How to Write Content for SEO That Converts and Ranks
Writing for SEO can feel overwhelming, even for experienced business owners and content creators. With so many elements to consider, from keyword research and understanding search intent to identifying search queries and keyword optimisations, even familiar topics can suddenly seem daunting.
In truth, writing content for SEO that actually gets results can feel like a tightrope walk, one that wobbles and shakes with every step! But it doesn’t have to be. In this post, we’ll break down exactly how to craft content that gets found in search and delivers the results you’re looking for.
What is SEO content?
SEO content refers to any type of content, such as in-depth blog posts, product pages, FAQs, infographics, or videos with supporting text, that’s specifically written to answer a real question or solve a problem, and is optimised to rank higher in search engine results for targeted keywords or phrases.
When crafted strategically, you’ll be able to boost organic traffic to your site, position yourself higher in search results, and deliver valuable content to your target audience.
Why is SEO content important?
SEO content is essential for increasing your website’s visibility, driving organic traffic, and improving your rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). But it does more than just help you get found. It also contributes heavily to building trust with your audience, enhancing user experience, and strengthening your authority within your niche. Together, these factors play a crucial role in boosting onsite conversions.
When SEO content is done right, you have a much better chance of appearing on the first page of Google and why does that matter? Well, studies show that where you rank on that page is just as important as getting on the first page of search results. The higher your position, the more likely your pages are to be clicked, with approximately 28% of people clicking on the coveted first position search result.
While many businesses turn to strategies such as PPC to get themselves to the top of Google search, investing in SEO content offers a sustainable and cost-effective way to continually boost your visibility and drive traffic organically for the long term.
SEO content basics
Knowing where to begin with SEO content writing is key to developing an effective digital marketing strategy and implementing it successfully. Here are some of the fundamentals to keep in mind when incorporating SEO into your content.
Keyword optimisation
Keyword optimisation is a core element of SEO content writing. You can use keywords and phrases strategically to help search engines like Google understand what your content is about, improving your chances of appearing in relevant search results and boosting visibility.
Start by asking yourself what your users are searching for. What search terms might your target audience be putting into Google to find your product, service, or expertise? Use keyword research using tools such as Ahrefs or SEMrush to help develop interesting and high-quality content on specific topics.
Once you’ve selected the right keywords, you can carefully incorporate them naturally throughout your content. The goal is to make your content clear and helpful for both readers and search engines without overusing or forcing keywords.
User intent
To be able to create content that your audience wants and what they’re looking for, you need to understand user intent. When your content aligns with user intent, it’s more likely to rank and appear further up the results pages.
User intent is the “why” behind a user’s search engine query. There are different types of user intent, which are influenced by your niche and the industry you’re in.
Informational Intent: These users are looking for answers to specific questions. They may be looking for research materials, definitions, and explanations.
Navigational Intent: This type of query comes from someone who knows what they’re looking for (such as a brand or specific site) and is using the search engine to navigate there.
Transactional Intent: This user is ready to make a purchase, sign up, or take action.
Commercial Intent: This user is likely comparing products and services, reading reviews, or looking for deals with the intention of making a purchase at some point in the future.
Remember, understanding user intent can help you create content that actually contains the answers that users are looking for. Focusing on this means you’re more likely to rank higher in search results and ensure visitors to your site are more engaged.
Readability and structure
When both users and search engines understand your content, you’re onto a winning formula. This is because content that has good readability and structure is easier to engage with, comprehend, and rank! So, remember, SEO content isn’t just about adding keywords; it’s about the user experience. Here’s how you can put this into practice.
Use clear headings: Break your content into sections, so it’s easier for humans and search engines to read.
Keep paragraphs short: Avoid large blocks of text, as this can overwhelm readers.
Use bullet points and lists as they are easier to digest and scan.
Keep sentences simple: Simple sentences with a conversational tone are better than complex language.
Include internal and external links: Links to related pages on your site and authoritative external sites can provide more value and context.
Use keywords naturally: Include keywords as naturally as possible and avoid overstuffing.
Conversely, if your content is hard to read and poorly structured, it won’t matter how good your keywords are; users won’t hang around, and Google will notice, which in turn can negatively affect your website’s visibility.
13 Tips to write good SEO content
Let’s take a closer look at how you can write valuable SEO content that will drive traffic, keep your audience engaged, and perform well in search engines.
Write for your readers first
SEO and user-friendliness go hand in hand. Content that is good for users is also good for SEO. But write for your readers first, not the search engines! To do this, make sure you’re giving your readers content that is easy to digest and content that gives them the answers they’re looking for. To achieve this, you need to fully understand your user’s intent, so you can create content that’s tailored in the right way.
You need your content to read naturally, so avoid “keyword stuffing” as much as possible and instead, insert your chosen keywords or related keywords as naturally as possible. This approach means readers are more likely to remain engaged with your content, resulting in a positive impact in the SERPs.
Base content on real audience questions
One of the best ways to create valuable content is by offering answers to genuine questions your target audience is asking. Knowing what they’re looking for can help keep your content focused, clear, and relevant. To do this, consider using tools like Google’s “People Also Ask” box or keyword research tools that highlight those question-based queries. This simple but highly effective approach improves engagement and helps to position your site as a strong resource in your niche.
Understand how search algorithms work
Understanding how Google ranks pages can help you tailor your content effectively. Search engine algorithms are complex; they evaluate the quality of a page using a range of factors including, keyword relevancy, content quality, backlinks, page speed, and user experience, if your content can meet these criteria, algorithms are more likely to show your pages for certain queries and the better your chances of ranking higher in the SERPs as a result.
Choose the right keywords
Make use of the latest keyword research tools to find relevant topics and phrases. These keywords should ideally have good search volume with low to moderate competition or difficulty. Remember, your goal is to create high-quality content that aligns with user intent and user needs, so consider a mixture of primary keywords and long-tail variations that will help you cover a range of queries. Once you’ve chosen them, you need to carefully weave them throughout your content, focusing on readability and avoiding keyword stuffing.
Write comprehensive content
It’s important that you’re creating content that is interesting and valuable to your readers and performs better for search engines. One way to do this is to write comprehensive content that covers a topic in depth. Rather than scratching the surface of your chosen topic, offer your readers the answers to the most commonly asked questions in your niche, deep dive into any relevant subtopics, and offer strong informational resources that will keep your readers engaged. The length of time users stay on a page sends a message to search engines, telling them that your content is of a high quality, is engaging, and is highly relevant, which in turn improves your chances of ranking for certain keywords.
Use headings
We know that content structure plays a pivotal role in the user experience and sending positive signals to search engines. Remember that structuring your content with clear headings makes it so much easier for readers to find the information they need quickly. It also helps search engines understand the relevance of your content.
Use a variety of H1s, H2s, and H3s to help you keep your content structure organised and easy to follow. For example, your main title should be an H1, followed by subsequent subheadings. It’s also good practice to include keywords in your headings, as this will highlight key information to search engines. Just make sure that they’re relevant and read well!
Make content easy to read
When content is hard to read, no one is going to spend time trying to decipher it, and search engines can quickly penalise you for it. Remember, we’re writing for the reader first, so ensure your content is clear, concise, and accessible. Short sentences and multiple paragraphs are better than long-winded explanations and huge chunks of text. You should be conscious of jargon and instead, focus on easy-to-digest information presented in lists, bullet points, and simple language. Readability is essential for a good user experience and helps search engines understand your content better.
Link to authoritative sources
Building trust with your audience is a key element of writing content for SEO. You can do this by linking to trusted, high-quality sources within your content, referencing facts, statistics, or citing reputable websites. This highlights to the reader that your content is well-researched and reliable, making you a trusted source of valuable and up-to-date information, and supporting your overall link-building strategy at the same time.
Remember to prioritise sources that are up to date, as these will enhance the user experience – no one wants to read a report that’s over three years old.
Add meta titles and descriptions
By ensuring that your content has a meta title tag and a good meta description, you can help search engines understand your content and give readers confidence that they’ll find what they’re looking for when they click through to your site. You should include your target keyword in your meta title and ensure that it accurately reflects the content of the page.
Ideally, the word count should be below 60 characters. For your meta description, you should use between 150 and 160 characters and provide an engaging yet concise summary of your page that naturally reflects the page’s keywords. When these meta tags are well written, they can improve your CTR (click-through rate) and make your content stand out.
Include relevant images and media
You know now that readability is important for the user experience and search engine optimisation. You can also achieve this by adding images, videos, charts, and other types of media that will enhance your content by breaking up large chunks of text and making information easier to digest.
Including relevant images and media also creates another opportunity for optimisation! You can achieve this by adding descriptive Alt text to each image. This means providing a short description of what the image is to improve accessibility on your page for users with visual impairments and also helps search engines to understand what the image is about. It gives your content another boost and another opportunity to appear in image search results!
Use internal linking strategically
Don’t overlook this powerful SEO technique. By linking to other relevant pages within your own website, you can guide users to other valuable information and keep them engaged for longer. This helpful addition to your SEO writing process also helps search engines crawl your site more effectively, giving them a better understanding of the links between the pages and increasing their visibility. Make sure that the anchor text you choose reflects the topic of the linked page correctly, and choose a page that the reader will value!
Optimise for AI overviews
With Google’s AI overviews becoming a prominent part of search results, securing a spot inside them can significantly boost your brand’s visibility, even if you’re not holding the top organic ranking.
To increase the likelihood of being included in AI overviews, create content that is factually rich, well-structured, and written in plain, accessible language. Summarise key points clearly, using short paragraphs and headings so information is easy for AI to extract. Aim to incorporate relevant keywords naturally, provide schema markup so search engines can interpret your content more accurately, and cite credible sources to strengthen trust signals.
Keep your content updated
Believe it or not, creating interesting, high-ranking content is only part of your SEO journey. Keeping all your content fresh and relevant is just as important! Search engines prefer (and will prioritise) content that is up to date and reflects the latest information. So, you need to be in the habit of regularly reviewing and updating your pages as part of your wider SEO writing strategy.
This can take many forms, from updating statistics and refreshing old references to improving readability or adding new sections to blog posts. When you consistently maintain your content, it signals to Google that your site is active and valuable, which can help to improve your SEO performance and increase user trust over time.
Common mistakes to avoid
While there are plenty of practical tips for increasing your SEO performance, there are also several pitfalls you may want to avoid while writing for SEO. Here are the most common.
Keyword stuffing
The overuse of target keywords and phrases in your content is known as keyword stuffing, and it’s an easy mistake to make. We know that using relevant keywords is vital for SEO, but overusing them and “stuffing” them into your content excessively can lower its quality, making it harder to read and less likely to be engaged with.
Search engines pick up on this quickly, which can lead to lower rankings and visibility. Instead of stuffing, focus on placing your keywords as naturally as possible, use related terms and long tail variations so you’re not repeating the same phrases. And remember, always write for your readers first!
Writing for bots instead of people
With so many technical steps and SEO writing tips out there, it’s easy to forget about the humans who’ll be trying to read your content! When SEO copywriting focuses too much on search engine needs, it often leads to awkward phrasing, poor readability, and frustrated humans! Robotic language and forced keyword use can alienate your readers and reduce dwell time on your page, which will send negative signals to Google.
Instead of writing for robots, write with a clear understanding of what your audience needs and set your tone accordingly. Try to solve problems by answering questions naturally and engagingly.
Ignoring technical SEO basics
Perhaps you’ve written an incredible piece of content. One that ticks all the right boxes for both users and search engines. Unfortunately, if you’ve neglected some essential technical SEO basics, then all your hard work won’t get you the results you want. Technical SEO is what helps search engines access, crawl, and index your site, so if it’s not done right, your site might not appear at all.
Slow loading pages, broken links, missing meta descriptions, and poor site structure are incredibly harmful to your credibility and your visibility. Ensure your site works well, is mobile-friendly, and loads quickly. Fix broken links promptly and avoid duplicate content. Remember, when it comes to SEO writing and technical SEO, you can’t have one without the other.
Relying on AI-generated content
AI tools are incredibly useful. But we should be careful about relying on them too much, especially when it comes to writing content for SEO. AI-generated content can lack depth, personality, and nuance, something which both humans and search engines are looking for! Just remember that search engines will always prioritise original, high-quality content that demonstrates expertise. Users are getting better at spotting AI-generated content, and this can increase feelings of distrust or frustration about your site and raise questions about your authority within your industry.
Instead, use AI to support and not to replace your writing. Your own personal insights, perspective, and brand voice are what place value on your content, something both readers and search engines will appreciate.
How to check the success of your content
After working hard to create your content, measuring its success and effectiveness is essential. There are several ways to achieve this.
Track SEO KPIs
Tracking Key Performance Indicators or KPIs can tell you precisely how well your content is performing and if you’re meeting your goals. These can include:
Organic traffic
Keyword rankings
Click-through rate
Bounce rate and dwell time
Conversions
You can monitor these KPIs in Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Following these metrics can help you to make informed decisions about your strategy and highlight areas you might need to refine.
Monitor Engagement and Conversions
Tracking user engagement, such as the time spent on pages, comments, or shares, can help you to see how well your content is connecting with your audience and how engaged they are with it. Conversions, such as purchases, sign-ups to newsletters or free trials, etc., also highlight how effective your content is and whether or not it’s driving action and getting results. Having this information means you can actively change course, update your content, or keep going if things are working well!
Use analytics tools
Utilise analytical tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console to get detailed insights into traffic, user behaviour, your keyword rankings, and any technical issues that might be hindering your content’s performance. Remember to review this data regularly so you can spot trends and uncover any areas in your strategy that are potentially weaker than others.
Final thoughts
A good understanding of SEO content can give you the confidence and knowledge needed to create a strong SEO strategy and boost your search engine rankings. But it’s all about balance. Start by understanding your audience and craft valuable, well-structured content that follows the best SEO practices. Remember to write for the reader first and avoid those common pitfalls, such as keyword stuffing and neglecting your technical SEO. With patience and a little technical know-how, your SEO writing efforts will pay off.
FAQs
How long should SEO content be?
Generally, longer and comprehensive content tends to perform better in search results, but only if it’s relevant and valuable. Tailor the length to the search intent, as some queries may require 300 words while others need more than 3000.
Can I update old content to improve conversions?
Yes. Updating and revisiting old content should be a part of your SEO strategy. Refreshing old statistics, information, optimising for current keywords, or adding new information to old posts can improve their readability and boost your rankings. It can also improve your site’s authority and let search engines know that your site is active and valuable.
How often should I publish SEO content?
There’s no fixed timetable for publishing SEO content. But you should try to be consistent. When you publish regularly, whether weekly or monthly, etc, it helps to keep your site fresh and active. Focus on quality first and publish consistently to help build your authority and grow your organic traffic.
