How to write effective SEO content? (19 Questions Answered)

Write for your audience. Not for Google, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. When people love your content search engines give higher rank.

Keyword stuffing not going to help you with SEO content. Help people to find answers to their queries. Google will rank you high. Follow this old-school rule.

I will break it down to help you to write effective SEO content.

What are the 3 C’s of SEO?

Content, Code, and Credibility the 3 C’s are the thumb rule of SEO. At present Google consider more than 200 ranking factors. These 3 C’s are among those.

I will break it down and make it easy for you.

#1 Content

Content is the most valuable piece in your blog. Write the best content for your user. Audiences spend more time on informative content.

Before writing content prepare an outline. Break down your content into headings, sub-headings, questions, lists, and tables. Each part must complement the main topic.

I will give 5 quick tips to create great content.

1. The heading should contain your main keyword. Write an intro that has positive sentiment. Add one power word like Best, Now, and Quick to your heading. Adding numbers is also a great way to get attention. Mary Fernandez wrote an article that contains an example of 700 power words.
2. Subheadings are the ribs of content. Pick all the related topics users may also like to read in your article. Assign the H2 tag to the sub-headings. Write short paragraphs around the sub-headings. Write short sentences and most of the 5 sentences in a paragraph.
3. Questions that complement your content are great for solving users’ queries. Use FAQ schema markup there. Rank Math Seo plugin provides the option to add FAQ schema markup. Answer the questions with the best and correct information.
4. Lists are best to get readers’ attention. Instead of writing comma-separated information put them in a list. Use numbered list for related information. Bullet points for nonrelated information
5. Tables are great for visualizing information in a short time. Use at most 5 columns in the table. For mobile users, a large table will cause a horizontal scroll. This may irritate the users. Keep the table heading bold to gain attention.

#2 Code

Search engine crawlers read your content as code. Press ctrl+u in your web browser to see what the code looks like.

I will give you 5 pro tips to make your code better.

1. Use a single H1 tag in your content. You can use as H2 and H3 tags as many as you like.
2. Use relevant schema markup in your article. If your content is around digital marketing then don’t use schema for recipes.
3. Use proper syntax in the robots.txt file. This file allows or disallowed certain URLs of your website. Rank Math Seo plugin handles the robots.txt file for you.
4. Java scripts and CSS are hard to read for the crawlers. Use only when and where these are necessary.
5. Meta titles and meta descriptions are very important. Add proper meta information to all your pages and posts. In Rank Math Seo you get the option to add custom meta information. Google search results show this information. A catchy meta-information helps to get more clicks.

#3 Credibility

E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is one of the ranking factors in Google. Kelly Lyons wrote a great article on it in Semrush.

I will give your four bonus tips to improve your credibility as a blogger.

1. Search and write on new topics that no one answered.
2. Never choose a topic that affects someone’s money or life. Unless you are an expert on it.
3. Publish a page on your blog that describes you. Connect your social media handles to that page.
4. After each post writes a brief intro about the author.

What is SEO content writing?

Writing content to rank No1 in search engines like Google. Answering the search intent is also an aim of SEO content writing.

I will give 5 bonus tips to write SEO content.

1. Write an in-depth article to stand out among millions of blogs.
2. Check any article in Wikipedia. There are content-rich articles with many citations. Link other people’s articles to establish the authenticity of your information.
3. Use both short and long-tail keywords for your topic. Short keywords are hard to rank but long tail keywords are very easy.
4. Use a hook in your introduction.
5. Write a conclusion with a question to your readers. It will compel the user to read your article.

Why is SEO writing important?

Our main goal of SEO writing is to rank no1 in Google. Convince the reader to read the article. Fulfill the search intent with a proper answer. Generate leads and convert them to sales. Finally, create a brand.

5 reasons why you should write SEO content.

#1 Rank no1

Millions of articles are there. Everyone is trying to appear in No.1. Do you know 86% of users click on the results that show up on the first page? And 28% of users click on the first result. Author Matt G. Southern wrote an article on SearchEngineJournal about it.

This is why it is important for any blog.

#2 Convince to read

You did all the good things to get clicks. Now it is time to tell a compelling story. The more people read the much higher rank you get. Much higher rank with many clicks.

This is a cycle of ranking high and low.

#3 Fulfill the search intent

Behind each search in Google or other search engines, there is a problem. When you address problems your user gets the answer. Unless the user will navigate to another website. Your bounce rates will go up.

Websites with low bounce rates rank higher.

#4 Generate leads

There is a high chance that a satisfied user will click on the call to action button or link. Now you have many options to convert the lead. Either you may ask to buy some product or service, or enroll for any paid course.

#5 Create your brand

Creating a brand is our final goal. With a brand, you can retarget users and generate more sales.

How to write original, powerful SEO content for blogs and websites?

Follow the basic thumb rules to create original, powerful SEO content. I will share 7 thumb rules to create original content that will rank no1 in google.

#1 Find a topic

To find a topic head to paid tools like Semrush, Ahref, and Ubbersuggest or follow my formula. We are trying to rank in Google right? Then why not use Google?

Type one or two words related to your niche in Google search. Add modifiers like how, why, etc, and try to form a question. Check the suggestions that google shows.

Note down some questions. Check the questions in Google search. Pick those titles where forums like Quora or Reddit are ranking at no.1

Also check the question with prefixes “allinrul:” and “allintitle:”. If less than 10 results appear then go for it. Much information is not available for this question.

#2 Research your topic

Detailed research on your topic is necessary to write an informative article. Search in Google, Youtube, and Quora to gather information. Understand the topic in-depth.

Note down specific terms related to the topic. It will help you to make the article entity rich.

#3 Create an outline

The classic article contains a heading, introduction, sub-heading, questions, and conclusion. The topic will be your heading. Add related topics as sub-headings that complement your main topic.

To get ideas for sub-headings copy the main title in Google with the suffix “site:quora.com” or “site:reditt.com”.For questions head to Google question hub.

#4 Write an article

Now it is time to write the article in your words. Choose simple words that your reader can understand without any dictionary. Write informative answers to all the sub-headings. Always use active voice in your article. Use short sentences that are easy to read.

#5 Check spelling and grammar

Do you think grammars are the most difficult part of writing? Think of it like gems that guide you to write effective content. Use tools like Grammarly to check spelling and grammar. Install it on your pc, and it will suggest you everywhere. Accept the suggestions. Sometimes implementing the suggestions make your article irrelevant.

#6 Check readability

Use Hemingway to check the readability of your content. It will suggest you rewrite complex sentences, passive voice, and phrases. Apply these tips to achieve a good score.

This will enhance your user experience.

#7 Check plagiarism

If you write your content then plagiarism will not be an issue. It is very important to check plagiarism for in the content written by others. Grammarly plagiarism checker is one of the best tools. Professional content writers prefer this. Rewrite the sentences or paragraphs that the checker detects.

Now you are ready to publish.

What is the SEO content writing best practices?

Engaging content. Short paragraph. Keyword placement. Catchy meta. Proper linking. In-depth information and proofreading. These are the 7 best practices for SEO content writing.

I will break it down to help you understand.

#1 Engaging content

Write for your audience. Pick any popular magazine and check how they write content. You will read all the content. Do you know why?

They follow the basic rule of content writing. Write write and more write and create your style.

#2 Short paragraph

Internet users are in hurry. They need a quick answer to their problem. A short paragraph helps them. Bulky paragraphs with complex sentences distract them from the main topic.

#3 Keyword placement

Place your keyword in the title, meta title, URL, introduction, and meta description. This is the classical style to write SEO-friendly content. Check authority blogs on your topic. You will find the same formula there.

#4 Catchy meta

Meta titles and descriptions are visible on Google search results. Catchy information helps the user to click. Avoid clickbait. It may decrease the time that users spend on your article.

#5 Linking

Link your article as in Wikipedia. It will help to build authority and helps to rank the non-performing posts. Delete the duplicate posts and use the 301 redirects. Enable the auto-redirect option in Rank Math SEO to make it easy.

#6 In-depth information

Readers love to read in-depth articles. Add all possible pieces of information related to your topic. Keep your focus on your main title throughout the article.

#7 Proofreading

Always do proofreading. It is not possible to find errors while writing content. Read your content later. You will find many possible improvement ideas.

What should I learn for SEO content writing?

Writing SEO content is very easy. Learn three fundamentals to be a professional SEO content writer. Develop a unique writing style. Understand the problem that is behind the search intent. Learn to write topics on keywords.

I will break down all these three fundamental rules.

#1 Writing skill

Writing skill is the most important for SEO Content writing. Reading books help to improve writing skill. Write at least 500 words daily and overcome the fear of writing. I will share some great books to improve your writing skill.

1. Writing for the web by Lynda Felder,
2. Mastering content writing for businesses by Semrush,
3. On writing well by William Zinsser,
4. The copywriter’s handbook by Robert W,
5. and Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark.

#2 Understand the search intent

Keywords are problems that users search on Google. Learn to find the actual problem behind the search. This is search intent in Digital Marketing.

Search for any problem in Google. Check the articles that appear on the first page. Try to understand how the author has written the article.

#3 Writing topic on keywords

The title consists of the main keyword. In SEO writing the relevant sub-topics divide the main topic into parts. You have to write for these sub-topics to create an in-depth article. Read the top 10 or 20 articles related to those sub-topics. You will find a way how to answer.

How do I write a lot of SEO content fast?

To write lots of SEO content fast work in batches. Divide the whole process of content writing into parts. Content research. Writing content. Publishing content. These are three major parts of content writing.

Take small batches like research 10-15 topics together. Then write those together and publish also.

Note down the time it takes. Next time you can access the estimated time to complete a single article.

Choose the language in which you feel more comfortable creating content.

Content creators follow this to break the monotony of their work.

Is SEO writing difficult?

SEO writing is not difficult sometimes it is confusing. We are familiar with writing since our childhood. We write messages, and emails to communicate, are they difficult? Not at all.

SEO writing is a different approach to writing. SEO writing is all about storytelling. Engaging readers. Follow the basics to make it easy.

Why isn’t good content always enough to compete in SEO?

Good content is a key to ranking. But Google has hundreds of other parameters for ranking. Some of these parameters are structure, speed, and linking.

#1 Website structure

Besides writing good content follow the silo structure for your website. It connects all your categories to the home page. All posts to your categories. It helps to pass link juice to all your pages and helps in ranking.

#2 Page speed

Page speed is not a direct ranking factor. But, it impacts user experience. Readers love to visit websites that load faster. Connect your blog with the Google search console. The page experience menu option shows all your slow pages. Use the free Page Speed testing tool by google to find out the reason.

#3 Link to other pages

Proper internal linking helps the crawler to get hints about your new articles. Use at least 3-4 relevant links to your other posts. Rank Math link counter helps to count internal and external link counts.

#4 Broken links

Broken links create a bad user experience. Register your website with Semrush. It will audit your website at regular intervals. You will get email notifications about broken links. Remove or rectify them to improve ranking.

#5 Schema markups

Use relevant schema markups to help Google to understand your content better. With Rank Math, you get plenty of schema markups. Use them in your article. FAQ, and How To are the most common schema markups.

#6 Social media presence

Share your content on popular social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Create your social media handles and connect them with Jetpack. It will publish your content to your social media handles with no effort.

#7 Tags

H1 and H2 tags are important to compete in SEO. This helps Google crawlers to understand your content better. Create your post in your WordPress Gutenberg editor. It gives you the option to add headings.

#8 Backlinks

Google penalizes paid backlinks. But, backlink still matters. Write an email to those you linked in your article. Reputed authors will link you back. Use the Ahref backlink checker tool. Check all the quality backlinks of your competitors. Reach them and ask ‘Hey I have written a more informative blog post’. At least 10 out of 100 will give your backlink.

#9 Rich media

Add custom graphics relevant to your topic. Use Canva to create amazing graphics. You will get more engagement with rich media.

How to find a great SEO content writer?

Finding a great SEO content writer is very challenging. Head to Fiverr, a great platform for freelancers. Here you will find a quality content writer for your blog. Be very clear about your requirements. Use tools like Hemingway and Grammarly to check the written content.

Should my clients write their SEO content?

It’s the content writer’s job to write SEO content. If you are confident in SEO content then register yourself on Fiverr. Create your Gigs and get paid for content writing.

Deliver quality, original content and get recommendations. It will help you to be a professional SEO content writer.

What is the difference between normal content writing and SEO content writing?

There are three major differences between normal content writing and SEO content writing.

What is the future of SEO content writers?

None of us like to read any content written by machines or talk to machines. It’s emotionless. There are plenty of high-paying jobs for SEO content writers. Build the quality, people will come to you. Join platforms like Fiverr. Showcase your work and earn money.

Does content writing come under SEO?

When you are writing normal content there is no role for SEO. But, writing content for the web has SEO. SEO for blog or websites start with content writing. Content writers should have a good idea about SEO.

Unless you can’t rank in Google or related search engines.

What are some excellent SEO tools for content writing?

At least a mechanic with tools is a better mechanic. Four tools that I use to write my articles. 

1. Grammarly helps to check the spelling and grammar of an article.
2. Hemingway is a free tool to check content readability. Check complex phrases and sentences as well.
3. Google NLP is a language checker tool. Helps to check the natural language and many more.
4. Grammarly plagiarism checker helps to check duplicity in your article. It searches billions of articles on the internet and makes your article original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Even with all the above information, I know you have many questions. Answering all the questions is not possible for me. But, I have picked some frequently asked questions for you.

Conclusion

Writing content is an art that needs regular practice. SEO is important when you are writing content for the web. It helps to rank your article. Are you writing content for your blog or website? Comment below. I guide you to write effective SEO content.

Kingsuk Nandi

Kingsuk Nandi Founder of Right SEO Tips

Hi there, welcome to Right SEO Tips – where we discuss the most effective SEO tips. I am really glad, you are here!

I am Kingsuk Nandi, a professional blogger, and developer. My goal is to share my experiences with SEO and Blogging.