Table of contents:
- What is SEO Friendly Content?
- How to Make SEO Friendly Content
- Start with Keyword Research
- Identify the Search Intent
- Research Your Topic
- Create a Catchy Title
- Take Care of Good Structure
- Choose the Right Length
- Write with the Users in Mind
- Add Faq to Appear in Google Featured Snippets
- Use Headers And Subheaders
- Take Care Of Your URLs
- Remember About Internal Links and Thematic Clusters
- Optimize Your Meta Tags
- Add and Optimize Images
- Include Calls to Action
- Optimize Your Content
- Quality Above All
- Include Schema Markup
- Stay Relevant
- How to Write SEO Friendly Content – The Takeaway
Today, you’ll learn about numbers, places where you should publish content, and elements that ought to be included in the texts to improve your visibility in Google! These are the essential parts of creating SEO friendly content. Enjoy reading!
What is SEO Friendly Content?
In a nutshell, SEO friendly content is a type of content created in a way that helps search engine robots navigate and understand the website. There are various guidelines and ranking factors that determine what to focus on to be ranked higher in the SERPs.
Although in the past, it was enough to stuff texts with keywords that didn’t actually make sense and you could be ranked in top positions in the search results, the situation has changed. Now, SEO friendly equals user friendly, and when creating your content strategy, you should think mainly about real people, their expectations, and needs.
Why Do You Need SEO Friendly Content?
Before you familiarize yourself with all the guidelines for various kinds of texts found on different websites, it’s a good idea to wonder why you actually need SEO friendly content in the first place. Well, this type of content helps you to increase not only the number of search views but also your sales.
There are two main reasons proving that it’s worth taking the time to create user andSEO friendly content: benefits for the people and value for Google.
When it comes to the first reason, you should remember that online stores and websites are created mostly for customers. That’s why it’s essential to catch their attention and encourage them to familiarize themselves with your company.
The homepage is your business card, so you should do your best to present your business properly and explain to users why it’s particularly beneficial for them to choose your goods or services.
You should tailor your writing style to the target group. Content can be a great way to build a long-term relationship with a customer. Make sure that your most important values, products, or categories are well visible when users enter the site. This will help people quickly understand what they can expect from your website.
The second reason as to why it’s worth creating SEO friendly content is its value to Google.
Saturating your offer, product, or category descriptions with keywords important to your business will give the search engine a hint about your business.
Thanks to it, robots will know what types of user queries can be matched with your offer and when your website should be displayed to users.
Make your texts unique and natural, as Google appreciates this type of content and shows valuable websites filled with reliable information high in the search results. Properly created content is a key website element that inspires trust not only of the users but also of the search engine.
How to Make SEO Friendly Content
Below you’ll see a list of tips for SEO friendly content writing that will certainly help you boost your sales and visibility in the search results.
1. Start with Keyword Research
Before you move on to optimizing your website and saturating texts with keywords, make sure that you select the right phrases. Use appropriate tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Search Console to check the keywords your page is currently displayed for.
Select phrases that seem reasonable and related to your business profile, then, think about keywords you also want to incorporate in your strategy. This is one of the basics of SEO friendly content writing but it’s crucial to achieve success.
Once you choose important words, make sure you apply them in elements like headers, titles, meta descriptions, alt texts, as well as in the text body.
2. Identify the Search Intent
Think about your target group and the reasons why people may be searching for products or services offered on your website. Do they actually want to make a purchase or are they just looking for relevant information about your goods? Are they at the very beginning of the shopping path or are they sure what exact product they want to buy?
It’s crucial to ensure that your content actually corresponds to the search intent of potential customers. This way, you increase your chances of improving your brand image and user trust.
Remember that a high bounce rate has a negative impact on your positions in the search results. Therefore, you should always try to make sure that users stay on your page for longer.
During keyword research, you may notice that your website is displayed for phrases indicating search intents. Think about potential elements or subpages you can implement to address users’ needs.
Why don’t you set up a company blog?
It’s an effective tool thanks to which you can attract users at all stages of the customer path. This way, your website will be an ideal place both for people who want to finalize transactions and those who want to learn what given products or services are, why it’s worth choosing them, or which exact models and variants to focus on.
Being able to satisfy the needs of users at different stages of the sales funnel will allow you to boost your brand recognition and website traffic. That’s why you should always have search intent in mind before even starting SEO friendly content writing.
3. Research Your Topic
Improvising isn’t the best thing you can do if you want to create valuable content.
Before you get down to writing, do research to find reliable data that will allow you to attract users’ attention and reach high positions in the search results. If people notice that your texts don’t bring any value, they’ll quickly leave the site (thus increasing your bounce rate) and probably won’t trust you in the future.
Avoid trite formulas and repetitions. Check a few sources to make sure that your data is reliable. Use appropriate headers, ask questions and answer them in separate paragraphs to make the text more transparent.
As an author, you should be able to present yourself as an expert in the field. It’s not possible without learning first.
4. Create a Catchy Title
Looking for effective tips for SEO friendly content writing? Create a catchy title that attracts users’ attention and encourages them to click on the link!
Remember that clickbaits aren’t the best idea.
Although they used to work in the past, now most people associate them with automatically generated content. Your title should always correspond to the actual content on the page. Otherwise, attracted users will quickly leave your site once they realize that you simply tricked them.
SEO-wise, make sure that your title includes a keyword important for your website and rankings. This way, you’ll improve your visibility and positions in the search results for specific phrases.
5. Take Care of Good Structure
Nobody likes reading long blocks of text.
Divide your content into short paragraphs and separate long sections with eye-catching graphics, infographics, or videos. This way, you’ll help users rest.
Some people looking for specific answers to questions may feel discouraged when they realize that they have to scan a few pages of long text to get the information they need. As a result, they can leave your site and choose pages of your market rivals who present content in a transparent way.
Proper content structure will improve your website navigation and may encourage users to stay on your page for longer.
Try to divide the text into short paragraphs. Following the SEO friendly content writing tips use appropriate headers to inform readers what can be found in a given part of the text and highlight the most important pieces of information.
6. Choose the Right Length
Generally speaking, Google values longer, top-quality content. It appreciates entries that are full of expertise, reliable data, and that discuss a given topic in detail.
However, there are always exceptions to the rule. To choose the right length of your articles, you should analyze the websites of your market rivals and act accordingly. If the average length of entries in a given industry equals 500 words, it’s probably enough and means that you don’t need to waste money and time on writing articles that are 1,500 words.
To scrutinize your competitors, you may benefit from tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Surfer SEO.
Sometimes less is more. Check your Google Analytics reports to see which entries on your website attract visitors and generate conversions. This will help you find the path to follow. Creating SEO friendly content isn’t impossible, you just have to find a happy medium that will work best for your niche.
7. Write with the Users in Mind
Modern SEO is about users, not robots. Content that focuses on people and their needs is ranked high in the search results. Therefore, SEO friendly content equals user friendly content.
Before you start writing, analyze users’ needs and expectations. Think about what types of text may attract people to your website and still bring you business benefits. Try to create comprehensive entries that answer all possible questions readers may have in mind. Point specific products or services in your offer that can solve users’ problems. Position yourself as an expert who can be trusted. This way, you’ll improve your website authority.
We know how to make content users love! Check out how we do SEO copywriting and let us surprise your customers with great content!
8. Add FAQ to Appear in Google Featured Snippets
Both users and Google like FAQ sections.
Including them at the very end of your blog entries or implementing a separate subpage with frequently asked questions related to your offer and business activity will support the SEO process and will help users quickly find necessary information.
Moreover, if Google indexes your website and sees sections with questions and short, yet comprehensive answers, it may use them in Google Featured Snippets. Thanks to it, you’ll reach high positions in the organic search results, which can help you gain a competitive edge over your market rivals.
After all, users who want to learn more about a given issue will probably click on the link placed in the Featured Snippets instead of scrolling through the results.
9. Use Headers and Subheaders
How to write SEO friendly content?
As already mentioned, properly structured content streamlines navigation and helps people find needed information. If possible, divide your texts into paragraphs where each paragraph starts with a header (preferably a question) that includes a keyword, applied in a natural way.
This way, you’ll keep the content structure organized, and transparent. Users will be able to easily scan the text and find needed information, whereas robots will see that you provide answers to specific search queries.
10. Take Care of Your URLs
Make sure that your URLs are SEO friendly, which means that they contain specific phrases and keywords, not random signs.
Apart from increasing your positions in the search results, this will help you convince visitors that your website is safe (for this purpose you should also install an SSL certificate), as more and more people are aware of hacker attacks or phishing and don’t click on suspicious links anymore.
It’s also worth mentioning that SEO friendly external or internal links can have a positive impact on the number of visits to your website. If people see semantic (meaning readable) addresses in the text, they’re more likely to click on them, as they know what to expect from the page they’ll be redirected to.
After all, there is a huge difference between links like:
yourwebsite.com/red-dresses-for-every-occasion
And
yourwebsite.com/wkwkehekq_11enkd
Which one would you choose?
11. Remember About Internal Links and Thematic Clusters
The search engine ranks websites based on numerous factors, including the number of backlinks that lead to them.
Adding links to your previous pieces of content in new entries is an essential part of creating SEO friendly content.
Apart from improving navigation and helping users access additional texts that may answer their needs, you also encourage people to stay on your website for longer which will have a positive impact on your average web session time (this one is also taken into account by Google). Quality internal linking is a real virtuous circle.
Keep in mind that your internal links should be somehow related to the content. It’s pointless to link the business of a hardware shop in an article about wedding dresses.
Create the so-called thematic clusters that consist of one main page (the pillar page devoted to a specific issue) and additional subpages (clusters, meaning pieces of content discussing different aspects of this issue) that exhaust the subject. It’s an effective internal linking strategy appreciated by both users and search engine robots.
12. Optimize Your Meta Tags
It’s crucial to optimize your meta title and meta description for relevant keywords to ensure that they describe what can actually be found on your website, but also encourage users to click on the link.
Read more about meta tags in this article: Meta Tags – What Are They and How do They Affect SEO?
While meta descriptions don’t have a huge impact on SEO and are created mainly to encourage users to enter a website, meta titles are one of the most important elements when it comes to on-site SEO activities.
They should start with the keyword you want a given subpage to be displayed for. It’s worth mentioning that proper optimization of meta tags is a complex task that requires a lot of expertise as every element (even seemingly irrelevant ones) can have a tremendous impact on the search engine rankings. Therefore, if you aren’t sure how to do it, contact our specialists who will be more than happy to help you.
Have you heard about the important Google update that took place in 2021? If not, check out our entry: Google updates how page titles are generated in the search results.
13. Add and Optimize Images
Content isn’t only text. It’s also a graphic layout that diversifies your website, attracts users’ attention, allows people to rest, and creates additional space for SEO activities.
If your page doesn’t include any images, videos, or infographics, change it as soon as possible – this will make your content SEO friendly!
Of course, it would be great if you took the pictures on your own, but if it’s not always feasible. You can benefit from the use of free stock photos. However, that’s not the end. Make sure that you adjust the size of chosen images to your website to ensure that they don’t have a negative impact on its loading time.
The width of horizontal in-site content images shouldn’t exceed 1500px, and 1000px for vertical in-site content images, when talking about .jpeg files. Nevertheless, keep in mind that every website is different and may require different solutions.
Don’t forget to fill in and optimize alt tags. Thanks to them, visually impaired people can find out what’s in the picture, and Google is able to better understand your website. As you may guess, alt descriptions also support SEO.
Read more about SEO image optimization here: https://delante.co/image-optimization-increase-seo-visibility/
14. Include Calls to Action
A catchy CTA (Call to Action) button should inspire users to take specific steps that help you achieve your business goals. These may be subscribing to a newsletter, filling in a contact form, adding a product to the shopping cart, sharing the website with others, and many more.
It’s a good idea to include CTAs in your content as they can translate into higher website traffic, positions, conversions, and brand recognition. Make sure that your Calls to Actions are consistent with your image, yet stand out on the page. Intrigue users so that they want to learn more.
15. Optimize Your Content
This point somehow encapsulates everything we’ve mentioned so far. Once your content is ready, make sure you highlight the most important keywords with <b> and <em> tags. You can also mark information important for users with <bold> and <i> elements. Proper optimization is a must for creating SEO friendly content!
Don’t forget about internal links, meta tags, appropriate header structure (headers should be used in descending order), and alt tags. Think about elements that are useful for visitors and may additionally increase your credibility.
If you run a blog, introduce author bios to inform readers who actually stands behind a given piece of content. This will have a positive impact on your website authority and will help you build relationships with recipients.
Check out how to write an author bio: https://delante.co/how-to-write-an-author-bio-useful-tips-and-examples/
If you aren’t sure if your content is grammatically or stylistically correct, use tools like Grammarly that check spelling and grammar.
On the other hand, Keyword Density Checker scans the entire text (or URL) and counts how many times you’ve used a specific keyword. Thanks to it, you can avoid keyword stuffing that deters people and shows Google robots that your content isn’t natural and you try to manipulate the search results. Keep in mind that the recommended keyword density should be around 1-2%.
Apart from that, you can benefit from Keyword Magic Tool by SEMrush which will help you choose appropriate key phrases tailored to your target group and business needs.
Finally, solutions like Content Planner by Surfer SEO can give you a rough sketch of what your entry should look like, how long it should be, how many keywords or headers you need to use. The data is collected on the basis of the content published by your market rivals.
16. Quality Above All
As it’s been already mentioned, Google pays special attention to content quality. Therefore, it’s worth following the so-called EAT principle, which stands for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
To create SEO friendly content, make sure that it’s in line with Google guidelines.
Prepare additional elements such as case studies and printable materials that show off your experience. Focus on link building and sources from which you obtain information to improve your authority and to provide users with reliable data.
Remove backlinks from spammy websites with low domain ratings, as they have a negative impact on your positions, and do everything in your power to exhaust topics you’re writing about.
17. Include Schema Markup
In a nutshell, Schema markup is code that can be added to your HTML to help search engine robots analyze and understand your content so that they can provide users with reliable and accurate information already in the search results.
Thanks to Schema markup, robots are able to comprehend that a given number is actually a price and that a given street name is actually the place where your headquarters are located.
Schema markup comes in handy when talking about online stores where it can be used to mark elements such as:
- Product names
- Brands
- Prices
- Availability
- Reviews
- Rankings
- Contact Details
To learn more, read our article: Schema markup for ecommerce. What kinds of data are helpful?
18. Stay Relevant
To create SEO friendly content, you need to stay up-to-date. It’s not enough to discuss a given topic once and then forget about it. The world is constantly changing which means there is always something you can modify and update to ensure that your entry is on the cutting-edge.
If you decide to update specific articles on your blog, make sure that they include the dates when they were created and updated. This way, you inform both Google and users that you actually strive to stay relevant and that your website is active.
How to Write SEO Friendly Content – The Takeaway
The process of creating SEO friendly content is a complex task that requires preparation and knowledge. It’s worth keeping in mind that every subsequent Google update shows us that it’s all about the users.
Apart from having a content idea in mind, it’s crucial to weigh it against actual users’ needs and queries entered into the search box. Even immaculate content won’t bring you any benefits if it’s not optimized, as it won’t reach readers.
Take your time to devise an appropriate strategy, do keyword research, think about thematic clusters, diversify your content, take care of internal linking, and metadata. All these will help you meet the expectations of both users and search engine robots.
And if you need help with creating SEO friendly content that will be loved by users and Google, contact us!
This is an update of an article published in 2019.