We may receive commissions for affiliate links included in this article. This is a sponsored post. Future Sharks makes no warranties about the statements, facts and/or claims made on this article. These are the opinions of the author. Read our advertising and contributor disclosure here.
SEO-friendly content is absolutely essential for a successful website. It may seem easy to write an optimized text but the reality is quite different. If you want your writing to rock both the readers and the search engine you have to incorporate certain rules. Good quality content is one thing, but adjusting it to Google’s taste is another story. Here is how you can improve your SEO skills in just 5 steps.
- Keywor(l)ds
The first thing a copywriter needs to focus on is a list of keywords, normally provided by a client. It does not mean you have to stuff your text like a Thanksgiving turkey. An optimum density ranges from 1% to 3%, along with LSI keywords. It is a common strategy proven to give the best ranking results.
Keywords need to occur not only in the main text, but also in the meta title, meta description, and preferably URL address. Properly used, they can really boost the position in a search engine. Don’t forget to include synonyms and grammatical variations, which will limit redundancy.
- A well-built text
Focusing on the SEO factor is important, but your text will be read by real people. Therefore, it has to be visually and substantively attractive. You should pay extra attention to structuring your writing in such a way that allows easy and fast navigation.
Start with a catchy title, which will bring people’s attention. It should be short but informative. Use H1 formatting for better optimization, and do not forget about other styles such as subheadings (H2-H6) or bullet point lists.
It is recommended to use bold and italics to emphasize the most important parts of your text. It may not particularly boost your ranking, but it will definitely enhance readability. Fiction editor Michelle Josette also advises not to make the paragraphs too long, which can bore the audience.
- Link me in
“In the ideal world lots of websites will link to yours without you having to ask them, just because your content and your product or service is the best’’. Unfortunately, the ideal world does not exist, therefore you need to take care of it yourself.
Links should lead not only to other pages or subpages of the client’s website but also to other authority domains. This will indicate that you appreciate their content and will help your readers find more relevant information outside the page.
Backlinking is crucial to earning more credibility in the search engine, but… it is not about the number of links – quality above quantity.
- Sounds familiar or natural?
Copywriting is not writing a copy. All texts have to unique and original. Search engines do not like plagiarism, no matter how good the copied content is. Creativity is one of the most important things when working as a copywriter.
Instead of your readers thinking “I’ve heard that before”, make them “wow” your work. Sound natural, have a positive flow and maximize your effort to create a stunning text. It will pay off. Eventually, you will improve your writing skills and start looking at it as not work, but a hobby.
- Double check to not double regret
Last but not least – check your writing. You will always find small things to improve. Being a professional copywriter means delivering high-quality texts, and you can only do that by double-checking everything you have created.
Read your text at least once. You should pay extra attention to spelling, grammatical structure, and punctuation. Lucky for you there is a great variety of software offering such services for free, so make use of it.
Content writing is all about the creation of quality texts. It can be a little challenging at times, but there are no linguistic obstacles a good writer cannot overcome. Make sure you follow all 5 steps, and you will be on your way of becoming a better SEO copywriter.
➡ Looking to get featured on Future Sharks?
