you some results. At least 10 of them will be there. But how does Google select these results out of millions of other content available on the internet?
Content that gives the best solution to the problem or the queries ranks higher on the search engine. Simply put, Google recommends the best solutions to your problems.
So when you talk about SEO content, you are answering USERS’ QUERIES.
Let me share with you a personal experience.
When I started my career as a content writer, I saw many blogs and articles ranking high on Google. Some of them were poorly written content, and they didn’t even answer what I was searching for.
Most of these contents used keyword stuffing to rank higher. Over the years, search engines have become smarter. Google now hates keyword stuffing.
Today, user experience needs to be your prime concern as an SEO content writer.
Why you should write search-engine-optimized content?
There is a higher chance that search engines will discover your content while optimizing content for search engines. Some of my clients get lakhs of website traffic, as they have done SEO-focused writing.
If you are offering a product or service, you may need SEO content on your website. That is the best way to get noticed by your target audience searching for the service or product you are selling.
In short, more traffic to your site means more sales, inquiries, or engagement with your content.
SEO content writing for beginners: Step by Step Guide
I am going to share some of the tips that I have used to optimize my content. They really work for me, as some of my articles, that I have written for my clients, are ranking on the first page of Google.
Check the tips.
1. Create a user persona
Start your SEO content writing by creating a user persona. Experts also recommend that.
Why?
As I have already told you, you are writing content for your audience, and user persona helps you understand them. Without understanding your audience, you won’t be able to strike a chord with them.
Here are some tips for that.
- Conduct thorough research to gather information about your target audience. If you are writing a blog promoting menstrual cups, research the data available to check which age group of women prefer them and why.
- Once research is done, define demographic characteristics such as age, gender, occupation, income level, education, and location.
- Determine the goals, motivations, and needs of your users. What problems are they trying to solve? What are their aspirations? Is it the comfort of the menstrual cups? Do they want to save the environment?
- Find out their pain points and frustration. What are the challenges they are facing while using the pads? You are all set to create your persona.
2. Do keyword research
This is the most crucial part of search engine optimization. Keyword research will help you find out what people are searching for and how many people are searching for it.
If a keyword is used by a high volume of searchers, your chances of ranking for that keyword are high, too.
But while using a keyword you need to check the intent behind the keyword. Let’s go back to our menstrual cup example.
If you opt for “menstrual cup”, what is the intent behind it?
Answer: you can’t think of anything particular. Maybe the person wants to know what is a menstrual cup or maybe she wants to buy one.
How will you curate content around this keyword?
Now, “what is menstrual cup” is a keyword that you can use to spread awareness about menstrual cups.
“How to use a menstrual cup” is a query that tells you that the person has bought the menstrual cup but doesn’t know how to use it. That person needs step-by-step instructions.
“How to use menstrual cup step by step by step with picture” is a keyword which gives you a more precise and accurate idea about what your readers want. They are new to menstrual cups and they want a step-by-step guide with pictures.
“Menstrual cup” is a has 154k volume which means those many people are looking for it. And the content around it is About 4,46,000 results. These high-volume keywords have high competition, too.
“How to use menstrual cup step by step by step with picture” has 600 volumes, but there is no content on this keyword.
Keywords like Menstrual Cup are called seed keywords, and they are also called short-tailed keywords. “How to use a menstrual cup step by step by step with the picture” is a long tail keyword.
When you start a blog, you should opt for low-volume competition long-tail keywords instead of short-tailed ones, which are high volume and high competition.
Start with selecting a focus keyword or primary keyword and five secondary keywords. Your content would revolve around the primary keyword, and secondary keywords are the related topics that you can use as subheadings or part of your content.
There are so many tools that you can use for keyword research. You can utilize the free keyword generator tool provided by Ahrefs, or you can explore options such as Uber Suggest or SEMrush (which offers a 14-day free trial).
3. Write awe-inspiring Content
The headline of your blog or article will create the first impression in your readers’ minds. A scroll-stopper headline is crucial to convince them to read your content.
It’s your first point of interaction with your readers and you cannot afford to bore them.
I always create at least 10 headlines and zero down on the best.
Next, concentrate on your introduction. While writing try to grab their attention first, give them the reason to keep reading your content and state the benefits of reading your content.
The body should answer WHAT – WHY – HOW.
Address the problem your readers are facing while answering what. Convince them that the solution you are providing is the best one while answering the why. And then give practical solutions and show them how to achieve their goal.
End your content with a conclusion. Remind them about their pain point and then talk about how your solution can help them end it with a call to action.
Keep your content conversational and never lose the tone.
4. Specify the title with a title tag
Through the title tag, you are telling the search engine how relevant is your content. But while writing your title tag you need to keep these things in mind:
- Your focus keyword should be included here
- Your title tag needs to be with 60 characters. (Don’t worry! you can write eye-ball-popping titles within that limit)
Your headline can be the title tag, too. You just have to include the keyword there.
5. Give a gist of what your content is by writing a meta description
The meta description can impact the click-through rate of your impact. Write a catchy meta one and give a glimpse of what’s in store for the readers.
Keep it within 160 characters.
You will see that Google sometimes creates its description of your content, ignoring the one you crafted. But I would still suggest you write a meta description of your won including the focus keyword in it.
6. Follow a hierarchy of topics and subtopics using header tags
Header tags are extremely important, as they create an information hierarchy for both search engine bots and readers.
Your heading of the content will be H1 and subheadings will be H2. Subheadings under H2 will be H3 and so on.
7. Use the keyword in the URL
It is important to use the keyword in your URL. Also, you need to remember that URLs are case-sensitive, so use only lowercase. Avoid underscores and spaces, too. They might confuse you.
8. Don’t forget to use the magic of images
Images are what make your content more relevant to your readers. They make it easier for your reader to understand complex concepts.
How will you SEO optimize them?
Use keywords in their alt text and you can use these keywords in their file names, too.
Conclusion
These are some of the tips and tricks I follow to SEO optimize my content. Start with them. These simple but effective tips can help you reach the right audience.
Whatever tips and tricks you may follow nothing can beat amazing content. So keep writing awe-inspiring content and take your SEO game one notch higher by learning all the tricks of the trade and experimenting with them with your blog.
Believe me, you will learn, you will fall, and you will rise.
FAQs
Which tool do you use to get help writing SEO-friendly content?
I use Ahrefs Keyword Explorer free version, Question BD, AskThePublic, and Also Asked for my keyword research. These are free tools so you don’t need to pay a hefty amount and they are really good.
Can someone become an SEO expert without any experience?
SEO needs experience without experience you won’t have the practical knowledge of it. You will learn the theory, then you will apply whatever you have learned either on your website or your client’s website. You may fail, but you will learn from your failure. Without working consistently and updating the repertoire of knowledge, expertise in SEO is next to impossible.
What is the difference between general and SEO content writing?
General content writing focuses on providing information or entertainment to readers, while SEO content writing is specifically tailored to improve a website’s visibility in search engine results. SEO content writing incorporates keywords, meta tags, and other optimization techniques to attract more traffic to a website.