Are you tired of your content yielding poor results?
Sick of working hard to write useful information that goes unrecognised?
Content writing is a notoriously difficult task, but nevertheless, it remains one of the most crucial tools in the armoury of all SEO agencies. The difficulty in writing top-quality content is that it must cater to the contrasting needs of two different parties.
It must meet the technical requirements of search engine ranking algorithms, and the text-specific needs of casual web visitors searching for informative and engaging information. Therefore, all content needs to be written with SEO best practices in mind while ensuring it remains useful and adds value to the reader.
Bridging the gap between these competing requirements is a skill that the best content writers have mastered by refining a strategic approach to content production. The content writing team at RGC is no exception to this, and we adhere to our own carefully developed strategy.
In this article, we’ve addressed some of the most useful tips and tricks we use every day to maximise the effectiveness of our content writing. By using these actionable tips, search engine rankings will work to your advantage, and your readers will benefit from meaningful and valuable information that directs them to your business.
Always Consider Search Intent
Reputable SEO providers recognise the importance of producing content that targets keywords that are both frequently searched for and have an intrinsic relevance to the topic of their client. However, it’s only the best agencies that understand the importance of search intent. This means considering what sort of information web visitors are looking for when they search for a particular term. Search intent is a high priority in the raking of content, and when this is analysed, observable patterns generally tend to emerge.
Consider What The Keyword Is Used For
A search for a generic phrase such as “football boots” would generally see e-commerce category pages rank highly, as the search engine recognises that the individual is likely to be searching with the intent of shopping. However, a more specific search for “best football boots” would indicate that the individual is instead looking for more educative material. In this case, blog posts would instead be ranked more highly and offered greater visibility.
When selecting keywords to address within your content, the best SEO agencies consider the intent of the search, and then tailor their content to match. This can be done by taking a three-step approach.
Firstly, you must produce the most relevant and useful form of content, whether that is a blog post, a listicle, or an opinion piece. Then, make sure you display the content in an appropriate format and deliver it with a specific focus on favourable attributes that the searcher will be looking to achieve.
How You Can Implement This In Your Content
To see how you can implement this, consider the following example.
If you were to target the keyword “best locksmith” in your content, it would be important to recognise that this is an informative search term for which a blog post would be favoured within search engine rankings.
The format of your blog post would need to be conducive to their search, and a listicle addressing the most beneficial features of the specific locksmith would be appropriate.
Finally, the focus or angle of your content should centre around the most crucial features that the search would hope their chosen locksmith to hold, such as speed and accuracy.
Reel In Your Reader
All too often, quality content isn’t properly engaged with and its value is never fully realised. This is because very often, readers will quickly skim-read the introduction, and then search for the content that’s most relevant to them. All the hard work that goes into crafting quality content addressing different concerns is wasted if it goes unread. But how can you prevent this?
A Quality Introduction
The best SEO agencies recognise that a top-quality introduction that surprises the reader is most likely to grab their attention. In a similar vein to writing headlines for ad copy, it’s best to write start your introduction with something your reader wouldn’t expect. Remember that the best content acts as a conversation between the reader and the writer, so don’t be afraid to speak directly to your reader.
Your introduction is your first chance to make an impression on your reader, and all SEO providers know just how important first impressions are. Don’t jump straight into the content, bombarding your readers with information straight away. Ease them into it, and once you’ve initiated the conversation and set its tone, you can reel off the most vital information.
The Inverted Pyramid
The inverted pyramid approach centres around the idea that the most important information you write should be written as early as possible. But why should you do this?
Crucial to producing the best content is addressing the most important concerns of your readers. While SEO writers work to ensure every part of their work is valuable and useful, it’s inevitable that some parts of your content will be more relevant and helpful than others. No matter how hard you work, it’s also important to recognise that not every piece of your content will be given the same level of attention.
This is where the inverted pyramid approach can come into play. Paying particular attention to your introduction and first paragraphs is crucial. Unfortunately, readers will often lose focus and interest as your content progresses. Therefore, the best way to act on this is to write the most important, “must-know” information as early as possible within your content. You can leave the supplementary, “nice-to-know” information for later in the article for the most avid readers, making sure all readers notice the most important parts of your work.
Break It Up
It’s no secret that the best content that ranks highly often addresses a number of different concerns. However, this might mean that the content is particularly long, but it may help you attain higher search rankings. While this is a fantastic step towards online success, the best SEO providers understand that this is only half the battle.
The problem is, that this doesn’t guarantee that your content is actually being read, understood, and truly engaged with. To make sure your content captures the attention of your web visitors, an important step to take is simply breaking up your content in different ways.
Subheadings and Paragraphs
The easiest way to alter your work to make it more readable is to stagger your content into shorter, sharper paragraphs. This gives your reader the chance to take in the information and isolate its most important or relevant pieces more easily. To establish a reputation as a top-quality SEO agency, you’ll want to make easy reading a top priority.
User-friendliness is a crucial principle of all effective SEO activities, and content writing should be no exception to this. Including relevant subheadings or a table of contents is a great way to make it easy for your reader to follow your content. It helps them pick out its most useful parts and easily navigate through its various parts, ensuring they read the content that best meets their unique needs.
Quality Visuals Between Content
Aside from text-related pauses and gaps, infographics, images and other forms of media make for a welcomed break from blocks of text, regardless of its quality. The most reputable SEO agencies often have in-house graphic designers, so make the most of their expertise and produce quality graphics to accompany your text. These graphics can be useful in summarising your content and making it easier for your users to understand.
Plus, these graphics often prove far more engaging than blocks of text, and will likely keep your web visitors on your page for longer. Don’t forget, a picture does paint a thousand words, so take advantage of this and illustrate your points in a variety of different formats.
Write Content For Your Audience
The best writers are those that produce individualised content specific to their audience. Traditionally, this centres around the nature of the content and the problems it addresses, but the best content writers will go deeper than this. You need to look beyond the surface and consider the style of writing that will be favoured by your audience.
Most commonly, the average web visitor will be looking for an easy read that doesn’t test their vocabulary or their literacy skills. Recognising this and producing content that’s straight to the point is crucial in maintaining their attention and winning their business in the long run.
Shorten Your Sentences
A very simple way to increase the ease of reading is to shorten the length of your sentences. Many content writers can produce eloquent and expansive sentences with several conjunctions to link points together. While this might be favoured by academics, it’s not what the causal web visitor is looking for. The most successful SEO agencies understand this and instead produce content that’s simply easier to read and more engaging.
Speak Their Language
It’s also important to make sure you’re speaking the language of your target audience, ensuring you relate to their unique needs. There’s no better way to do this than by using insider language, showing the reader you understand their concerns and have the best solution.
Read through industry-specific content before you begin writing and make sure you understand some of the most useful language that’s used within its niche. However, it’s important to make sure you use this language in the correct context to avoid confusion. Nevertheless, if you get this right, it will help you relate to your readers and make your content instantly more credible and likeable.
