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20 Tips For Becoming An SEO Writing Superstar

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20 Tips For Becoming An SEO Writing Superstar

They say that SEO writing is hard. They say there’s too much to learn. That, unless you really dedicate yourself, you’ll never make it. Plus, Google changes their algorithms so often that you’ll have to relearn everything anyhow, right? The truth is, the fundamentals of good SEO writing do not change. What it takes to write engaging copy that reaches your real readers and SEO rankings is completely learnable. And, while you’ll certainly need to put in the time and work to succeed, becoming an SEO writing superstar isn’t out of reach, especially if you’re already some kind of writing-slash-tech nerd. We’ve put together a list of 20 tips to help. 1. Keep Your Content Audience-Centric This is something that I talk about over and over again throughout my blog posts. And for good reason. Because if you’re not creating audience-centric content, it will be near impossible to become an SEO writing superstar. But, what exactly is audience-centric content? This visual provides a solid representation of what it is and isn’t: Image Source Hopefully you already have a pretty good idea of who your target audience is and what type of content they want. If you don’t, I strongly encourage you to develop a target persona so you can better identify and reach your audience. Takeaway: Identify your audience and ALWAYS create audience-centric content catered to what they want to hear about. 2. Target Long Tail Keywords Keywords obviously play a pivotal role in SEO success. But, as more and more content is being created, it’s becoming almost impossible to rank for common, one-word keywords. Fortunately, as long as you’re creating great content, there are still plenty of long-tail keywords that you can target and rank for. Want to know the best part? Long-tail keywords significantly outperform other keywords when it comes to conversion rates. As you begin performing keyword research for content, work to identify long-tail keywords that support the topics that your audience wants to hear about. While there are dozens of strategies you can use to find them, the below resources should give you a solid head start: Our Guide – Your Nutshell Guide: How to Find Killer SEO Keywords for Your Online Content Brian Dean – How to Find Long Tail Keywords Shout Me Loud – 6 Awesome Tools to Find Long-Tail Keywords in Any Niche Takeaway: Build your content around long-tail keywords that offer less competition and higher conversion rates. 3. Stick With Long Form In the world of SEO writing, quality trumps quantity. For this reason, it’s highly recommended that you stick with long form for most, if not all, of the articles you produce for your blog. Why? Well, the statistics show us why. Take a look at this study from serpIQ outlining the average content length of top ten results in Google:   As you can see, the longer the content is, the better it performs in SERPs. And while we are recommending long form content, that doesn’t mean that you can just stuff your articles with fluff and expect strong results. You still need to create great content that’s well researched, well written, and that follows SEO best practices. In the end, when you’re making the decision to commit to long form, you’re also making the decision to commit to quality throughout. Takeaway: For best results in search engines, commit to producing well-researched long form articles. 4. Make a Plan As Benjamin Franklin once said: “By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.” And while Franklin probably wasn’t talking about SEO writing when he said this, it certainly holds true with content creation. Planning in content creation essentially comes down to doing proper research and putting together a strong outline. And while that may sound time consuming, it doesn’t have to be. For a great resource on how to do this, check out CoSchedule’s post outlining the 10-Minute, 10-Step Solution for the Best Blog Outline. Not only does their article lay out everything you need to create an outline, but it also shows you how to do it in the most efficient way possible. Takeaway: Develop an efficient process for creating strong outlines. 5. Get Good at Research To become truly great at SEO writing, you need to get good at research. Gary Bencivenga, a legendary copywriter with over 40 years experience, said that understanding the importance of research changed his career. As he went on to say: “It took me a while to realize that the best writers are the most tenacious researchers. Like miners, they dig, drill, dynamite, and chip until they have carloads of valuable ore. John Caples advised me once to gather seven times more interesting information than I could possibly use.” While I’m not advising that you spend ten hours researching for your next blog post, gathering as much information as possible is going to put you in the optimal position to create the best available content on your topic. And, if you’re looking to become an SEO writing superstar, that should be your goal. While searching via Google has made research a fairly fast and pain-free process, here’s a few other resources that could help: Google Scholar Books on the Topic Expert Interviews Industry Specific Magazines Takeaway: Commit to consistently developing your research skills and understand that research is key to any great piece of content. 6. Study the Competition As I mentioned in the last section, if you want to become an SEO writing superstar, your goal should be to create the best piece of content available on the topic you’re writing about. To do that, you have study the competition and find out what’s already out there. Fortunately, Google makes this process easy. Let’s say, for example, that I wanted to create a blog post about ‘how to create an about page’. When I type that into Google, the results look like this: From here, I’ll sift through and take notes on each article on the first page of the rankings to … Read more

A Guide On Killer SEO Content For Your Readers and Rankings

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A Guide On Killer SEO Content For Your Readers and Rankings

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 … Read more

Should You Outsource Copywriting? Why & How It Could Be Your Best Decision

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Should You Outsource Copywriting? Why & How It Could Be Your Best Decision

This blog was originally written in 2013 and has been updated Spring 2019. For years, the word outsource has had an ugly ring to it in the SEO community. People used to make assumptions that when marketers outsourced their content, this was sub-par writing. Today, however, outsourcing content has become the law of the land. The current content marketing industry, worth over $400 billion, is heavily focused on driving more growth to copywriting. Content creation is the #1 area of content marketing with most reported increase in spending over the last 12 months (56%), via CMI’s benchmark reports. Major companies around the country are using remote teams of freelance writers to improve their content’s SEO value and provide better material to their readers. If you’ve ever considered outsourcing your content, read on to learn why it may just be the smartest decision you’ve made all year. [bctt tweet=”It’s time to trash the misconceptions around outsourcing content. @JuliaEMcCoy explains why to outsource copywriting should be your next smart move.” username=”ExpWriters”] Why Outsource Copywriting in Today’s World? Today, you have to outsource copywriting to achieve anything. As it stands now, the demand for content is larger than it’s ever been before, and brands around the country are striving to keep up. Unfortunately, in-house teams seldom have the time, workforce, or expertise to create high-quality content in the amount and speed required by consumers. Because of this, many major firms decide to outsource web content writing to teams of freelancers or content marketing agencies. While these experts provide many services, they’ll help companies boost search engine ranking, publish more content, promote engagement with users, and maintain content quality – all while the creator and staff in the organization focus on core activities and build the next steps in their business. Is that a dream come true, or what? [bctt tweet=”As it stands now, the demand for content is larger than it’s ever been before, and brands around the country are striving to keep up. Here are the reasons why you should outsource copywriting today.” username=”ExpWriters”] If you’re still in doubt that outsourcing web content writing could be valuable, consider the following benefits: Outsourcing helps you reach your target audience more effectively Outsourcing can make your content more reader-friendly and focused Professional content creation services understand the content climate, and can keep you on Google’s right side Content writing services can help you build your brand from the ground up Content writing services offer predictable, high-quality content for various industries. Why The Decision to Outsource Copywriting May Be Better Than the Decision to D-I-Y It While many marketers believe they can create their own content without the help of a content creation team, the fact of the matter is that there is seldom enough time or energy in the day. Let’s face it: content creation agencies even outsource some of their content! Writing great content takes time, a lot of it, and it’s tough to manage the demand if you’re also focusing on other aspects of building a business – like marketing, product development, and sales. What’s more, while many people assume that outsourced content will be low-quality content, the opposite is typically true. When you work with skilled, reputable web content teams, you’ll get professional, high-quality content you can trust, and which reflects positively on your brand. Finally, outsourcing content writing to a reputable copywriting service will help you benefit from the result-oriented services that they offer. Plus, website content writing rates are typically incredibly reasonable, so you won’t be out a ton of cash. [bctt tweet=”Outsourcing content writing to a reputable copywriting service will help you benefit from the result-oriented services that they offer. Plus, website content writing rates are typically incredibly reasonable…” username=”ExpWriters”] When you choose to outsource your web content writing, you’ll get the following benefits: Search engine-optimized content Increased conversions and engagement 100% original content written for your company Content that adheres to current SEO best practices Improved rankings in the SERPs Descriptions, headers, and meta content that are optimized for SEO Fresh, well-written content whenever you need it Various content types, ranging from blog posts to press releases 4 Stats That Prove the Value of SEO Copywriting Service As your business grows, the importance of content creation becomes more pronounced. While many people assume they can achieve the same results by creating content in-house as they can by outsourcing their content to a team of skilled professionals, this simply isn’t true. With that in mind, consider the following four statistics (according to Neil Patel) that prove the value of outsourcing your content creation services: 1. Only 42% of marketers think they’re effective at content While content is King, only a small fraction of marketers believe they understand what it takes to be effective at it. If this doesn’t indicate a need for professional assistance, I don’t know what does! While it can be difficult to create useful content that produces good results, the help of a skilled content agency can go a long way. In addition to understanding which types of content perform bets in a given industry, a content company can also help businesses understand how best to position their content, and what changes the content should undergo to be as efficient as possible. All of this is invaluable for a company that wants to boost its effectiveness and create a better content strategy. 2. 60% of marketers develop at least a single piece of content every day While this may sound like small beans, it’s essential to put it in perspective. Even a 1,000-word blog post can take hours when you factor in that it must be written, proof-read, filled with quality links, beefed up with visuals, read again, proofed again, fact-checked, and published. Even that doesn’t take into consideration all of the follow-up work that comes in the form of interacting with followers and replying to comments posted on the piece. Good content takes time, and even one piece a day can get overwhelming for marketers. When you outsource … Read more

Content Strategy Tips: 5 Crucial Tools A Smart SEO Writer Uses

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Content Strategy Tips: 5 Crucial Tools A Smart SEO Writer Uses

Important to any content strategy are the catalysts that help build a great foundation. The list of tools we’ll describe below are beneficial to any SEO writer for any part of content writing and content strategizing. They are not going to help increase word count or ensure proper placement of a keyword to get your writing a higher result rank with a search engine. However, writers need to stay aware of the bigger picture, and this blog aims to help with that objective. 5 Tools An SEO Writer Uses To Their Advantage   These tools are a mix of old common sense that some people need a reminder of periodically, a nod to the newest crazes and fads that may or may not be as popular a few short months from now, and a simple question that is a part of the drive for all writers. So dive in, don’t spill your coffee and I hope you gain something from the tools listed below.   1) The Search For New Knowledge Don’t be content with the current skillset you use as a writer. Search engines are constantly changing their algorithms and improving their results for the consumer. You also need to work toward this goal. An SEO writer needs to be aware of the best use of the keyword to bring in the most search results. If the methods change, the writing must change to suit. Consider it this way: Previous generations have seen the invention of the car, the television, the telephone, the cellular phone and the Internet all in their lifetime. Writers in that generation have experienced huge upheavals to their knowledge and abilities. If they can handle the changes that came in their lifetime, we can work to tweak our writing as needed for new search techniques on the Internet.   2) Are You Aware Of Tumblr? Tumblr is being viewed as a mixture of Facebook and WordPress, with a hint of Pinterest thrown in. Does that spark your interest? It did mine. Once a little further research was done, I determined that there is a significant appeal for Tumblr, to the right network of businesses. That is, over half of the users are female. That is a fantastic way to reach a female audience. Numerous businesses have already seen the advantage and begun work to capitalize on it. SEO Writers can benefit from networks like this as well. How so? Well, writing is all about content. Having a venue such as Tumblr to both discover and test content is a gold mine for the astute writer to mine repeatedly. Even better, this gold mine has no danger of running dry, at least not until a more popular alternative social media venue is discovered.   3) The Infographic And Its Growing Importance A picture has been worth a thousand words for a long time. Today, however, people have capitalized on the amazing programs like Photoshop, the apps like Instagram and related technologies to create pictures that encapsulate an idea and incorporate words to clarify all points. For example, take this infographic from Copyblogger – their first. Not only does it include some great tips on creating content in an area where you lack knowledge and familiarity, but it shows you how easily ideas can be showcased with a copywriting infographic. These are currently a very popular method of information sharing.   4) Keeping Up With The Times If Tumblr and Infographics are not something you were aware of, this is an area you will find beneficial. The Internet is a marvelous thing, continuously expanding and networking people who work together to create all new facets and share knowledge in new ways. Being aware of these changes to Social Media, to Information Sharing and to General Aesthetics at times can be a strong point for any content writer. Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter and countless other social media venues are vying for attention and success. All of these focus on different aspects of communication, different platforms to share that information and different advertising methods. All have the potential to be a huge success or a major flop. Knowing which one is at the height of its run and which is falling into obscurity will help you focus in the best possible areas. Don’t get left behind with MySpace. Stay current and keep making money.   5) The Question: How Will This Help My Writing? If you have read through the previous four, it is doubtful you need this question answered. However, as a reminder or an eye-opener for those still new to the SEO content writer’s career path, here it is.   ANYTHING is helpful to your writing. You can take advantage of any experience in your life, any knowledge sought out or stumbled upon (great for knowledge, stress relief or a solution to boredom) and any opportunity to improve your writing and find a niche in the writing world to employ that improved technique. The most important aspect is the need to keep seeking ways to improve your writing, your knowledge base and your contributions to the projects you take on. This is, in the end, the only thing that matters when it comes to moving forward instead of standing still in the writing world. So, hopefully you will keep asking this question. If you do, and you periodically find a new piece to this puzzle, you’ll be on the right track.   You May Already Know, But… Is all of this old news to you, or is it something you’ll consider working into an already impressive portfolio? Even if every bit of information in this blog is new to you, as long as you are willing to incorporate it into your knowledge bank and continue to improve your writing and expand your experience, a career as an SEO writer is definitely the “write” direction for you. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). If you are simply reading this for fun, then the benefits you can gain are varied … Read more

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