5 Tips for Writing for SEO Without Sounding Boring
SEO BLOG TIPS
If you have a small business blog, chances are you started it because you wanted another way to help your audience. You wanted another platform where they could learn about you, the services your business offers, and where you could display yourself as an authoritative figure on one or more topics. However, unless you personally share your URL with every single person you meet, your SEO will need to be on point-- that way, it can show up on search engines for your audience to find you organically. But let's face it: Writing for SEO isn't always easy.
SEO makes our content relevant to search engines. However, depending on the topic, some keywords may be a little tricky to incorporate without sounding like a robot...and the last thing you want to do is bore your readers to death!
So, how can you write your small business blog for SEO while sticking to your brand voice and keeping your post fun, interesting, and engaging? Here are five simple tips:
Be very clear on your topic.
Write for the reader first.
Freewrite your post, then add the keywords later.
Break the post up into sections and subheads.
Don't be afraid to let go of keywords that don't make sense.
Be very clear on your topic.
First, you want to be sure that the overall topic for your blog and the problem(s) you are trying to solve for your readers is clear. Having a clear direction for your blog is helpful to you as a writer and keeps you on topic. It is also beneficial to search engines, as well as, your audience, who will eventually recognize your blog as the place to get information and help around that topic.
Likewise, you want to make sure the topic of each post is clear and specific and doesn't go "down the rabbit hole" into side topics. For example, instead of writing one lengthy blog post about SEO for Blogs and having to include all the relevant keywords that may fall under that topic, you can write several separate blog posts on those specific keywords:
SEO for ALT Text and Meta descriptions
Building Internal Links and Backlinks for SEO
Using Images for SEO
How to Write SEO-Friendly Titles and URLs
When you keep your topics specific, you won't feel pressured to pull your content in many directions or pack in a bunch of keywords that may or may not make sense. It makes your content easier and more natural to write, and it makes it more fun to write.
Always keeping your blog topic and reader intent in mind goes a long way in writing an authentic, SEO-optimized blog post that your readers will be excited to read and pass on!
Write for the reader first.
While keywords and writing for SEO are important, writing with your audience in mind is more important. As you write, it helps to think of the blog as a single person you are speaking with and providing answers to. Think about the actual question (and variations of that question) a person would type into Google when they sit down to seek a solution to their problem at hand. More often than not, those are the keywords and keyphrases you want to keep in mind as you write your post.
One of the best ways to write for your reader and their specific problem is to know your buyer persona well. I talk more about creating a buyer persona and knowing your audience in my guide to content creation.
Freewrite your post, then add the keywords later.
When writing for SEO, I've always found it extremely helpful to write out everything I need to say and then go back and add any keywords or keyphrases I missed. Doing it in this manner ensures that I stay focused on writing for my reader and not for SEO, and it helps me to write more naturally and remain in my brand voice.
Regardless of where your website ends up in the search engine rankings, the content must be engaging if you want your audience to read your blog. And for the content to be engaging, it needs to be written with the reader in mind first and SEO keywords second.
Break up the post into sections and subheads.
According to Yoast.com, shorter paragraphs are one of the components of an SEO-friendly post.
"An SEO-friendly paragraph should be rather short. Try to keep paragraphs to a maximum of 10 sentences. You can have some paragraphs that are longer. Mixing up shorter and longer paragraphs makes for a good read."
Not to mention, breaking up the post into sections and subheads helps to break up the monotony of the post and gives the reader's eyes a rest.
You should always include your keyword or keyphrase in the Headline or Title. In the opening paragraph, you will want to be clear about the topic you'll be discussing and why it matters to the reader. Try to include the keyword or key phrase in the opening paragraph whenever possible.
It also helps to break the main body of the post into subheads where you can focus on writing for SEO and solving the problem for that particular subhead only. The titles of those subheads should include the keyword or keyphrase or a variation of it when possible, once at the very least. Use your final paragraph to reiterate the problem, summarize each subhead, and provide them with any takeaways to help them execute the advice you've given.
Don't be afraid to let go of keywords that don't make sense.
As you do keyword research on your topic, you're going to find that there are many keywords, related keywords, and keyword variations that are "required" if you want your blog to be ranked higher in the search engines. And if you're using a tool that grades your content based on those keywords, you will be tempted to fit in every single one.
However, that isn't necessarily a good idea because it could lead to keyword stuffing (using the same keywords repeatedly in your text) or cause you to lose your authentic voice as you try to get them all in. If a keyword or keyphrase doesn't make sense for your blog post, let it go! The readability and ability to engage your readers while getting your point across is far more important than stuffing a bunch of keywords that don't flow with the natural voice of the blog. Save the odd keywords and phrases for your page URLs and image ALT text.
Writing for SEO is a learning curve, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Always keeping your blog topic and reader intent in mind goes a long way in writing an authentic, SEO-optimized blog post that your readers will be excited to read and pass on!
For more tips and tricks for getting your blog or website SEO up to speed, I invite you to download my FREE SEO guide. Or, contact me today for a free 30-minute one-on-one chat to discuss your questions and concerns.
