So you’ve decided to take the plunge and put your literary talents to work for you, but you’re not sure how to get started. It can really pay off to sharpen your skills so that your work stands apart in the online world, and if you use SEO techniques, it may be easier than you think.
What is SEO anyway?
Simply put, SEO refers to search engine optimization. Well known web search engines like Google and Bing, as well as up and coming ones such as DuckDuckGo, all use algorithms to determine how high an item ranks in search results. Those that rank the highest will show up first, and with an estimated 1.23 billion websites currently active, this can be critical.
Why does this matter?
Whether your website is for a business, a not-for-profit group or just your own personal blog, if you take on writing jobs for the virtual world, you likely want it to show up as one of the top results when someone searches for a particular topic. A new website comes online every three seconds, and almost two thirds of businesses use them to generate sales, connect with the public and grow their customer base. Using SEO techniques can be an important step in attracting web traffic.
Getting started
While this may all sound quite complicated, it can actually be a lot simpler than you think. A good starting point is to turn to the internet and do some research.
If you’re using Google, start typing in the topic you want to research. Its autocomplete feature will show you what others have been looking for. For example, if you enter the word “cat”, you’ll discover that the top searches include “cat care” and “cat carriers”. Including these keywords in your work, provided its natural and relevant, will increase the chance of it showing up in search results.
The scoop on keywords
You may be asking yourself “what are keywords anyway?”, and the answer is simply that they are words people most commonly enter when they are looking for information about a topic. Using a simple, short keyword such as “cats” will tend to result in a broad range of suggestions, while long-tail keywords like “hand-made cat toys” will usually result in more focused results.
Before you begin your writing, it can be smart to decide which keywords are the best fit for you. Which topics are the focus of your website, and what information do people interested in your subject matter tend to look for?
Google’s E.A.T. principle
One of the most popular search engines is Google, and it has developed what it calls its E.A.T strategy for ranking search results. This abbreviation comes from “expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness”, all of which the platform takes into account when ranking search results.
Stay competitive
With so many websites out there and so many people looking for information, it’s important to stand apart. One way to do so is by choosing keywords that have a low level of competition. Simply put, this means using keywords that won’t be used by almost every site focused on a particular topic.
Keeping with the example of cats, using the term “cats” casts a wide net that may result in either a few site visits or lots of visitors who don’t actually stay and read. A more specific one like “best brush for long hair cats” may result in fewer visits, but there’s a better chance visits may come from people in the market for a specific product or service.
Relevance matters
While it may be tempting to write web content and then sprinkle in some popular keywords, this is not going to help your work rise to the top. Long ago, this generally worked, but search engines are getting cleverer and will likely pick up on the fact that the content and keywords are not related. As a result, your work will end up buried.
Avoid keyword stuffing
Another rookie mistake can be to use too many keywords. At first glance, it may seem like using lots of keywords will help your item to show up in more search results, but just as with using unrelated keywords, this may backfire.
A niche can be nice
As stated above, Google looks for factors such as authoritativeness and trustworthiness when ranking a website. If you write about a niche subject, your keywords will likely reflect this, and this is where long tail keywords can really come into their own. These can help you to establish yourself as an authority on the subject, which can make your site more attractive to search engines.
Choose some synonyms
Once you have made sure you have included your chosen keywords appropriately, it’s time to pay some attention to adding synonyms and semantically related words. Once again using “cats”, this could be words such as “felines”, “companion animals” or even a specific breed. These all help to make Google see an article as being an authority, offering expertise from a source the reader can rust.
Terrific titles
Choosing a title is an important step. Many authors include their chosen keywords in the title. As a guide, a title of under 60 characters is effective. Tools like the Google Search console can be useful in determining your titles readability and SEO strength.
The power of visuals
Even after you’ve completed the written portion of your project, there may still be ways to make it even more SEO friendly. Adding audio or visual elements such as videos and photos can make them more engaging, and your keywords can be used when tagging them.
Break it down
While the online world may have begun with people viewing sites on their desktop or laptop computer, mobile devices have become a lot more prevalent. Dividing your work into sections and using subheadings will make it easier to read, and if you are careful to not overuse your keywords, this can provide an opportunity to use them in the subheading titles.
Lovely links
Another tip is to include links to other relevant websites, as well as other pages on your own site that may be of interest to the reader.
Having another site link back to yours can be an important factor in where it lands in search results. The more websites that offer a chance to connect back to yours, the more Google will see it as an authority.
As always, relevance and quality are key. Any links added should be to authentic sites and should add to the readers’ experience. Similarly, any links to your site are only useful if they are relevant and from reputable sites.
How long should it be?
A recent Google algorithm update (Panda 4.1) recognizes longer content, and many authors have had luck when their pieces are at least 1,000 words long. This has the secondary benefit of making it easier to include extra elements such as charts and lists.
However, the true answer to this question is “as long as it needs to be”. There’s nothing worse than wading through a 1,000-word article to find the answer to a question that could have been given in two sentences.
Strike a balance
When preparing an article, blog post or other item, it can be valuable to find the sweet spot between keeping it simple enough to be readable by a wide audience but still technical enough that it provides an authoritative voice. This can be especially important if you’re writing about a specialized topic.
Take advantage of social media
Social media can be a powerful tool, so it makes sense to ensure your articles are shareable. Include a “share” button on each post, and take full advantage of the fact that many platforms have utilities that can help you control how the links you use will look when they are opened.
Meta matters
Your content will need to have meta tags and descriptions prepared. These are essentially a short description of what a page is about.
Make use of analytics
Many search engines provide analytical services, and the best known is probably Google Analytics. This tool will tell you how much traffic is coming to your site, how long it stays and how much it’s shared. This can be helpful in determining whether your site is actually attracting traffic, what visitors find most engaging and also how much they value your authority.
Why being evergreen matters
If web content is described as “evergreen”, it just means it will continue to be relevant over a long period of time. In some cases, this may not be possible, so review your site’s content and update it if appropriate. This can also aid in ensuring it will rank closer to the top in search results.
Keep in mind that no matter what your topic may be, you’re writing to a human audience. Your work should be readable and engaging, with a natural flow. Even if an article is geared towards a professional audience and includes lots of jargon, it should still be enjoyable and informative to that specific target group.
While writing articles so that they rank highly in each engine results may sound complicated, it doesn’t have to be. The techniques will already come naturally to good writers, making it easy for them to prepare articles, blog posts and other content that can help them earn money from home.