Improve Your Google Ranking with an SEO Writing Strategy

When you search for a product or service on Google, you likely don’t click beyond the first page of search results.

That’s pretty typical, and it’s why getting your company’s digital content on the first search results page increases the likelihood a user will visit your website. Creating content that attracts organic traffic requires writing with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind.

What is SEO Writing?

Writing for SEO means developing content that provides users with relevant information that answers their queries. It involves researching keywords and phrases to develop informative content and then optimizing the copy structure, so it’s easier for search engines to crawl.

Prioritize Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of a successful digital content strategy. Online keyword planning tools identify keywords that are relevant to your industry and have appropriate search volume. It’s challenging to rank for popular, high-volume keywords. So, depending on your niche, selecting a keyword with a lower search volume and ranking difficulty may be beneficial.

Once you have a list of potential keywords, you can pare it down to terms specific to your content. Additional keywords should be derivatives of your primary keywords. Incorporating your target keywords throughout the copy, title tag, headline, meta description, headline tags and image alt text will help Google crawl your content and associate your website with those keywords.

Using Title Tags

A title tag identifies what a webpage is about, whether it’s a service, product or blog. Title tags appear in search results, so they should be engaging snippets that include keywords. The title tag must be 50 to 60 characters and attract your audience’s curiosity, letting users know your page has the information they need.

Writing a Meta Description

Although Google has stated that meta descriptions have no direct impact on a site’s ranking, writing a keyword-rich meta description still provides valuable content for your page. A meta description appears under the title tag in search results and gives the user a synopsis of what they can expect to find on the page. Meta descriptions should be 140 to 160 characters long.

Optimizing Headline Tags

Search engine crawlers consider each bolded point on a webpage a headline tag or subtopic. Headline tags are indicated using Headline 2 (H2) or Headline 3 (H3) tags in the copy document and coded as such when the copy is added to a website. On most web platforms, the title tag is considered an H1, and there can only be a single H1 tag per page.

Bullet Points and SEO Value             

It’s important to include bullet points, especially if you’re trying to optimize a page’s SEO value. Using bullet points informs search engines about your page’s content structure and the information’s value. Utilize strong keywords in bullet points to direct user attention to certain areas on the page and guide them through the copy.

Importance of Internal Links

An internal link is created when you hyperlink one page to another related page on your website. For example, copy in a blog article may include the sentence, “Learn more about building a successful blogging strategy in our Creating a Blogging Strategy article.” Adding a hyperlink to the words “Creating a Blogging Strategy” directs the user to another appropriate internal page on your website, indicating the pages are related. Internal links tell search engines that the linked page is important, strengthening overall SEO value.

TouchStone Digital specializes in SEO research and optimization. Our expert digital marketers will work with you to develop a custom SEO strategy to maximize your search performance. Get in touch and schedule a meeting.