For many reasons people explore the internet for data related to entertainment, doubt clearance, job search, and the list never end. The end users are expecting the best results for their queries.
As the competition is very high, you need to stand out from the crowd with qualitative user-friendly content. Nowadays to satisfy the users, one should be the best in the competitive edge. The succinct and pertinent information provided always will have weight.
We have to look for smarter ways to attract an audience. Making contents appealing to people as well as optimized for the search engines is the biggest challenge for a blogger. Search engine optimization –SEO is the most privileged term in this field.
In order to help the sites to rank in the higher positions than the other sites showing the same search keywords, this optimization will help us. Many SEO firms use the tactics, ‘people first, and then search engines’. The content always should accomplish two golden rules:
- Appeal to the client (end user, readers, etc.)
- Give a solution to the specified problem
SEO Friendly Content Elements:
While creating a user-friendly content we have to take care of the following key fundamentals.
1. Legibility:
Legibility is a frequently overlooked part of the user-friendliness of the content. Always try to display the content in a pleasing way.
Methods to improve legibility:
- Use comfortable and appealing typography. (Font type, size, etc. to be considered)
- Complimentary icons can be considered to generate interest.
- Enough margin of white space will be a healthy aspect. The apt line spacing is 115% to 130% which will improve comprehensive reading.
2. Skim-able:
It is very difficult to stick to a long paragraph in this digital era. User-friendly keywords should be included in the content in different paragraphs. To simplify the paragraphs, we can break them into small bites.
- Use bullet points to catch the reader’s eye.
- Highlight the keywords (can use bold/italics)
- Break the article with use of smart subheadings.
- Complimentary visuals will always be an added advantage.
3. Understandable:
To make our content understandable, use simple language. That doesn’t mean to say less, instead, present things in lesser words.
- Try to avoid jargons and use simple speech.
- Cut out unwanted information.
- Lengthy sentences and large words can be excluded.
Develop original content:
The content should be authentic enough to stand out of the rest. Although the idea can be obtained from other resources, the perspective should be unique so that the content has obtained additional value. The content should be original that can be checked with plagiarism or Copyscape tools. The point is that search engines do not welcome duplicate contents and thus ranking higher in SERP’s would be affected.
Search Engines Vs Potential customers:
In order to please both the user and search engine more care has to be taken. The search engines may rank us high for certain content but the user may not get satisfied as it doesn’t provide any additional value to them. Such type of contents may get penalized by Google.
Different Types of SEO Content:
SEO contents can be any of the following types.
Articles:
Most of the newspaper or magazine style websites use these types of contents. It includes news, interviews, features, etc.
Guides:
Content is one which explains the way of doing something in a detailed manner. Normally guides will be longer and can be set into different web pages. The good practice for generating leads is to post only the summary on the main page and putting up a registration form to access the full content. But this may reduce SEO traffic.
E-commerce pages:
The details of the products sold through E-commerce are listed in this category. It plays a crucial role in the profit balancing of such sites.
Videos:
Videos can be an easy method to attract users. They are more engaging and effective when compared to the text part of it. So for the same keyword, the chances of higher rank go to the videos. Videos may include the tutorials of a product usage or illustration of a product.
Lists:
This is a kind of article framed as a list (such as “10 ways to reduce belly fats” or “windows updating in 4 steps”). These kinds of titles make the content catchy.
Slides:
A picture speaks 1000 times louder. A series of related images of content are displayed in the slide show. It always provides ease of less reading.
Google Ideologies:
In creating the crucial SEO friendly content, it is important to have a general awareness of the Google ideologies. Google’s black hat SEO algorithm and white hat SEO algorithm helps out in ranking. Black hat SEO includes the generating unethical methods of creating SEO. It includes cloaking, keyword stuffing, sneaky redirections, and automated queries to Google, etc. Usage of these tactics may lead to the banning of our site from Google.
White hat SEO tactics help to improve the ranking in various search engines. They act in line with the rules of various search engines. For an ethical sustainable business, always follow the white hat SEO strategy. White hat SEO includes
- Mobile friendliness and fast site loading time
- The use of keyword rich, descriptive tags
- Easy navigation
So before starting to write content, try to go through the search engine operation, search engine marketing, SEO basics, Keyword Research and strategy, SEO tools, website usability, and link building techniques.
Strategies to Develop SEO Friendly Content:
Always try to follow a systematic approach while developing content. A clear cut idea about the content should be ready in the writer’s mind. Starting from the goal defining, identifying the apt audience and finally analyzing the success story of the SEO content will determine the content ranking. The following methods will definitely find a way of making the best user-friendly contents.
Framing the keywords:
Always keep in mind the relevant keywords that help the user as well as the SEO. No need to use exact words again and again. Nowadays an added benefit from the search engines is that it will understand the variation of a keyword. For example, ‘easy pet cleaning techniques’, ‘A guide to clean your pets’ and ‘Pet cleaning –best ways’.
Creativity:
Keeping the primary focus on the audience, make the contents impressive and interesting. Copying the already existing content will lead to boredom and it won’t act positively in the ranking criterion. Make sure that the content is error free and trustworthy.
Begin with a bang:
A catchy and engaging title has an immaculate effect in drawing the attention towards the material. In the modern ‘no time – era’, people’s attention span is reducing and they will get frustrated soon if they are not getting what they want. Prioritize the content with the most relevant stuff at the beginning and less relevant at the end.
Linking:
Here is a chance to show our commitment towards the readers by providing some extra links to quench their thirst for information. Google always give a privilege to such contents. At the same time, other writers may feel that we value them and can expect the same from them. Thus the connectivity and sharing seek the attention of Google and other search engines.
Reduce Abbreviations:
Try to avoid abbreviations in the content and if it is a must, mention the full forms somewhere in the content. Abbreviations are chosen according to the audience.
Walk ahead of time:
Be ready with fresh content! As the frequency of updating content increases, the chances of revisits are high. A consistent provider of fresh information always attracts more audience and they will try to rely on it.
Optimize the content for mobile:
Nowadays 56% of internet usage is done through mobile or tablets. Optimizing the content for mobile devices is a necessity now. Mobile friendly websites are ranked higher by Google.
Tools to develop SEO Friendly Content:
There are many online applications and software to help us out there in content writing.
Hemingway App:
From grammar to spelling, all types of corrections are taken care of by this app. This also enables the competency checking. Word count tool will help with the required length of the content.
Ninjas –The optimization tools:
This tool provides one of the best internet marketing optimization. They guide us through the information to improve the site.
Paper Rater:
It is one of the comprehensive and powerful proofreaders. With the help of a cloud base software, the content is run through it. Accurate results are given in terms of grammar, plagiarism checks, etc. The greatest advantage is that no need of downloading or signing up.
Keyword WordStream:
This helps out in finding the appropriate keywords, without overusing it. Initially, users get about 10 free searches, after that one per day. It ensures the overall SEO ranking of our content.
Slick Write:
It helps in breaking down the content in many ways, like readability and word count. A detailed breakdown of numbers helps to stick to the 2000-2500 word count. (Google’s top ten list).
Keyword Density Checker:
As we don’t need more than 3% keyword density in the content, make sure that the content is not overloaded by the keyword. A density checker is an effective tool in this aspect.
Often a content writer has to go through the adverse sides also to keep him or her best in the business.
1. Keeping the pace:
It takes a lot of time to generate the required pace and momentum. No return can be expected at the beginning and the site won’t have much authority. To be in the field and building up the momentum is a time taking procedure.
2. Rapidly changing field:
As this field is highly competitive new technologies and trends are always welcomed. So we always should be ready to change. Adaptability is the major requirement in this field.
3. Learning curve-High:
Blindly we can’t start content writing. Best practices in this field should be analyzed first and then comes the active monitoring of the potential audience. The initial trials may be a flop but one has to wait patiently. Writer’s block is the main problem addressed by most freshers. The inability of a person to produce new ideas shows a weaker side of his creativity. A vast reading habit will always help to overcome this.
4. Fluctuating salary:
Sometimes we have to do work which will never get paid or less than the expected. According to the client requests, several changes have to be incorporated in the content and may appear like totally new work. We should be careful while choosing the content and for whom we do it. And ensure financial safety.
5. Zero employment benefits:
As this is a self-employment plan, employee benefits like bonuses, healthcare and pensions cannot be expected in this field.
Conclusion:
It is important to understand that writing skills are cultivable, and not just inborn. Through systematic efforts and by imbibing the well-proven strategies one can evolve as adept at content writing. The key lies in understanding the requirement of a potential reader in the article, to make the reading experience easy, and enjoyable. Always remember that well begun is half done! So the introductory lines should be as intriguing as possible so that the reader feels like digging further into the article.
Highlight the vital points- this helps a busy reader to quickly grab the info. Unleash the power of visual representations. A picture is worth a thousand words- use graphs, images or even animations which will effectively convey the messages to the reader. In short, to be successful, create content having the audience in mind, keep jargons and abbreviations at bay. The paragraphs and headlines should be understandable and the content is precise and to the point.