What’s in a Word: SEO-optimized content – Part 2
Integrating content and SEO can help your website rank highly in search engines. However, it only works when everything is just right. Otherwise, you could end up with a bunch of Google penalties.
Understanding what SEO-optimized content means and how to utilize it is the first step toward enhancing your content.
Today, we look at how you can enhance your content through SEO writing.
How to Optimize Your Content
When optimizing your content, the first step is understanding what your audience needs. Doing this will help you align everything to suit the needs of your readers. Yes, SEO-optimized content is all about writing content that ranks at the very top in search engines. However, avoid keyword stuffing because you aren’t writing for many robots.
To help you get started with SEO, here is a 5-step beginner guide. We will take a comprehensive look at each step to help you get the most from content optimization. You will get to see how the writing process and research integrate to give you the best content.
Step 1: Understand Your Business Niche
Understanding the ins and outs of your business will help you identify a relevant topic to write. Think of what your regular customers might need to learn about your products and services.
Tip: What do people type into Google when searching for your company?
Let’s say your business specializes in selling art pieces. Your keyword would be something like art, drawings, or canvas. Many websites can help you find a set of frequently asked questions about your selected keyword.
Step 2: What is Your Audience Looking For?
Your search doesn’t end when you find a keyword with excellent traffic potential. The next step would be to find out what your audience wants.
Tip: Google will only rank your content when it matches the search intent.
Think about the content type, angle, and format during this step. Your content can include a blog post, landing page, article, or video. Standard formats include opinion pieces, listicles, and how-to. However, once you figure these out, you must present your content from a unique perspective or twist.
Step 3: What Subtopics are Essential?
Once you figure out the type and format of content, you need to identify the subtopics.
Tip: The first step is to identify your competitors for the primary keyword.
Analyze all the content and headings on your competitor websites. It is vital to find out what your competitor websites are ranking for. Doing this will help you identify other helpful keywords. You will also find it easier to ensure your content doesn’t leave anything out.
Step 4: Design an Outline and Start Writing
By the end of step 3, you should have a primary keyword, the type of content, and the relevant subtopics. Open your text editor and create a working title to begin working on the outline.
Tip: Begin with the most vital information and keep building throughout the piece.
Once you have a clear outline, it is time to start writing a draft. The good news is that all your SEO elements are already in place before the writing begins. Ensure you avoid filler language and convoluted sentences throughout your piece. It will help if you use your simple vocabulary and edit your work.
Step 5: Add in Your Metadata
Search engines use Metadata to determine what your website is about. It is an essential component that will clarify how to list your website in the search results.
Tip: Your website’s metadata should include a title and a meta description.
The title tag announces what your page is all about. Search engines use title tags to design the result pages. However, keep the title 70 characters or fewer to rank highly.
The meta description gets displayed by search engines on the search result pages. Google, for example, presents the meta description right under the title page. Ensure the meta description includes information about what the user will find on that page. It would also help if you kept it truthful, compelling, and unique.
Optimizing your content is not about playing around with keywords to mislead search engines and your audience. What you need is helpful content geared toward your consumers. At Kevin Brown Design, we can help you create an excellent marketing strategy relevant to your end goal. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you optimize your website and content.