Digital marketing is ever-changing, but the one constant that will drive success is, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). However implemented, it remains a vital component for increasing online visibility, but also an excellent way to drive organic traffic to your website, and should play a key part in your Content Marketing Strategy.
So here we offer some creative writing tips on generating valued content to include SEO that will help you rank well within search engines such as Google.
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Write Blogs Your Users Will Want to Read
First and foremost, the foundation for any successful blog post is creating content that appeals to your target audience. Understand your audience, their pain points, and interests. Tailor your blogs to address their needs, answer their questions, or entertain them. By crafting engaging, informative, and relevant content, you will attract readers and encourage them to spend more time on your website. A key factor in improving SEO rankings. Think about your link-building strategy, great for search engine rankings. Write posts that other websites or publications will want to hyperlink to with their own posts.
Do Your Keyword Research
This is a fundamental aspect of blogging and will help you understand audience intent. Understanding what your target audience is searching for will greatly improve the chances of your blog post being found organically. It also allows you to stand well against your competitors, by allowing you to identify gaps and missed opportunities. This allows you to further enhance your content by creating unique and compelling edits, to demonstrate your expertise.
Try to separate yourself from your business. Think as the reader, about what they will be searching for and typing into search engines.
- Include Long Tail Keywords, where people may be searching for specific information, such as “Social media best practices”
- Opt for location-based keywords “Things to do in Bristol”
- Try service-based keywords “Digital Marketing Services”
- Use Educational keywords such as “Digital Marketing Tutorials”
- Pose Questions such as “What are the best social media platforms in 2023”
- Time-Specific Keywords “Top Digital Marketing Trends in 2023”
- Industry-Specific Keywords “Digital Marketing”
- And comparison keywords “Digital Marketing vs Print Marketing”
Use Google keyword planner to help you carry out your research for successful SEO copywriting.
Structure Everything with Headings and Alt Text for Images
One of the key areas to think about in your overall content marketing strategy is the structure of your blog. This is essential for enhancing user experience and SEO. Using clear headings and subheadings, which include relevant keywords, will organise and break down your content into more manageable reading chunks, making it easy to scan and read.
Readers are notoriously lazy and will skim-read the vast majority of your blog, so make it short, punchy and succinct. This will improve your chances of ranking higher in search results as search engines love organised content. Use numbers, bullet points, offers in titles, or offer teasers in the body text to break down larger chunks of edit.
And don’t forget your images, use descriptive alternative text (alt text) which not only assists visually impaired users but will also provide you with the opportunity to include relevant keywords, contributing to improved SEO.
Add Plenty of Internal Links
Strategically link to your services or related blog posts within the text, driving the reader deeper into your website. It helps spread link equity, enhances navigation, and keeps users engaged by offering additional and relevant content.
You could also consider external linking to high-authority websites, particularly when you’re citing information. While this doesn’t outright boost SEO metrics, it will show search engines you have been thorough in your research, and can establish trust with your readers.
Post on a Regular Basis, at Least Every Few Months
Consistency is key to maintaining an active online presence. Regularly posting fresh, high-quality content demonstrates your commitment to your audience and keeps your website updated, search engines like this regularity. Aim to publish new blog posts at least every few months to stay on your audience’s radar and maintain SEO momentum.
This will also allow you to nurture your audience who have previously engaged with your website, services, or business by including these blog posts along with any offers into regular newsletters as part of a wider email marketing strategy.
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Compress Images for Faster Loading Times
Search engines tend to avoid listing pages with slow loading times, plus having faster loading speeds will also improve the user experience. One of the biggest causes in slower loading times on blog posts are an abundance of uncompressed images, so ensure any images you want on your blog have been optimised for loading speeds. Don’t worry if you’re inexperienced with image editing software, as there are free online resources such as Tiny PNG to help compress images.
Use AI generated Content with Caution
I’m sure you’ve used AI in some way shape or form over recent months, but don’t be fooled into believing AI can generate your blogs without any input from your side. You still need to write as a human for humans! AI is fantastic to help generate ideas, but it generally lacks the creativity, experience, and originality inherent in a human being. AI simply generates content based on patterns and data and will not produce unique pieces of edit.
Over time, you’ll find your rankings may start slipping when publishing AI-generated content. Search engines prioritise high-quality content that offers value to its users, AI-generated content may also be duplicated or be highly similar to other content found online. If AI content is generic and not unique, it will not engage with its users and is more likely to increase bounce rates, which indirectly impacts your SEO.
Our advice would be to use AI as a tool, to help generate ideas, but to continue with human oversight. This ensures your content is meeting search engine standards of high quality, optimised content, so as to not put your overall SEO at risk.
Don’t Stuff Your Keywords
This is typically frowned upon by search engines. Do not overload your content, be it on-page or your metadata, with excessive keywords or phrases with the intention of manipulating search engines. Search engines are far more sophisticated than you think, and you will be penalised if you carry out these outdated practices.
Instead, focus on high-quality quality engaging and informative content that is user-friendly and incorporates relevant keywords, which will ultimately provide a better experience for your website visitors.
In conclusion, for successful blog writing for SEO, follow these top tips, and you will be well on the way. These days, SEO positive blogs are transitioning to posts that resonate with your audience whilst optimising your website’s visibility.
If you think your business needs support from a creative content agency with your Digital Marketing, we are here to help. Book a free 30-minute 1-2-1 session with one of our specialists to help expand your marketing strategy ideas, or get started with one of our Total Digital Marketing packages.
