Top 10 Things to Know Before Writing Content for SEO
What should I talk about in my keyword-optimized content before writing this post? How do I know which terms to use? What keywords should I target in any given piece of content? As someone who writes for SEO purposes, I can give you a few tips regarding the best ways to approach keyword optimization in your work. Of course, none of these techniques are full proof. However, if used effectively, I am confident they will aid you in increasing the chances of successful SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
- Keywords are Everything – Think about it. If you want articles or blog posts to appear in search results, you need to create articles or blog posts containing keywords. It’s that simple. People type words into search engines when looking to find websites or products. When they land on your page, the more times, their browser sees the keywords, the better.
- Focus on Long-Term Goals – Don’t worry too much about getting traffic from one day to another, or even throughout a month. Instead, focus on building relationships with people. Create value through your writing and build trust over time.
- Write Quality Articles – While quality isn’t everything, it’s essential. Make sure articles are informative and engaging. They also need to provide readers with a solution to their problems.
- Link to Other Websites Using Similar Terms – Every article needs links to relevant external content. The key here is not to link to another page within your site. Instead, go beyond that and link to external pages using related terms.
- Focus on Specific Topics – For example, if you write about e-commerce, don’t just mention general concepts like “marketplace.” Be specific, mentioning features like cart abandonment rates, inventory management software, etc.
- Choose Relevant Photos – Even though photos can add visual appeal, keep them minimal. Unless you have some amazing photography skills, stick to a single photo per page rather than three or four.
- Write About Real-World Issues – One way to make people feel like they are reading something insightful is to tell them about real-world topics. It doesn’t mean only to cover broad categories like politics and economics.
- Include Video & Audio – Besides images and text, multimedia content is a great way to engage readers. Videos and podcasts can help convey ideas and make things sound interesting. Just be careful. Too many videos can hurt SEO by cluttering up index pages and leaving users wondering what else to click on.
- Provide Links to Related Pages Within Your Site – Another way to increase engagement is by providing hyperlinks within your content. It helps readers understand how to apply an idea and gives them access to other parts of the website where they can learn more
- Ask Questions – People love answering questions! By asking about a topic, you allow them to share knowledge. It increases trust as well as boosts reader numbers.
- Encourage Comments and Feedback – Providing ways for people to leave comments makes sense. But it should be noted that if you respond to every comment left on the page, this will take away from the purpose of the original post. Try to respond to most comments so that those who didn’t get any answers still see you care enough to respond.
- Use Guest Posting to Expand Traffic – Guest posting is a great way to bring attention to yourself, but remember to do it properly. First, avoid doing it for free. Sure, you could pay someone to write a guest post for you, but do you want to be seen as cheap? Second, ensure that you use a unique angle.
- Promote Content Through Social Media Marketing – Finally, don’t forget social media marketing! It’s easy to get carried away when creating blogs and forgetting about spreading the word about them via various channels online. Don’t go overboard, but ensure you promote at least one piece of new content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google+ each week.
Now that we know how to quickly find trending topics for your niche blog in 2022, let’s look at why these posts tend to perform so well.
Why Do Trends Perform So Well?
If you think back to high school, you probably recall reading many non-fiction books because they were easier to read than fiction novels. The same theory applies here. Trending topics will offer less competition in terms of writing quality. If tons of articles are already written around a specific subject, readers may not be willing to wade through the ocean of words trying to find out what the latest information is.
However, some writers might try to write about trending topics to gain popularity with their audience. This isn’t necessarily bad if the writer treats the topic correctly. As much as possible, it helps to write something that is useful for its audience. Plus, if the writer provides a step-by-step guide or answer to a question regarding the topic, this will show the reader that they are invested in the overall community.
In fact, according to HubSpot, nearly 30% of search engine traffic comes from Google Image searches. Therefore, it’s important to include visual components like photos, infographics, diagrams, charts, etc., on-trend articles because they are highly likely to attract clicks.
As mentioned earlier, a good idea would be to link relevant pieces of content together using bullets (ideally no longer than two sentences) throughout the body of the article. These connections help boost engagement rates, which is key to achieving higher rankings on an algorithm that rewards more engaging posts.
So what about all those other blogs that are always talking about trends? Yes, it can be beneficial to mention something new once. However, don’t feel pressured to follow suit by writing about something you know nothing about. Remember, if you aren’t passionate about a given topic, the readers won’t be either. They want to hear from authors who have something interesting about what they are interested in.
