After working in content marketing for over seven years, I've started to notice a major theme. People write strong blog content, but they aren't really writing for SEO too.
But honestly, it's not as hard as it seems. If you're a strong writer with basic SEO knowledge, you can write compelling, effective content that ranks. Here are some of my five core tips for writing blog content that will get you to the first page.
Tip 1: Identify your target keyword.
But don't look at search volume—this is an outdated strategy. Instead, choose long-tail keywords with an easier keyword difficulty (less than 50%). That way, if you have high-quality, engaging content, then you'll almost certainly rank on the first page. Use a software tool like Semrush or Ahrefs to find out a keyword's difficulty score, and use manual search to cross-reference these.
For example, say you're a pet food brand and you want to write a new blog with informational search intent. Go into your keyword tool, filter content by "Informational," turn them into "Questions" and find keywords with a KD% of less than 50% (ideally less than 30%).
Here are some strong options you can go for:
From there, identify your target keyword. See what content is currently ranking in SERPs and try to outperform them!
Tip 2: Be clear.
Don't be too wordy or unique with your language. After working with dozens of businesses, many brands try to sound "different" in their content. But when you write for SEO, being "different" oftentimes ends up sounding vague and unclear—unfortunately, it can actually push you down in search. I'm not saying to blend in with the crowd. Instead, just write clearly and concisely. A rule of thumb: write at an 8th grade level and be as clear as possible.
Tip 3: Write a compelling headline.
This is one of the most important pieces of the blog-writing puzzle. Craft an engaging headline that speaks to your unique audience and follows SEO best practices. Keep it between 55-60 characters and under 600 pixels, ensure your target keyword is in the title, and use power words, numbers, and brackets to hook your audience. Semrush does a great job of this in their blog content.
Tip 4: Use images.
Break up any big chunks of text with imagery, aiming for one image every 300 words or so. If you're a SaaS company, do product walk-throughs and use screenshots of your tool. Not only does this add unique imagery into your blog, but it will help your audience get a first-hand experience of your product and help increase conversions. You can then share these resources across departments (customer success, sales, etc.) to share with users and help them explain your product better.
Tip 5: Turn H2 headers into questions.
Another key way to ensure your content ranks? Turn your H2 headers into relevant questions your audience is searching for. Let's go back to the pet food example. Say you decide you want to write a blog targeting the keyword: "can you freeze fresh pet dog food." Use this keyword as your blog title, and enter that keyword into Google and see what comes up in the People Also Ask section.
Here's what I found:
These are excellent questions to add into your blog as different H2 headers! You already know your audience is interested in them, and they won't need to go to other sites to find the answers. If you add those as subheadings, your content is almost guaranteed to rank.
Final Thoughts
While I have endless tips on writing content for SEO, these are my core ones. They have helped my clients get to page one, and they're sure to help you too.
Any other questions? Don't hesitate to reach out!