Of course they still need to be interesting to the audience as well. In fact, that’s even more important if you want to rank seeing as Google’s job is to help its users find content that will be interesting, relevant and high value. As such, the rules of writing SEO articles will generally overlap with the rules of writing more broadly. To write a good SEO article, you must first be able to write a good article (we wrote a post on this very subject recently). The difference though is that you then need to do a few things on top of that in order to make your content more SEO friendly. Here we will look at some steps to take to ensure your content will be loved by Google. Read these and you should be adept in providing your clients or your own blog with effective ‘SEO’ content.

1. Understanding Keywords

Perhaps the most talked-about factor when it comes to writing SEO articles, is the use of keywords. Keywords are essentially the terms that a company wants their articles to rank for, so that when someone searches for a particular service, product or piece of information, their site will show up at the top.

Keywords need to be researched first however to ensure that they a) are being searched for and b) don’t have too much competition. Once a company finds a ‘sweet spot’ they will identify the keywords and pass them on to you as the writer.

This then means you have to insert the keywords into your article in a subtle way – repeating the term that your clients have selected or that your research has identified but without making it seem awkward or forced.

Your keywords should be used throughout your content but they also need to appear in the headings and titles and at the start and end of paragraphs. These spots are considered more important as far as Google is concerned, so consider it ‘bonus points’ if you get them in there.

2. Correct Keyword Density

While doing this you need to maintain the correct ‘keyword density’, which is about 1-2%. In other words, your content should consist of 1-2% keywords with the rest being natural content as you would normally write. If you include your keywords more frequently than that 1-2% then you will find that Google actually penalizes the content because it will look as though you’re trying to ‘play the system’.

Unfortunately, some clients who have done just a minimal amount of reading on the subject will think that 1-2% isn’t enough and will urge you to repeat the keywords more frequently. As they say, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing!

So what do you do? Well, if you’re providing a writing service then you should normally go along with your clients’ requests. They know best and as long as you perform the job you’re given, you should be fine. If you’re providing SEO services though, then your value is going to be judged by the results you get so argue your case strongly.

Lastly, if it’s for your own site, make sure that you are writing for your users first and for Google second. Monitoring precisely 1-2% density is actually missing the point – instead just write naturally on your subject and let the keywords arrive naturally.

3. Dealing With Awkward Keywords

Sometimes you will come across articles online that have attempted to ‘stuff’ awkward and specific keywords and this is what results in awkward phrasing like this:

“Have you ever wondered ‘where can I buy hats online’? Now you know the answer to ‘where can I buy hats online’!”

Hardly Shakespeare is it?

More awkward still are ‘local keywords’ which include place names. Some clients will find that people search for terms like ‘buy hats Minneapolis’ and this then results in phrasing like:

“And that’s why you should always shop around before you buy hats Minneapolis!”

Urgh.

The best thing to do here from a purely ‘results’ standpoint is to ignore the requests of the client and to remove ‘Minneapolis’ from their keyword. Instead, the local aspect can come from the keyword being used elsewhere on the site – even in the URL or header.

Again though, you’ll find that some clients don’t take kindly to this. If you’re providing copywriting services then your job isn’t to second guess the client. You can always express your concern prior to writing but otherwise just carry out your instructions.

4. LSI Optimization

LSI optimization is a relatively new term that stands for ‘latent semantic indexing’. While it sounds very fancy though, it’s essentially just jargon for what you should always have been doing in the first place.

Point is, Google is getting smarter. These days, Google can actually understand the content on your page and thus is able to look for synonyms and related words. It can likewise do the same with the search strings that users are looking for to second guess what they actually mean versus what they say.

For instance, when you search for ‘LSI Optimization’ you’ll find that ‘Latent Semantic Indexing’ is also highlighted in the search results because Google knows that they are one and the same thing. Likewise, they’ll be looking for words like ‘SEO’ and ‘Google’ in your content to make sure that they don’t bring up articles on: ‘Lemon Sifting Index’. That’s not a thing… but you get the point.

So to ensure that your content is actually relevant to the topic and to ensure that you are a good writer, Google will look for synonyms and related terms. You should write around the subject for this reason and make sure that these terms come up whenever possible.

This is really just a matter of writing naturally but brushing up on your vocabulary won’t hurt either.

It’s also another reason why the smarter clients won’t try and force the issue with their specific search terms.

5. Content Length

The length of your content should be ‘as long as it needs to be’ as again you should be serving the reader and not Google (ironically, in order to impress Google).

That said, research tells us that Google prefers longer content. Longer content inherently provides more value and it has also been shown to generate more backlinks from other users (the more people link to your content, the higher it will rank as well).

Delivering quality and value is your first port of call and writing long-form content is a means to this end. At the same time, longer content is more likely to include more repetitions of your keyphrase (while maintaining ~1-2% density) and it is likely to include more natural LSI optimization. It’s also more likely to include ‘long tail keywords’ which are the random phrases like ‘how do I dye my blue hat red?’ that can provide a lot of benefit when you have enough of them. You also give yourself a chance of being featured as an ‘in-depth article’ on the SERPs this way.

When you do write long-form content, make sure you include lots of headers and paragraphs to break up the text and to ensure the visitors can skim read your content if they want to.

The only problem is that most clients pay by the word. This then means that you will be given a word count to stick to in the majority of cases. If you’re writing for yourself, go long. If you’re writing for a client… do what you’re told. Some clients though will have the good sense to let you write as much or as little as is needed.

6. Accuracy and Links

The other main way to provide value in an article is with accurate and useful information. Google is reportedly beginning to fact-check content against a ‘knowledge vault’ in order to ensure it’s returning correct answers. Make sure then that you are doing your research!

Linking out to other resources can also be useful for improving the apparent value of your content. This helps Google to more accurately identify the subject you’re writing on, it provides the users with more information and turns your article into an even better resource in itself.

7. Other Forms of Marketing

SEO is one form of digital marketing with social media marketing being another of the most popular ones. Most clients and bloggers are going to want to combine SEO with social marketing and other techniques in order to get the best results.

Thus an SEO article should also be a social article. This means that your content needs to easy to read, engaging and original. It also means that you should use titles and images that will be conducive to sharing. Think BuzzFeed but without the trashiness.

This is also directly beneficial from an SEO standpoint as it means more people are more likely to link to your content for you. This is called ‘link bait’ and it results in a natural and organic links profile.

So there you have it: the basics of writing SEO articles. There is a little more to it than that and it’s also important to remember that Google’s algorithms are constantly learning and evolving. The main take-home message though is use keywords in a subtle manner and to focus primarily on long, well-researched content that delivers real value to the readers.

The post How to Write an Original SEO Article: 7 Key Steps to Keep in Mind appeared first on TextBoss.

Without any further ado, here are 20 tips for creating content that engages readers, helps you get your marketing message across and, most importantly, helps your website rank:

1. Know Your Audience – You can’t effectively market anything without knowing your audience. This principle applies to creating stellar SEO content too. To create content that captivates and excites, you have to know what captivates and excites your intended audience. If your target demographic is approaching retirement age, for instance, don’t focus on things like child-rearing and career advice. It will leave your audience cold and doom your efforts to failure.
2. Create Great Headlines – After crafting a great piece of content, you may be tempted to give it a simple, generic title and be done with it. Guess what? Even if the piece is truly first-rate, it’s less likely to gain traction without a compelling headline. Be sure to include relevant keywords too.
3. Make Your Content Scannable – When presented with long, uninterrupted blocks of text, even the most studious among us are likely to click our way elsewhere. This is especially true with online reading, where people expect content to be broken up into easily digestible pieces. Facilitate this by creating short, concise paragraphs and by breaking them up with keyword-rich subheadings.
4. Use Approachable Language – Unless you’re writing technical copy for a very specific niche audience, always use an approachable style. Put simply, try to write similarly to how you speak. How would you explain this topic to someone in person? For your first draft, pretend that’s what you’re doing. You could even use a speech-to-text app to facilitate this step. On the next draft, you can polish it up to be more appropriate for consumption on the Internet.
5. Keep it Factual – Nothing can detract from the quality of your content like fluff–pointless, generic words that amount to little more than filler. When it comes to quality content, every sentence counts. Fill yours with as many facts as possible. Every sentence should convey something of consequence. This will establish you as an authority in your niche, making people gravitate to each new piece you post.
6. Stop Worrying About Keyword Density – In the early days of SEO, conventional knowledge dictated that highly ranking content adhered to specific keyword densities. If you’re still in this mindset, it’s time to switch gears. Overloading your content with the same small handful of keywords makes it clunky, cumbersome and awkward. Who wants to read that? More importantly, the search engines are onto this kind of thing and often penalize sites for engaging in keyword stuffing.
7. Try LSI Instead – Don’t take the previous point to mean that keywords no longer matter; they do! These days, though, search engines use latent semantic indexing, or LSI, to make sense of the content on any given page. Search engine algorithms use LSI to form connections between various words. For instance, if words like “toddler,” “tantrums” and “advice”–along with similar words–are detected, the algorithm uses its knowledgebase to infer that the content provides tips to parents about coping with the terrible twos. What does this mean for you? Instead of selecting a strict list of keywords and forcing them into your content, use a core base of keywords as inspiration for synonymous, relevant terms that the algorithms can use to properly identify the meaning of your message.
8. Use Long-Tail Keywords – Think about how people search for things online. They usually try to be as detailed as possible to get the most relevant results. Long-tail keywords, or key phrases, coincide with such search strategies. Incorporate them in your content to make it more relevant and meaningful and to help your page soar in the rankings.
9. Cite Your Sources – People are understandably skeptical of virtually anything they read online. Unless the information you’re providing comes from your own personal experience, always cite your sources. Make sure they are authoritative too; merely posting a link to a Wikipedia entry won’t suffice.
10. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread – Even if you’re an experienced and accomplished writer, typos happen to the best of us, and they can seriously detract from even the most useful, engaging content. Don’t stop with running it through a spell-checker; have another pair of eyes look it over too.
11. Fresh, New, Constantly Updated Content is King – This has long been the case, but the search engines love fresh, new content. Readers do too. With that being said, however, don’t let quantity push quality by the wayside. Posting a couple well-written, thoughtful, engaging pieces per week is far better than churning out dozens of mindless, typo-ridden posts during the same period.
12. Make it Unique – This ought to go without saying, but we’ll reiterate it for good measure: Online content must be unique. Avoid even inadvertent plagiarism at all costs. To be extra safe, use a service like CopyScape to ensure that your piece doesn’t match too closely with anything out there. Google and other major search engines penalize sites for duplicate content, so this is a biggie.
13. Craft Your Piece Around Questions People are Asking – Use Google’s online tools to find out what people are searching for regarding specific keywords and key phrases. Oftentimes, such queries are posed as questions. By seeing what kinds of questions people are posing to the search engines, you’ll gain inspiration for new pieces while providing useful, relevant, meaningful information to your readers.
14. Wrap Up with Calls to Action – Calls to action don’t have to urge people to buy something. They can simply ask people to share their opinions, or they can ask readers a question. Either way, try to wrap up your pieces with calls to action to engage your audience more effectively.
15. Stick with the Active Voice – When writing with the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. Effective online content always uses the active voice. “The boy kicked the ball” is an example of this; the subject (the boy) performed an action (kicked the ball). The passive voice makes for cumbersome sentences that annoy readers. “The ball was kicked by the boy” just doesn’t have the same spark.
16. Craft Compelling Content – Even if you’re not going to share your content on social media, write it as if you are. This is a great way to ensure that it’s compelling and engaging.
17. Write Long Articles Too – While effective content should be easy to scan and read, it doesn’t have to be constrained to a couple hundred words. In fact, studies have shown that longer articles often pack more punch. Of course, that’s only true if the subject warrants that kind of length. Put simply, don’t feel like you need to wrap up an informative, interesting post just because the word count is approaching 1,000 or more.
18. See What’s Working with Analytics – As the old adage goes, don’t work harder–work smarter. Do this with your content by paying attention to how it resonates with readers. Analytics can help you make sense of the situation. Which posts seem to draw traffic? Which seem to flop? By using analytics, you can constantly hone your content creation strategy.
19. Include Outbound Links – Link building may not be the be-all, end-all of SEO like it used to be, but the search engines still look to links for clues regarding a page’s authority and relevance. When it makes sense, include outbound links to authoritative, high-ranking sources. This is a great way to seamlessly cite your sources too.
20. Heed Google’s Algorithms – Google constantly updates its algorithms, and it pays to keep up with those changes. Pleading ignorance won’t do you any good. Learn about what flies with Google and what doesn’t, and always heed those rules.

What do all these points have in common? They all dictate taking your time to craft content that resonates with human readers while adhering to SEO best practices for the benefit of the search engines. The bottom line: With great SEO content writing, slow and steady always wins the race.

The post What Makes Great SEO Content Writing appeared first on TextBoss.

#1: Listen to your clients. This is perhaps the most important tip to offer. Most often, those seeking copywriting, website content or blog posts have ideas of their own but they don’t always know how to put it together. By listening and asking questions, you can customize the results to meet their needs. Your job is to fill in the blanks and wow them with your service!

#2: You need to have a thick skin. You will not make everyone happy. You will be told some harsh, critical things in fact. But learn from it. If you can keep your cool and move on you’ll end up with a happier client and your writing will improve as a result. Don’t fight with the client or you’re just wasting your time (think of the word-count of that angry e-mail!). If you feel you cannot do a project justice, back out and explain honestly but politely why you can’t work with them.

#3: Use content mills as a starting point, not a solution. Content mills like Textbroker.com are a good place to learn the ins and outs of the craft of SEO writing (though not really for most other forms of content writing). Use them to get your feet wet and learn from those who provide details.

#4: Learn how to write proposals and bids in the right way. Instead of telling all about yourself, use proposals as a way to show what you can do for the client. Flip them around to focus on specific clients and you’ll be sure to impress. This is your first interaction, so make sure it’s a positive one.

#5: Stick with your rates. I find this is the hardest part for some freelancers (especially the green horns). Set a minimum rate for what you will take and stick with it. If the client isn’t willing to spend a bit more for your quality work, walk away. I’ve found (and this is the hard truth) that low paying clients tend to be the hardest to work with and the most-picky and critical as well. If they’re already trying to get ‘a bargain’ this doesn’t bode well for their value to you.

#6: Create a portfolio on sites like Upwork (formerly oDesk) and Elance.com. Your portfolio should provide some information to your clients on what you offer, showcase your work and be a starting point for them. It’s your proposals that will ultimately sell you to them, though.

#7: Invest in Grammarly or other types of editing solutions. They work to help you become a better writer but also help you to spot errors. Here’s something I also believe – every writer needs an editor. There’s no way you will catch every one of your typos. Grammarly can minimize these risks significantly, though if you don’t have the funds to hire one.

#8: Get passionate about a subject, learn all there is to it and specialize in it. For me, my degree and experience has always been in finances. I’ve done well applying for jobs and bidding on projects because I know the terminology and the market. Dig deeper than Buzzfeed pieces or ‘lifehack’ articles; give yourself something that makes you stand out. The more specialized you are, the more targeted leads you can work towards.

#9: Set up a Google alert for words related to your niche. This way, whenever someone is looking for a “finance writer” they can find you easily. You can do this without much work by going to this location: https://www.google.com/alerts. It takes about five minutes to set up and can help you to find leads posted on company websites or in news articles.

#10: Create a website. My site (ContentWriter.org) isn’t where I want it to be right now – it’s being redone actually, but it nevertheless provides a spot for people to find me. It also gives them contact information so there is no delay in contacting me for my services. Eventually it will also include links to my work, my published books and my blog. Do you have a central location to send your clients for more information?

#11: Don’t do free samples. Once you have links on websites (more on that later) you don’t need to provide free samples to people requesting them. The fact is, they don’t need to see something specifically written for them if they can see what you’ve written previously in the area. It costs you time and money.

#12: For large projects, get a down payment upfront. One of the best reasons to work with Elance, for example, is because you can use their escrow system. It allows the client to fund or pay for the project upfront, reducing your risk and the client’s risk since they get to see the work first before paying for it. However, there’s also less chance someone will leave without paying.

#13: Don’t try to compete with overseas writers. Let’s be frank; with their very low cost of living, they can afford to work for pennies per word. However, when a qualified writer comes along, you are worth far more. Those who do not speak English as their first language cannot understand all of the intricacies that make English writing sound fluent. Don’t undervalue yourself.

#14: Get your articles up on sites like EzineArticles.com as a starting point. If you don’t have a blog yet or it does not contain client-quality material, use this site or others like it to get your name on the Internet. Byline work is critical! This site gives you a way to freely showcase your abilities. Sure, you have to write a free article but it is working for your benefit and will offer ROI in the long run.

#15: Use forums for writers (and content marketers) to gain leads. Often times, websites like WAHM.com and WorkPlaceLikeHome.com have other writers talking about their work, offering tips and even giving leads. Sometimes, clients will also visit these sites. Interact and be friendly. Learn along the way!

#16: Ask clients for a byline. A byline is simply your name appearing on the article as an author. You need this so that you can later showcase your information to your prospective clients.

#17: Use Facebook as a tool. You will find all types of freelance writer groups, both public and private, available on Facebook. These tend to be project based or they may be groups that share leads. Just head over to Facebook and browse available groups for freelance writers to get started.

#18: Yes, you are working from home but this is a business, not a job. You have to treat it as such. That means you need to work at marketing, bidding on projects and doing the work every single day. That’s a lot of work but it pays off if you put the time in. Do you really want to work 4 hours a day? If so, plan for that to happen in a few years, not right now as you are just proving yourself. You’ll have to work hard but I promise it is worth it.

#19: Don’t forget offline clients! Do you have business cards yet? Remember, this is a real business! That little home improvement company up the street or the restaurant you frequent may need help with blogging, social media, content writing or much more. Once you get comfortable with your skills and services, don’t be afraid to ask business owners if they need help with their website.

#20: Learn SEO. For free and low-cost education on search engine optimization, content writing, or just about anything else, visit www.udemy.com. You will not be earning college credit but you are learning the information and tools you need so that you can do your job. Plan to spend an hour a day learning, whether there, through reading blogs or through staying up-to-date on Google’s latest changes. Not only will learning SEO help you to promote your own website and reach new clients but it will also mean you can offer basic digital marketing services alongside your writing (to land those small business clients) or at least provide SEO optimized content. The latter is a requirement for a lot of clients.

#21: Get a contract whenever possible. Sure, one-time projects that are low-end may not need a contract. However, any project that you consider high value should involve a contract. In short, you want to be sure the payment terms are spelled out, delivery dates and specs are understood, and rights are given to the client only after payment is made to you.

#22: Pick up a copy of the Writer’s Market (a book that’s published annually) if you are interested in writing for offline publications, like journals, digests, magazines, etc. Generally, these gigs are much tougher to get, but over time, your skill and experience can help you qualify. You can also join their site for more information and support.

#23: Save all your content and have a back-up plan. Sometimes you’ll find that work you’ve written falls through if the client bails or doesn’t like what you’ve done. When this happens, there are plenty of ways you can still profit from the writing. Either sell it at a discounted price on a forum, publish it on your own blog or use it as a sample. Likewise, it pays to keep copies of your old work in case a client loses it or asks for edits and so that you can use it for research. Learning from copy you’ve previous written is actually easier than learning from the web as it will jog your memory. Remember: writing is valuable, don’t let a single ‘drop’ go to waste.

#24: Find what’s fascinating about every topic. Sometimes you’ll be asked to write about things that are plain dull and as a result you’re write more slowly (hello writers’ block!) and the quality of your work will suffer. Dig a little deeper though and there’s usually at least some aspect of a topic you can find interesting – even if it means combining it with a topic you would rather write about or with current events. Take this approach and the words will flow and you’ll learn a lot of amazing things. That’s actually one of the big perks of this job!

#25: Finally, keep at it. You will learn as you go. Never stop trying. Look for clients on a daily basis and then ask for references and referrals from those clients. Most importantly, keep your nose to the grindstone, turn projects around on time, take your time with them and be friendly and upbeat with anyone you email!

Sandy Baker is a published author of six, in-print books and a seasoned freelance writer with more than 10 years in the industry producing blogs, website content, articles, ebooks, and much more! Check out ContentWriter.org for more information and to get freelance writing services.

The post 25 Freelance Writing Tips from a Seasoned, Veteran Freelance Writer appeared first on TextBoss.