Welcome to my latest post onSEO content writing, where we will answer a question that says:
What Is SEO in Content Writing?
SEO in content writing is very crucial if you want your content to generate organic traffic as a blogger, freelancer or online business owner.
If your content doesn’t show up on search engines, mostly Google and AI-powered search tools, your content won’t get traffic, no matter how quality it is.
In this blog post, you’ll learn what SEO in content writing means, how it works, and how to apply it in your content writing strategy—even as a complete beginner.
TL;DR
SEO in content writing is the process of creating content that is optimised for search engines without compromising the quality, making it readable, useful and engaging for human readers. It involves performing keyword research, optimising for search intent, understanding content structure, and using on-page SEO techniques.
My top SEO tools for my SEO content:
What Is SEO in Content Writing?
SEO in content writing is a process of writing content to rank higher on search engines like Google while still delivering quality and value to readers.
The SEO in content writing combines two main elements:
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – making content discoverable on search engines.
Content writing – making content helpful, clear, and engaging your audience without losing or diluting its quality.
In simple terms, SEO content writing ensures that:
- Search engines understand the main goal of your content
- Users find useful answers to their questions
- Your pages rank higher and gain organic traffic over time.
In your SEO content writing, you must maintain a balance for search engines and humans.
You’re writing for humans and optimising for search engines. This is why it is essential to understand how to write search engine optimised content that yields results.
Before we move further, let’s take a look at what SEO in writing.
What Is SEO in Writing?
Many people often ask about what SEO in writing is and whether it differs from SEO content writing.
They are closely related and not much different between the two terms.
SEO in writing focuses more on:
- Naturally using keywords in content without diluting it
- Structuring content for readability
- Understand the search intent
SEO in content writing goes a step further by:
- Planning content based on keyword research
- Formatting and optimising headlines and subheadings to make the content readable.
- Making content align with Google ranking factors
In the SEO world, both terms are often used interchangeably.
What Is SEO Friendly Writing?
Just like SEO in writing, many people also use this term, so I want to explain it to have a better understanding of these terms.
SEO friendly writing is just a way of creating content for both search engines and humans to understand.
When writing content, you want to ensure that it is aligned with search intent before it can rank on Google.
Also, need to put humans in mind. If your content doesn’t answer your readers’ questions, even if it’s ranked on the first page, it won’t take long to lose its ranking.
Google is smart these days, and it can detect whether your content helps your readers or not.
To write SEO-friendly content:
- Uses clear headings (H1, H2, H3)
- Includes relevant keywords naturally
- Answers search queries and questions clearly
- Is easy to read on any device
If your content is SEO friendly, there is a chance it will rank higher on Google and gain AI search visibility.
Many SEO experts don’t follow all the elements that can make content SEO friendly, which we will discuss later.
Why Is SEO Content Writing Important?
SEO content writing is important because it helps your content:
Rank higher on Google search results and get consistent organic traffic.
Attract more traffic and visibility on AI search engines. Many SEO experts are now optimising their content for an AI overview.
We’re in the era of AI, and data shows that website displays by AI search tools are getting 10x more traffic.
Build authority and trust in your niche. If you want your readers to trust you and your content, you need to offer more valuable content to engage them.
Generate leads and sales for your business.: Organic traffic converts better than other source and that is the reason many experts .blogger and small businesses take more time to write better content to outrank their competitors.
SEO content driven traffics once it ranks, unlike paid ads that require more investment.
There are more benefits of SEO when it comes to building an audience, generating leads and scaling your business.
And these reasons are behind many big brand spend more money on SEO to dominate search engines.
Now, let’s delve into the key element in content writing. This will prepare and guide you to write SEO content for your business or clients.
Key Elements of SEO in Content Writing
There are many things to put into consideration to make your content SEO friendly.
The first key element in SEO content writing is keyword research.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is a way of finding and analysing words and phrases (keywords) that people search in search engines like Google to discover information.
It helps you understand:
- What people are searching for
- How competitive is a keyword?
- What words or phrases does your audience use to search for information?
Here is how it works.
When preparing your content, choose one main keyword and find some related keywords.
For example, let’s say you want to write about ‘how to prepare coffee’.
Your main keyword is: how to prepare coffee.
Other related keywords you can include in content are:
- How to prepare coffee and tea
- How to prepare coffee with milk
- How to prepare coffee without a machine
- etc.
One easy way to rank on the first page fast is to choose low-competition keywords. These are keywords that are easy to rank, and the competition is very low.
The next is search intent optimisation.
I have used Keysearch keyword tool, and I can recommend it. You can read my honest Keysearch review and check the Keysearch price if it meets your needs.
Search Intent Optimisation
What is search intent?
Search intent, also called user intent, is the reason behind someone searching for information. It is the answer to the question: What does this person actually want to do? People might want to learn something, visit a site, buy a product online, etc
Search intent means why someone is searching for something.
Like the example above, when you’re searching for How to prepare coffee, your intent is to learn different ways to prepare coffee.
There are three main types of search intent:
- Informational – looking for answers
- Commercial – comparing options
- Transactional – ready to buy
If you want your content to rank, it must match the search intent.
Content Formatting and Structure
Content structure and formatting is very important for readability.
When the audience lands on your page on any device, it must be clear, easy to read and scan through.
Well-structured content:
Must use short paragraphs with bullet points and lists. Then break the content section into headings and subheadings.
Using subheadings such as H2, H3 and H4 can make your content more readable and easy to digest.
This can improve SEO performance and lower the bounce rate.
Because when your content helps your audience, they will be happy to read the whole content and spend more time on your website.
This lowers your site bounce rate and tells Google that readers love your content.
This will trigger search engines to move it to the top.
On the other side, if you rank on page one, and readers come to your page and leave instantly, it tells Google that readers are not satisfied with your content.
This will increase your bounce rate and send a signal to Google that your content is not helpful.
Basics On-Page SEO
The next key element in writing SEO content is on-page SEO.
This is very crucial and one of the Google ranking factors, so don’t play with it.
If the on-page SEO of your site is not properly optimised, it can hurt your ranking.
SEO content writing also includes:
Optimised meta titles and descriptions: This means you must include your main keyword in the title and probably in the description of your content.
Clean URLs: Make your page URLs short and not too long.
According to the SEO experts, it can’t be longer than 60-75 characters to keep them short and descriptive.
Internal linking to related pages: This is another Google ranking factor.
Interlinking your pages is very crucial for SEO, a process of linking one page to another.
Internal linking for SEO is a way of connecting different pages within the same site for a perfect structure to help users and search engines navigate and understand what the page is all about.
When visitors are on your page, you can recommend other content on other pages that are very relevant.
In this way, visitors read more than one page before leaving your website.
And linking to other pages can help it rank higher in search engines.
User Experience & Readability: Writing content to rank on Google is not only about SEO, it must also satisfy user intent and create a good experience.
And that is the reason Google favours content that users enjoy reading and offers value.
To improve user experience and readability, focus on using simple language, clear explanation and formatting for mobile devices.
In addition, your website must be mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.
If you’re using a CMS like WordPress, some plugins and themes can help you create a site that loads fast and is mobile-friendly.
Now, we have learnt about some key elements in creating SEO content that can rank on search engines.
Love delves into how to write perfect SEO content that can drive more traffic and improve website visibility on AI search tools.
I wrote about the best SEO automation tools for anyone looking for easy to use tool to automate thier workflow.
How to Write SEO Content Step by Step
Step 1: Choose the Right Keyword
The first step in writing SEO optimised content is to perform keyword research.
With keyword research, you can find the main keywords for the content.
You can use keyword research tools like Semrush, Keysearch, Ubersuggest and Google keyword planner to find low competition keywords to rank fast on search engines.
Choose a keyword with:
- Good search volume
- Low competition
- Clear intent
If you have a new website, I don’t recommend choosing a keyword based on search volume.
Find a keyword that has low competition with a clear intent.
We don’t want to compete with the authority website, as it may take more time and effort to outrank them.
Find relevant keywords you can include in your content to help it stand out.
If your keywords are ‘How to start a new blog as a beginner.
You can find more relevant keywords for your content, such as how to monetise your blog, how to optimise your blog post, etc.
Taking more time to do in-depth keyword research is crucial, and there is more to learn about using a keyword research tool.
Step 2: Analyse Top-Ranking Pages
As I said earlier, we don’t want to compete with an authority site with a DA of 50 or above.
You will need to check the top 10 websites on Google based on your keywords.
Analyse them to give you ideas of what to include in your content, how to optimise it, etc.
Here is what you need to check:
- Word count
- Headings used
- Questions answered
- Content gaps you can improve
SEO tools can analyse all websites ranked on the first page and give you suggestions on how to optimise your content.
If you want to do it manually, just go to Google and type your keywords in the search bar.
Open each page URL and check the content and how it was structured.
Check the world count of each page, heading use and the content gap.
Content gaps are topics, keywords or phrases your page doesn’t cover but the audience is searching for.
These can help you write well-optimised SEO content that ranks fast while still offering value to readers.
For content to be properly formatted, outline it using heading H1 to H4.
Step 3: Create an SEO Optimised Outline
Before typing a word, make sure you have a proper content outline using headings and subheadings.
Your title will be H1, while the sub-title will be H2 to H5.
This will help to make your content more readable and easier to scan through.
Step 4: Write for Humans First
Write For human first means you create SEO content that your readers will love, answer their questions and provide value.
Your content must be readable, shareable and discoverable.
It is important to optimise your article to be discovered by Google, but put your readers in mind first.
Does your content resonate with your readers? Content quality is another ranking factor to consider before you even write a word.
Step 5: Optimise Naturally
This is where you need to play your game right.
You don’t need to trick Google. Those days have gone. When optimising for SEO, don’t dilute your content with keywords; include them naturally to flow along the content.
Here is how to optimise your content naturally.
Include keywords:
- In the title
- In headings
- In the first 100-150 words
- Naturally, throughout the content
Avoid keyword stuffing. Keyword stuffing is the act of excessively and unnaturally repeating keywords within the content to manipulate search engines to rank your page or website.
Keyword stuffing worked some years back, but now, if you’re cut, your site will lose everything.
Have you probably heard about the Google core update?
Google algorithm changes every time, and during the last update, many website loses their ranking, and their traffic dropped significantly.
Step 6: Add Internal & External Links
Both Internal & External Links are core Google ranking factors that can increase your search ranking if done properly.
They help search engines understand the context and authority of your website.
In SEO, external links are links that point from your website to another site or another site to your site.
Outbound links is when you link to another website, while inbound links or backlinks is when other sites link to your website.
Let’s say, I link to Google Keyword planner, that is an outbound link, and when Google links to my website, that is an inbound link.
Internal links are important, and when you publish new content, it is essential to link to it.
Remember, internal links are links that link one page to another page within your website.
When you follow all these steps, you will be able to write a complete SEO content that can rank fast on Google and also gain AI visibility.
SEO Content Writing Examples
Let’s take a look at some of the SEO writing content samples.
Without SEO:
Content writing is important for businesses. It helps people understand products and services.
With SEO:
SEO content writing helps businesses gain organic traffic by creating content optimised for search engines and AI visibility while offering value to readers.
The second example focuses on keywords and is more useful.
SEO Writing vs Traditional Content Writing
| SEO Writing | Traditional Writing |
| Optimised for search engines and AI search tools | Topic-focused |
| Not optimised for search engines | Not Optimized for search engines |
| Structured for ranking | Less structured |
| Data-driven | No data-driven |
SEO Writing Mistakes to Avoid
Now, you understand how to write better Search engine optimised content, let’s look at some common mistakes you must avoid when writing or drafting your content.
No Keyword stuffing: Avoid excessive use of keywords in the content.
Don’t ignore search intent: Your content should be based on what people are searching for and what they want to achieve.
Don’t write long blocks of text: Break your content into easy-to-read paragraphs.
Avoid thin or shallow content: Google prioritize quality content that adds value to readers. Avoid thin or shallow content that has no benefit to your audience.
Not updating old content: The new Google algorithm now favours regular content updating. Always update your old content to make it fresh.
Avoiding these SEO mistakes can improve your site rankings.
Best Tools for SEO Content Writing
Many SEO tools can help you to automate most of your tasks.
Some popular tools include:
Keyword research tools: My favourite keyword tools are SemRush, Keysearch and Undersuggest.
Content optimisation tools: There are content optimisation tools to optimise your article for better ranking. I have use Keyseach tool, and it works very well.
Grammar and other tools
SEO Tools help, but a strategy provides more results.
I wrote a comprehensive guide on the best SEO tools for beginners to automate most of your SEO tasks.
SEO Content Writing Tips for Beginners
If you’re a beginner in SEO content writing, follow this guide to write a well optimized content that can show in the AI overview and rank on search engines.
- Focus on one main keyword per page include relevant keywords strategically.
- Write naturally, don’t depend on AI tools.
- Use synonyms and related terms in your content
- Answer questions clearly in your content to help your readers.
- Update content regularly; search engines love fresh content.
Understand that Consistency is key.
Conclusion
Understanding what SEO in content writing gives you an advantage over others.
When you combine strong writing skills with SEO best practices, you can create content that resonates with your readers, ranks on Google, shows in AI overview, attracts traffic, and delivers long-term results.
Whether you’re a blogger or freelancer, mastering SEO content writing is one of the best skills you can invest in to become an expert.
If you have a question about what is SEO in content writing, let me know from the content section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SEO in content writing?
SEO content writing means creating content that search engines can understand and is helpful for humans.
Is SEO content writing difficult to learn?
No. Content writing for SEO just requires basic knowledge of search engine optimisation, beginners can learn it by follow simple guide.
Can beginners do SEO writing?
Yes. Many successful bloggers and freelancers started with no SEO experience. But you can learn it within a short time.
What is the difference between SEO writing and copywriting?
SEO writing focuses on attracting organic traffic, while copywriting focuses more on persuasion, conversions and sales.
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