Simple SEO Podcast, SEO, SEO Keywords
SEO and content writing can feel overwhelming at first, but my guide to SEO writing for beginners will help you create content that both your ideal customer and Google love. Content that ranks high engages your audience, generates leads, and makes more money for your business. Creating high-quality, SEO-friendly content is key to winning with Google today.
Keywords are the foundation of SEO. Choosing the right one is critical to the success of your SEO content piece. If you select a keyword, you can’t rank at the top of Google; you won’t get traffic. Similarly, if you choose a keyword your ideal customer doesn’t use, you won’t get relevant, targeted traffic. Either way, you lose because you’ve wasted time creating content that won’t help your business grow.
But, and this is a big but, don't stuff your content with keywords. Don’t try to use your keyword as many times as possible. It will make your content feel awkward for your ideal customer, and search engines could penalize you for using this outdated, spammy SEO tactic.
Instead, use keywords in the places Google looks for them - in your title tag, meta description, header tags, URL, photo names, and naturally throughout the body of your text.
I always teach my students to write their content without focusing on word count or keyword density (how often you use the keyword in your text) for the best results. You want to write for your customer, answer their questions, and provide value, and by doing that, you will naturally use your keyword because it should be closely tied to your content topic. Google does not want you writing to a specific word count or keyword density score. They want you to provide helpful content for your audience.
Some content pieces will be shorter than others, and some will be longer. Ultimately, the pieces will be the length they need to provide value. When we write to a specific word count, we sometimes end up with fluffy content that includes unnecessary information simply because we’re trying to make it longer.
Listen to the podcast episode on SEO Writing Tips for Beginners here.
One of the biggest mistakes people make in SEO writing is focusing too much on the search engines and not enough on the humans reading their content. But here's the thing: search engines are getting smarter and better at understanding natural language and user intent. They have insights into how your content performs with your audience, thanks to engagement metrics. Google knows whether or not visitors find your content helpful and engaging.
If you rank high for a keyword, but the people who visit your site leave quickly without engaging because the content doesn’t help them or doesn’t have the information they need, Google will figure that out, and the website won’t rank high for long. Google wants to ensure they’re providing the best results possible for their searchers, and it’s your job as a website owner or blogger to provide the best possible content you can to help Google (if you want them to send you traffic).
Always focus on creating high-quality, engaging content for your ideal customer. Your content should answer their questions and provide value. If you do that, the search engines will be more likely to rank your website higher (if you’re targeting keywords you can rank high for).
People read online content differently than they read books. Instead, they scan for the information they need. So, ensure your content is easy to browse using header tags, bullet points, and short paragraphs, and remember that white space is your friend. A page that’s line after line of text with very few images, headers, or anything to help break it up will not be one browser to spend much time on because it’s not reader-friendly.
Scannable content makes it easier for your readers to find the information they want. It also can make it easier for search engines to understand the structure and hierarchy of your content because they read the header tags and copy to understand what the page is about. Header tags can help your ideal customer and the search engine, which is a win-win.
Linking is another critical factor in SEO that can get you in trouble if you do it wrong. Internal links (links to other pages on your website) and external links (links to other websites) help search engines. Internal links make it easier for all of your content to be discovered. At the same time, external links are seen as a vote of trust from the website linking to yours.
Internal links also help keep readers on your website longer by directing them to other relevant content, another engagement metric that Google considers.
External links can show that you've done your research and provide additional resources for your readers.
Use your keyword in the Title Tag, Meta Description, header tags, URL, and image file name, and copy it on each blog post or website page.
Your Title Tag, Meta Description, and URL are the first things a potential visitor sees in the search results that help them decide whether or not to click through to your website and read your content. They must provide relevant information to the reader and the keyword to help the search engine understand the page better.
Your Title Tag should be less than 60 characters, including spaces. Your Meta Description should be under 160 characters, including spaces. Both should use your keyword. If you don’t have a copy of my SEO Content Quick Start Guide, request it now. It has all the information you need to start today and includes the specifics on SEO Best Practices.
SEO and content writing can feel tough or time-consuming, but I promise you that the effort will be rewarded if you learn to do it correctly. It takes a little while to see results, but in 12-24 months, you could change things entirely for your business. The process will speed up as you learn how to do SEO and grow your confidence in choosing keywords.
You’ll soon see that every blog post you create or website page you add is another opportunity for your website to rank high in Google’s results and get targeted, relevant traffic for free, which will help grow your business. If you’re ready to get started with SEO Content and want to learn how to do it correctly, join me in SimpleSEO Content, and I’ll guide you through the process step-by-step.