For every piece of content we write, SEO is on our radar. We want our content to rank high so visitors come to our site.
But do certain content writing techniques impact SEO in 2024?
You bet.
And in this post, we’ll cover ten SEO content writing tips for improving search ranks. We also tossed in a few bonus tips to take your content writing to the next level. Let’s get into it.
Tools are great, but content marketing success is about the wizard, not the wand.
– Jay Baer
To kick things off, let’s start with our look in search engines.
The goal of SEO content writing is to get search engine traffic. This means searchers need to click.
But how?
By writing irresistible page titles and descriptions.
Here are a few tips to use.
Tips for Page Titles:
The perfect page title is when it matches up with the target keyword as shown in the example below.
Tips for Page Descriptions:
The page description lists the key phrase right at the start in the example above.
Headings and subheadings go a long way. Here’s why:
They break up your content. Because visitors are reading from a screen you have to keep your page light. This means avoiding walls of text.
And you can also inject SEO juice into your content by mentioning target keywords. This is good on-page SEO practice.
I try to mention the target keyword in my main heading and in a few subheadings when possible. But make sure there is only a single H1 on the page. H1 is the main header, consider it as important as the "Book title". H2s are your Chapters in the book, and H3s, H4s, and more, are sub-chapters.
The HubSpot blog in the example below uses a H2 subheading. This helps breakdown the content in more digestible chunks for the reader, as well as Google.
Pro Tip: Mention the target keyword in your main heading and a few subheadings, but avoid forcing keywords where they don’t fit naturally.
You know mentioning keywords throughout your content is a must.
But how much is too much?
Keyword density is a time-tested SEO concept. Because we’re writing content with SEO in mind, mentioning your target keywords throughout your copy is wise.
But you have to be careful. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Don’t spam your content to improve SEO. First, it creates a bad user experience. And second, search engines will pick up on your attempt. In the end, both hurt SEO efforts. Instead, mention your keyword when it makes sense.
Tips for Keyword Density:
The Zapier example below shows how the keyword is spread around the page at different places (ideally in H1, H2s, and a few times around the body of the article).
Looking to add credibility to your content and boost SEO? Then link to other resources.
From a credibility perspective, linking to other content (internal or external) gives users the option to explore subjects deeper. Also, if you’re sharing stats in your content, links provide a source. This goes a long way for improving user experience.
Next, SEO. Linking your content to relevant pages shows search engines you know what you’re talking about. How? Because you’ve done the homework. You know where to send your visitors for more details.
Pro Tip: Use authority websites for external links to enhance your content’s credibility and SEO value.
This SEO content writing tip isn’t technical. It’s about providing value.
Because searchers are asking questions and looking for solutions, you need to provide the answer.
And in doing that, make sure you answer search queries quick. Once you’ve done that, then you can elaborate.
Here’s why:
New visitors coming to your site expect answers immediately.
It’s different when you have a subscriber base returning regularly. For this type of content, you can take your time to warm up.
But for new visitors, you have to be direct. So make sure you’re answering user search intent at the outset of your content.
Here’s a quick SEO content writing win. Not so much to do with content, but more for search result look-n-feel. There are also SEO points to win here.
A simple URL gives searchers instant recognition.
Also, Google prefers simple URLs. As a rule of thumb, try using your target keywords as your URL slug.
Bullet lists pack a ton of info into a few points.
And this is exactly what search engine visitors reading your content are looking for.
It also doesn’t hurt to throw your target keyword into the mix.
Pro Tip: When you have a long paragraph packed with information, consider converting it into a bullet list.
For any content writing, your goal is to create action.
Whether you’re writing content for a blog, landing page, or homepage, you want visitors to take the next step.
This is where a strong call-to-action come in.
CTAs guide your readers. If your web content does its job, you should see users moving on to other pages.
But how is this good from an SEO perspective?
A combination of great content and a CTA improves site dwell time.
Pro Tip: Dwell Time is the amount of time a visitor spends on your site before returning to a search engine. search engines use dwell time as an indicator content quality.
Back to our call-to-action technique. This is one of my favorite SEO content writing tips because it funnels visitors through the lead-gen cycle and it also improves SEO.
The Semrush example below shows a clear Call-To-Action.
Shorter sentences keep visitors reading. It makes content more digestible. Similar to the headings and bullet list tips. This is where ChatGPT needs to be prompt engineered so it spits out these shorter sentences.
Make sure you’re practicing shorter sentences on your company blog.
When visitors find your blog through search, you want them to stick around and read through the entire piece. This shows Google that searchers prefer your content.
Let’s walk through a scenario.
A visitor searches for a topic and finds your landing page.
So:
What made the visitor click on your result and not your competitors? It’s because you made a promise. You offered a solution to their query.
But once the visitor is on your site, they realize you’re not meeting their needs.
So what happens? They bounce.
From an SEO perspective, this is bad news. Bounce rates are a major factor in dwell time. Your goal is to keep visitors on your site.
And this starts with the promise you made in your organic result. So as a rule of thumb, don’t make a promise and not deliver. You might get more clicks, but at the expense of a bad experience.
Yes! You’ve reached the SEO content writing bonus tips. These are bonus tips because they’re applicable to specific types of content. Nonetheless, make sure your boosting SEO performance with them.
If you’re familiar with the SEO game, you know about long-form content.
And you can use your blog to drive site traffic for unique keywords. So when you do hit publish on that blog post, make sure it’s the definitive answer on a subject.
So how long should posts be?
Try writing content that’s at least +750 words. This gives you enough time to introduce the subject, and dive into the details.
Anything less and your content is going to be thin. Meaning search engines won’t give it the quality stamp.
I touched on this idea earlier in the post. But it’s worth mentioning as it’s own SEO content writing tip.
Emotion-driving keywords are important to use for your organic CTRs.
Spicing up your organic headline and description are going to help improve click-through rates. This, in turn, improves SEO performance in the long run.
Since we covered a lot, let's do a brisk recap. Use this as a checklist when out in the field creating content for your site.
Page Titles:
Page Descriptions:
Keyword Density Tips:
Example: Zapier spreads keywords across H1, H2s, and body text.
Great SEO content writing balances quality with search engine optimization. Use these tips to create content that ranks well and resonates with your audience. If you need additional help, ask for a SEO review of your content.