This particular post is more about WHY seo content writing is directly related to the success of your website – than it is about HOW to write good seo content. However, I’ll cover some tips that we’ve used successfully over the years.
First, let’s get into WHY YOU NEED CONTENT.
There are tens of thousands of pages on the net about content writing for seo and what it is and why it is important to rankings for any website. Yet I still get asked about this at least every few days from prospective clients. When I’m in consulting conversations with our clients (our potential clients) the way that I attempt to illustrate the importance of it is this way:
Let’s say that you have a 5 page website about landscaping services. Your beautiful new website has some awesome images showing off just how great your work is. You have a front page, an “about your company” page, a contact page, and perhaps a couple of pages that lists your services such as tree trimming, stump removal, lawn cutting, etc.
For this illustration, let’s assume that you’re located in Charleston, S.C. and your service coverage areas (where you’re willing to travel to do the work) are nearby towns such as Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Johns Island and Summerville and let’s say that you offer only 5 services such as the three I listed above and let’s add in retaining walls and driveway repair.
In the example above, you have a 5 page website with really only 2 pages that are really anything about your company or services. The contact page and perhaps your services page are pretty useless to getting ranked because you basically have FOUR cities and FIVE services that you need to be found for. (I see you’re confused!) Let me explain.
You NEED to be found for:
Mount Pleasant tree trimming
Mount Pleasant stump removal
Mount Pleasant lawn cutting
Mount Pleasant retaining walls
Mount Pleasant driveway repair
Isle of Palms tree trimming
Isle of Palms stump removal
Isle of Palms lawn cutting
Isle of Palms retaining walls
Isle of Palms driveway repair
Johns Island tree trimming
Johns Island stump removal
Johns Island lawn cutting
Johns Island retaining walls
Johns Island driveway repair
Summerville tree trimming
Summerville stump removal
Summerville lawn cutting
Summerville retaining walls
Summerville driveway repair
So there are 20 search terms that you’d want to be found for, right? Wrong! There are even more, like lawn care, lawn maintenance, etc. However for this illustration, let me ask you a question. There you have a 5 page website and you’re trying to get ranked for at least 20 search terms. One of your competitors has basically the same 5 page website that you do, but they’ve added some content pages that cover the 20 subjects that I listed above. So they now have a 25 page website. Which website do YOU think will rank higher? If you answered the 25 page website, not only are you correct – you NOW understand how content helps a website gain rankings. Rankings equals traffic and traffic equals more business.
That was easy, wasn’t it?
Now let me share my…
Top 10 SEO content writing tips everyone should know
You don’t have to sacrifice the quality of your work in order to create content that is search engine optimized and will help improve your ranking with the major search engines. By integrating certain important elements into your website content, directory submission articles, blog posts and social media content, you can make them easy for search engines to find and improve your overall ranking.
Here are some key concepts to keep in mind:
1. Content matters: It’s important to remember that no matter what your subject matter is, your content has the potential to reach a large audience and help your company beyond the SEO benefits. Website content, articles and blog posts are ways to connect your company to relevant, interesting information about your industry. Creating copy that is well-written and focuses on interesting topics in your industry will help it go beyond increasing your page rank by being linked to and shared by outsiders.
2. Stay on topic: Business writing is not the same as writing your own personal blog! There’s nothing wrong with adding some personality to your writing – this helps to keep the readers intrigued. Just make sure that you stay focused on the business-oriented topic you are writing about and avoid drifting into unrelated tangents.
3. Write compelling headings: The titles of web pages and articles are among the first things that grab the attention of a reader. Don’t use a generic, boring headline which simply describes what the article or web copy is about. Instead, think like a newspaper headline writer and develop a headline which makes someone want to read more.
4. Ideal keyword length and density: Content written for web copy and articles for directory submission should be 300 to 1,000 words in length. Blog posting and posts on social media sites can be shorter. The length of your article will largely be determined by the number of keywords you are using: a keyword for every 50 to 100 words of content is a good rule of thumb.
5. Add keywords to the bio: Biographical information given for a magazine story or an article for a directory submission is a great chance for you to enhance your credentials and also optimize your content. Make sure that you include one keyword in your bio.
6. Don’t stack keywords: Cramming keywords in an article or page of web content (such as being part of a list) looks unprofessional since all of your linked keywords will be running together on the page. Spread your keywords evenly throughout the article so they look more organic. Google suggests that you write for your readers and website visitors and NOT for Google search engine rankings.
7. Use meta descriptions: Meta descriptions are 150 character descriptions of your content and are excellent opportunities for optimization. Make sure your content has meta descriptions with keywords included. This is a great way to get Google to recognize your content and increase its value.
8. Write and tag hierarchically: In order for Google and other search engines to give your content the highest placement possible, it’s important that it looks professional and well-structured. Using the appropriate tags for your content will do this. Use h1 tags for titles, h2 tags for subtitles and so on. This concept will also help your writing by encouraging you to put your most compelling ideas first.
9. Write original content: Having duplicate content is a major no-no for search engine optimization, so don’t just “copy and paste” content from existing sources. Make sure your content is fresh and original.
10. Choose relevant images: Shutterstock and iStockphoto can help you find intriguing images that are free or inexpensive to use without risking copyright infringement. Having eye-catching images that are relevant to your content will grab the reader’s attention.
All our clients have heard us say this from day one and we cannot stress this enough. Content is key to getting found on the search engines. More specifically – fresh, updated content is the best way to get Google’s attention. Many people are excited and stay involved during the initial stages of getting a new or redesigned website, but once it has been taken live the excitement of their new site fades and they fail to revisit their site for months or even years down the road. When the phones stop ringing, many people are quick to point the finger at their website. After the prolonged neglect, they try to add pages of content to their site and are disappointed when this does not quickly help increase their search engine ranking. By neglecting the site for an extended period of time, it effectively tells the search engines that their site is not going to change, so the search engines do not bother to check back or index the site again.
On the other hand, we have seen the owners of small websites regularly update their content and add pages using the tools we have given them. In these cases, the websites are typically indexed within a few days, which helps their ranking grow steadily over time. Another of our favorite clichés around here is “To be found on the internet, you’ve got to be part of the internet.” A common misconception about having a website is “If you build it, they will come.” This is certainly not the case – the internet is constantly growing and new sites are being added every day. With this consistent increase in competition, keeping an updated website is more important than ever. In order to obtain and maintain top rankings, you must formulate a strategy to add content to your site regularly. Set a realistic goal, and then stick to it. For example, three pages a week adds up to 156 pages of content per year. In addition – having fresh information posted to your site on a weekly basis tells the search engines you are updating your site regularly, and that they need to regularly index your site to rank the new pages. And more ranking leads to more visitors, which means more customers for your business!
We cannot stress the value of fresh content enough. To get the most from your website, set aside some time each week to add articles, events, or other relevant information. Adding fresh, updated content frequently is essential for maximizing the search engine ranking for your site. Please contact us at 828-963-7286828-963-7286 to discuss how to get the best ranked website and dominate your internet competition.