Last Updated on September 4, 2023 by Anthony
Article writing is a key strategy for keeping a website relevant to both search engines and internet users. To that end, experts recommend learning how to craft articles that are SEO friendly. Here at Connotations, we would rather put together articles that are SEO-strong. What is the difference? Performance.
SEO-friendly articles contain all the right elements that make it easy for search engines to find, analyse, and rank them. An SEO-strong article goes one step further. It gives search engine algorithms valid reasons to rank it higher than other pages. The higher the ranking, the more traffic an article will drive.
If you would like to learn how to write SEO-strong articles every single time, take a look at the tips we offer below. Otherwise, feel free to contact us for information about our article writing services. We can do the work for you so that you can concentrate on other things.
Tip #1: Choose Your Keywords Wisely
Perhaps you’ve heard SEO experts ramble on about keyword research. There is a reason for that. As HubSpot contributor and marketing expert Rachel Leist explains, keywords matter to inbound marketing. They matter because they are still the number one thing search engines rely on to understand article content.
Search engine algorithms cannot think. They cannot read an article and decipher what it’s all about. All it can do is gather and analyse keywords. As such, algorithm designers rely on article writers to use the right keywords in the right volume for every article they write.
Keywords Aren’t Always Obvious
The right keywords for a particular article are not always obvious. For instance, the most competitive keywords in your industry might not be worth competing for all the time. There may be better keywords that your competitors are not working. Consider focusing on them for a few of your articles.
Tip #2: Answer a Key Question
It is safe to say that most organic search engine inquiries are intended to point users to funny memes or cat videos. People already know how to find that stuff without using a search engine. No, what they really want is an answer to whatever question happens to be on their minds.
Think about the types of questions your customers might ask in relation to your products and services. Those questions will prove to be winners if you make a point of answering them in your articles. This piece is a case in point. We are answering the question of how to write SEO-strong articles.
Tip #3: Follow Google’s Helpful Content Guide
A little more than a year ago, Google published the final iteration of its Helpful Content guide. Among other things, the guide explained that Google prefers creators produce content for internet users rather than search algorithms.
You will find a lot of helpful hints in the guide. It will tell you how to write relevant content that resonates with readers. It will tell you what Google’s algorithms are designed to look for when analysing and ranking sites. If you can master helpful content, you will be in a very strong position to create SEO-strong articles whenever you write.
Tip #4: Write in Plain English
Search engine algorithms have become very sophisticated over the last decade or so. They are now sophisticated enough to tell the difference between helpful information and gobbledygook. This tells all of us who write web-based articles something particularly important: we should write in plain English.
There is a habit among marketers to use language that only others in their particular industries understand. There is a tendency among article writers to make things too wordy, too busy, too complicated. That is not helpful to readers. In fact, it turns readers away.
You can write in plain English without sacrificing grammar. You can do so while maintaining good sentence structure, solid syntax, etc. Writing in plain English doesn’t mean dumbing things down. It means writing to your audience so that they understand what it is you are trying to communicate.
Tip #5: Make Liberal Use of Formatting
Let us wrap up with making liberal use of formatting. You’ll notice that this post utilises both subheadings and a numbered list. Paragraphs also tend to be short, consisting of two or three sentences each.
Writing articles in this way does two things. First, it makes your articles easier to read. That’s what you want if you are trying to attract readers who will return to your site time and again. Breaking text up into smaller paragraphs makes for easier reading. The same goes for using subheadings, bulleted and numbered lists, bold text, etc.
The second thing it does is give search engine algorithms a bit of context. They can better understand what an article is about if they have key formatting elements to look at. When you help search engines, you help yourself.
It’s Not a Mystery
There is no mystery or secret formula for writing SEO-strong articles. The principles of doing so are actually pretty easy to understand. Where you might fall down is in the skill department. While knowing how to write SEO-strong articles may be in your repertoire, the skills to do so could be lacking.
If this is the case, our article writing service is for you. Connotations writers have decades of combined experience covering a variety of topics internet users care about. We can write SEO-strong articles capable of driving traffic, building brand loyalty, and keeping your readers well informed. Contact us to learn more.