Great content is the backbone of search engine optimization (SEO). Great content keeps viewers coming back to your site and helps you rank higher in search results for your keywords. Search engine algorithms are written to help users find what they’re looking for, and often, that’s information, entertainment, thought leadership, or other types of great content.
But how do you write valuable, readable content – the kind of content readers will come back for again and again? You can do it if you follow these tips.
Know Your Purpose and What Your Audience Wants
Every piece of writing has a purpose, and before you start to write a piece of content, you should know what it’s for. Is the goal of the content to sell a product or service? To inform? To entertain? Does it seek to build new traffic and increase revenue from ad sponsorships? Does it seek to generate leads, or attract subscribers? Knowing the purpose of your content will help you craft it for that purpose.
Of course, you also have to know who your audience is and what they’re looking for in your site. Are they coming to shop, to engage with a community, to find information about your business? Who are these people who use your site and what search keywords are they using? What demographic groups do they belong to? What are the problems that they hope your business can solve? Answering these questions will help you tailor your content to the target audience.
Start with a Hook
All great content starts with a hook that grabs readers, draws them in, and compels them to keep reading the content. You have just a line or two to pique your reader’s interest. Start with a question, a compelling story, or some interesting data.
Make Content Easy to Skim
Most people don’t read every single word of the content they peruse online. Instead, they want to just skim through and get the general idea. So write your content to be skimmed. Use informative subheadings, short paragraphs, and lots of white space between those paragraphs. Include numbered lists and bullet points to make the content more digestible.
Use Simple Language and Active Voice
Talk to readers in a friendly, informal voice. Use active voice – it sounds less formal than passive voice, and it enables you to sound more personal and to address readers directly as “you.”
Eliminate Errors and Typos
Errors and typos can make your work look sloppy, like you don’t care about its presentation. They can also detract from your content’s credibility and authority. A large portion of readers are going to be turned off by typos and errors in your text and they’re going to stop reading because of them. To keep readers reading and keep them engaged with your page, proofread carefully. You might even have someone else go over your writing to look for errors, as it can be hard to identify errors you’ve made in text you’ve written yourself.
Optimize for SEO
Of course, any content you publish on a website should be optimized for search. Search engine optimization (SEO) for content involves researching SEO keywords and working them into your content in the title and subheadings, as well as in the text. Work in links to other pages on your website, where relevant. Tweak your metadata to include your primary search terms. You can use a Phoenix SEO services agency if you need help with optimizing your content, or your website in general, for search.
Finish with a Call to Action
You should finish your web content with a call to action where applicable. Maybe you want readers to subscribe to a newsletter, make a purchase, or watch a video. Include an effective call to action at the end of your content.
Writing great website content is an art, but it’s one that’s well worth mastering. When you publish great content on your website regularly, you’ll enjoy higher search engine rankings and more traffic – and your visitors will keep coming back for more.
