You’ve had it drilled into your head that you’re no longer writing for SEO when it comes to SEO content, and it’s all about the reader. Google’s Hummingbird was a wakeup call for those who snoozed through Panda and Penguin releases; the emphasis is all on high-quality content.
So how do you write high-quality, awesome SEO content for search engines and readers alike?
Before you sit down feeling frustrated and give up, let’s get one thing out of the way:
Yes, you can rank high and gain new readers for your website!
Doesn’t that make you feel better? To get high rankings and gain new readers it’s all about balancing between what search engines want and what readers need. Google has made it quite clear that they won’t tolerate fluff or irrelevant content in SEO writing and SEO content anymore. Hummingbird was their way of letting everyone know that.
If you read through Google’s quality guidelines you will see what they’re looking for pages written for users, unique content, valuable content, and no more tricks, just to name a few. If you look closely, however, you’ll see the biggest thing Google wants of all: optimized content that is unique. That means you will need to differentiate your website from the rest of the Internet, offer real value and have a selling point that pops.
To help you through it, here are several methods that generate killer content for your rank and your readers.
Be Relevant, Not Random
You might be tempted to write on a particular topic you’re passionate about, but if that topic isn’t relevant to your website, you need to skip it, according to About.com. People searching on the internet want something that is relevant to what they’re searching for. Readers and Google expects relevant content and when users don’t see what they are looking for they leave — and don’t come back.
If you’re writing a blog or article, make sure it’s relevant to your brand, products or the purpose of your website. For example, if you are writing about wedding planning, you shouldn’t have information about birthday parties, because your site focuses on weddings.
Be relevant above all else.
Define Your Brand, Then Your Quality Goal
Unfortunately quality is a subjective term. What you think is “quality” might be “poor quality” to a reader. So how do you write content that is quality to everyone?
Simple, you can’t.
But, you can write quality content that is considered “quality” to your brand. Consider your brand, target customer, and/or products you offer. Then ask yourself: what type of content would be considered quality to my target audience? Don’t copy other brands and the strategies they’re using — those strategies are what are considered “quality” to them, not you.
Find something that works for you and is quality to your brand.
Get to Know Your Readers
Content should be customer-centric. Anything you write — blogs, reports, etc. — should attract and establish a relationship with your ideal customer.
You can’t make a relationship with a stranger, so it’s imperative you first research who is reading your content before you write it.
Find out what your typical customer is interested in, the types of questions or concerns that would bring them to your site, what might hinder them from buying, what a reader’s goal might be, etc. The more questions you can answer about your reader, the more in-tune your posts can be for them.
Remember that Google wants to see SEO content that answers your readers’ concerns and questions and is relevant to your industry/brand.
Using the wedding planner example, your target customer would be couples about to get married.
What are engaged couples worried about? Getting married, the costs, where to start with planning, etc.
Why would they come to you for assistance? You’re the solution to their problems and know how to plan a wedding.
What would hold back a reader from hiring you? Cost perhaps.
See the point?
Use the Language
Google’s keyword tool is no longer around, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find awesome keywords to drive your content — and boost your rank. Instead of looking through endless lists on Google, listen to the customers you have.
What terms would your typical customer use to find your services? What phrases are common with your industry?
Put yourself into the shoes of your target customer and pretend you’re searching the Internet for your type of service, website, etc.
The words and phrases they’re using about your products/industry are the words you need to optimize in your content. By doing so you can easily optimize and keep your content natural. In return you’ll match search queries and increase your site’s traffic.
Stop Selling, Even If You’re Selling
If you have a blog it’s time to change up your strategy. Blogs aren’t landing pages and they certainly aren’t meant for sales advertisements. Always remember that. You should use your blogs and articles to generate brand awareness, answer questions and ease concerns — not stuff products and/or services down the throats of your readers.
Sure, you can link to sales pages in case the reader wants more or wants to see a viable solution to their issue, but there is no reason to sell in the content right there. According to an article by Entrepreneur, good writing is conversational. Do you sell to your friends when you’re having a conversation? Probably not.
So why do the same to your reader?
Establish a relationship with your reader and write content that makes them trust your brand. By building up your credibility the sales naturally come. This is true of SEO content. In fact, 61 percent of consumers make a purchase based on a blog post according to Social Media Today.
Be Predictable
No, we’re not talking about your blog topics — we’re talking about how regularly you post.
Consistently is the backbone of trust in the virtual world. Readers should be able to depend on you to post frequently and stick to a predictable schedule. Also, being predictable gains your website credibility — excellent for your rank!
The more content you produce, the more chances you have to rank with the search engines too. So, create a schedule — one that you can easily maintain — and get busy writing your content, whether SEO content, blogs, articles, web pages, you-name-it.
If you know you’ll be unavailable to write or post for a few days or weeks, write ahead of time and schedule your posts. Google doesn’t care too much about how often you post, but you need to post consistently. If you post every day for three months and then suddenly only post once every other month you won’t see a jump in your ranking — in fact you’ll probably see a heavy drop.
Go Above and Beyond
To be considered “high-quality” you need to write something that is better than what everyone else has to offer. That means it’s time to step up your game and take on the challenge. See what your competition is writing about and top it.
How do you top what’s already done over and over again?
- Be creative. Add your own perspective, unique personality and spin on the topic. It can be something that is discussed over and over on other blogs and still be 100 percent unique if you just add your own personal touches to it.
- Think outside of the box. You don’t have to approach your topics using a boring, time-tested method. Think outside of the box and be unique.
- Use your expertise. You’re an industry expert — that’s why you have your website! Use your industry-specific knowledge and experiences to boost up your content. Have a funny story about something related to your website? Have you used products that you sell before? The more experience and insight you offer the better your rank.
Try Using Lists
Lists sell.
After all, the list-themed title blog you’re reading right now appealed to you because the information was bundled up in a list, right?
List posts, such as “Top X Ways To…”, “X Tips for…”, or “How to Sell Your Car in X Days…” always attract readers. These types of posts are popular because they do two important things:
- They tell readers exactly what they’re getting from the content
- They tell readers they won’t see a wall of text — things will be broken up to fulfill the list (or at least they should be)
Use lists to write your content every now and then. Lists are great for reading, help break up the content for you to write, and attract visitors. Also, list articles are more likely to be shared than other types of articles — especially those lists with flashy headlines.
Sprinkle In Eye Candy
Everyone needs a little eye candy — it sweetens the content just right.
Sprinkle in images or videos that are relevant to your content to help break it up and give readers something visual. Content with images is a lot easier to read than content that doesn’t have anything for the reader to picture.
You can use stock photos or even make your own (which is best considering it’s free and personalized) to add to your articles and blogs for a little extra something.
What Type of Writer Are You?
There are five types of writers out there: the part-timer, hobbyist, full-time pro, corporate, and entrepreneur, according to Social Media Today. Everyone can be categorized into at least one of these types of bloggers or writers. Deciding the type you are might help give your content purpose.
For example, if you’re a hobbyist writer you write for fun — not income. You spend some time on your blog, but it’s not your life’s work. Therefore your posts shouldn’t be sales-driven or serious — they should be fun and something people can tune into for a taste of something different.
If you’re an entrepreneur writer you write for a company you own. You use your blog or articles to gain recognition, share your expertise and attract clients. Your posts should be helpful, unique and still professional.
Decide the type of writer you are and why you’re writing your content. By having a purpose you’ll know how to work your content, both SEO content and general content.
Edit, Edit, Edit
It doesn’t matter how unique and awesome your content is if there are spelling errors strewn throughout the words. Typos and spelling errors turn readers away and tank your authority. Use spellcheck or hire someone to review your posts before you hit “publish” — that way you’re not tainting your reputation with a simple typo.
Format Like a Pro
Use a font people can read. Also, keep your sentences short. You should only use the words you need to convey your message and stop there. Avoid adding in fluff or sugar-coatings that don’t really add value to the sentence or the message you’re trying to deliver.
If you can, keep your paragraphs short too. Readers often get discouraged or bored if they see a chunk of text they need to sift through to find their answers.
This info won’t help you with search engines much, but it’s not always about the search engines. Having your work formatted in a reader-friendly way encourages readers to come back for more and share your content — something that does boost your rank.
Hire a Pro
If you’re not a writer, it might be best to hire one. Professional content writers can speak to your readers, do the research you don’t have time for it, and write content that sells to the search engines and the readers of your target market. You don’t have to pay thousands for high-quality content, but you will have to pay to get good content.
You can achieve a high rank and still keep your readers happy all on the same website. By integrating these methods your website will be written for the readers, attractive to the search engines, and influential for your brand. Remember that search engines want content to be for the reader first, and them second. So when you sit down to write your next piece, ask yourself what you or your target reader wants — worry about the search engines later.