SEO Content Writing: How to Create Content that Ranks Well

Not every content ranks higher on Google, right? 

While few make it to Google’s first page, lots and lots of content pieces on similar topics lie buried deep in search results and go unnoticed. Ever thought why?

That’s because Google only brings to the brim the kind of content that users want to read and is optimized for search engines. In simple terms, SEO-optimized content.

So, why exactly do YOU need SEO content writing?

In today’s fast-paced world, a majority of online users don’t have the time and patience to look past Google’s first page or even the first few search results. That’s why the second and the following pages of Google search are often called the graveyard of websites. 

So, ranking your website higher is critical to boost your online visibility so that your potential customers find you before any of your competitors lure them away. 

Higher search rankings are your trump to drive organic traffic, get more qualified leads, improve conversions and scale your profit margin incredibly.

To make it happen, SEO content writing is key.

Let me tell you how you can create a badass SEO content strategy that sends your site skyrocketing to a top spot on Google.

Understanding Your Target Audience

When you create SEO content, you create content optimized for search engines. But that’s not just it. You create content for your users too.

In fact, Google aims at bringing the best results for user searches. That’s why it ranks web pages in the first place.

That said, creating user-centric, helpful content is critical to get the leads moved down your sales funnel and ultimately translate them into your customers.             

It is essential to have an in-depth understanding of who your target audiences are, their pain points, purchase behavior and more. This way, you will be able to create content that caters to specific customer needs.

So, where do you begin? Buyer personas.

Buyer personas are a segmentation of your ideal customers based on what their unique needs are and how your product or service can cater to them.

Imagine it this way. Suppose you are selling taxi dispatch software like Uber. That means you sell your product to different people like taxi aggregators, taxi business owners, taxi drivers and corporate customers. Each of these is a buyer persona.

Narrowing down buyer personas will help you to categorize your prospects based on their needs and provide them with content that addresses their pain points and answers their queries.

This personalized approach increases the relevance of your content, while making it more engaging for your potential prospects. 

By addressing the challenges your potential customers face and offering solutions, you can position yourself as a credible source of information in your industry. Consequently, your content becomes more shareable and link-worthy, which, in turn, contributes to improved search engine rankings.

Additionally, crafting your content around the interests of your target audience fosters trust and increases the likelihood of returning visitors to your site.

Types of SEO Content Writing

Now, do you think SEO content writing is one and the same at all times? The answer is no. Content can assume different forms depending on your SEO needs. Knowing where to use which type of content can influence your SEO results incredibly.      

So, here’s a quick look at the different types of SEO content.

• Blogs/ Articles

Creating and publishing blogs on your website is a good way to answer queries and educate users on specific topics related to your business. Plus, it is also a trump to showcase your industry expertise.

• Ultimate Guides

Ultimate guides provide in-depth information on specific topics and often act as comprehensive 360-degree resources that cover everything, from how-tos and best practices.

• Listicles

Listicles denote content presented in a list format (often numbered or bulleted) and they offer concise information for people who are looking to read quick chunks of information related to a specific topic.

• Product Pages

These are dedicated pages designed to showcase your product and explain its features, advantages and unique selling points in detail.

• Case Studies

Case studies are success stories specific to a particular brand or business that are often used to instill trust in potential customers.

• White Papers

White papers are authoritative documents based on research and in-depth analysis and they present data-backed solutions to the problem in question.

• Videos

Videos are audio-visual content pieces that present information using visuals and storytelling techniques to educate and, sometimes, entertain the target audience 

• Infographics

Infographics are a visual representation of content, including statistics, complex reports, data points and more presented in an easily understandable manner.

• Glossaries

Glossaries are a compilation of definitions of terms belonging to a given niche. This type of content comes in handy for users who want to make sense of industry-specific terminologies.

How to Create Your SEO Content Strategy

Given the importance of content in driving positive SEO results, it is essential to have a winning content strategy in place. Crafting an objective-focused content strategy ensures that you move forward in the right direction in your SEO journey.

Identify Your Keywords

Effective keyword research is a crucial step in creating a successful SEO content writing strategy. Why?

Your keywords are your trump to prompting the search engine to show up your site for relevant searches.

Think of it this way. You read a book and mark key terms in it using a highlighter pen so that you can scan through the book for those terms and easily find relevant content whenever you want.

Now Google’s massive database is the book. Whenever a user performs a search using a particular key term (keyword), Google fetches relevant pages (results) that include the search term. 

That’s how including keywords in your content helps improve the online visibility of your web pages. In fact, most of Google’s patents are based on methods for improving the performance of library management systems stored in computer storage.

But how do you know what keywords people use to discover websites like yours? That’s where keyword research comes into play.

You can use trusted keyword research tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to perform comprehensive keyword research.

Go to the Keywords Explorer tab on Ahrefs or Keyword Research tab on Semrush and enter a seed keyword from your niche.

You will get to see insights like keyword difficulty, search volume, user intent, keyword ideas and more.

For example, here’s what I got when I entered the seed keyword gardening in Semrush.

The higher the keyword difficulty, the more competitive the keyword is. That means you have to put in a herculean effort to rank higher for a keyword with a very high keyword difficulty score.  

To start with, choose keywords with moderate difficulty and a decent search volume and try to rank higher for those keywords. This will let you face manageable competition when you begin.

Focus on long-tail keywords to target niche-specific audiences effectively. Pay attention to user intent during your keyword research to understand what users are looking for when using certain keywords. This will help you to craft your content accordingly.

Review and update your keyword list from time to time so that you can switch to changing search trends and ensure relevancy.

Focus on On-Page SEO Elements

Catchy titles and meta descriptions hook up the interest of the audience and help boost click-through rates. This can positively impact your search engine rankings.

Create attractive and informative meta descriptions that describe your content crisply and reflect its value to the users. Craft compelling titles that entice them to click on your content when your web page appears in search results. 

However, on-page SEO isn’t only about meta tags. There’s more to the story.

Meta tags help attract traffic. However, the customer journey goes far beyond just getting people to visit your page. You need to make users want to stop by and read your main content. To prompt that, you have to structure your content and make it easily readable for your visitors.

That said, ensure you organize your content using clear and descriptive headers (H1, H2, H3) to make it more digestible. 

Besides improving your content’s readability, headers also help search engines understand the hierarchy and topics covered within your content.

Again, you shouldn’t miss out on keywords when performing on-page SEO optimization. Use appropriate keywords throughout your content, including meta tags, headers and main content. Make sure the keywords are naturally distributed. 

BEWARE. Never stuff keywords in your content. They can have a negative impact on your SEO and affect your search rankings.. 

Build internal links to connect relevant pages within your website. This helps your users to navigate your site more efficiently.

Plus, internal links also allow Google to understand your content better and ensure the distribution of authority across your website, potentially boosting the visibility of important pages in search results.

Last but not least, implement schema markup for your web pages. This will help your pages make it to Google’s Rich snippets. As these rich snippets appear at the top of all the other search results, securing a place there will enhance your content’s visibility and attract more clicks, which can positively influence your SEO performance.

Create High-Value Content

Choose your topic based on your keyword. Never miss out on the search intent of the keyword. Make sure the tone and subject matter of your content is wound around the intent.

Your content should be therapeutic. In other words, as I mentioned earlier,  it has to offer solutions to specific problems faced by your potential customers and deliver value to your readers. 

By addressing their pain points, you establish your expertise and build trust, encouraging repeat visits and potential conversions.

Leverage storytelling techniques to make your content more conversational, relatable and captivating. 

After all, genuinely compelling narratives create an emotional connection with the visitors and encourage them to stay longer on your page. This will, in turn, improve user engagement for your content.

Finding the right balance between the length and depth of the content is super-critical for SEO. It’s like a double-edged sword that requires delicate handling. After all, not every content that runs up to thousands of words can be exactly helpful if it keeps beating about the bush, right? 

Focus on delivering in-depth, comprehensive content by using a pillar cluster content format that covers a particular topic extensively. Avoid unnecessary fluff, and keep your content concise whenever possible. Try to produce content that provides value without overwhelming the reader.

Visual elements complement your content and make it more engaging. Images, videos, and infographics can help simplify complex concepts, offer better readability and enhance overall user experience.

Create a content calendar to plan and schedule your content publication in an organized way. This ensures consistency and helps you align your content with seasonal trends and events in your industry.

Update or refresh your existing content to keep it relevant and maintain freshness. Also, create evergreen content that is relevant at all times to magnetize more traffic to your site. 

Are you a Local Business? Focus on Localized Content

If you are running a local business and want to attract qualified leads from certain geo-location, make sure you localize your content. This localization helps your content resonate with the local audience, fostering a sense of connection and trust.

Now, how do you do that?

Create dedicated pages on your website that cater to different locations or areas you serve. Optimize these pages with location-specific keywords to increase visibility in local searches. 

Use localized keywords in titles, meta descriptions, headings, and content to signal to search engines that your content is relevant to users searching within a particular region. 

This approach improves your chances of appearing in local search results and increases foot traffic to physical locations if you run a brick-and-mortar store.

Also, consider registering your business with Google Business Profile/GMB and other local directories to boost more positive outcomes from local SEO.

Engaging Content Can Improve User Experience

When your content is informative and meets the search intent of the users, they are likely to spend more time on your site. They may even dig deeper into your site to explore more relevant resources.

This improves the users’ dwell time on your site significantly and sends positive user experience signals to Google.

As the content is relevant to user searches, there are only fewer chances of users exiting your site abruptly. This will reduce the bounce rate of your site and that’s again a positive user experience signal.

Your users like it better when your site is responsive and easy to use. Make sure your page loads faster and fix potential technical SEO glitches that will otherwise impact user experience negatively.

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness) and YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) Pages

Google’s Quality Raters scrutinize sites for E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness) to determine which ones to rank higher in SERPs. This is particularly important for YMYL (Your Money Your Life) sites that impact the health, safety and financial stability of the users.

So, your SEO content has to pass the E-E-A-T parameters to rank higher. How do you do that?

Establish authority by featuring content that tells Google that you have an in-depth understanding of the subject you are talking about. 

Create an About page on your site to tell Google and your visitors who you are. Also, include an author bio in your blogs and link it back to your social profiles. Make sure you showcase an active social presence. 

Apart from evaluating your subject matter expertise from your website’s content, Google will want to see other credible resources in your industry to vote for you in order to count on you as a trustworthy source of information.

Make guest post contributions to other authoritative sites in your niche. This will help you to acquire backlinks that vouch for your site’s credibility and authoritativeness. 

Try to get your author bio included in guest posts whenever possible. It’s an added advantage to shout out your field expertise from places other than your own site and your social profiles.

Promote Your Content

Initiating content promotions can fetch a wider reach for your SEO content and contribute to its increased online discoverability.

Harness the power of social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and more to promote your SEO content. Share your articles, blog posts, and infographics across social networking platforms to strengthen your social presence while encouraging shares and interactions.

Also, leverage email marketing to reach your target audience directly. Send newsletters or updates containing links to your latest SEO content. Personalize your emails to align with different buyer personas and get more qualified leads coming your way.

Backlinks are a top Google ranking factor. Earn high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your industry or niche. Reach out to other webmasters and bloggers and ask them to link back to your content that’s relevant to their audience as well. 

The brighter side is once your high-value content gets considerable reach via your promotional activities, it will start attracting natural backlinks when other relevant sites find it link-worthy.

Stay on Top of Analytics

Use powerful analytical tools, such as Ahrefs, Google Analytics and Semrush to evaluate key performance indicators, including organic traffic, keyword rankings, backlinks, conversion rate, bounce rate and more, about the performance of your SEO content. 

Monitoring the KPIs allows you to measure the effectiveness of your SEO content writing strategy,  identify content that drives the best results and places that require improvement.

You can use this data to make effective decisions, such as Identifying what content resonates with your audience, which keywords are driving traffic, and what improvements can be made. Based on these insights, you can also upgrade your SEO content strategy in the future.

Upcoming SEO Content Writing Trends

SEO is an ever-evolving space where trends keep changing with time. Your SEO content strategy should be adept enough to tap into these altering trends to help you reach new SEO milestones going forward.

Check out the latest SEO content trends below.

Artificial Intelligence

The emergence of AI chatbots and AI-powered search engines is disrupting the way online searches are happening. Searches are becoming way more conversational than they have ever been. 

Optimizing your content in such a way to improve its visibility on AI-driven search engines is a need of the hour to stay ahead of the competition in the near future.

Rich Results

Rich results are a Google Search feature where certain search results show up with additional information, such as ratings, pricing, images and more when they appear in SERPs. 

According to a recent study, rich results have a CTR of about 58%, while the CTR of non-rich results is 41%.

Given the obvious spike in CTR for rich results, this SEO content trend can be a game changer for sites competing neck to neck for top rankings on Google.

As Google pulls the additional information from schema markup, implementing structured data for your web pages is the best way to get rich snippets.

Video and Visual Search Optimization

With the rising popularity of video and visual content, optimizing for video and visual search has become crucial. 

Creating engaging videos, infographics, and images enhances user experience and attracts more visitors. 

Optimizing these elements properly with descriptive titles, alt text, and relevant keywords can increase your chances of ranking higher in video and image search results

Check out our dedicated blog on SEO trends to know more

To harness the power of content to boost your search engine rankings, you just have to know how to do it the right way.

Make sure you implement the above practices into your SEO content writing strategy while tapping into the latest trends and see things unfold in your favor.

With all that said, if you think you need the help of experts in optimizing your content and website to rank higher on search engines, don’t hesitate to hit the live chat below or email us with your requirements. Our SEO experts will help you with the right strategies so that you can achieve your goals faster.

Cheers!