The idea of SEO content might send shivers down your spine, but in marketing it’s essential. To write like an SEO content marketer boss, here’s six hacks (or you can use it as a checklist) to use. When you write content that’s search engine friendly, it’ll stay on SERPs (and help your rankings) for longer.
First, let’s line them out:
- Visit SERPs
- Check your site for similar content
- Plan what to write
- Check your data
- Proof it
- Push it
Of course these are one some of the SEO content hacks from the thousands you can find on the web, but they’re important for creating quality content that’s also Google bot friendly.
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Visit SERPs
Want to know how to make people visit your stuff? See what’s on page one. Let’s look at this example here (click to enlarge):
As you can see, there’s a featured snippet with a picture attached. Unlike Google ads, you can’t buy space or make a bid for your result to get featured. The reason why it’s so visible is because Google bots have determined that it’s likely to answer the question best.
Listicles appear as the most popular content type on page one, and that makes sense. Tips given out in short, sharp bullet points are easier to remember. With subjects like SEO content, there’s a lot of in-depth analysis and information so there’s plenty to make a list from.
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Check your site for similar content
Over time, you’ve written so much content that it’s hard to remember what you wrote. There’s a clever trick to see what else was written around the keyword by typing this:
Site:(site name) (keyword)
These are the results that popped up when I typed in site:yourdigitalsolution.com.au SEO content (click to enlarge):
We have some ‘search engine optimization’ results in there already, but I’m not discouraged. If anything, typing in the search told me what not to write and inspired me for future articles. There’s nothing more ‘ugh’-worthy than writing duplicate content and getting penalised for it.
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Plan what to write
Will it be short form or long form? How many times will you put the keyword in there? When you’re writing SEO content for a client, you need to get in their headspace and understand what they want to achieve.
When making up your mind on what to write and how, you might change your mind A LOT. Speaking to your client or manager about the task will help. If the article needs calls to action, put some in there in the beginning, middle, and end. Another trick is to check the competition. What makes the articles on the first page so great, anyway?
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Check your data
Having an SEO tool like WordPress app Yoast will take care of the analytics for you. There’s enough to think about just planning and writing the article. Yoast looks over the content and reports back on:
- Word count
- URL slug
- Keyword percentage
- Link optimisation
- Meta description
…and more. Yoast is very responsive and you get peace of mind knowing all your metrics are in order.
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Proof it
Spelling and grammatical errors are a writer’s natural enemies, and it’s awkward when one or three manage to slip through the cracks. Having someone else proof-read the work at least guarantees the content has gotten a thorough checking-over. The dictionary function can only do so much!
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Push it
Once you publish your SEO content, don’t be afraid to promote it. Blast it out over social media and send it out for republishing by bloggers and other influencers, if you’re especially proud.
Want to keep this list close by? We turned it into an infographic that you can keep.
Also read our other marketing tips posts below…
Google Rankings Make Or Break Tips
Fast and getting faster: rapid change in business
Three Measures of Marketing Success
Get more customers through online marketing
Why we love Yoast for search engine optimisation
Don’t stop pedalling; the Tour de SEO
How To Choose Keywords In Competitive Markets
Long Tail And Search Engine Optimisation
Google changes of Feb 2016 have changed how we should compete
6 Tips How To Use Email Marketing Effectively
Why Google My Business Is So Important
4 Simple Ways To Keep Communication With Customers
