In this article
Read on to learn the seven best tips for SEO content creation.
How do you create the perfect piece of content?
For a blog post to yield results — regardless of your primary content marketing goals — it should perform well in several areas. It needs to:
- Rank high on SERPs. That’s the only way it will reach your target audience.
- Be engaging and offer value to establish trust and encourage brand interactions.
- Play a role in your sales funnel to guide readers toward the next phase of their buyer’s journey.
But the thing is this. Finding a balance between optimizing for users and search engines can be challenging. You’ll need to implement the best SEO content creation tips to guarantee your hard work pays off.
Are you looking for suggestions on how to achieve that perfect blend? Follow these tips for crafting content that engages readers and boosts SEO.
Find out what your audience is searching for
Understanding your audience is always the first step toward creating conversion-inspiring content. This entails understanding what buyers need from your business.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to rank high on Google or want to help potential customers remove their frustrations. The only way to reach either of these goals is to study your prospects’ wants, needs, and aspirations.
When you have a strong understanding of your ideal customers, you can:
- Specify your potential clients’ core pain points. You will address these core pain points with your resources.
- Identify the search terms they typically use to find solutions to their needs.
- Explore topics related to these user needs. This will help build a well-rounded inventory of customer-centric content. And it will give you topical authority on relevant subjects in your niche.
There are two main reasons to conduct keyword research during the initial stages of your content creation process.
User experience benefits
Today’s buyers appreciate brands that try to meet their needs. Many people expect businesses to show they care about their pain points.
A 2022 survey discovered that 73% of people want companies to show a deep understanding of their needs and expectations. And 62% want brands to predict their needs.
In other words, you have to show prospects they can trust your brand to care about them.
One way to do this is to target the right keywords with your content. Craft content around topics related to your prospects’ needs. – This, can show a profound audience understanding. It can also help position your business as highly dedicated to providing user value.
SEO benefits
Remember, keyword research is essential for search engine rankings.
Identifying the right search terms will allow you to optimize your blog posts to rank high for user queries related to your topic. A well-rounded keyword research process will also help you uncover original content opportunities.
For example, targeting high-volume, low-competition keywords can help reach outlier audience segments. It allows you to solve consumer pain points your competitors aren’t addressing. Plus, this tactic can give you a significant advantage in your niche by highlighting your focus on CX.
Want an example of what great keyword research looks like when producing content for user engagement and SEO? Check out Somewhere. This brand does a marvelous job of identifying audience pain points and crafting resources that help remove them.
The Salary Guide for Hiring Remote Staff in the Philippines targets all the right search terms to address Somewhere’s prospects’ primary questions. Plus, the landing page is well-optimized, helping it score position zero on Google.
Ultimately, Somewhere’s keyword research tactic doesn’t just lead to increased organic traffic. It also ensures that first-time web visitors stick around. Plus, the landing page contributes to lead generation, as it’s fully optimized to encourage conversions.
Align content with user intent
If you want your resources to benefit your audience and rank high on SERPS, optimize for user intent.
In simple terms, user intent refers to the why behind every Google search. But it’s not just about giving your audience what they need. It’s also an important ranking factor, as it determines the relevance of a resource.
In general, there are four types of user/search intent:
- Navigational (Website or Visit-in-person) queries — users want to find a specific site/webpage or address.
- Informational (Know) queries — users want to find information on a topic.
- Commercial intent — users want to evaluate solutions to their pain points.
- Transactional intent — users are searching for specific products or brands. Their end goal is usually to make a purchase.
SEO benefits
From an SEO point of view, aligning content with user/search intent pays off for two reasons:
- Optimizing for search intent reduces bounce rates. This helps prevent Google from flagging your content as irrelevant.
- Genuinely relevant content increases page dwell time — another search ranking factor.
User engagement benefits
From a user-oriented perspective, optimizing for search intent accomplishes two things.
On the one hand, it ensures your content helps readers accomplish the goal they set out to. For example, a consumer searching for a specific product/service — such as Amalfi Coast villas — will have genuine use out of a page similar to the one from Soprano Villas below.
This content page is a great way to help travelers gather information about Italy’s Amalfi Coast. It also helps present them with concrete rental suggestions.
The latter brings us to the second benefit of optimizing for search intent: it helps align content with the buyer’s journey. It guides readers from the top and mid stages of the sales funnel toward a stage where they’re ready to convert into customers.
Invest in comprehensive, long-form resources
When creating content to engage your readers and boost SEO, the number one rule is to focus on quality instead of quantity. But the thing is, there’s a lot to gain if you’re willing to take the long-form route.
Comprehensive, long-form content ranks better
Research continually shows that a hefty word count pays off when trying to score a top position on Google.
According to analyses, the average length of a Google first-page result is just over 1,400 words. Furthermore, longer articles generate more backlinks and receive more social shares.
The reason for this is not the length itself. Instead, comprehensive resources outperform short-form content. This is because they align with Google’s preference for E-A-T. This means they show expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness, and experience.
More room for user value
Producing exhaustive articles is one of the best SEO content creation tips you can implement. Nonetheless, it’s essential to remember the other side of the coin.
You see, long-form content isn’t just a bigger collection of words. It’s an expanded space where brands have a much better opportunity to provide readers with value.
Long-form articles allow you to address and answer reader questions in-depth. They also allow for more room to establish brand credibility and expertise.
For example, check out Unita’s Discord Server Rules Tutorial.
This resource is somewhat longer than similar guides. Nonetheless, it’s hugely valuable to readers seeking educational value. The longer word count allows Unita to include a copy-and-paste template. This effectively solves its readers’ pain points. Plus, it establishes the brand’s reputation as a trustworthy name in community building.
Optimize headings and text for scanning
Readability is an integral aspect of a successful content marketing and SEO strategy. It’s essential for user engagement, as people tend not to read text online. A good readability score can benefit SEO as well.
User engagement directly depends on readability
According to user research, most people do not read online content word-for-word. Instead, they scan or skim textual content until their eyes land on a keyword that seems related to their area of interest.
You’ll need to optimize online content for this behavior.
- Use proper formatting for headings.
- Pay attention to font size, color, and contrast.
- Use bold and italics to emphasize important concepts.
- Shorten sentences and paragraphs.
- Avoid using jargon or complex language.
- Break up large chunks of text.
- Use visual aids to enhance understanding.
By implementing these content optimization tips, you will directly boost engagement rates. You’ll guarantee that your audience can easily find value in your resources. Plus, you will boost page dwell time, which is essential for Google rankings.
For example, check out how EXT Cabinets implements these tips in its What Are Flame Tamers on a Gas Grill article.
This resource contains a huge amount of information, but thanks to the formatting, it’s easy for readers to find what they need. The tables and bullet points make comparing different flame tamer types easier. They allow readers to quickly extract relevant information. This can effectively shorten the readers’ shopping journeys.
Great headings increase CTR on Google
Optimizing headings for engagement and readability also has another huge benefit. It aids SERP performance.
People don’t just click on any result when searching for information online. They look for headings that reflect their specific pain point.
That’s why resources like CapitalPad’s Raise page optimize headings for maximum user value. The brand helps readers quickly find relevant info by implementing this SEO content creation tip. Moreover, it boosts the chances of ranking high on Google. That’s mainly because it regularly includes target keywords like “SMB acquisitions” in the H1 and H2 headings.
Source: capitalpad.com
There’s one more thing to note about heading optimization. It’s a great tactic for winning the Featured Snippet and People Also Ask positions on Google. These results get better SERP visibility and earn a high CTR.
So, it’s well worth using question-style headings and concise paragraphs. This especially applies when aiming for engaging content that performs well on search engines..
Be smart with internal and external links
When it comes to internal and external links on content pages, most marketers see them as a search engine optimization tool. And that’s not wrong.
Internal links are a great way to establish site architecture. They can enhance topical authority. And they’re a low-cost way to encourage longer user sessions.
External links, on the other hand, are an excellent way to emphasize relevance and authority. Plus, they’re an essential signal that a resource offers true value. They imply that the presented information is proof-backed.
But what about using internal and external links to engage your readers?
Guide readers through the sales funnel
One of the biggest benefits of implementing this digital marketing tip is that it allows you to guide your readers through the sales funnel.
Check out how Padel Corner does it in the Best Padel Rackets for Beginners blog post.
Here, the brand guides readers through selecting the right equipment for their needs. Then, it gives them the option to go directly to a product page, where they can buy one of the brand’s top three choices.
By presenting web visitors with potential next steps during their buyer’s journey, you can encourage them to explore additional pages on your website. You can also purposefully send them to relevant product pages (where appropriate) and boost conversion rates.
Use videos and visuals
Another SEO content creation tip is to include videos and visuals in your content.
Visual formats — especially video — regularly outperform plain text for engaging consumers. They hugely benefit comprehension, even for complex concepts. And they’re more memorable than plain text.
Furthermore, research suggests that consumers want brands to invest in these types of content. Adobe discovered 67% of people prefer pages that look good over plain ones.
It’s also worth mentioning that visual content helps break up large chunks of text. That’s a huge boost to readability. Visuals can also make it easier to get into specific details by providing a space to take a deep dive into a part of an article.
Check out the How to Wholesale Real Estate in Texas guide from Real Estate Skills.
This brand understands that it’s covering a complex topic. So, the article’s text prioritizes brevity and ease of understanding. However, to give the subject the attention it deserves, Real Estate Skills uses video to supplement the text. This gives readers all the info they need throughout their learning journey.
Thanks to the respite videos and images provided between large chunks of text, the business can keep web visitors engaged.
SEO content creation tips for visuals and videos
One commonly overlooked benefit of visuals on content pages is that they can be a valuable source of organic traffic.
Despite not achieving the same click-through rates as the #1 organic result on SERPs, images and videos still attract valuable traffic.
But, for this to happen, pay attention to SEO optimization:
- Use descriptive file names that include relevant target keywords.
- Minimize file size to avoid slowing down your site.
- Create alt text to assist search engines in indexing your content pages.
- Include video transcripts and add captions to make consumption easier.
- Prioritize mobile responsiveness.
- Use dependable hosting platforms like YouTube or Vimeo for video files.
Don’t neglect regular content updates
Want to ensure your content serves users and ranks well on SERPs? In that case, be ready to pay attention to your posts after publishing.
Consumers and search engines demand up-to-date information
Focusing on quality during the content production process is great.
However, readers don’t just want high-quality content when researching their pain points. They want current information. And above all else, they want to be sure they’re not missing out on anything because a resource is not up-to-date.
Search engines are the same. They usually favor new content. And something as simple as refreshing an existing piece can help it regain lost rankings.
With this in mind, continue to invest in your posts even after you’ve clicked the “Publish” button.
Ensure that they contain relevant information. Make sure they reflect current trends. And don’t be afraid to show when and how you improved them — as Healthline did in the above screenshot.
It may seem excessive or irrelevant, but it can give your brand a much-needed boost in credibility. And credibility is key to converting customers in the long run.
Final thoughts
There you have it — seven SEO content creation tips to engage users and rank high on SERPS.
Chances are, you’re already implementing some (or most) of these strategies. But if not, don’t be afraid to try them out.
Ensuring your content provides accessible value to consumers is a worthy investment. Whether you’re trying to rank higher on Google, convert more buyers, or establish brand authority, it will pay off. Need help crafting content that engages readers and boosts SEO? Or identifying new SERP opportunities for older content? Book a discovery call with us now!