Without SEO, your content is less likely to rank highly on search engines. Ranking lower may hinder your ability to attract and engage with your target audience. It may also make your content seem less credible and authoritative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 2024 First Page Sage study<\/a> found that the clickthrough rate for websites in position one on the SERP is 39.8%. This number drops drastically to 18.7% for websites in position two and then down to 1.6% for websites in position 10. When you get to page two of Google, that number gets even lower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that if your website is not on the first page, there\u2019s a small chance consumers will find your website organically. Fewer visits to your site mean fewer opportunities to generate leads and, ultimately, revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your next best option is investing in advertising<\/a> to get those users to your site. But that costs money, and if you\u2019re on a tight budget, why not invest time in SEO writing? It\u2019s free and will likely bring you traffic for much longer than a campaign would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEO also addresses the top five issues that marketers currently face (see pictured below). By doing sufficient SEO research, you should be able to generate new ideas for your blogs, increase engagement, attract traffic, reach your audience, and generate leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When getting started with SEO content writing, it\u2019s important to understand the basics. Here are some fundamental principles to follow when incorporating SEO into your writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keyword optimization<\/a> is all about strategically using relevant keywords and phrases in your content to boost its visibility and ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This aspect of SEO is super important because it helps search engines better understand your content, thereby increasing the chances of it appearing in relevant search queries and attracting organic traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To select the best keywords, you\u2019ll need to research and identify what exactly your target audience is looking for and align it with your content\u2019s topic. Finding the right balance between incorporating keywords in a way that makes sense to readers and satisfies search engine algorithms is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll go more in-depth about how to find keywords and how to disperse them throughout your content in the tips section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n User intent refers to the motivation or purpose behind a user’s search query. It\u2019s all about figuring out what they really want to discover when typing something into a search engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are generally four types of user intent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By understanding user intent, you can create content that aligns with what people are looking for and boost your chances of showing up in search results. Each industry and niche also changes your user intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example,\u00a0SEO for lawyers<\/a>\u00a0will be a lot different compared to SEO for marketers. It’s all about giving people what they need and providing them with a good search experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing for SEO isn\u2019t just about what you write. It\u2019s also about how you write. It isn\u2019t enough to just place keywords into your content and call it a day. You need to consider how your audience\u2019s experience will be when they read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where readability comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Readability is all about striking the right balance between optimizing for search engines and ensuring that your content is enjoyable and valuable to human readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to optimizing your content with keywords and internal links, you\u2019ll want to focus on user experience. Write in a reader-friendly manner by using clear and concise language and avoiding jargon. You\u2019ll also want to utilize headings and make your content more scannable (more on that below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n When writing and editing your content, ask yourself: Is this easy to understand? Does this have a logical flow? Is this engaging? If the answer to any of these questions is \u201cno,\u201d you may need to make some changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every SEO writer knows that an evergreen blog post will never be completely finished, even after it\u2019s been published. Thanks to algorithm updates and competitors targeting the same keywords, search results are always changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to have a content update strategy in place to ensure your older web content remains fresh and relevant in search engine rankings. This practice is called historical optimization<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To figure out which blog posts you need to update, assess your older content by conducting a content audit to find underperforming or outdated pieces. Then, determine how to improve the piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This usually involves refreshing the content by adding new information, removing outdated information, optimizing keywords, and improving formatting and readability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tips on How To Incorporate SEO in Your Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s estimated that Google processes over 70,000 search queries a second. Staggering, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to cut through SERP clutter and outrank your competitors, you need to target the specific keywords and phrases your potential customers are searching for. Otherwise, how else will they find your content and website?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start with a keyword research tool<\/a>. Sites like Ahrefs<\/a> and Google Keyword Planner<\/a> give you details on what users are searching for and how popular those queries are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For an inside look into how Ahrefs can aid you in your SEO keyword research and beyond, check out our case study and exclusive interview here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wearekiwi.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/writing-for-SEO-1-20240716-2996694-755x1024.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Basics of SEO Content Writing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Keyword Optimization<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
User Intent<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Readability<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Historical Optimization<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
1. Start with keyword research.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n