In the world of digital marketing, SEO writing and blogs pull a lot of weight. They’re useful for gaining traction on social media, for keeping your audience well informed, and, of course, for ranking on Google.
It’s not enough to just write an interesting, informative blog – though that should be your number one goal. You’ll also need to optimize your blog in order to please both Googlebot and your readers.
Here, we present 6 handy tips that will help you do just that.
Think of your meta description as an elevator pitch
No one wants to spend all day on a search engine, thoroughly vetting every search result. So they don’t! Instead, they take a quick glance at the page’s title and meta description, and then decide whether or not to click the link. The process probably takes a second or less.
Don’t give anybody a reason to scroll past your page. Enticing meta descriptions should be crafted at the end of your article. Don’t leave them to chance – if you don’t make a meta description, Google will.
Think of your meta description as an elevator pitch. It should explain the point of the page, and include one or two keywords. It should also be compelling. Make a joke! Tell a story. Use a cliffhanger. Get your audience’s attention. Yes, you only get ~155 characters, but you’re a writer – make them count.
Don’t neglect image optimization
Include an image in each and every one of your blog posts. Optimize those images by using alt text and choosing formats that will reduce loading time. Not much to say here, but it’s important! If you’re looking for an example, check the image used in this very article.
SEO Writing links it all together
Every one of your blog posts should include at least two links – one external link, and one internal link.
When you have more than one relevant link, feel free to include as many as you like – just don’t go overboard. You should also check the authority of your external links so they don’t look too spammy. Ahrefs has a great authority checker you can use for free!
Remember what you learned in English class
This may go without saying – but we’ll say it anyway. You cannot afford grammar and spelling mistakes in your articles. They’re off-putting – both for bots and for readers.
That means you have to proofread. If your eyes are tired, get someone else to proofread again once you’re done. Believe us, an editor has gone over this article – and the writer has checked it for mistakes.
Consider the length of your article
If you’re planning to write an article that’s under 300 words long – don’t bother.
Contrary to popular belief, short, concise articles can rank quite well. In our experience, however, articles do best if they’re at least 500 words long.
When you know a lot about a topic – and if it’s a particularly complicated topic, you can extend that word count by quite a bit. This article is a little over 1500 words long. Articles that are between 2000-3000 words long can do quite well.
Something you should avoid doing, however, is extending the length of your article just to rank better. To quote the Talking Heads – “When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed. Say something once, why say it again?”1.
Only write when you’ve got something to say. Don’t pad your articles.
Engage with other SEO writers
SEO writing is part art, part science. That means best practices can and will change over time.
To get good at any art, you need to practice. It’s also helpful to follow the masters. While there’s no Picasso of SEO writing, there are some very good writers out there.
Search for interesting blogs on Google. Read them. Join Facebook groups dedicated to SEO writers. Read blogs about SEO writing – like this one.
When you read a piece that you find engaging, follow that writer, and read other pieces that they write. Figure out what you like about their writing style, and imitate it.
You can even do it with this article, if you liked what you read. We’d be flattered.
Happy writing!
1.) Talking Heads. “Psycho Killer.” Talking Heads ‘77. Sire Records, 1977.
