How to Write SEO Friendly Content in 2023 (15 Secrets)?
The quality of content is getting more and more important year by year for both search engines and users. Learn how to make your article best for SEO and users in 2023.
Write super-awesome headline
The headline is the most important part of the article.
On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.
David Ogilvy
For the user make sure that your headline should:
- Be value-centric (offer value to the user),
- Be specific (try to include details, fasts),
- Summarize the content to follow,
- Be Compelling (write at least a few more words, not just one or two).
For SEO make sure that your page title:
- has length between 50 and 60 characters,
- includes the main keyword at the beginning of the page title,
- use odd number (if you are using list),
- use current year (if you are writing for example product review),
- includes synonyms of the main keyword.
You can also consider using a call to action in the page title to try to boost the CTR. If your goal is to win the featured snippet (“People also ask”) then use the question in the page title.
Expert tip: If you want to discover the most converting page title (that drives the most clicks) then run a Google Ads campaign with ads that include the same description and few variants of the page title. Then compare CTRs and choose the best title as your final page title.
Write content with the proper length
Check the average article length from the top 10 or top 3 for your search query. You can use the Competitors Analysis tool for this – it will indicate exactly how many words should the article contain. Write an article that is not shorter than the recommended content length.
Implement tight (TF IDF) keywords on your content
Enter your competitors’ web addresses from the top 10 in Google into the TF IDF tool. Also, optionally enter your website URL. For existing articles, the tool will list the words that should be included in the article or that are missing in it. Make your article comprehensively, expert and fully cover the topic.
Use a proper keyword density
It is important not to use the main keyword too often in the body copy, as this may lower the position of the page in the search engines. Avoid so-called “keyword stuffing” as much as you can. To determine the optimal “keyword density” enter your competitors’ website addresses into the Competitors Analysis tool. The tool will give you a value. When writing an article, it’s a good idea to use Content Editor to control the keyword density.
Write a super interesting introduction
Write a short, substantive, and at the same time engaging article introduction. Try not to exceed 30 words.
Divide your content to subheadlines and paragraphs
Break the content into paragraphs and headings to make it easier to read on the screen. Research shows that reading from the monitor is 20-30% slower than reading from a sheet of paper.
Write short sentences and paragraphs
Try not to exceed 100-150 words per paragraph of text. Sentences should not be longer than 20-25 words. It’s because research shows that sentences over 25 words become more difficult to understand.
Use thematic images with proper alts
Add at least one image related to the topic being described. In the alt attribute, use the keyword naturally to describe the picture.
Cover All Subtopics (Recommended Searches, H2’s of Competitors, People Also Ask)
The goal is to make your article better others. Be the best source of information for the given topic. Make your article fully describing the topic. It should cover all related searches (it those are not too broad). Include facts and content that are not yet available on the web.
Use Proper Sentiment
In the Competitors Analysis tool, you can check the sentiment used by your competitors. If your competitors are using slightly negative sentiment then try to use similar sentiment in your article.
Add expert quotes and call outs
The goal is to make your article attractive to readers and obtain more trust and authority. If you are using a quote then best practice is to not use more than one sentence and up to 20 words in it.
Implement bucket brigades
Bucket brigades are phrases intended to keep the user’s attention while reading the article.
The most common example of bucket bridges:
- Now:
- Look:
- Here’s the thing:
- Here is the deal:
- Here’s one:
- But wait…
- But wait, let me tell you something
- By now, you should…
- Think about it…
- Here’s why:
- In my own experience
- On the other hand
- You may be wondering:
- You are probably wondering:
- Nevertheless
- Let’s jump right in
- You see
- It’s true
- Best of all
- Want to know the best part?
- What does this mean for you?
- What’s the bottom line?
- And the Good news?
- Still not convinced?
Use bold when it makes sense for user experience
Internet users often do not read, but rather scan the text with their eyes, so it is worth to bold the most important phrases. Think about the user, not SEO here.
Display author box for E-A-T
The goal is to make your article looking professional and earn extra trust and authority. This is especially important after the Google medic update. Best if you are the author with a proven reputation.
Create a table of contents
Thanks to using a table of contents you can win a rich snippet in Google (links to your subheadings can appear directly in the search results). This can improve CTRs and user experience.
Use Schema (article, question/answer, authorship, same as)
Make sure that your CMS is using proper schema for Article or News, Question/Answer schema, authorship (for the author), and “same as” for social media profiles related to your website. This will help search engines to better recognize and categorize your content.
Summary
Quality of content and readability are most important in today’s world of web, SEO, and users. Make your content super-awesome and at least slightly better than your competitors. The search engine will appreciate this by giving you free traffic and high rankings.
Did those tips help you to improve your content? Let me know in the comments.
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