SEO for Writers: Master the Basics to Rank Your Content

When it comes to SEO for writers, your site needs to be crawlable and indexable by search engines before you can start creating compelling content. You also need to have persuasive content before you can start optimizing it for keywords. Do you get the idea?

No wonder if you are confused; I struggled for a while to grasp the idea! In fact, when I first started learning SEO, whenever I tried to remember it, I found myself forgetting it.

I referred to the concept again, but guess what? When I tried to remember it, I found myself forgetting it again. A frustrating cycle took weeks to end.

Nowadays, SEO drives over 1000% more traffic than social media, which makes it an in-demand tactic organizations need to adapt to. However, optimizing the content alone is not enough; Google focuses on the user by providing the best results according to their questions, and you have to do the same.

If you are a content writer who is new to the SEO writing tips for content writers, then this blog is for you; I have dug deep to provide the basics of SEO for writers that you need to know.

In this blog, I will explain what SEO is, why you must optimize your content for SEO, and how to optimize it for SEO, in addition to some additional information you need.

What is SEO and Why Should Writers Care?

At the beginning of my career as a content writer, SEO writing was a nightmare for me. I was so confused about how Google finds and ranks content, and what exactly to optimize to compete with other websites that share the same goals.

My confusion played a significant role in making it more difficult. However, I eventually found that SEO isn’t as difficult as people make it out to be.

So the question is, what is SEO?
To answer this question, think of some goods that are popular with you and ask yourself why they’re popular. Probably, you answer that they provide high-quality goods and are widely known.

Now, what does that have to do with the concept of SEO? Well, they share some fundamental concepts, which are value and popularity.

To explain it more clearly, let’s have a look at the SEO definition:
SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to a website through organic search engine results. (MOZ)

The quantity here refers to popularity by providing comprehensive content; however, remember that creating a large amount of content is not enough when it comes to SEO.

This brings us to the next point, which is quality, and representing the value in our sample. When you put your SEO strategy to appear in search engines, you need to focus on providing comprehensive, high-quality content that your readers will eagerly consume.

But why? Why do you have to optimize your content for SEO, even if your organization isn’t competing with others, let’s say a library?

The thing is, Google’s algorithm. Google focuses on the user by indexing their search query. If your content is not optimized for search engines, it won’t appear when someone searches for something related to your work.

However, as a content writer, you don’t necessarily have to be an SEO expert, but you should know that it’s a demanded skill. So, if you want to increase your chance of getting hired, learning how to write SEO-friendly blog posts for beginners is necessary.

The Role of Keywords in SEO

Before diving deep into keywords, let’s just have an idea about how Google finds content. Google works like the nerve cells in your brain. They send bots running like neurons, searching for new questions, content, and videos.

These bots find your content through three processes: crawling (discovering), indexing (storage), and finally, credibility (considering you as an authority for this specific content).

This process will not be completed if your content is not optimized for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

To do so, we first need to understand the fundamentals of SEO, which include keywords. We then need to know how to select them and how to utilize them.

So the question is, what are Keywords?

Simply, keywords are the most common words people use when searching for specific things.

For example, if I want to know what SEO is, I will simply Google it with the same term “What is SEO?” Thus, Google indexes this keyword as a keyword, and content writers and organizations target these keywords in their content so that Google’s bot can find them.

However, as I mentioned earlier, creating a large amount of content is not enough; you need to provide content that offers value.

Because SEO is not just about keywords, there are many other factors, such as bounce rate, which measures how long a user stays on your site.

If your content is full of keywords but doesn’t provide any value, then your bounce rate will increase, while your competitors have both high keyword density and high-quality content.

How to Choose Your Keywords?

Basic steps for researching and selecting keywords relevant to your content using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or SEMrush.

An important point to know is that these tools can look overwhelming due to their technical appearance and structure.

However, since you’re not an SEO expert, you just need to know what keywords people are searching for, how many of them, and how difficult it will be to rank for them. Additionally, as long as you use them, you will become more comfortable with them and learn more as you do.

As a content writer, an organization will usually provide you with their brief and their targeted keywords.

However, if they don’t, then you need to be selective with keywords, because the keywords depend on your organization’s authority. And if your organization performs well on search engines, then you don’t have to worry about choosing keywords.

However, if your organization doesn’t have that kind of authority, then you need to be more strategic with your keywords. You may suggest a new long-term strategy for them, depending on their goals and your skills with SEO.

You may be confused about what keyword I’m talking about. Well, here we go: There are three main types of keywords you can use, and each one could be beneficial in specific situations:

1. Head terms: These are single-word keywords with lots of search volume and competition, such as “marketing.”

2. Body keywords: These are 2-3 word phrases with decent search volume, but more specific than head terms and less competition, such as “marketing automation.”

3. Long-tail keywords: These make up the majority of searches online. They are specific phrases that don’t get as much search volume but tend to be less competitive.

As I mentioned, each keyword can be beneficial in a specific situation. For example, if your organization doesn’t have high authority yet, ranking for head terms won’t be effective. What’s better is a mix of all, with more focus on long-tail keywords.

How to Utilize Keywords?

After finding the keywords you want to rank for, you need to place them strategically.

Google has made it easy for you by identifying specific places to put your keywords.
In these places, you must naturally incorporate your primary and secondary keywords into your content.

Here are the key places to include them in a blog post:

Title tag: Place the primary keyword, e.g., “What is SEO,” within the title tag, which is an HTML element that appears in search engine results as the title. The title should be compelling and natural for the reader. Ideally, it should be within 60 characters to avoid truncation in search engine results.
URL/Slug: Also include the primary keyword in the URL. Keep it short, descriptive, and avoid unnecessary words.
Meta Description: Write a compelling meta description (150-160 characters) that encourages people to click on your link. While meta descriptions don’t directly impact rankings, they influence click-through rates.
Introduction: Include your primary keyword within the first 100 words of your content and ensure it sounds natural. Don’t just force the keyword in—make it part of a compelling opening.
Headings (H1, H2, H3): Your H1 is the title of the blog, which should include your primary keyword. The rest are subheadings, which should consist of secondary keywords. In both headings, be clear about the content.

For example:

H1: “SEO for Writers: Master the Basics to Rank Your Content”
H2: “Why SEO is Crucial for Writers”
H3: “Keyword Research: How to Find the Right Keywords”

Body Content: Include your primary keyword, secondary keywords, and synonyms throughout the content naturally and seamlessly. Avoid overuse—try to use keywords 10-12 times within a 1000-word article. Most importantly, focus on providing value and writing for the reader, rather than obsessing over keywords.
Image Alt Text: Use relevant keywords in the alt text of images. Alt text helps search engines understand the image content and can also improve the accessibility of your page. Keep the alt text descriptive and avoid keyword stuffing.
Internal Linking: Link to other relevant pages or posts on your website using anchor text that includes your keywords or LSI terms. This helps spread link equity and improves the SEO of other pages on your site.
External Linking: Link to reliable external websites that are relevant to your content and use anchor text that naturally includes your secondary keywords. Ensure that your external links originate from reputable sources.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to place your keywords in the most important sections of your content in a natural, SEO-friendly way. The goal is to optimize your content without compromising the quality or readability so that both search engines and readers will find your content valuable.

Topic Clusters and Quality

Another important aspect of SEO is creating a cluster of related topics and linking them to a pillar page. Here’s what each one means:

Pillar Page: The main piece of content that covers a broad, overarching topic thoroughly. It acts as the central hub for a specific theme.
Cluster Content: Individual, detailed blog posts or pages that address specific subtopics related to the pillar page. These pieces dive deeper into a narrower aspect of the pillar topic.

Example of a Topic Cluster in Action:

Pillar Page: “Complete Guide to SEO”

Cluster Content:

- “Keyword Research for Beginners”
- “On-Page SEO: How to Optimize Your Pages”
- “How to Build Backlinks in 2023”
- “The Basics of Technical SEO”
- “Understanding SEO Analytics and Tools”

The idea is to create a lot of high-quality content targeted at specific queries that solve the user’s search needs. This gradually improves your ranking and ultimately your organization’s conversion rate and lead generation.

The final note is that SEO is a long-term plan, you wouldn’t see immediate change just because you optimize your content for search engine, as we see SEO involves many things, such as authority buliding, which may take months or years.

In conclusion, as a content writer, you don’t need to be an SEO expert right away; understanding the basics is enough.

This includes knowing how Google finds and stores your content, how to identify relevant keywords for your topic, and how to incorporate these keywords naturally and strategically.

Familiarizing yourself with the essentials of SEO—what to do and what to avoid—will set you on the right path.

Keep in mind, however, that SEO skills may eventually become a core part of your role as a content writer.

For now, it’s important to recognize that the demand for SEO knowledge is growing, and learning how to select and integrate keywords seamlessly into your content is a skill you’ll likely need to leverage in today’s market.