How to Write for SEO in 2024

You have no doubt heard of the saying 'the only thing constant is change.' This applies, among many things, to SEO (search engine optimization) as well. If you are looking to retain your competitive edge (and who isn't?), the secret to success lies in staying updated on the latest SEO trends.

Here's a close look at how to write for SEO in 2024 and beat competition:

Step 1: Research keywords

If content is king, keywords are king-makers. These are the words your target audience is using to look for products, brands, or services similar to yours. Keywords matter in inbound marketing methodology because you do not create content based on what you want to tell your customers. Instead, you create content around what your prospects want to know.

Keyword research helps you understand what your audience is looking for. In other words, it is the process you employ to find and analyze search terms your prospects are entering into search engines.

Keyword research helps you get valuable insights into:

• What questions or words your target audience is using to search on Google/other search engines
• What topics are popular
• How popular these queries are
• Their ranking difficulty
• The user's search intent.

So, how to perform keyword research?

Manual search: You can start looking for keywords on the same popular search engine most people use - Google. Leverage Google's Autocomplete function - which are the suggestions it offers when you type a search query. These autocomplete suggestions are actually pulled from trending, real-time searches, which make them valuable for SEO strategists. To find keywords, just type a keyword and see the suggestions that come up. Most suggestions that appear are long-tail keywords that you can use to craft your content.

You can also look at 'featured snippets' or 'position zero,' which is the first thing that appears on the search results pages (SERPs). It's different from other results in that it contains more information. Both factors make it more appealing to users than the other results on the page.

Use keyword research tools: A better way to look for keywords is to use simple tools like the one offered by SEMrush, Ahrefs, KWFinder, Ubersuggest, or Google Keyword Planner. These tools give you a wealth of data on the

• popular keywords in the category you choose,
• how difficult it is to rank for a keyword,
• and search volume (how many people are searching for this?).

While analyzing keywords, ensure you focus on the 'user intent' which impacts your ability to rank on search engines. Google and other search engines focus on providing the most relevant results to users than merely focusing on the keywords they use.

For instance, if a user is searching for 'SEO software,' do they want to:

• Know what SEO software means?
• Find and compare various SEO software to buy?
• Look for a specific brand of SEO software?

Entering the search term in Google will help you find what kind of results come up for the keywords. To sum up:

• Use keyword research tools to shortlist the best keywords
• Use the ones with high search volume
• Target keywords with low competition
• Focus on user intent and 'featured snippets.'

While we are on the topic, focus on voice search optimization as well. Thanks to Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, people are increasingly using voice search instead of typing the words. To enhance your SEO's efficacy, you need to focus on voice searches that can include abbreviations and longer phrases in conversational tones.

Step 2: Use LSI keywords

Your keyword research should also extend to LSI or latent semantic indexing keywords. These are the phrases and terms related to or are similar to your target keywords.

LSI keywords help provide the overall picture and context of your content for search engines, which helps your page rank higher.

How to find LSI keywords?

You can start with synonyms but make sure you go beyond them. For instance, For example, if the target keyword is "best beaches in Sydney," the synonyms can be "best coast or shore in Sydney."

But, by using terms related to the concept, such as "Sydney beach vacations" or "top Sydney beaches," you can make your content stronger.

Again, Google is a great place to start your LSI keyword search. You can find a group of related searches listed at the bottom of Google's search results page. For instance, for best beaches in Sydney, the related searches are:

• Nice beaches in Sydney
• Best beaches in Sydney near me
• Bondi beaches
• Quiet beaches in Sydney

You can also use keyword tools such as Google's Keyword Planner or a more specific tool like the LSI Graph that lists multiple related search terms you can incorporate into your content.

Step 3: Optimize your content

Now that you have your keywords, it's time to weave them into your content. The big question is, how often should you use them? While there is no magic formula, most marketing experts recommend keeping the keyword density between 1 to 2 percent.

With search engines becoming better and smarter at understanding the context of your content and the user intent, it is important to ensure your keywords connect naturally with your content. Stuffing them in your content can hurt your SEO efforts by impacting its readability and creating a poor user experience.

Remember that search engines reward authentic, useful, and engaging content. Here are some steps to follow to write content that converts:

• Understand your target audience (the demographics, likes, dislikes, the type of content, language preferences).
• Choose your topic wisely based on what your target audience is looking for.
• Create compelling, high-quality, and valuable content.
• Write naturally, and use keywords organically.
• Use a mix of primary, secondary, and LSI keywords.
• Check the keyword density.
• Place your keywords strategically in the title, throughout the body of the content, meta description, URL, sub-headings (H1, H2), and images.
• Optimize the length of your content - According to HubSpot research, the ideal length for lead generation is 2500 words.
• Craft a catchy title.
• Incorporate media-rich content by adding videos, images, infographics, and social media embeds.

You can try writing listicles or snippets that contain lists or steps for doing something. When done correctly, the listicle can get placed as a featured snippet on Google's search results page.

Step 4: Add supplementary content

Supplementary content refers to any additional content that enriches the user experience. Google prioritizes content with supporting material and complementary information that improves the reader's experience. Here are some examples of supplementary content that you can add to boost your SEO:

• Mini graphics
• Infographics
• Image cards
• Videos
• Navigation links
• Embedded tweets or social media posts
• CTA (Call to action button)
• Popups
• Sidebars
• User-generated content (reviews and comment box)
• Plugins and tools

Step 5: Optimize your webpage

Website optimization refers to the strategies, experiments, and tools you use to improve your website's performance. This includes optimizing the technical aspects (such as loading speed, ease of navigation, and content organization) and the design elements to give your users a rich experience. One of the important factors that boost SEO is the dwell time - or the amount of time your users spend on your webpage before they return to Google. For instance, if your webpage takes too long a time to load, the content is not relevant, or the design is unappealing, the user may return quickly to Google to choose something else.

If many users leave your site without meaningful interaction on the site, Google assumes the webpage is not relevant and may reduce your webpage's ranking.

Here are some strategies you can use to optimize your webpage:

• Ensure your website is easy to use and appealing.
• Make your URL relevant and specific to the page title.
• Ensure your website is responsive and adaptable to all devices (mobile, tablet, PC).
• Use smart title tags that tell search engines what your page is about. Keep the length of title tags to 70 characters and include keywords (specific to the page) and brand name.
• Write a keyword enriched meta description (between 170 and 300 characters) that gives search engines more details on your content.
• Add internal links to relevant pages.
• Optimize your website's loading speed, navigation, and interactivity. This is because Google lists the 'core web vitals' that enrich user experience as a combination of visual stability, loading experience, and interactivity.
• Integrate navigation and design elements to enrich your webpage's usability evoke appreciation and engagement.

Conclusion

These are the basic steps you need to get your SEO strategy right and stay ahead of the competition. However, remember that change is constant. Your target users will change in time, so will Google's algorithms and SEO best practices. One way to ensure your SEO tactics are working is to monitor its results. You can use tools such as Google Analytics to learn more about who is visiting your website. Keep monitoring the sources of organic search traffic to detect what keywords targets are using to arrive at your website. These tools also help you find out which keywords are leading visitors to take the desired action (purchasing a product, signing up, or downloading). An ongoing process of testing, monitoring, and adjusting is a great strategy to ensure your SEO strategy is on the right track.