SEO Content Writing Tips for the Beginner
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| Optimizing your online content for search engines is crucial to being found by your audience. |
Not so fast.
If you want any chance of having your blog found, you need to make sure you have an SEO strategy. That is, you need to optimize your web page so that search engines can find and rank it. Your goal is to have your web page appear as close to the top of Google search results as possible.
So, without further adieu, here are seven useful SEO optimization tips that you can apply in your content today.
Have Clear, Descriptive Title Tags
Page titles are the first thing your readers will see relating to your page and are therefore important to search engines. Make sure each page has a unique title which describes that page's contents accurately and descriptively. At the same time, don't make a page title too long; otherwise it will cut off in the search results. According to Moz, you should make your page titles a maximum of 65-75 characters to prevent them from being abridged and place important keywords close to the front to catch the reader's (and search engine's) eye.Use a Simple URL Structure
URLs appear in search engine results and are typically noticed and used by visitors. We've all seen those incredibly long URLs that make us sigh in frustration. They make for a poor user experience, which is why search engines care about them. Make sure your URLs are relevant to your content, concise and structured in a logical way. Include keywords, but don't overdo it at the expense of simplicity.Include Meta Descriptions
Meta Descriptions tell search engines and users what your web page is about. They appear right below the page title in search results and can be a deciding factor for users on whether or not to click through to your site, especially if they contain the right keywords. Make sure your Meta Descriptions are descriptive enough to give users an accurate idea of your page and entice them to click. Moz recommends you make them between 50-300 characters and keep them unique for each page.Ensure Simple Site Navigation
Like a good map, your website should make the locations of different pages clear enough for the visitor to understand. They can't visit your content if they can't find it. Keep your site structure simple and intuitive. Don't bury anything. Include "breadcrumbs"or internal links on your page so users can quickly navigate to the previous page or home page without having to look too hard. Finally, add a sitemap that will provide users with information on how your site is organized.Incorporate Anchor Text
Anchor text is the clickable text in your hyperlinks. You should keep anchor text descriptive and concise so the search engine can clearly determine what you're linking to and whether it's relevant. Avoid non-descriptive terms like "click here," as tempting as they may be to use. This article on anchor text optimization from SEMrush offers some great tips. See what I did there?Don't Forget About Images
Images do more than just make your pages look visually appealing. They can provide value from an SEO standpoint as well. The alt text (alternative text) of an image should be a textual description of said image. Keep it brief but descriptive. Avoid stuffing keywords into alt text or copying and pasting sentences straight from your page posts.Have Great Content
Finally, the most important part of SEO optimization is having stellar content. Do keyword research and incorporate those words or phrases naturally, but do not write for search engines. Write for people. The most important part of great content is its relevance and usefulness to your audience--that should be your primary driver. Stay on topic and ensure your writing is clean and grammatically correct. If you have great content, all other aspects of SEO will fall in line.Check out Google's SEO guidelines for more information on the above, as well as other tips and tricks.
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