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What is SEO Writing?
This is a common concept among SEO practitioners. A well-written article for Google's top ranking, besides being informative, needs to adhere to technical rules to help Google quickly recognize the content and deliver it to searchers. SEO writing involves principles regarding keyword density, appropriate text formatting, and detailed calculations to optimize for target keyword (keyword phrases).
Google is increasingly strict with 'over-the-top' SEO tricks, especially unnatural backlink building after the real-time Penguin update. This is sad news for the SEO community that traditionally focuses on backlink methods, but it's good news for those who follow comprehensive SEO strategies that prioritize content.
If designing an SEO-friendly website (including website structure and on-page optimization) is the foundation, then SEO Content is the 'flesh and blood.' How to write content that is both engaging, SEO-friendly, retains users, and increases social media interaction is undoubtedly a concern for the entire SEO community today (especially as backlinking becomes more difficult).
This document is based on SEONgon's SEO experience and knowledge, as well as references from industry SEO Gurus worldwide.
Firstly, it's essential to align on the process of writing 'SEO-friendly' articles.
1. Identify primary and secondary keywords:
- Each page on the website (Home, category, post, tags, pages) will target one and only one primary keyword, representing detailed search needs of customers. (e.g., writing SEO articles).
- Customers often search with a variety of keywords, long and short, especially in Vietnamese with many 'add-on' words. Therefore, in addition to primary keywords, each page should also target a few secondary keywords. (e.g., how to write articles..., writing the most SEO-friendly articles...).
2. Gather resources (3 to 5 pieces of content, images, videos...):
- It's challenging to come up with something entirely new because by now, most industries, products, and services already have content available on other websites.
- If you're purely an SEO person, writing an engaging article without knowing much about what you're writing about can be quite difficult.
- A little tip is to reference content from 3 to 5 other articles.
- By the way, you should prepare images and videos for illustration before writing the article.
3. Structure the article 'uniquely':
- You must not copy content, no matter how much you modify it, there's a risk when Google detects it.
- To write something 'completely fresh' without duplication, you should use all your knowledge from step 2, then structure and rewrite it in your own voice.
- Remember, everyone's voice is different, so editing and rewriting on your own will avoid content being considered duplicate by Google.
4. Writing (Using checklist 1)
5. Checking the article (Using checklist 2)
6. Advanced checking (Using checklist 3)
14 CHECKLISTS WHEN WRITING
1. Ensure valuable content, avoid duplication, and present well. (Use copyscape.com to check for plagiarism)
Many of you ask me how to copy without Google knowing? Honestly, nobody knows how Google's Panda algorithm works to detect copied content.
2. Make an impression from the beginning with content or imagery
If you're skilled, you can impress with just text, hitting insights, issues, or customer pain points. If your headline isn't appealing, nobody will read your article. If the first two lines don't attract, most customers won't read further. Dedicate 80% of your effort to the headline and the beginning of your content!
3. Primary keywords should be in the Title and description
- Title should be 55 – 65 characters long (in Vietnamese, it's better to limit to 55), primary keyword phrase at the beginning of the title, repeated no more than twice.
- Description should be 150 – 160 characters long (in Vietnamese, it's better to limit to 150), primary keyword phrase repeated no more than 3 times.
- When Google indexes results, you should search and check if the Title and Description are displayed fully or cut off for appropriate editing.
4. Add secondary/popular keywords to Title, Description (Hanoi, cheap, authentic…)
5. Use H1 for main headings and H2, H3 for subheadings
- Headings are the titles within a Page, for an article, headings are the titles within the article (similar to when you're drafting in Word).
- Headings help Google understand the main points in the article, and also help readers identify key sections.
- Heading 3 contributes to reinforcing the content for heading 2.
- Heading 2 contributes to reinforcing heading 1.
- Remember, Heading tags are only used for 'headings,' not for 'paragraphs'.
See how Google places Heading tags in articles, this image is often used by SEONgon as an example of a model article in SEO classes:
Heading Structure in Articles
Original article: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/1704373?hl=en&ref_topic=3121763
If you find it a bit difficult to understand, take a look at this simple example:
6. Keywords present in H2, H3
- Google looks at H1, H2 to quickly grasp the main content of the article, so...
- H2 should include primary and secondary keywords (but don't cram all headings with keywords), otherwise, the article will be very boring.
- If you're still wondering how to add Headings to your article, look at the editing toolbar, find the word 'Paragraph' next to the letter B (bold).
7. Keywords in the URL (Friendly URL)
- A good URL structure will be domain.com/main-category/sub-category/article-title.html
- The above structure is not only beneficial for users and Google Spiders to understand the content and structure of your website, but also beneficial for Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, Remarketing, Email marketing, and many other things in the future when you use various Online Marketing tools.
- The domain name should contain the keywords you want to SEO and can be made concise.
Instead of this article having the URL https://Mytour.vn/review/35-checklist-viet-bai-chuan-seo-day-du-nhat-2017-c48-20171016085654451.htm, I shortened it to https://Mytour.vn/review/viet-bai-chuan-seo.htm
8. Keywords in the content (Using synonyms, modifiers, related terms)
There are 3 main methods for you to incorporate keywords into the article.
Method 1: Keyword stuffing. This method is quite common and most of us use it. The optimal keyword density is about 3%. However, this method is quite boring.
Methods 2&3: using synonyms or related keyword phrases based on the topic.
In the two examples above (source: moz.com), you can see how we use keywords more diversely rather than just 'stuffing' them. The trend in the coming years is that Google will be smart enough to understand the content of your article through the knowledge it contains rather than just keywords. Just yesterday, Google announced the removal of the 'Content keyword' tool in Webmaster tools. Instead of mechanically stuffing keywords, you should find synonyms or related keywords to include in the article.
There are 2 simple ways to do this:
Use Google's suggestions when you search for a certain keyword, for example, search 'Standard SEO article', and here are the additional keywords that Google suggests (at the bottom of the google.com page), or what customers are searching for, you should include them in the article. Just check and see if I've included all these words in this article:
Using Keywordtool.io is also very good, quite a lot, depending on you.
If you want to find more topic-related keywords, Using Google Keywords Planner from AdWords is the best. In addition to closely related keywords containing the keywords you are researching, Google's tool also 'comes up with' many other keywords. If you use these words, Google will deduce the main topic.
9. Keywords in the first and last 150 characters of the article (Introduction and Conclusion)
– A good article needs an introduction and conclusion.
– You need to mention keywords in these 2 important paragraphs.
10. Optimize images (URL, Title, Alt, Caption, Text)
– Rename images before uploading, image names without accents (to avoid errors when uploading) and containing keywords.
– Image URL contains keywords.
– Set image title containing keywords.
– Write ALT tag content containing keywords.
– Image caption also contains keywords.
– Content around the image also contains keywords.
– Image is not copied.
11. Use Bold, Italic, Underline to emphasize keyword-containing content.
– Utilize the full potential of the editing tool: bold for emphasis, italic for notes, and underline for link-containing phrases… Avoid using 'sloppy' formatting, it will ruin your article.
– Seize the opportunity to highlight with bold, italic, underline... for keyword phrases containing both primary and secondary keywords.
12. CTA for effective sales
– No matter how the article is, a clear goal is necessary.
– Create a call to action (CTA) to prompt readers to take the desired action.
Utilize the free call to action button creation tool: buttonoptimizer.com
13. Use formatting tools to number 1, 2, 3 or bullet/indent
Google will struggle to read your content if you use your own symbols. Instead of manually numbering or indenting, use the formatting functions of the editor. Google will recognize the HTML codes and understand your content structure better. The numbering and indenting functions of the editor
13 POST-WRITING CHECKLIST
1. Use External Links
SEO practitioners often hesitate to place outbound links to other websites to avoid losing Pagerank. However, you should still include 1 or 2 links in the article to reputable external websites. This is how you tell Google that your content has credible sources.
2. Utilize Internal Links
Internal linking is highly important. Seek out unclear content within the article and link back to more in-depth articles on your website about that content. A link becomes truly valuable when customers interact with it.
Types of links to include in the article:
– Links to other articles.
– Links to the homepage.
– Links to categories.
– Link to tags.
3. Keywords Present in External/Internal Links
4. Optimize CTR
Customer search click-through rate helps Google better understand which results are more relevant to customers. This depends heavily on your title.
For example, if your SEO keyword is “Writing SEO-standard articles”, you have 3 ways to title it:
(1) Writing SEO-standard articles.
(2) Guide to Writing SEO-standard Articles.
(3) Writing SEO-standard Articles: 23 Most Comprehensive Checklists of 2017 to Boost Your Sales
Do you find title number 3 more appealing? This issue lies in the art of writing titles. Unfortunately, within the scope of this article, I haven't touched on the expertise of titles.
5. Keyword density should be around 1% – 5% (3% is optimal)
You can use SEOQUAKE to check keyword density right in the Chrome or Firefox browser.
Check keyword density with SEOQUAKE. The appropriate keyword density is 1% to 5%.
6. Establish Internal Links from 3 older posts/3 newer posts
7. Directly Submit Website within Google Webmaster Tools
After completing the article and uploading it to the website, you should utilize Google's indexing feature to directly submit the new content for quick inclusion in Google's database, avoiding content duplication and becoming a 'late poster'.
8. Create Backlinks for the article
9. Avoid duplicate keyword pages
Each primary keyword should be assigned to only 1 Page for SEO purposes, so be sure to carefully examine for duplicate content beforehand by typing the search structure as shown in the image.
10. Check Thumbnail Images when sharing on Facebook
Traffic from Facebook is quite important. Every time you post an article on Facebook, be careful to check that its thumbnail image doesn't look like this. Use Facebook's tool to check and carefully fix any errors.
11. Use/create comments for the article12. Spell check
13. Add related articles
8 ADVANCED SEO CHECKLIST
1. Optimize Social Buttons
– You should have prominent call-to-action buttons for likes, shares, and comments. (WordPress can use Sumome).
– Also, consider adding icons or badges of your Google Plus Page and Facebook Page to the website. Maximize social interaction factors on the page.
2. Longer content has a better chance of ranking higher
According to statistics from SEO gurus around the world, longer articles (700, 1,000, 2,000 words) have a higher chance of ranking well on Google results. If you can provide a large amount of useful information, feel free to write extensively :D.
3. Reduce Bounce Rate
Customers visiting the article without moving further on the website (clicking to view other pages) is a sign to Google that they don't like your content. Make customers feel interested and read more additional content. Here are some suggestions:
– First, make sure to captivate the reader with the content you're about to publish. Your introduction must be truly engaging.
– Place useful internal links within the article (internal link).
– Related articles above, below, or even on the sides... all will make customers want to read more.
– The top or side menu of the website should present content that piques the customer's curiosity!
4. Create article links from the homepage and 'side menu'
– A technique passed down in the SEO community, if you have important content to SEO, always put it on the main menu of the page or side menu.
– Directly linking content from the homepage is a way to tell Google that this is very important content.
5. Spend 80% of your time 'promoting' content: Facebook, AdWords, Forums, Email
– Traffic is crucial in SEO, if you're new or your top isn't 'rising immediately,' pull traffic from other sources to quickly provide Google with data to evaluate your articles.
– However, be careful, seek targeted traffic. If you bring in non-targeted traffic to your article, the bounce rate and reading time will be very poor, making Google think your content isn't good.
– Good sources: email from existing customers, email from loyal readers, targeted Facebook ads, targeted AdWords ads, forums & Facebook groups of professional communities.
6. Optimize for Mobile and 'load fast' using Google's tools
– Your website needs to be Google-friendly according to the tool above.
– Additionally, if you're using WordPress, use Instant Articles Facebook Plugin and Google AMP Plugin to make your content display quickly and smoothly when visitors come from Facebook and Google search. (Setting up Instant Articles Facebook might be a bit annoying but just follow the instructions in the plugin after installation and you'll be okay).
– For extra caution, after publishing, try reading your own article on mobile to see if there are any issues.
7. Check metrics and make adjustments (Google Analytics, Crazyegg, MouseFlow)
– You need to understand if your audience is interested in your content. Google Analytics helps you analyze the time customers spend reading your articles, the bounce rate, etc.
– However, for a more detailed examination, SEONgon suggests using Crazyegg. You'll find out if customers read the entire article, which parts of the page they usually interact with. Check customer interactions with Crazyegg.
8. Regularly update content
Unless your content is 'Fix content' (like defining the sun :D), updating your content is essential. Google often comes back to read old content, so let Google know you have regular updates for previously published content.
Wishing you can publish the best SEO-standard articles!
(Source: Mr. Mai Xuân Đạt – SEONGON)
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