Have you ever stumbled across an article that was full of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and odd syntax choices? You’re not alone. Without proper editing and proofreading, low-quality content is published every day.
Making sure you take the right steps to proofread your own content is a general best practice that everyone should follow. But what if it went one step further? SEO proofreading is the next level of traditional content proofreading that you need to know about. In this article, we’ll help you understand what it is and how you can implement it for your content marketing.
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What is SEO Proofreading?
Proofreading is the process of examining and editing errors in written text. That includes things like:
- Grammatical errors
- Spelling errors
- Punctuation errors
- Copy-paste errors
- Repeated words
- Formatting issues
While traditional proofreading should already be a part of your content creation process, there’s another step to take. SEO proofreading builds on the foundation of traditional proofreading and enhances it.
With SEO proofreading, not only are you looking for all the traditional errors found in content, but you are also adding a step to optimize for SEO. That involves things like keyword usage and whether or not the core question was answered in the text. When you use SEO proofreading in your content creation process, you can help increase the ranking of your content and gain the approval of algorithms.
Rank Up with High-Quality Content
Google and other search engines want to reward high-quality content. The better the content you produce, the higher your rankings will be on SERPs. Part of high-quality content comes from well-written, readable content that appeals to searchers and addresses their questions. Google wants content written for humans that people get value out of after they click.
SEO proofreading also helps improve your ranking by taking other factors into consideration. Algorithms are also looking for content that uses relevant keywords, related keywords, and content topics. SEO proofreading helps you adhere to these guidelines as well so that your content is optimized for SEO from the moment it is published.
How to Perform SEO Proofreading
SEO proofreading, like all proofreading, requires a skilled eye. Proofreaders are skilled at going through written content and ensuring that there are no errors and that it uses best practices. Here are a few tips you can use to begin SEO proofreading in your own content creation process:
Keep the Reader in Mind
The reader or end-user of your content should always be top of mind. You want to write for people, not search engines, so thinking about your audience is critical. When you keep the reader in mind and write for humans, you can then add SEO elements into your writing to enhance it and take it to the next level.
Use Proofreading Tools
Trying to manually catch every error is difficult. Instead, use proofreading tools to take the heavy lifting off your plate. That allows you to think more strategically as you write and focus on including those important SEO elements.
Have Multiple Proofreaders
When the same set of eyes is looking through content, they can become tired. Multiple proofreaders can help you get a fresh perspective on your content. You can catch more things and find errors that might have slipped past the first proofreader.
Include a Keyword Strategy
A keyword strategy is one of the best ways to implement SEO proofreading. Know the target keyword and related keywords for every piece of content you create. Don’t keyword stuff, but include the keyword a few times to attract the attention of search algorithms. When the algorithm knows what topics you are addressing and what keywords you can rank for, your content will rise to the top of SERPs.
Optimize Links
Another important part of SEO proofreading is linking. You should have both internal and external links within your content. You also want to write content that other websites link to. With a strong linking structure and high-quality backlinks, you can improve your ranks on search engines.
Top Proofreading and SEO Tools
As mentioned above, having the right platforms and tools on your side makes SEO proofreading so much easier. Here are a few of the best tools for proofreading and SEO that you can utilize for your business.
1. WriterAccess
WriterAccess is a freelance writing platform that offers proofreading services. Rather than trying to edit and proofread your content internally, you can outsource to vetted professionals who are experts in content creation, proofreading, and SEO best practices. Writers on WriterAccess can even help you strategically plan your content and create it for you.
2. SEMrush
SEMrush is one of the most popular SEO tools available. It has a wide array of tools that can help you improve your SEO proofreading. You can create keyword lists, do competitor research, and check your content rankings with the tool. It helps you put together a plan that can be used to implement SEO best practices in all your content.
3. Grammarly
Grammarly is a proofreading tool and content checker that helps you find mistakes as you are writing. It has an advanced algorithm to not just check spelling and grammar, but help you write stronger sentences and use better language. With Grammarly, you can find any proofreading errors that might exist in your content, so you can focus on other things.
Conclusion
SEO proofreading is a great way to improve your proofreading process and help optimize your content for search engines. When you use SEO proofreading, you can boost your rankings, gain more traffic, and convert more customers.
WriterAccess can help you scale your content production and proofread your content with SEO best practices in mind. To learn more, get a 14-day WriterAccess trial to explore the platform and see how it can enhance your business today.
