Crafting great content that serves your target audience’s needs is only part of what it takes for a digital-age business to succeed.
The rest is all about making sure people can find what you create, and that means making sure it’s well-optimized for top search engines like Google and Bing.
Here, we’ll cover the best ways to combine stellar content creation techniques with effective SEO for the best possible results.
We’ll also touch on the different types of content you can optimize, a few helpful tools to try, and more.
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Types of Content That Can Be Optimized
If you’re like most digital marketers, your mind probably goes straight to written content options when you think of SEO content creation.
However, there are many SEO content examples you can optimize to meet your goals. Here are a few to keep in mind.
Standard articles
Although many newspapers and magazines still offer print options, most have at least partially moved online to keep up with the preferences of digital-age readers.
And like any other type of online content, an article can easily be optimized for search engine visibility via keyword usage, link inclusion, and more.
Videos
According to research, just under 93 percent of web users consume videos online, and many actually prefer video to text.
Video optimization techniques include the smart use of keywords, formatting, subtitles, and thumbnails.
Infographics
Visuals are incredible ways to convey lots of crucial information to a web visitor at a glance, and infographics can be especially effective, thanks to the way they combine visual elements with snappy writing.
Using keywords and formatting to optimize the pages where your graphics are posted can help them succeed.
Lists
Modern web users love lists, as they’re entertaining and easy to skim.
Many lists also have highly appealing titles people can’t resist clicking and sharing, so optimizing with these factors in mind is essential.
Guides
A guide is a type of long-form written content that helps users learn how to do something or offers a deep dive into a particular topic of interest.
Effective use of headings, subheadings, keywords, and visuals can make guides easier to consume and more SEO-friendly.
Slideshows
A slideshow can be an excellent way to showcase a series of related images.
Set your slideshows up for SEO content creation success by choosing image file names, titles, and photo captions with search engines in mind.
Blog posts
Not only are blog posts informative, entertaining, and easy to consume, but a blog is still the ideal way to keep a website regularly updated with lots of helpful, SEO-friendly content for information seekers.
Blog post optimization often combines many key SEO techniques, including keyword usage, internal and external link inclusion, mobile optimization, and smart formatting via images, headings, and more.
The Basics of SEO Content Creation
Although every digital marketer will have different objectives in mind for their SEO content, the basics of effective SEO content creation remain the same. Here are the key examples to remember.
Set clear goals
Your goals for your business and your site will likely evolve, so each new round of content creation should start with a reassessment of those goals.
What are you currently hoping your next round of content will help you achieve?
An SEO audit can be particularly helpful for determining what your goals should entail.
Do keyword research
Well-chosen keywords are at the heart of every great search engine marketing campaign, so they’re also part of every aspect of SEO content creation.
Determine which relevant options fit your goals best, and compile a list to work from as you move forward.
Determine user intent
Knowing which keywords your audience is searching for isn’t enough if you want to create SEO content that delivers.
It’s also important to consider what a person’s end goal is when searching for a particular keyword.
Brainstorm your topic ideas
Great SEO content that will help you generate lots of high-quality organic traffic covers topics that your audience is interested in and incorporates well-chosen keywords.
Just be careful to avoid over-optimization via keyword stuffing.
Track and analyze results
A successful SEO content creation campaign involves carefully tracking the results of each piece of content so the data can be analyzed later in preparation for future content.
Steps to Creating SEO Content
Now that you know the basics of SEO content creation, it’s time to look at how to put a great piece of content together, step by step.
Identify your target audience
A given business may cater to multiple audiences and demographics, so it’s important to determine who each piece of content is for before going further.
Are you looking to reach current customers, boost conversion rates by engaging purchase-ready consumers, or something else?
Analyze user intent
Next, go back to the likely user intent associated with your chosen keywords and consider it further.
What additional questions and concerns might your ideal reader have about this topic?
The more helpful you can make your content, the better it will be for SEO.
Create high-quality content
Content needs to be well-written and expertly organized if it’s ultimately going to rank well, so quality is a crucial concern.
Outsourcing some of your SEO content creation to experienced freelancers can help with this, as well as help you scale your content production.
Get a 14-day free trial to WriterAccess today and take the guesswork out of meeting the right content writers for the job. Also, count on AI tools integrated into the platform that will bring more efficiency to your work.
Write for people first
Always create content for people first and search engines second, as that’s the best way to rank well.
Use simple language, short sentences, and smaller paragraphs to ensure your content is easy to digest and skim.
Creating interactive content with ION is another way to make content appealing and people-friendly.
Organize with headings and subheadings
Human audiences and search engines alike prefer content that’s well-organized and scannable from start to finish.
Use headings, subheadings, and additional elements like bullet lists to help break up content and make it easier to follow.
Add images and videos
Enriching your content with relevant images, videos, and other visuals further helps with content organization.
It also adds value, scannability, and additional visual appeal.
Know what readers (and search engines) like
Both humans and search engines tend to prefer the same types of content, so be sure to include a variety in your SEO content creation strategy. Examples include:
- Long-form how-to guides and deep-dive articles
- Videos, infographics, and other visual elements
- Lists of any kind, including actionable tips, recommendations, and more
- Blog posts that address frequently asked questions, common concerns, etc.
Tools and Plug-Ins to Help with SEO Content
Adding the right tools can help take a lot of the guesswork out of creating incredible SEO content that will help you achieve your goals, especially if you’re running WordPress. Here are some to consider.
Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO is one of the most popular WordPress plug-ins for a reason.
It streamlines nearly everything about running your website or blog, including XML sitemaps, SERP previews, effective meta descriptions, and more.
All in One SEO
Another widely trusted option, All in One SEO is an incredible option for marketers who need a comprehensive option for on-page SEO.
Rank Math
Rank Math is a solid option for those who’d like a way to perform real-time optimization as they create their content. It’s also fast and streamlined, so it won’t hurt site speeds.
W3 Total Cache
Speaking of tools that help keep your site fast, streamlined, and functional, W3 Total Cache is one to remember. It takes care of tasks like minifying, caching, and more with ease.
Stage
And if you’re looking for a WordPress hosting option that truly does it all, consider letting us handle all the tech for you via Stage.
Fast, safe, and comprehensive, Stage is the ultimate solution for success-minded marketers and entrepreneurs.
The Connection Between UX and SEO
When it comes to successful SEO content creation, it’s important not to lose sight of user experience, as the two are comprehensively linked.
As you know, SEO is about helping your website and content appeal to search engines.
On the other hand, paying attention to user experience (UX) is all about ensuring your customers, readers, and visitors walk away from your content with a positive impression of your brand, site, and services.
Embracing both is the best way to ensure ongoing marketing success.
Wrap Up
Now that you know what it takes to succeed at SEO content creation, it’s time to start putting what you’ve learned into practice.
You can also streamline your strategy even further when you get our all-in-one package that offers access to Stage, Studio, ION, and WriterAccess today!
