SEO Writing: 16 Tips for Creating SEO-Optimized Content

What Is SEO Writing?

SEO penning is the process of penning contented successful a mode that’s intended to marque it fertile higher successful hunt engines similar Google for applicable keywords. 

This involves:

• Optimizing your contented for people keywords
• Making definite your contented is adjuvant to readers
• Helping hunt engines recognize what your contented is about

This usher teaches you wherefore SEO penning matters and however to hone your SEO penning skills successful 16 casual pointers. Read on.

Why Is SEO Writing Important?

SEO penning is important due to the fact that it helps you scope much radical who are funny successful your content.

When you constitute with SEO successful mind, your contented has a higher accidental of being discovered successful Google.

What is large SEO contented penning similar successful practice? Let’s look astatine a fewer examples.

Our guide to SEO gets implicit 4,400 integrated visitors each month, according to Domain Overview. It besides has astir 5,100 backlinks (links from different sites that constituent to this guide). 

Some of that occurrence is owed to its usage of immoderate SEO penning champion practices we’ll spell implicit later:

• It’s written with prime successful mind
• It satisfies search intent (the crushed down the user’s query)
• It uses keyword-rich subheadings
• It includes images

Another illustration is this how-to usher from Chewy’s blog: 

It gets astir 850 integrated visits per month. And has accumulated implicit 240 backlinks.

Here are immoderate of the SEO penning tips driving those results:

• It includes much than 1 keyword
• It uses high-quality videos and images
• It’s casual to work and scan
• It includes links to different contented connected the tract that users volition astir apt find useful

While some examples usage SEO penning champion practices, they besides marque definite to prioritize the user. And that’s important.

Think of SEO arsenic a span that helps hunt motor users scope your content. That span is what gets your invaluable contented noticed. 

Make sense?

Good. Now, let’s spot however to really make SEO-optimized content.

16 Tips for Creating SEO-Optimized Content

1. Find Your Primary Keywords

Each portion of contented you constitute should beryllium optimized for a superior keyword. This is the main word (or phrase) you privation your contented to fertile for.

To find your superior keyword, usage Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool. 

Type your taxable into the hunt barroom and participate your domain sanction successful the “AI-powered feature” space. Then, prime your people determination and click “Search.”

The instrumentality volition amusement you imaginable candidates for your superior keyword.

Having entree to each these keywords is great. But however bash you cognize which 1 to take arsenic your superior keyword?

Here are immoderate tips to consider.

Your superior keyword should:

• Be applicable to your content. It should bespeak the main taxable of your contented and beryllium applicable to your industry.
• Have a decent hunt volume. Enough radical should beryllium searching for that keyword. What constitutes a decent hunt measurement depends connected the niche of your website. Look astatine the “Volume” file to spot however galore radical hunt for each keyword.
• Be wrong your ranking capabilities. It shouldn’t beryllium excessively hard for you to fertile for. Look to the Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %) file to spot the ranking trouble for your circumstantial website. The little the percentage, the easier it’ll beryllium for your website to fertile for that term.

For example, you mightiness take “dog behaviour training” arsenic your superior keyword if you’re penning contented astir this topic.

This keyword has a hunt measurement of 2,900 searches per period and a Personal Keyword Difficulty people of 46%—meaning there’s a precise realistic accidental of ranking. It’s besides wide that users searching this word privation to larn something. 

So, it’s decidedly a bully superior keyword to target.

(Targeting a keyword means utilizing it successful your content. We’ll spot however to bash that correctly aboriginal successful this guide.)

2. Identify Content Gaps

Next, look to your competitors to spot if determination are immoderate contented opportunities you haven’t yet discovered.

Use Topic Research for this.

Enter a wide keyword related to your niche, prime your people location, and click “+ Enter domain to find contented on.” 

Then, benignant successful a competitor’s domain, and click “Get contented ideas.” 

You’ll spot a database of antithetic topics applicable to your keyword and the entered domain. 

If your selected rival has covered immoderate of the topics the instrumentality suggests, they’ll beryllium highlighted successful greenish and diagnostic checkmark. These are large topics to see successful your ain contented plans.

Expand 1 of those cards by clicking “Show more” to look astatine the pursuing information:

• Volume: The fig of searches this taxable gets connected mean each month
• Headlines: The apical headlines for contented covering that topic
• Questions: Related questions you tin see successful your content

Repeat this process for different applicable topics your contention is covering to find adjacent much ideas.

3. Choose Your Secondary Keywords

Once you person immoderate superior keywords to target, you’ll besides request to find secondary keywords. These are keywords that are intimately related to your superior keyword.

These whitethorn see synonyms, related subtopics, oregon long-tail variations (meaning highly circumstantial terms) of your superior keyword.

Using secondary keywords is important because:

• They summation your chances of ranking for adjacent much keywords—not conscionable for the superior one 
• They’re often comparatively easier to fertile for. While the superior keyword whitethorn person a batch of competition, the secondary keywords apt person less.

Find secondary keywords utilizing Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.

First, spot whether your superior keyword has a default grouping connected the left-hand side.

If it does, click connected it. And you’ll spot each the related keywords belonging to that group.

These keywords are adjacent variations of your superior keyword. And they tin marque for large secondary keywords to people successful your content.

Another mode to find secondary keywords is to usage the “Questions” tab connected the left-hand side.

This volition amusement you each the questions that radical are asking related to your topic.

Some of these questions (secondary keywords) mightiness beryllium worthy addressing arsenic subtopics successful your content.

You tin besides look to spot which secondary keywords your competitors are ranking for successful Organic Research. 

Enter a circumstantial page’s URL and click “Search.” (Make definite that “Exact URL” is selected from the drop-down successful the adjacent screen.)

In the “Overview” report, look astatine the conception labeled “Top Keywords.” These are presumption that the competitor’s contented is ranking for. 

Click “View each # keywords” to spot the implicit list.

These are presumption that leafage is ranking for. And you tin stitchery secondary keywords for your ain contented based connected this list.

4. Satisfy Search Intent

After you’ve identified your keywords, you request to marque definite the contented you make satisfies hunt intent.

Search intent is the crushed wherefore users hunt for your keywords. There are 4 main types of hunt intent.

• Informational: The searcher is looking for accusation astir a topic
• Navigational: The searcher is looking for a circumstantial website oregon page
• Commercial: The searcher is researching options
• Transactional: The searcher wants to marque a acquisition soon

For blog posts, your superior and secondary keywords should person informational intent. Because users who privation to larn thing astir a taxable find adjuvant articles and in-depth blog posts valuable.

Some communal contented formats for informational hunt intent keywords include:

• How-to guides
• List posts
• Step-by-step tutorials
• Definition posts
• Comparison posts

You tin find retired which contented format works champion for your taxable by looking astatine the top-ranking pages connected Google.

For example, we spot that the top-ranking pages for “positive reinforcement canine training” are explanation posts that specify the conception and reply communal questions astir it.

So, if you were to people this keyword (and related secondary keywords), you request to make thing similar: a station connected what this grooming conception is and however to usage it.

Doing truthful volition amended your chances of ranking higher.

5. Create Quality Content

Quality content is astatine the halfway of effectual SEO writing. Without focusing connected quality, nary magnitude of optimization volition assistance you fertile higher.

But what is prime content?

It’s contented that:

• Is accurate
• Provides worth to your audience
• Is archetypal and unique
• Is engaging and interactive

How bash you make prime content?

Hire idiosyncratic who’s not lone a bully writer, but who besides has first-hand domain expertise.

This is particularly important if you’re creating contented astir “Your Money oregon Your Life” (YMYL) topics. 

YMYL is simply a word Google uses to picture topics that tin person a important interaction connected a reader’s well-being.

These see topics related to health/medical advice, ineligible matters, fiscal planning, oregon news/current events. 

Google holds this benignant of contented to a higher modular due to the fact that of the imaginable implications connected readers’ lives. 

Misinformation oregon poor-quality penning successful these areas tin pb to superior repercussions.

For example, if you’re creating contented astir vegan fare plans, misinformation successful this country whitethorn pb readers to marque health-related decisions that tin negatively interaction their well-being. 

That’s wherefore moving with a qualified wellness adept for SEO contented penning services would beryllium a astute move.

They tin assistance you make accurate, valuable, and archetypal contented that covers each the aspects of a vegan fare plan.

By creating prime contented this way, you tin physique spot with your audience. And found yourself arsenic an adept successful your niche.

6. Leverage Keywords successful Your Content

Incorporate your researched keywords into your SEO contented penning naturally.

Google looks astatine the words successful your contented to recognize what it’s about. So it tin fertile it appropriately.

But debar keyword stuffing. At each costs.

Keyword stuffing is the signifier of utilizing keywords successful an unnatural way. It’s a maneuver immoderate usage to effort to manipulate hunt engines into ranking their contented higher. 

See however the illustration beneath is doing it wrong:

Keyword stuffing similar this tin marque your contented look spammy to some Google and your readers. And your contented whitethorn not fertile precise good arsenic a result.

To cheque whether you’re utilizing keywords correctly, effort Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant.

It highlights erstwhile immoderate of your keywords are utilized successful an unnatural way.

Simply import your leafage contented into the tool, and commencement making changes straight successful the contented editor. 

7. Structure Content with Subheadings

Subheadings (H2-H6) are miniature titles that disagreement your contented into sections. To bespeak the astir important areas and marque the full portion much scannable.

They’re important for SEO due to the fact that they assistance you:

• Make your contented easier to work and understand
• Use keywords and related presumption successful a earthy way
• Allow users to easy find the accusation they need. Which is large for the idiosyncratic experience.

See however the illustration connected the close is overmuch easier to scan for information?

You request to operation your contented similarly.

First, constitute a catchy rubric that includes your superior keyword. This volition beryllium your H1 (the archetypal heading successful your content).

Then, signifier the remainder of your contented with applicable H2 subheadings, H3 subheadings, and truthful on.

(H2 subheadings should enactment your H1, H3 subheadings should enactment your H2s, etc.)

Like this:

By organizing your contented with subheadings, you tin make a wide and logical operation that helps some Google and your readers recognize and navigate your content.

8. Make Your Content Easy to Read

One of the cardinal aspects of bully SEO penning is readability—a measurement of however easy your assemblage tin work and recognize your content.

If your contented is hard to read, users volition bounce disconnected your leafage (and apt ne'er travel back).

Behavior similar this signals to Google that your contented is of debased quality. So, it whitethorn not fertile precise well.

Using subheadings is simply a bully start. But determination are different things you request to bash to amended readability:

• Use abbreviated sentences and paragraphs. This volition marque your contented much scannable and digestible.
• Use elemental and wide language. So readers of each levels tin recognize your writing.
• Use visuals. Images, infographics, videos, graphs, oregon different ocular assets are almighty tools that tin heighten your contented and marque it much engaging. 
• Use slug points and numbered lists. They’re large for presenting accusation successful a wide and concise way.

Run your contented done Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant to measurement its readability.

The instrumentality tells you however casual it is to parse:

It besides highlights words oregon sentences that could beryllium rewritten to heighten readability.

9. Include Multimedia Elements successful Your Content

Incorporating multimedia into your contented makes it much engaging. And encourages users to interact with your content.

For immoderate keywords, multimedia whitethorn adjacent beryllium a request for ranking. 

For example, the results for “teach a canine to sit” see videos astatine the top. 

Google recognizes that users who hunt this keyword are funny successful learning done the video format.

Here are a fewer antithetic elements you tin adhd to your content:

• Images
• Infographics
• Videos
• Audio

For example, The Spruce Pets includes a high-quality video successful their blog station astir affirmative reinforcement training.

Beyond expanding engagement and amended aligning with hunt intent, incorporating multimedia tin besides assistance you fertile successful representation and video searches. Which tin summation your integrated visibility and thrust much postulation to your website.

10. Add Internal Links

Internal links are links that constituent to different pages connected your ain website. To nonstop readers to different valuable, applicable content.

Internal links are besides important for SEO due to the fact that they administer nexus equity (ranking power). So different pieces of contented tin besides fertile higher.

When adding interior links, marque definite your anchor text (the clickable substance that includes a link) is applicable to the linked content.

The thought is that the nexus should beryllium ace relevant. 

So, don’t adhd links anyplace and everyplace for the involvement of it. Only nexus to contented wherever it people makes sense.

For example, if you’re penning an nonfiction astir a affirmative reinforcement canine training, you tin adhd links to different pieces of contented that supply much accusation connected topics specified as:

• Training treats for puppies
• Essential canine commands
• Puppy grooming schedules

These links volition assistance readers larn much astir canine training. And amusement Google that your tract is an authorization connected the topic.

11. Link to High-Quality External Resources

Adding external links (also called outbound links) to authoritative websites for sourcing purposes shows that your contented was created with accuracy and credibility successful mind.

Outbound links tin besides bring worth to users. Because those links pb to resources users tin sojourn to grow their cognition of the topic.

It’s a bully thought to supply an outer nexus immoderate clip you’re referencing:

• Statistics
• Reports
• Surveys
• Case studies
• Interviews

But statistic and probe bash alteration implicit time. So, marque definite you nexus retired to the astir up-to-date accusation available. 

12. Optimize Your Content for Featured Snippets & AI Overviews

Google could beryllium showing featured snippets (direct answers astatine the apical of the hunt results) oregon AI Overviews (AI-generated summaries that nexus to applicable sources) for your superior and secondary keywords. Which are immense opportunities to summation your visibility.

For example, if you hunt for “is vegan fare healthy,” you mightiness spot an AI Overview and featured snippet similar this:

Google typically pulls the featured snippet and AI Overview contented from top-ranking pages.

You tin look successful these salient places by optimizing your contented for them.

First, hunt for your keywords utilizing Google to spot whether determination are immoderate featured snippets oregon AI Overviews successful the hunt results.

If determination are, see what accusation is included and however it’s formatted.

This volition assistance you recognize what Google and users are looking for. And however you tin amended your contented to fertile for those salient results.

Generally, the optimization process boils down to:

• Providing wide and concise explanations successful elemental language
• Using different SEO tactics similar gaining reputable backlinks, priming your website for crawling and indexing, etc. To springiness your contented the champion imaginable accidental of ranking highly.

13. Create an Optimized Title Tag

A title tag is the rubric of your webpage oregon nonfiction that whitethorn look successful hunt results. 

Google looks astatine the rubric tag to recognize your content’s topic. So it tin fertile the contented appropriately.

For users, the rubric tag is their archetypal content of your content. They work it archetypal earlier deciding to click done and work more.

So, it’s worthy optimizing it. Here are immoderate tips to consider:

• Make definite your rubric tag entices users to click. You tin usage powerfulness words, numbers, and brackets for that.
• Include your superior keyword successful your rubric tag (preferably astatine the beginning). This volition assistance you fertile for that keyword and amusement relevance to the user’s query.
• Keep your rubric tag astir 55 characters long. So Google doesn’t truncate it successful hunt results.

Here’s an illustration of a bully rubric tag: How to Lose Weight connected a Vegan Diet Plan (7 Easy Steps).

As you tin see, this rubric tag is astir 55 characters, includes the keyword, and uses some a fig and powerfulness connection to entice a click.

You request to bash the aforesaid with your ain content’s rubric tags.

14. Write a Compelling Meta Description

A meta description is simply a abbreviated summary of your nonfiction that tin look beneath the rubric tag.

Google whitethorn not ever show the meta statement you acceptable for your page. Sometimes, they override it and make the statement that they deliberation volition enactment champion for users.

And it’s worthy mentioning that meta descriptions aren’t a nonstop ranking factor. 

Despite each this, it’s inactive worthy optimizing them. Because a well-written meta statement tin entice users to click connected your result.

Here are immoderate tips to follow:

• Use progressive voice. This volition amended clarity by addressing users directly.
• Use enactment verbs. This volition nudge users to click done and research your article. So, usage phrases similar “learn more,” “find out,” oregon “dive deep.”
• Keep it brief. Google cuts disconnected meta statement aft astir 105 characters connected mobile. So, support it to 1 to 2 abbreviated sentences to enactment beneath that threshold.
• Use your people keyword. This volition awesome to users that your leafage covers the taxable they privation to larn about.

Here’s an illustration of a bully meta description: Wondering however to suffer value connected a vegan fare plan? Dive heavy into the secrets galore don’t speech about.

As you tin see, this meta statement is nether 105 characters, includes the people keyword, uses progressive voice, and includes an enactment verb to entice a click.

You request to use the aforesaid principles erstwhile penning meta descriptions for your ain content.

15. Optimize Your URL Slug

A URL slug is the past portion of your page’s URL. 

Here’s an example:

Google looks astatine the URL slug to recognize what taxable your contented covers. Which is wherefore you should optimize it.

Here are immoderate champion practices to travel erstwhile determining what your slug should be:

• Include your people keyword. This tin assistance Google recognize what your nonfiction is astir and amusement it for applicable queries.
• Use hyphens to abstracted words. Hyphens are the modular mode to abstracted words successful a URL slug.
• Avoid utilizing dates. Dates successful your URL slug tin marque your nonfiction look outdated.
• Be concise and descriptive. Rather than being overly agelong oregon confusing.

By pursuing these tips, you tin make an optimized URL slug that volition assistance your nonfiction fertile higher connected Google and thrust much traffic.

16. Promote Your Content

Content promotion involves sharing your contented done antithetic selling channels. Which drives referral postulation and leads to backlinks that tin amended your rankings implicit time.

For example, you tin nexus to your blog articles successful societal posts. Like this:

Content promotion whitethorn see sharing your contented via:

• Social media posts
• Email selling outreach
• Press releases
• Paid ads
• Other places connected your website (e.g., sidebar links, pop-ups, interior links, etc.)

Start Your SEO Writing Journey

That’s beauteous overmuch everything you request to cognize to spell retired and commencement penning SEO content.

For each piece, travel the proposal we’ve shared above. And your articles volition apt commencement ranking good connected Google.

And utilizing Semrush tools tin marque your SEO penning process adjacent easier and much effective. 

Start your escaped proceedings today.