5 Tips for SEO Writing Content Writing

There’s no denying that the SEO game was a lot more straightforward 10 years ago. The checklist of “must-haves” for your website to rank was much more direct. Since then, search engines have progressed from relying heavily on keywords to requiring quality copywriting.

As you might imagine, how we define “quality” is a bit subjective. From an SEO perspective, quality is determined by its usefulness, which means it has a cohesive blend of keyword and competitive research, as well as well-written content that is interesting and easy to read.

At Triton Commerce, our SEO and content writing specialists collaborate so that we stay on top of the latest updates and developments. This blend of specialties is imperative to having a winning digital marketing strategy.

SEO Content Writing Tips Everyone Should Know

Even with the above general definition of what algorithms consider “quality content,” there’s a lot of subjectivity. One aspect of implementing SEO solutions that never seems to change is that there will always be some “guesswork.”

Not to say thatSEO Strategies are out here guessing all the time. However, so many variables impact organic traffic that A/B testing is necessary to help refine a solution. The good news is that we have some definitive tips proven to be successful solutions!

Once you implement the best practices and understand how algorithms work, it’s easier to enhance your ongoing SEO strategy.

1. Keyword Research

Understanding how to do basic keyword research is instrumental in SEO writing. You can use keyword research tools to check how competitive your keywords or phrases are and how many people search for those terms.

One great strategy is utilizing long-tail keywords, such as “what is an ice dam,” because they’re usually easier to rank for. Because there’s less competition, you know exactly what content the reader wants, and there’s typically a higher search volume (over 200 searches per year).

2. Competitive Research

Because every industry and niche is different, it’s important to see what your competition with high rankings is doing. In this case, we aren’t asking for the businesses you compete with in real life; We’re talking about determining which direct competitors are winning over the algorithms. Take the time to analyze how and why they’re ranking so well.

Let’s say you have a local roofing company. When you type “roofing contractor + city you’re targeting,” which sites that aren’t paid ads show up on the first page? What does their content look like? What answers do they address? How much content is on each page?

Notice what they’re doing well and how you can apply that knowledge to improve upon it.

3. Quality Content

Now, the basics of “good” writing come into play. You’ll want content that is easy to understand, which means having an excellent grasp of grammar and syntax. Small details such as sentence structure, word choice, and adequately answering the questions potential clients might ask are crucial.

Just as every web page should have a purpose, so should each block of content. Something that might help with this is using your keyword and competitive research to formulate a list of potential questions each page should answer.

4. Formatting

As you’re using your keywords and competitive research to write useful content, think about how you format the page. Search engines like to see organization and order. Numbered lists, bullet points, and helpful headers are important additions to all web copy.

5. Linking

Lastly, search engines like content that has been deemed credible and reliable. One way to help prove this is to include links from elsewhere on your site on each page of content. This practice is called internal linking.

Internal links help other pages on your site get discovered, crawled, and ranked by search engines and drive traffic to important parts of your website. In addition to this, you’ll also want to integrate links to credible sources outside of your website. External linking helps your content get noticed and improves your brand’s credibility.

The tricky thing with external linking is ensuring it is good information without sending someone to a competitor. Larger websites like Forbes, Angi’s List, etc. are great resources for external linking.

Triton Commerce: Your SEO Content Experts

At Triton Commerce, our content specialists and SEO strategists work together to formulate a winning digital marketing strategy that suits your company’s goals and industry. To learn more about our comprehensive solutions, give us a call at 651.321.0578 or contact us today.