Writing SEO-friendly content can seem daunting but doesn’t have to be. Long gone are the days when you could just stuff a bunch of keywords into your articles and call it a day. Search engine algorithms have grown much smarter over time and so should you.

According to John Carpenter, a Las Vegas SEO expert, there are only three cardinal rules to effective SEO writing:

• Well-researched and placed keywords
• Long-form content
• Writing for people, rather than search engines

With those three tips, you’ll be well on your way to writing excellent SEO-friendly copy. But let’s not leave it at that. Let’s look a little deeper.

1. Well-researched and Placed Keywords

This is the most important part. If you’re going to be using keywords, make sure you impress Google while you’re at it. Research your keywords in-depth and make sure you have all the information at your fingertips.

Ultimately, this step requires an intimate understanding of your target audience and what makes them tick. You can use a keyword research tool to help you here, and there are plenty in the market from which to choose. You can even prepare a keyword spreadsheet to organize all the keywords you have and plan how you’ll use them in your content.

Once you’ve got the keywords you need, the next step is to sprinkle them strategically into your work. Here, it’s more about having the primary keywords in the right places than putting them anywhere you can.

Make sure you have the primary keyword in the title as well as in the first 300 words of your copy.

You should also have it in either one of the H1 and H2 headings.

For the rest of the copy, it’s all about fitting in variations of the primary keyword naturally into the test. The keyword here is naturally. The minute your copy stops making sense, people will stop reading it. Remember, you’re writing for humans, not search engines.

2. Long-form Content

You’re probably thinking you’ll do better with short and sweet articles, what with the shortening attention spans. However, people actually value longer and more informative content when they’re visiting your website. They’ll go to Twitter for the short and pithy posts. Google recognizes this, and that’s why they give greater weight to posts with 2,000 words or more.

You’re better off doing two long-form articles a month than several short ones a week, so invest more in delivering long and informative content. It will pay off down the line.

3. Writing for People, Rather Than Search Engines

Before you write something, make sure you ask yourself how it will be of use to your readers. Many writers write to rank on Google and forget to actually write something that people care about.

Once you’ve done your keyword research, ask yourself what knowledge you have in relation to that keyword that you are willing to share with the world. How will that knowledge help them solve their problems? Once you’ve got something to work with, create a topic around it and write a long, informative and, above all, interesting article on the subject. In time, such articles gain a lot of momentum as they get mass shares and increasing viewership.

Final Thoughts

SEO-friendly writing is just as much about writing useful information as it is about writing high-ranking information. Provide value to your readers, and you will get value in return, in the form of better ranking on Google.

The post 3 Tips for Writing SEO-friendly Content appeared first on Wipsen.org.