The 7 steps to create content for SEO

Writing content for SEO is not that easy

Writing is not an easy task for everyone, even professional writers themselves occasionally suffer from writer’s block, a condition where it is difficult for them to produce creative new content. And if we add the SEO factor to this , things can get more complicated.

An article for a magazine or newspaper is very different from a blog that is designed for search engine optimization. The rule of thumb in this situation is to understand that your audience always comes first, before Google’s algorithms. If your goal is to generate more traffic to your blog , you will have to go beyond “writing content” and be smarter when choosing and writing your topics.

Creating attractive content for your audience, and at the same time positioning your blog in web search engines is possible and you can achieve it taking into account the following tips.

Write according to your buyer persona

Maybe one day you will get a strong current of inspiration and start writing an article on a topic that you are passionate about.

These situations are a double-edged sword, since you can run the risk of letting yourself be carried away by emotion and forgetting your audience, or as they say in the digital world, your buyer persona , that is, the fictitious representation of your client ideal.

So it is important that before you start writing, ask yourself who you are writing to. Depending on the topic of the article, it could be Manuel, the Marketing Manager; Laura, the Businesswoman or Julian, the Account Executive.

We’ve recently seen a seo debate at how to create content that impacts more. There were numerous answers to that, but amongst them some are concluded below.

To better understand your buyer person, it is essential that you make a general and specific description of their profile, including demographics, skills and characteristics.

Ask yourself what his professional and personal goals might be, what his challenges are, and how you could help him achieve his goals. The purpose is to give the customer prospect a face to see how they can be approached. Take the following example into account to create your buyer persona :

This is about being original and creative

When you have a list of possible contributions or solutions that would be useful to your potential client, check what has already been published on the subject in the search engines and analyze how you could add something new to your article . The Google Trends tool can also help you create content according to what people are searching for on Google.

If you realize that there are multiple articles on the same topic, consider changing the way you are communicating information and start experimenting with other formats than just text. If you have the resources, think about creating infographics, e-books or video tutorials. These formats are beneficial for people who have a visually oriented learning method.

Even consider interviewing some industry experts, this in order to give your article a new perspective, as well as strengthen the credibility of your content. From this, the interviewee can share it on their social networks or other channels and increase the traffic of your blog.

Note: The keywords are critical to improve your SEO , do not forget to include them in the title, in the introduction to your content and subtitles (nope long as flow and not forced!).

The tone should be according to your buyer persona

Just as your speech changes when you are at a job interview or at a party with your friends, the tone of your article also.

In the digital world, the first impression people have of your business is through the way you write. For this reason, the tone of your content plays an important role when writing. Consider whether the tone is going to be serious, fun, warm and personal, motivating or humorous.

As a starting point, consider your buyer persona to determine the tone you want to assign to your item. If you are a 50-year-old businessman who is not very familiar with the digital subject, use a warmer and friendlier tone, avoiding very technical terms. Also consider whether you want to talk about “you” or “you” to your potential client.

Regardless of tone, you must be clear and concise with the information you are providing your reader.

Tip: Avoid sweetening your article with excessive use of adverbs like “it really is good” or adjectives like ” incredible results”.

If content is king, title is jester

Just as a jester in the royal court had the power to attract other people’s attention with his comic or juggling skills, the title should be striking enough for your readers to click and read on.

You can spend a lot of time writing the body, but if your title is weak, it’s almost or equal to lost work. Your title should be specific , make a promise to the reader how it will benefit them, and invite them to read the article right then and there.

Create a list of possible titles, around 5 to 10, and when you finish your article, go back and choose the one that sounds the most to you.

The following are different styles of titles that can help you in your process:

Another good rule to follow is to play with the numbers in the titles . Check out this Conductor study where it shows that readers prefer headlines that have numbers over other styles.

Tip: Remember that it is essential to use the keywords in the title , preferably at the beginning, as well as keeping it within the 55 character margin , which is just where Google cuts it in the search engine results pages.

5. More is better

It is common to think that nowadays readers prefer shorter articles, 400 or 600 words, but according to Neil Patel, expert in digital marketing, Search engines tend to favor longer blogs and articles. A HubSpot study revealed that web browsers prefer more elaborate and extensive content that is between 2,250 and 2,500 words .

6. Tell your reader what to do

When you finish writing your article, the ideal is to induce your reader to perform an action after reading it, in other words, a call to action . This can be as simple as asking them to share your content , write a comment or something more direct like subscribing to a newsletter or downloading an ebook .

It is a good way to give continuity to your article and improve the chances that your reader will continue browsing your blog . In addition, it is a good tip to generate more conversions on your website.

7. Do not overlook giving a last revised article

Remember that your readers will have a bad impression of your blog if they find spelling mistakes, which will harm the chances that they will continue reading and sharing the content. Ideally, when you finish writing your article, give yourself some time before starting to edit your work, so you can see it in a different light. Then send it to your team for feedback .

It is also important that your post is aesthetically pleasing to read, avoid long paragraphs as they can cause visual noise, as well as technical phrases that can confuse your reader.

In conclusion, one of the biggest challenges you can face when writing for your blog is that you follow the rules for SEO (as given by SEO Experts dubai), but at the same time be attractive content for your audience. Surely after reading this article, you have a better idea of ​​what to do next time you sit down to write an article for your blog. If you liked this post, don’t forget to share it on your social networks.