When writing blog copy that’s SEO friendly there are a few things to keep in mind:
Write for your Reader. A common mistake writers make when developing SEO friendly blog articles is trying to write exclusively for search engines at the risk of alienating visitors to their website (potential customers). We sometimes completely overthink our motivation and leave the content riddled with nonsensical, overused keywords that just sound stupid when reading out loud. Website copy should be written specifically with your intended reader in mind. Focus on solving your customer’s problems first, answer a question, explain a common scenario using layman’s terms. The search engines will take care of themselves.
Use Images to Support the Main Message. A relevant and contextually supporting image can draw the reader in. However, be careful not to clutter your pages with unnecessary or irrelevant images. Find the right imagery to support the main message of your blog post. It’s no longer appropriate to simply grab whatever you can find online. There are copyright concerns that are very real and people have been sued and fined for using the wrong content that they’ve found. Instead use royalty-free imagery that you can purchase from places like iStock, Adobe Stock, Shutterstock. There are also a host of free image websites like Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash and more.
Keywords. Research your keywords carefully. Choose 2 or 3 priority keywords and work them naturally into your content. Don’t overdo it. It doesn’t take a genius to see when you’re trying too hard. Plus it makes your content sounds ridiculous. Try to work the keywords into your copy naturally with about 3 to 5 mentions, but most importantly your content should have an organic flow and make sense.
Use Headlines. Use headlines throughout your blog post that separate major ideas through the content. Ensure that you’re using the appropriate HTML heading code to signify an H2 or H3 as you read down the article. Headings allow people to scan the page for meaningful ideas as well as signalling to search engines the most important ideas on the page. The headlines should feature your keywords. Search engines will identify this prominent content and will use this information to help determine the relevance of your post. Spend time choosing the right headline content.
Blog Post Length. Ensure that your article is at least 500 words to ensure that there’s enough space to get your message across without over-saturating or cramming in the keywords. Repeated studies on blog post engagement and rankings show that long-form blog posts of 1,000 words or more get consistently higher-ranking than posts with less than 500 words.
Benefits, not Features. Describe the benefits of your product or service to prospects and customers. Consumers don’t buy features, they want to know what’s in it for them? Will it solve their problem? Will it make their lives easier? Will it help them accomplish a task? When a reader gets to the point where they feel that your product or service would benefit them, they will consider buying.
Paragraphs and Emphasis. Keep your blog content to bite-sized paragraphs. Don’t make the reader work too hard. Blog readers seek immediate gratification and like to scan copy (headline scan) or skip to the important parts. Use emphasis formatting like bolding or bulleted lists to draw attention to important points – with moderation.
Proofread. Often people are so happy to have finished a blog post with great content that they often forget to go back and proofread it. Simple mistakes make you and your company seem thoughtless and unprofessional. I know, I’ve done it. Do yourself a favour, don’t just proofread your own article, ask a workmate to take a spin across it. Here are Caorda, we often have 2 or 3 people scan over a blog post for grammar, spelling and general flow and clarity. Don’t be a snob. Share.