SEO writing is an essential element of any successful content marketing strategy. It boosts rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs) and drives organic search traffic to your website. But to make an impact, you have to go beyond checking the boxes of basic SEO elements like keywords, meta tags, and internal/external linking.
As a result of recent Google search updates, business content also needs to be unique, high-quality, and clearly helpful to the user to rank well. But how do you strike a balance between writing to benefit search engines and writing to keep the attention of real human readers?
Don’t worry – we’ve got the tips to help you write effective SEO content that ranks high on SERPs and drives traffic to your site. In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about SEO writing, including the key elements that make it work, the best AI tools to support your content, and how to best engage your target audience.
SEO writing is the process of creating content that is optimized for search engines. The primary goal is to make content rank higher in SERPs, which drives more organic traffic to a website. Boosting SEO is a top priority for most businesses – and it gets results. In fact, according to a study by Backlinko, the top hit on Google receives over a quarter of all clicks. Some of the key elements of effective SEO writing are:
You don’t have to choose between a solid SEO strategy and high-quality content, as SEO and content writing often complement each other. Even if you’re publishing first-rate, quality content, without an SEO strategy, it could go unnoticed by your target audience. Boosting your ranking on SERPs means potential customers can better find and interact with your business. In addition, incorporating SEO writing into your content marketing strategy can significantly improve your ROI by driving consistent, long-term traffic without the need for paid advertising.
The first step to SEO writing is identifying the most relevant keywords for your industry and audience by using a keyword research tool. Here are some popular options:
Your content development team can use AI tools to support their writing and supercharge SEO content. Here’s an overview of some of the most useful SEO writing tools for your business:
Copy.ai offers an AI content writing assistant that generates ideas, headlines, and even full blog posts based on provided keywords/topics. It also includes templates for SEO writing and provides keyword suggestions based on your industry. Some of the pros of Copy.ai are a straightforward user interface, affordable pricing (including a free version), and fast content generation. The cons are that the SEO recommendations are less in-depth, and the quality of the generated content is lower when compared to some other tools.
Scalenut can help you identify keyword clusters, create content briefs focused on optimizing content for higher ranking on SERPs, and generate long- and short-form content. It’s particularly useful for researching and analyzing competitor content and contains built-in AI tools to improve keyword density.
While it is one of the more expensive AI tools (although the company often offers discounts), it provides pricing flexibility with three tiers of plans: the “essential” plan at $39 a month, the “growth” plan at $79 a month, and the “pro” plan at $149 a month. Scalenut also offers a free trial before committing to a paid plan.
Writesonic is another content creation tool with over 100 features, including a blog writer, landing page generator, and copywriting templates. It has a user-friendly interface and can help speed up your content production process, especially for outlines and first drafts. While it can generate long-form content, it can sometimes feel formulaic, especially for more complex topics, so it will likely need to be thoroughly edited prior to publication.
Writesonic offers flexible pricing plans, including a free option for basic use.
Surfer SEO is a popular AI tool that provides real-time SEO insights based on data from top-ranked pages. Some of its key features include keyword research, a content planner, and a SERP analyzer to compare your content to competitors. It also offers a free browser extension for Chrome and integrates with several other programs, such as Jasper AI, Google Docs, and WordPress.
However, pricing for Surfer SEO can be expensive – it ranges from $89 to $219 a month and offers custom pricing for large agencies and marketing teams.
Jasper AI (formerly Jarvis) can be used to generate content, outlines, and social media posts based on a few prompts. It integrates with Surfer SEO to ensure content is optimized for search engines by analyzing keyword density and structure. It also supports multiple languages and allows you to incorporate your specific brand voice into the content by adjusting the tone of voice (e.g., professional, casual).
While this software has several benefits, pricing can be expensive for new businesses, with a starter plan of $39 a month and a “pro” plan of $59 a month.
No matter which AI tool you choose, your content will still need to be reviewed by human editors as part of your editorial process. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you edit to further improve your content and optimize it for SEO:
Once you identify the most relevant and high-traffic keywords for your target market, it’s important to use them where they’re most likely to make an impact on SEO, such as in:
Be sure to incorporate keywords naturally into the content and avoid keyword stuffing, which can actually hurt SEO (and lose potential customers). Best practice is to aim for a keyword density of around 1–2% to ensure readability.
When it comes to SEO, structure matters almost as much as the quality of the content. Since many readers use mobile devices, content should be “snackable” and scannable to boost engagement. Incorporate headings, bullet lists, and short paragraphs and be sure to edit your content so that it flows well from one topic to the next.
While search engines like Google don’t necessarily penalize AI content, they prioritize well-written, unique webpages that directly address user search queries. If your content delivers value to the reader, it’s more likely to make it to the top of the results page or be used in a featured snippet.
Be sure to implement a thorough quality assurance process to ensure your content meets your business’s high standards and reflects your chosen style guide, especially if you use generative AI to produce business content. Writing should also always be proofread and fact-checked for accuracy, as misleading or inaccurate content can harm SEO.
Meta descriptions and title tags are often the first things users see in search results. Along with your content, include compelling title tags and concise meta descriptions (around 155 characters) that include your target keyword. Keep in mind that when a webpage is shared on social media, the title tag often serves as the headline for the shared link, so ensure it’s attention-grabbing and descriptive to encourage clicks.
As you can see, content quality and effective SEO often go hand-in-hand. Ensure your content stands out to your target audience by having it professionally proofread and edited by our expert team. Schedule a call with us today to see the impact that memorable, high-quality content can have on your business’s marketing strategy.
SEO writing is the process of creating content that is optimized for search engines with the goal of ranking higher in search results. It involves incorporating relevant keywords, structuring content for readability, and aligning with user intent, all while providing valuable information to the reader. The focus is on balancing content quality with SEO best practices to rank well and attract readers.
Best practices for SEO writing include:
Content teams can deploy AI to enhance SEO writing by automating content creation, suggesting keywords, and optimizing content structure. They can analyze competitors, recommend word counts, and ensure that keyword placement and density are appropriate. AI tools like Surfer SEO and Jasper also offer real-time feedback on SEO performance, making it easier to write content that ranks well in search engines.
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