10 Steps To Write A Perfect Text For SEO - Semalt Expert
Writing perfect SEO texts is the key to reaching the first pages of search engines. Indeed, one of the reasons for low search engine rankings is partly linked to the way the writer writes his/her content. Because, to be classified in search engines, the texts must be optimized for specific keywords.
So, if you want to write quality SEO content, we offer you 10 steps to learn how to write perfect SEO texts.
Reading this guide and putting it into practice will not only allow you to keep a visitor on your site for as long as possible but also, allow search engines to rank you higher for the search term on which your text focuses.
What is good SEO copy?
Good SEO text is a textual content that is written taking into account a set of rules and requirements imposed by search engines. Indeed, SEO texts aim to respond to a specific request or concern of Internet users on search engines.
In addition, the elements characterizing a good SEO text are the following: the
- keyword density;
- style;
- volume of the text;
- terms and synonyms in the content;
- uniqueness and spam.
Thus, good SEO text is nothing but content that respects the standards and principles required by search engines. In addition, only respect for those principles and requirements allows you to have a good positioning on search engines.
Steps to writing good SEO texts
To be successful in making good SEO copy, you need some SEO knowledge and strategy. So here are 10 steps that when applied, will allow you to write a good text!
Step 1. Do Keyword Research
Succeeding in writing good SEO text starts with keyword research. This research will allow you to determine for which word or term you will write your SEO text. It also allows search engine algorithms to identify your site following searches made by Internet users.
However, to determine the main keyword you want to rank for, it is necessary to include relevant terms in your search. Indeed, including relevant terms in your text will allow you to increase your chances of appearing in search results.
If you're new to SEO content writing, we recommend focusing on long-tail keywords. These search terms often have a slightly lower search volume, and using them will get you faster results.
This is because long-tail keywords have a lower search volume, but are easier to rank for and often have a higher conversion rate.
In addition, it is important to use an SEO tool to obtain the keywords that can generate traffic. It is true that in the current market, there are several types of tools; but very few of them are really effective. So, if you need a state-of-the-art tool for keyword research, you can use the Dedicated SEO Dashboard.
Indeed, this tool allows you to obtain relevant keywords and enable you to have a good positioning on search engines. In addition, this tool will save you time in writing good content.
Step 2. Determine search intent
Determining search intent is one of the crucial steps in writing good SEO copy. Indeed, it is important to keep in mind that you are not writing SEO texts for Google. But, rather, they are intended for Internet users with very specific needs. For this reason, you need to identify what exactly people are looking for when they enter a certain search term.
Thus, to identify the intention of the Internet user, it is of course necessary to know what type of information you want to provide. That is, whether the information is for informational, commercial or transactional purposes. Indeed, if the writing is for information purposes then the content will be oriented towards the search for general information or the provision of specific information.
After the search intent has been identified, the second part would be to determine for whom and for what purpose you are going to write the text.
So, when writing SEO texts, it is very important to keep your target group in mind. The target group will largely determine the use of language, the style of writing and the degree of explanation needed.
Step 3. Do your research on the topic
You have now completed your research, which is only possible if you follow the previous two steps. If you have, then you can start researching the topic to determine what information to include in your text.
However, before you even do the research, know which pages are currently ranked for your search keyword. You can do this by searching Google. However, caution should be exercised with such a Google search, especially if it is a local search term and you are not in the right place. You may get different results than users who are in the right place.
In addition to Google research, it is important to use tools like the Dedicated SEO Dashboard which is a tool capable of identifying your potential competitors. Indeed, Semalt's Dedicated SEO Dashboard has a feature capable of analyzing the competition. It will let you know the main competitors in the right niche, their keywords that attract traffic and understand their promotion strategy.
During the actual writing, there is no point in writing a text that is only a copy of some information already available. So, check with yourself what information you can add as an expert to make your text better than your competitors.
From this, we can say that the most important thing to writing good content is to write a text that corresponds to the intention of the user.
Step 4. Create a Plan
Creating an outline will allow you to clearly indicate what topics you want to write about. Its creation will start with the title, and then subtitles for the subjects. In this way, you will be able to immediately structure your text.
In addition to allowing you to structure the text, it also allows you to work in a structured way.
Moreover, making plans is not only enjoyable for yourself, but it is also extremely important if you are going to outsource SEO copywriting.
Step 5. Write the article
With the search intent clear and the plan ready, you can now start writing your SEO copy.
Start with the content itself. Study subheading by a subheading, looking for all the topics that address your keyword compartments. Write down all the information your readers are looking for. If necessary, make notes on where you want to place images, videos or other supporting content.
Finally, you can write the introduction. It is often much easier to write the introduction if you have already written the rest of the text. Then you know exactly what it's about, what sensitivities you're talking about and what questions you're answering.
Write a catchy introduction to grab readers' attention immediately. This increases the chances that they will continue reading and spend more time on your page.
Good SEO copy holds the visitor from start to finish. The visitor spends time on your site, which is a good indication that your content is interesting. This helps to improve your ranking on Google.
Step 6. Check your text
The text itself (body text) is the largest part of your article and should of course also be optimised. First, read over your text and check whether the correct writing style and formality are used. You can also look out for language, grammar and spelling mistakes at the same time.
To make it easier to find your text on Google, it is important that you check the following points:
- Is the keyword used at the beginning of the article?
- Do you use variants and synonyms of the keyword? This allows you to be found for several search terms. It also makes the text more readable.
- Does the most important keyword appear several times in the text? Ideally, the keyword is used 1 to 2.5 times per 100 words.
- Don't you have other pages online that focus on this keyword? Then, you would be competing with yourself, which is a waste of time and energy.
Step 7. Optimise your article
After the article is written, the next step is the optimisation of your article. Indeed, the optimization of the article will first focus on the extract of the article which is composed of a title, a URL and a description. These three elements are very important for referencing, so it is good to optimise them.
Apart from these three elements, the formatting of the article must also be optimised. This optimization of the formatting will make the text as readable as possible.
In addition, other elements of optimisation such as image, video, speed and others are also important.
After publishing your SEO text, you can also work on backlinks. These are links from other websites that refer to your article. Collecting backlinks is one of the most important off-page SEO optimisations, as they give off a lot of SEO value. This is especially valuable when the backlinks come from authoritative and relevant sites.
Step 8. Add visual content
An article becomes more interesting with visual support. Text alone can quickly become boring while your goal is to keep the visitor on your page as long as possible.
Add visual content to make the article more interesting and present the content more understandable. Use images, infographics, videos, charts and graphs to turn your text from a book into a manageable page.
Step 9. Optimise the images
The use of images is always recommended, but they must be optimised. An image with too large a file size can make your page very slow. However, speed is an important factor for usability and therefore also for your ranking.
The smaller the image, the faster it will load. Ideally, images should not exceed 75-150 KB.
It is also important that Google knows what your image is about. You can do this by entering good alt text. Alternative text is a description used to give an image to the visually impaired.
Make sure that the most important keywords appear in the alt text of your images. However, if you use several images on your page, it is not necessary to always apply the keyword. Also, use related keywords in your alternative texts.
Step 10. Adding links
Add links to internal and external pages to support your content. Links give SEO value and the more often a page is referenced, the better it will rank.
If you use links, it is important that you link to a good keyword. It is therefore best not to place a link on the text "click here". It makes no sense and tells the user and Google nothing about the content of the page.
For both internal and external links, the link should provide a description. For internal links, it is best to link to the search term that the article is about. Only link within your own website to related articles in the same category.
With external links, make sure you don't link to articles that deal with exactly the same subject. You are killing yourself with this, as you are giving the page you are competing with extra SEO value.
External links are particularly useful for supporting the information you provide. For example, factual sources or tools that you name.