Optimizing content for SEO is the process of ensuring content is written in a way that it reaches as many people as possible. The content optimization process should include checking for the presence of related keywords, adding meta tags and titles, relevant links and above all to bring value to the reader and meet their search intent. initial.
SEO refers to search engine optimization or the process of optimizing a website so that people can find it easily through search engines like Google ( See what is SEO or natural referencing ) .
By content, we mean any information present on the Web and which can be consumed on the Web (text, image, video, etc.).
It not only helps you build trust and connect with your target audience, but it also serves as fuel for your other marketing techniques. It's the basis on which you promote your business online, so it's essential to give it the attention it deserves.
If you want visibility, good rankings, and traffic, you need to commit to consistently creating SEO-calibrated content.
The one you create communicates your message, educates your readers and persuades them to buy your products and services rather than your competitors.
For articles or pages of a website, we advise you to write more than 300 words. This is the minimum number of words that Google needs to understand the subject matter.
Providing high-quality content is one of the most important things you can do to attract customers and generate interest in your business.
Content is king, and the importance of copywriting in an SEO strategy is central to readers and search engine crawlers.
Writing for a website cannot be improvised . Creation of the editorial schedule, choice of keywords and topics that interest readers, reflection on the article plan and its relevance... It is clear that technique and common sense go hand in hand to write good content optimized for readers and Google's algorithms.
Whether you use a web copywriter specializing in SEO or write it yourself, it must be admitted, writing an article takes time.
In this article we review all the elements that, integrated into the preparation or writing of your article, make your text good content for SEO.
What is an optimized article?
It is content that is crafted to appear at the top of search engine rankings on Google or other search engines. It contains keywords, including a main keyword, and vocabulary from the lexicon related to the processed query. Beyond the importance of technical constraints, an optimized article must have a structure that facilitates readability. Finally, it must be useful to readers and provide a clear answer to their questions.
A good article will hook the reader
Should you write for search engine robots and their algorithms or to please readers? As you can imagine, ideally, you have to succeed in satisfying machines and humans. How ? Simply by using an article structure designed to facilitate the work of online search engines, by following good SEO web writing practices while choosing topics that interest your target readers.
Rather than creating an Xth article similar to those published by your competitors, you will ensure, both in terms of style and substance, that you stand out. Storytelling, articles with high added value, educational, humour… it's up to you to choose what best suits your editorial line and what attracts your readers the most.
Should you write a short article or a long article?
Many site editors wonder what is the length of content to write for SEO ?
If short articles still manage to appear in the first results. The current trend is more towards writing long content.
Positive point for the editor: the articles-rivers of 2000 words and more are easier to optimize. The keywords and vocabulary of the lexical field of our subject are integrated more naturally into the text. Reading is more fluid, the reader takes more pleasure and above all, obtains more complete information. As the time spent on a page is longer, a favorable signal will be sent to Google: “This site is interesting”.
Update content to boost SEO
Refreshing SEO content can help you keep articles performing at their best and standing the test of time.
Any changes or additions to a web page, such as new blog posts or links to other sites, will be considered new content.
Search engine robots or crawlers constantly search the web in order to update their indexes and they treat it differently from “evergreen” sites.
This does not mean that the new text will always be superior to the old because some pages do not need to be changed.
Create dynamic or visual content
If the search engines, and in particular Google, tend to better reference articles that meet the needs of the Internet user, they nevertheless ensure that they offer content that is different or complementary to that of competitors.
We note a good positioning of dynamic content. Price simulator, service comparisons, object personalization modules, videos… appeal to users who find themselves actors in their research. If your subject lends itself to it, we strongly advise you to integrate dynamic or visual content into your SEO article.
The reputation of the author and the site
Among the criteria that Google takes into account for SEO is the name of the author who writes your articles. The more the author will be perceived by search engines as an expert in the field the article is about, the more the text will be considered relevant by the site.
Attention, this is only one criterion among many others, but it makes it possible to earn “points” easily. Therefore, favor a single signature for all your articles. You can also invent a “writer” persona who will sign the articles of your team of writers.
Google EAT
EAT = expertise, authority, reliability, or quality.
Google EAT aims to give its users the best possible experience by promoting websites that they really trust. That's why Google creates this algorithm to determine if a website is trustworthy. To do this, it has created a set of publicly available guidelines called “Search Quality Raters” to help it measure the quality of a website's core content (MC).
- Expertise: skill or knowledge of an expert in a particular field.
- Authority: the power or right to give orders and make decisions.
- Trust: the ability to be seen as honest or truthful.
YMYL websites
YMYL = Your Money or Your Life Content.
Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) content is the type of information that, if presented in an inaccurate, misleading, or misleading manner, could have a direct impact on happiness, health, security, or financial stability. of the reader.
In other words, the stakes are high. If you create a YMYL page with bad advice or information, it could affect people's lives and livelihoods.
Google takes this content very seriously. Experts with relevant expertise should write with the YMYL in mind.
Technique for writing
The writing of an article is carried out in 5 phases:
1. Keyword research with the right tools
An article for SEO is based on a single query: the main keyword.
The choice of keyword is made using SEO tools and software such as the Google Ads keyword generator (keyword Planner), SEMrush, Yooda, etc.
Type a query in Keyword Planner and find out, among other things: the number of monthly searches it generates, proposals for similar keywords, the level of competition, etc.
Choose from short tail keywords or long tail keywords. To properly reference your site, you will ensure that you are present on short-tail keywords even if the competition is high. Then, position yourself on short-tail keywords, which certainly drain less traffic, but more targeted traffic.
Did you know? Short tail keywords drive 20% of website traffic. Long-tail keywords drive 80% of site traffic.
2. Writing without duplicate content
After defining the keyword for the article, it's time to move on to writing. Either you are an expert in the subject you are dealing with and write your article with no other sources than your personal knowledge, or you find relevant sources.
The content you write for SEO must be unique and bring an angle not seen elsewhere for the reader.
You should never have duplicate SEO content within or outside of your website. Copying texts found on other sites or using the same texts on other pages of the same site is considered by Google to be duplicated and will not be considered or hardly considered by the search engine.
To find sources, go to:
- Official and public sites
- Sites with a strong authority in the theme
- Serious influencer videos
- Tutorials from brand and manufacturer sites
In any case, always check the information you are going to use for writing your article.
Make an article plan and write, making sure to structure it well . Use subtitles, bulleted lists, inserts, put expressions in bold, insert photos or infographics…
Certain elements help to properly reference an article on the Internet: definitions, tables (prices, comparisons), dynamic content (simulators, surveys)…
Creating quality blog posts is the backbone of successful content marketing work
3. Optimization
When the article is written, it is advisable to check its optimization rate with an SEO tool. On YourTextGuru, you can compare your article's SEO score with similar high-ranking articles.
Once your text is written and optimized at the semantic level, take care of the optimization of the tags to structure your text for Internet users and robots.
The Title tag:
A Title tag contains:
- between 60 and 90 characters
- the main keyword
- the name of the site or the company
- Secondary queries
- An H1 tag that rephrases with other terms
The meta description meta tag:
It does not intervene in the referencing of a url, but is important, because well written it encourages the Internet user to click on your link rather than on that of a competing website.
The meta description tag contains:
- The main keyword
- A hook
- A description
H1 titles and subtitles:
Hn tags (titles) indicate what is important.
The H1 or main title contains around 60 characters and the main keyword.
The subtitles are available from H2 to H6. Ideally, we will find the main keyword in one of the H2s.
The alt tag:
- It is used to reference the images that illustrate the article
- This is a description of the photo and name of a keyword
- Words are separated by hyphens, not spaces
For example, the photo below has the ALT tag “Keyboard-computer-black-as-coasters”
4. Create consistent links
Internal links:
They should be positioned on anchors that ideally include the keyword of the page they are pointing to. The destination page of the link should be related to the subject of the article on which the link is placed. We will therefore avoid placing a link with a “hotel in Paris” anchor in an article that deals with SEO and which would refer to a page linked to digital marketing for example. And this, even if the goal is to mention the hotel where our digital marketing conference will be held.
Outgoing links:
An external link must refer to the subject of the page to which it redirects. It is important to choose to link to a site with high authority or to quality content that is useful for the reader. Creating external links directs readers to other sources for information on the subject and shows the search engine that your publication is complete.
Tip: When creating an external link, make sure the link opens in a new tab. This prevents the Internet user from completely leaving your site and being able to return to it easily.
Netlinking:
The importance of backlinks and netlinking is well established in SEO. 60% of success in outclassing your competitors depends on it. The quality and relevance of your articles on different subjects will allow you to collect the famous external links that will make your page progress in the results. Without a netlinking strategy, even the best content is restricted and does not exploit its full potential.
5. Proofreading and spelling
Last essential point when writing content: proofreading. If possible, use a spell checker like “Antidote HD”. Make any necessary corrections. Check spelling and grammar.
An article riddled with errors risks scaring away the reader. This will increase the bounce rate and send the wrong signal. Your site may then be less well referenced and lose a few places in the ranking on this request.
Is there an ideal article structure?
You are probably wondering if there is a recipe? No there is not. On the other hand, there are several types of content that appeal to readers and that allow you to multiply publications around the same subject.
Here are some ideas to vary the shape:
- Blog articles: preferably long, to be able to write an article that is pleasant to read
- News: write small articles on news related to your sector show search engines that your site is active
- Photos: As soon as you write about a subject that lends itself well to visuals, include photos in your article. By correctly filling in the ALT tag, they can be found in Google Image.
- Tops: useful and easy to read, tops are good click-through incentives. Prefer long ones to convey real information to your readers and retain them longer on your page.
- The guides: they are perfect for demonstrating your expertise! Creating reference guides or tutorials for your readers or tutorials also allows you to invest in an inbound marketing strategy: quality content and high expertise against an email address or registration.
- Videos: now essential, videos enhance your articles and offer an alternative to reading text. It should also be noted that Google is sensitive to dynamic content in a text.
So should we do everything to please Google or the readers? We note all the same a real will of Google to satisfy the reader. If writing content is important to inform search engines about what is on your page, it is essential to think about the user experience which is one of the criteria favored by Google.
The home page of a website is content on its own. Often forgotten in optimization work, it must be optimized for SEO (texts, H1, title, visual elements, etc.).
To remember: The perfect mix is: a good SEO writing technique + a good netlinking strategy + interesting content for the reader + a technically efficient site.
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