What Is SEO Writing and How to Make It Work for You in 2024

Learning how SEO works and mastering the art of search engine optimization is a valuable skill.

But, of course, SEO is a massive niche, so it’s best to start from the beginning. Since SEO writing is among the key concepts, our comprehensive guide explains its importance to marketers and publishers. So, what is SEO writing? Let’s find out.

Find in this article

• Defining SEO content writing
• How to write with SEO in mind
• What’s the importance of SEO writing?
• Why write SEO-optimized articles?
• Learn to write SEO descriptions
• What role do blogs play in SEO?

What Is SEO Content Writing?

Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, involves planning, creating, and editing content to improve a website’s ranking and attract as many visitors as possible. SEO is a vital part of digital marketing, with the ultimate goal of increasing revenue and boosting brand awareness. Thus, this marketing practice is not something you should ignore if you want customers to find you online.

So, what is SEO writing, and how does it relate to online visibility? In short, optimized content meets the requirements proposed by search engines. In most cases, we are talking about Google’s guidelines, given that this search engine dominates the market.

But, on the other hand, SEO writing also pleases the reader, not only the algorithm. In other words, content should be created with the reader in mind, and here’s why.

What Is Content Writing?

In essence, high-quality SEO writing is a balancing act between data science and art. After all, writers must follow various data-driven recommendations and best practices to comply with Google’s requirements. At the same time, the content should be engaging and interesting to attract visitors and convert them into loyal consumers.

Essentially, content creation is another broad field that includes aspects like music, video, graphics, and text. But, of course, we’ll focus on writing SEO content, i.e., articles, blog posts, landing pages, and various other content formats.

Content writing is an inbound marketing technique because readers should find the content by actively searching for it on search engines. That’s why it’s essential to optimize the pages and comply with recommendations to rank as high as possible. No matter how good your content is, it’s worthless if people never read it.

Why Is SEO Writing Important?

Google’s principles leave no room for doubt since it’s clear that generic and scraped content isn’t acceptable. Moreover, the basic guidelines instruct marketers and publishers to create content for users and never deceive them.

Even though Google periodically updates its algorithm, search engine optimization remains vital to visibility in search results. Landing a spot among the top 10 results in Google search is every marketer’s dream, and that’s why content marketing and SEO go hand in hand.

The latest SEO statistics show that two-thirds of clicks go to the top five results on Google. Since it’s impossible to land one of these positions without search engine optimization, marketers must go above and beyond to create informational and relevant SEO content. Without SEO-friendly writing, your website would never reach consumers, gain traffic, and generate new leads.

How to Write SEO Articles?

For high-quality SEO writing, the process starts way before you write a single word. As we’ve mentioned earlier, writing for the web combines pragmatic and artistic elements, making research one of the essential steps in writing SEO articles.

Namely, experienced marketers and writers typically start by generating content topics and doing keyword research. Also, they outline the content and follow content SEO best practices, focusing on meeting user intent.

So, once you create a document with relevant keywords, it’s time to write the article. But, of course, this process also requires paying attention to the content hierarchy and strategically positioning the keywords. Likewise, writers should always aspire to create informative content and cover every angle. By doing so, the article will meet SEO standards and have ranking potential.

AI writing tools such as ChatGPT and Jasper can assist in generating well-structured, optimized content that resonates with readers and search engines alike

What Is the Preferable SEO Writing Style?

Despite the technicality attached to it, SEO writing still leaves plenty of room for creativity. As we said, Google doesn’t approve of generic content, but readers also avoid such articles. Therefore, writers must find ways to meet editorial requirements and fill the text with natural-sounding keywords while providing value to the reader.

Also, writers must find the right tone of voice and adjust their writing to meet the overall style of the website. So, it’s not an easy task, and that’s why an SEO writer’s salary is around $41,000 a year. But, of course, SEO tips can make things easier, and these instructions can guide new writers through the process.

After a while, most SEO writers develop specific styles, showcasing their expertise and creativity through the written word. Some writers prefer informal writing, while others prefer academic writing. Yet, it all depends on a website theme and niche.

How to Create SEO Content?

In the previous iterations of the world wide web, content creation required much less effort and research. For example, keyword stuffing and similar black-hat techniques could fill up a page and deceive search engines. Nowadays, advanced algorithms quickly detect these practices. Google’s penalization can negatively affect a company’s reputation and online presence.

For that reason, marketers and website owners pay extra attention to SEO article writing and content creation. Even so, there’s never any guarantee your content will rank because multiple variables affect the positioning.

Nonetheless, SEO content revolves around responding to search intent. So, regardless of the niche, marketers should focus on building authority and becoming the best source for the topic. At the same time, content creators should consult data and check the performance of previous pieces to see what works best. Rank trackers like SerpWatch offer seamless integrations with analytics programs, and these apps can point your SEO campaigns in the right direction.

Write SEO Content for a Website

If you don’t want to get stuck on page 30 of the search results, you’ll need to align the content with the website’s philosophy while respecting primary SEO principles. Yes, balance is the key, but some methods come with a proven history of ranking high and converting readers into loyal customers.

For instance, titles and headlines are the entry points to your website, and they must leave an impression. Hence, one of the essential SEO content writing tips is to create titles that pack a punch. Likewise, structuring your posts with headlines and using the proper tag hierarchy will increase the chances of success.

In addition, savvy writers know that using external, high-authority sources is a must. So, your website content should be backed by reliable data. Also, another technical requirement for SEO writers is to provide opportunities for internal linking by using anchor text.

How to Write an SEO Description?

It’s no secret that, in 2021, long-form articles perform better than shorter texts. More precisely, SEO-friendly articles typically have between 1,000 and 2,500 words, but they can also be longer. Remember, the goal is to provide maximum value to the reader, and the only way to do so is to cover the topic comprehensively.

Also, writers need to help search engines discover the content in the first place. Thus, SEO content development also requires writing meta descriptions and accessibility tags.

Meta text, also known as a meta tag, is an attribute that briefly summarizes the page and provides a sketch of the contents. Search engines display meta descriptions within the so-called snippets, informing the visitor of what awaits on the page if they click the link. Most importantly, SEO descriptions should contain the primary keyword and stay within the prescribed limits (up to 160 characters for meta text).

How Do Blogs Help SEO?

We’ve mentioned that building website authority is a priority for web owners. Since blogs are the perfect playing field for SEO writers, many marketers incorporate blogging into their marketing campaigns. Through blog posts, companies can share targeted content explaining concepts and ideas related to their business.

In many ways, we can use the terms blogging and SEO writing interchangeably. So, by answering the question “what is SEO writing,” we also provided plenty of information on how to write blog posts.

Of course, blogging differs from SEO writing for landing pages, newsletters, or product reviews. Nonetheless, blogs can help your SEO efforts by inviting visitors to websites and keeping them engaged. As long as blog posts are relevant, creative, and well-structured, your blogging section can become an effective medium for meeting your marketing goals.

How to Write Content for SEO: The Takeaway

Admittedly, it can be challenging to keep up with the rules of content writing in the ever-changing digital marketing world. With every algorithm update, Google disrupts the balance by introducing new elements and guidelines. As a result, writers must follow the trends to stay competitive and prevent significant drops in ranking.

Only by writing quality content can you attract organic traffic, reduce bounce rate, and increase the time spent on a page. That’s why aspiring marketers and content creators should learn what SEO writing is and how to apply the best writing practices.

Finally, monitoring your ranking with high-quality SEO tools such as SerpWatch will tell you if the articles are well-received. Then, it’s all about using the winning formula and creating more SEO-friendly content.

Sources: Glassdoor, Google, Search Engine Journal