Why the sky is blue?
Why do we dream?
How do I write a project synopsis?
These and many other questions are googled every day by thousands across the world.
Google has become the number one answer to every question in our minds. Whenever a question comes, the first thing we do is google it. In fact, many have built their businesses around providing the best solutions through written content called ‘blogs’.
These blogs are written by an SEO Content Writer.
All they must do is optimize the articles to rank them higher in google search.
This article will give you brief information on how to be an SEO content writer.
What is Search Engine Optimization – SEO?
Ever since the invention of Google and the popularity of search engine algorithms, the term ‘Search Engine Optimization’ is roving around the internet.
When you search in Google, SEO is something that handles the ranking of different websites for that search. And the words you type in the search bar are ‘keywords’.
If you search for ‘w3layouts website templates’, Google’s algorithm will study these keywords and show you the links to the w3layouts website. They will obviously have various combinations of these keywords.
If you add the word ‘gaming’ to the same search, (I.e, w3layouts gaming website templates) it will show you the results for particular gaming website templates on w3layouts website.
The search algorithm has a set of parameters using which it predicts the kind of content you are looking for and ranks different websites accordingly.
Keywords are NOT the only parameter for website ranking on google. There are factors like domain life, images, meta description, article word length, paragraph word length, use of keywords in the title, and hundreds of others. To become an SEO content writer, you must delve deeper into these terms.
This picture below will give you a glimpse of the factors affecting the ranking.
Everyone who runs a website wants to rank higher in google. A website ranking higher is a clear way for more traffic. And, it is possible only one way. The content posted on the website should be search engine optimized.
It means, the google algorithm should not only like it but fall in love with your content.
And, that’s the job of an SEO Content Writer.
To be an SEO Content Writer, you must develop a skill to write using specific keywords. Right keywords will make your content reach the right audience. But that does not mean you stuff your content with keywords.
A good writer will use keywords smartly without affecting the readability of the article.
Honing your Skills to Become a Writer
It is all about patience.
To be an awesome writer, it takes an ability to understand a context and express it in your own words. As humans, we all have that quality right from birth. As children we expressed our dislike towards going to school, taking bath and cough syrup. And, as grownups, we express our views on politics, climate change, movies, societal values and everything in this world. We don’t even fully understand these things.
Then, what happens when it comes to writing down the same words?
Words don’t spurt out of you just like that. It takes small regular installments of daily effort.
What makes a good writer?
Nothing but the amount of time you spend and the process you follow to learn the craft.
You may come across many guides to help you improve at your craft, but this one below is the best guide according to us.
Short and simple. Isn’t it?
Different Types of Content
Writers adopt different styles based on the medium like Novels, Short Stories, Poetry, Project Synopsis, Product Descriptions, Newspaper Articles, Web Content, Research Papers, and many others. In this article, we are going to restrict ourselves to Web Content.
What is web content writing?
As a web content writer, your job is to write blog posts, product descriptions, and content that you find on any company website. And, if you have a knowledge of SEO, there are a lot of SEO content writer jobs out there! Here, you must have a piece of extensive knowledge about the product or field of business in which the company operates.
So, when you are writing an article, what you must do is,
- Research Like an Erudious Scientist
Before you begin to draft down an article, make it your priority to read as much you can about the topic. Google obviously is the best tool to do your research, but don’t restrict yourself.
Download some research papers, watch YouTube videos, and if anybody in your circle knows about the topic, talk to them.
If you are devoting one whole day to write a 1000 words article, then make sure you spend half of your day doing research.
Once you collect enough information, you need to compile it in the form of an article. At this stage, there are two things you should understand.
Style of writing and unique perspective. Let us first look at the style aspect,
- Find Your Writing Style
When you are writing for a popular brand that already has a voice, you need to understand the content on their website. You must read with the perspective of a writer.
Observe the structuring, the construction of sentences and choice of words. See if the writing is more conversational or descriptive. The type of industry in which the brand operates also gives you an idea about what style to go for.
Corporate businesses follow a formal style of writing whereas apparel shopping sites look for a conversational and a catchy tone.
This will be a good practice exercise. After repeating this, you will develop your style and you will be able to sculpt your own sentences.
At this stage, prepare the first draft of your content. Write as freely as you can and ignore the minor grammatical errors. Even if the sentences are not framed properly, it’s okay! It is crucial that whatever you have read and understood, you must now throw it out on the keyboard.
- Perspective in Writing – Bring Your Creative Spirits Alive
After doing a lot of research and understanding different styles, the fog will disappear. You will get an idea about how to play on the field. Now, follow these three steps,
- Read the piece of content written by you and look for places where you can make your piece unique. Make the content relatable to readers by mentioning case studies and examples from your real life.
- If you are making any claim to engage the readers, take the support of statistics. Disclosing some attractive statistics right at the beginning of the piece can gain the attention of the readers within a moment.
- Dabble with words and sprinkle humor wherever possible. Who doesn’t like to keep it light? Use idioms and metaphors wisely. Read your content enough number of times. The first person reading this content is you.
Follow these three steps ardently and gain a sound foundation as a writer. Take care that you don’t get lost in the frenzy of your creative juices and divert away from the topic. Be within the perimeter. Stick to your point. Diverting away will turn off your readers. Keep it tight.
Once you get a grip at the flair of writing, understand the elements to make your content SEO effective.
Here is a picture showing the important elements of SEO content writing. You can study this picture and frame your articles based on it.
Bonus Tips to Excel as an SEO Content Writer
After you have written down your piece, you must now check how SEO friendly it is. Since you have already done enough amount of research and rewrites, most of the keywords will already be a part of the piece. But still, there are some things about which you should be cautious.
- Make sure that strong keywords are present in the title or the first 100 words of your piece.
- Check if any keywords are repeating too many times. In such a case, search engines may find your article suspicious (for keyword stuffing) and rank it lower.
- Avoid chunks of lengthy paragraphs. If you find any, try to divide into two or three smaller ones.
- Don’t compromise on the quality of writing to feed keywords. It is okay if you ignore a few weaker keywords. Search engine algorithms can understand your point.
- Keep yourself updated with the latest trends in SEO.
As you are writing, there is a tendency that you may easily drift away and skip any step. To keep a track of it, write down the steps on a piece of paper and keep referring to it. You can also make use of pictorial representation of the SEO process available on the internet.
One such picture about the process of SEO is shown below. You can adapt it every time you are working on SEO of any article you write.
Many say that writing is an art that cannot be learned. But celebrated writers like Stephen King, J. K. Rowling, Jeffery Archer, have always said that anyone can write. And that’s damn right!
The golden rule is,
PRACTICE A LOT!!
MAKE IT A ROUTINE TO WRITE EVERY DAY.
Hope this article has helped you to get a brief knowledge and begin with SEO content writing.