Learn about the ways you can add optimisation techniques to an article or blog to achieve the best results.
You can find so many tips for article writing that it can get quite confusing deciding which ones to use. Every other digital marketing guru is touting their own technique for article optimisation, and it makes us wonder – whose methods should we trust?
The truth of the matter is that, while there are many ways to supposedly rank an article in search results, or to use that article to boost a website’s ranking, all you really need is to follow some basic rules and this is what we will talk about in this guide.
What Properties Does an Article Need?
You’ve probably already heard some of the common elements used in SEO articles – keywords, keyword density and keyword placements. But if you’re new to this concept, you may not fully understand what these things are or what their impact is to an article.
Keywords are words or phrases that people use when searching for a particular product, service or information online. For example, they may use “dog training” if they want to learn about this subject. Or they may type the words “dog training book” if they are interested in buying a book about dog training.
Keyword density, on the other hand, is the number of times a particular keyword appears on a page, or in this case, in an article. Some experts recommend a 1-3% keyword density but it’s been argued that it’s no longer important to reach a particular density especially after Panda. That’s because using keywords too many times could be seen as spamming and Google hates that.
Now when it comes to the proper placement of keywords, there are no hard and fast rules. However, experts recommend placing your main keywords in the title, subheadings and within the actual text, preferrably in the first and last paragraphs. Search Engine Watch explains that the placement of your keywords is more important than frequency because it gives Google an idea of what the article/page is all about since the search engines break down a site into key areas with the title and header being the main priority.
How to Add Improvements to an Article
Now that you already know the basic elements, the next step is to learn how to optimize your articles. But we’re not just talking about run-of-the-mill content for the purpose of boosting your ranking in the search engines. Our main goal here is to create GREAT content that people will want to read.
Professional writers know the secrets to creating a great article or blog. They’ve spent years learning the techniques, after all. Here are some of the most essential tips shared by these writers:
Find your golden keywords.
Keyword research is a crucial requirement when creating web content. You have to know what words or phrases your target customers are using to find products/services similar to yours. But keep in mind that you probably have at least a hundred other competitors on the Internet so picking a very general keyword won’t really help your cause. Use the Google Adwords Tool to find your keywords. If possible, pick low competition or moderate competition keywords as they’re easier to rank in search engines.
Research, research and more research
Now that you already have your keywords, the next thing you need to do is to research about your topics. If possible, write an article about something that’s not yet available on your competitor’s website.
Get ready to write.
If you’re not a professional writer, it may take awhile for you to create your articles or blog. This is normal and you should expect to encounter some difficulty along the way. What you can do is to create an outline of your article so ideas will flow easily when you start writing.
Then, create a catchy title and meta description, and an equally captivating first paragraph. Remember that when your article shows up on a search engine (Google), people will only see your title and meta description. These snippets will determine whether a person will click on the article or not.
And assuming the snippet got them interested, you have to maintain their interest by creating a catchy opening paragraph. First impressions last, and if your first paragraph looks boring, they’ll click out of your web page without even bothering to read the rest of your article.
Don’t forget to include VARIATIONS and SYNONYMS of the keyword in strategic places (title, meta description, and in the first and last paragraph – if possible). And when doing so, incorporate them as naturally as possible. You may also add words in between them so they aren’t awkward to read.
Adding external links within your article copy is also recommended for SEO purposes. Link to authority sites that offer content relevant to your niche. When linking, it’s not necessary to use your keywords. Instead, use descriptive words as anchor text that reflect the topic – and don’t always choose Wikipedia!
In the end, the only SEO tips for article writing you need to remember is to create content that your target readers want to read and make reading your article an enjoyable experience for them. Everything else will fall into place.