SEO has become increasingly complex since Google opened the Zoo. This article will guide you through the SEO jungle and show you how to create The Perfect SEO content.
Topics not keywords:
Write your content for the reader based on a topic (keyword
you have researched). Focus on that main topic and add variations, synonyms,
related words throughout your content. Most of the above is already covered if
you just write naturally. But it pays to do keyword research to find the kinds
of words people actually use. You will get ideas of blog from sites like Quora, eHow etc.
Optimize your main
keyword:
Include your keyword in URL. Put your keyword near the start
of your title. It should be in first 100 words of your article. Don’t forget to
add it in image Alt texts (preferably in first image). Keyword in Bold or
Italic within the text may also help.
Use LSI keywords:
Google is looking for certain words, and combinations of
words as a sign that you are writing about a specific topic. Research all the
synonyms and related areas for your topic. Add them throughout your content as
headings, sections. Don’t artificially change your content, sentences,
structure to suit these new words. Just keep it natural. Use of LSI keywords in your content make your content much stronger and SEO friendly than using exact match keywords. There are some online tools such as LSI Graph, Google related searches, Google trends etc. to find LSI keywords.
Format your content:
Break up content into small sentences and paragraphs. Make
appropriate use of headings and sub-headings (H2, H3 etc.). Add bullets to
breakup lists. Add images often (every 300-500 words). Add supporting content
(video, slideshow, social embeds). Also include quotes and tweetables in it.
Craft a stunning
headline:
Better headlines lead to improved CTR of your search
results. Optimize your title length to 55 chars to 70 chars max. Try different
content types (lists, infographics, how tos). Add emotional or power words for
more impact. Test your headlines with tools like Google SERP Snippet Optimization Tool.
Make use of links:
Link to authoritative and relevant content within your
article. Link to your own old content. Boost your weaker content with links
from more powerful content. Consider using keyword anchor text in internal
links to boost your content.
Long form content:
Make sure you are writing longer content for a good reason
(your audience, the topic etc.). Don’t just write longer content to make it
longer (you won’t rank higher). Try to write the best content possible.
Sometimes your audience wants something shorter (or even different like video,
podcast etc.)
Write for people who
also use search engines:
Write your content for people first. But keep in
mind that you need to optimize for keywords too to get traffic from Google.
Write for “people who also use search engines”- Rand Fishkin.
