SEO in Content Writing: 3 Easy Steps to Boost Your Brand

Content writing without SEO strategy is a speech without a microphone — is it really great content if nobody consumes it? Quality content strategy requires stepping past creative writing and learning how to capture the attention of people and search engines.

CopyDash utilizes SEO in content writing to create impactful digital marketing campaigns that engage and convert readers. Our approach to visible website content starts with 3 simple steps to improve search engine results page (SERP) rankings and drive the right audience to your website.

Here are the SEO content writing tips (and more) that we’ll cover in this article:

• SEO keyword strategy is the vital first step to effective content writing. There’s a distinct difference between optimized keyword use and harmful keyword stuffing — we’ll guide you to a proper balance.
• Well structured content performs better on SERPs. Create conventions for your titles, headers, meta descriptions and body content. Learn best SEO writing practices for crafting killer calls to action and memorable search titles.
• Spend more time on user intent than ‘the right words’. What is the true search intent behind keywords? Strategize behind the broad topic, and define what your readers hope to gain from your webpage or blog post.
• SEO writing that addresses user search intent increases conversion rate by 80%. We’ve curated a list of 20 amazing statistics that highlight the importance of content optimization for organic search results.
• High-quality SEO copy creates scalable, evergreen content. Partner with an SEO content writer who focuses on expert, evergreen topics related to your brand and its industry. You’ll get a portfolio of scalable content that grows with your business and gains increasing SERP traction over time.

Master keyword strategy, content structure and user intent, and you’re well on your way to SEO content writing that attracts humans and Google.

Rather focus on your strengths? CopyDash offers fast, visible SEO content deliverables designed to scale your brand. Get started!

4 Steps to Choosing the Right SEO Keywords

Use these 4 steps to conduct optimal keyword research and selection for your content strategy:

1. Create your content around search intent. Don’t think about content in terms of what you want to tell the reader. Think about what the readers wants you to tell them. Choose a keyword that reflects what your target audience wants — their pain points, needs and dreams. 
2. Use keyword research and expansion tools. There are a few wonderful SEO keyword research tools out there. CopyDash likes Neil Patel’s Answer the Public, Semrush, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner.
3. Use CopyDash’s “RPCI” rule. Evaluate potential keywords using 4 metrics: Relevance, Popularity, Competition and Interest. Read more about these metrics in our updated guide to keyword strategy.
4. Determine local vs global. Are you writing for your neighbors, or for a worldwide customer base? Decide whether local SEO keywords (i.e. “Raleigh plumbing” or “Oregon investment banking”) are in the best interest of your audience.

(Tip 5: Hate the thought of doing all that? No problem, just hire CopyDash.)

Choose the Right Keyword Length for Your Content Format

Should you frame your content around a short-tail keyword or long-tail keyword? It depends on what type of content you’re writing.

Short-tail keywords (or head keywords) are short phrases with broad search intent. These are strong catch-all keywords to attract readers looking for general information. They fit well with content that exists at the top of your sales funnel — the start of a buyer’s journey.

Long-tail keywords are search terms of 3+ words with narrow search intent. These long tail phrases offer insight into specific user queries and needs, and the text within them points you to its appropriate place in the sales funnel. 

Example: The head keyword “apple picking” offers greater search volume, but less information about specific user intent. The long-tail keyword “pick your own apple orchard” has lower search volume, but you know precisely what those searchers want information about.

Use short-tail keywords as primary keywords for landing pages, informational or educational blog posts and articles.

Use long-tail keywords as primary keywords for appropriate sales pages and articles rich with transactional conversion opportunities.

Content Structure is the Backbone of SEO Copywriting

Structure is essential to effective SEO in content writing. A good content structure is just as important as the body text when it comes to search engine visibility — in some cases, even moreso.

Search engine crawl bots use your content’s structure to understand the content you’ve placed on page. Google uses data like your title tag, header tags and alt text descriptions the same way humans use inflection — to interpret the meaning and intent behind your content.

A winning SEO article offers as much quality in its structure as its messaging. And a proven, consistent content structure is what separates a strong SEO copywriter from the pack.

SEO Best Practices for Quality Content Structure

Best practices for crafting high quality SEO content structure fall into 4 categories:

• Hierarchy
• Tags and descriptions
• Keyword placement
• General readability

Let’s look at each of these categories in more detail.

Content hierarchy is the way information is organized by importance and relationship. Think of article hierarchy the way you’d construct an effective term paper:

Start your content with a primary title tag (H1), followed by an executive summary or introductory thesis. Break your body content into headers (H2s) that frame sub-topics in a logical, digestible flow. Use sub-headers (H3s) to accent key points under your H2s.

A solid hierarchy creates content that is easy to follow for human readers, and easy to analyze for search engines.

Tags and descriptions are the titles, headers and descriptive text that frame your topic on search engine results pages (SERPs) for readers. They also give search engines keywords and key snippets to better understand your copy.

Title tags should be roughly 50-60 characters in length and include the primary keyword for your content. 

Meta descriptions are the engaging, information-rich snippets you see under the title tag links in search results. Keep them between 150-155 characters — Google truncates meta descriptions longer than this (and after 120 characters on mobile). 

Take care to write a compelling meta description that accurately summarizes your content. If Google doesn’t find your meta description fits your article content, it will replace it with its own text.

Strategic keyword placement should take place throughout your digital content, but within reason and only where the keyword organically belongs. “Keyword stuffing” is considered bad practice and often results in poor search rankings.

Here are 3 places your primary keyword should appear in your copy, as a general rule:

• In your title tag (H1)
• Within the first 100 words of your article or webpage
• In one header tag (H2)

Readability and user experience still play a part in the overall SEO quality of your website content. 

Short paragraphs enable easier reading, as do bulleted and numbered lists. Images and infographics provide much-needed places for the reader’s eye to “take a break” — plus, they offer opportunities to add SEO value with alt text tags and markup.

Make sure your website is as mobile-friendly as possible. 63% of Google searches in the United States happen on mobile devices — offer those readers an engaging place to land.

SEO in Content Writing: Focus on User Intent

The more SEO content creation projects we complete, the more one fact becomes clear:

SEO friendly content is user friendly content.

Google utilizes a set of metrics called Core Web Vitals to assess a website’s user experience (UX) for loading speed, visual stability, and interactivity. Google states that UX is “central to Google Core Web Vitals”.

Why is this important? Core Web Vitals play a significant role in Google’s overall page ranking system. Relevant content that provides excellent UX is more likely to rank higher on SERPs.

In other words — content writers who craft great copy for humans also write great copy for search.

Follow our 10 Commandments for Ethical SEO and find an agency partner that passes the test!

Why Search Intent Matters in SEO Strategy

99% of all search terms fall into 4 categories:

• Informational: “what is the Rule of One in marketing?”
• Commercial: “best SEO copywriting service”
• Transactional: “hire content writers”
• Navigational: “Gmail login”

Analyze potential search terms and place them into these 4 buckets. Only write content for a keyword that matches the intent of the category.

Example: You’re writing a blog post focused on conversion copy, with the goal of retaining clients for your SEO content writing service.

A transactional keyword like “hire SEO agencies” is more optimal for your content than an informational keyword like “what is an SEO agency”. Transactional language reveals a search intent to buy.

Write for the right part of the sales funnel — pair your content’s goal with the appropriate keyword category. Informational keywords should lead to top-of-funnel (ToFu) educational content. Commercial keywords pair well with webpage content focused on brand awareness, product and service offerings.

4 Ways to Focus Your Content on User Intent

Here are 4 actionable steps to help focus your content strategy on user intent:

1. Analyze your long-tail search terms. Use Google Search Console to research user keywords that drove click-thrus to your website. Look for long-tail keywords, then consider the questions they contain. 
2. Use Google Trends. Type relevant head keywords into Google Trends. It generates a list of related keywords, including popular and breakout candidates. Use these candidates to define what users want to read.
3. Perform an existing content audit. Identify published content pieces that underperform in search rankings. Edit and re-focus the copy around a more user-friendly topic. Remember — don’t write what you want them to know. Provide the answers that they want to know.
4. Ask your audience directly. Engage with your customers on social media. Ask them why they engage with your brand. Create a dialogue about the needs behind their purchases — they could buy anyone’s product, so why yours? Use this information to frame your next content marketing campaign.

20 Interesting Statistics About SEO in Content Writing

Content marketing isn’t about the words — it’s about the numbers. Impressions, clicks, engagements, conversions. 

Let’s look at the numbers behind what makes search engine optimization so powerful in content writing. Here are 20 valuable statistics about SEO in content writing you should know.

Statistics About Search Engine Use and Organic Search

Hire an SEO service to craft relevant content for organic search intent and reap the benefits on SERPs.

• 93% of all Internet user sessions begin on a search engine (DemandSage).
• The top 3 Google ranking factors are high-quality content, page experience and links (Search Engine Journal).
• Over 53% of all website traffic comes from organic search (DemandSage).
• SEO drives 1000% more website traffic than organic social media (Bright Edge).
• Nearly half of marketers state that organic traffic offers the best ROI of any marketing channel (Search Engine Journal).
• Moving from position 2 to 1 on Google SERPs increases organic traffic by 50% (Semrush).
• 75% of searchers never go beyond the first page of search results (DemandSage).

Statistics About SEO Content Writing and Conversion Rate

Good content informs, but great content converts. Here’s how CopyDash’s SEO content writing service boosts conversion rates.

• 62% of buyers make purchase decisions based on digital content (Blue Corona).
• Conversion rates increase by 80% when landing page content directly addresses pain points (SerpWatch).
• SEO content that targets reader position in the sales funnel increases conversion rates by 73% (WebFX).
• 39% of purchases are influenced by a relevant search (Google).
• 60% of marketers report SEO inbound content is their top quality source of leads (Hubspot).
• Leads generated by SEO have a 15% closing rate (DemandSage).

Statistics About SEO in Content Writing for Blog Posts

Content creation for blogs requires an SEO writer who understands inbound marketing strategy. Here’s how you benefit.

• Companies that blog receive 97% more inbound links to their website (Digital Third Coast via Hubspot).
• Businesses with dedicated blogs generate 55% more traffic than those that don’t (DemandSage).
• Businesses with active dedicated blogs generate 67% more leads than other sites (DemandMetric).
• Businesses that publish 16+ blog posts a month generate 4.5x as many leads than businesses that don’t (DemandSage).
• 80% of businesses report tangible marketing results from blogging (Orbit Media).
• Organic search results on the first page of Google have an average of roughly 1,500 words (Backlinko).
• Long-form blog post content generates 1.5-2x more backlinks than short posts (Backlinko).

Conclusion

SEO content writing services walk a unique tightrope — crafting copy that humans and search engines love and understand equally well. 

SEO writing requires skill, but most business owners can succeed at the basics — at CopyDash, we don’t gatekeep our solutions! Give our 3 simple steps to improved content marketing visibility a try:

• A winning keyword strategy, with a blend of short and long-tail search phrases.
• A defined approach to content structure that provides a hierarchy for website content.
• A passion for understanding user intent, and the human needs behind every search.

CopyDash is a true SEO content marketing agency partner. Let’s get your customized scalable content bundle started in under 90 seconds!