In this article, we will discuss:

• What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
• How do you optimize a website for search engines?
• Writing and formatting techniques that benefit search engine optimization (SEO).

Search engine optimization, or SEO for short, is a modern application of market research techniques. SEO involves predicting what your target audience will search for online, and maximizing your website’s chances of topping the results.

This can be done through knowledge of search engine algorithms, careful keyword research,  and expert writing.

SEO is a tool that cannot be ignored as business growth and success become increasingly tied to an online presence. Every sentence on a website provides an opportunity for boosting traffic and connecting with new clients.

How do you optimize websites for search engines?

A skilled SEO writer can combine market research with engaging content that draws visitors to your site and encourages them to explore.

SEO is not an exact science since trends and search engine algorithms constantly evolve. Fortunately, there are tried and true techniques that greatly improve your website’s chances of being visited.

Understanding Keywords

Keyword research is the foundation of successful SEO writing. There are a variety of free online resources designed for analyzing keyword trends. Even the search engine giant, Google produces some of these tools.

This enables writers to use a data-driven approach to improving web traffic. By weaving keywords into website copy and other content, you can improve the odds that your website will be listed more prominently when those keywords are searched. Practiced writers can do this subtly to avoid diminishing the natural tone of their writing. 

Overuse of keywords will compromise their SEO success. Some search engines (including Google) scan content for what is referred to as “keyword stuffing”, and penalize offenders in their algorithms. Pages can even be deindexed, meaning they have zero chance of appearing as search results.

However, through careful writing and analysis, the appropriate use of keywords can improve your website’s traffic. For beginners, the simplest method to prevent being flagged is to keep keywords at less than 3% of the total word count.

Choosing which keywords to optimize your writing for can be tricky. Keyword selection is not as simple as choosing whichever phrase people search for the most. Although analyzing the search volume of keywords is important in determining their relevance and popularity, there are additional factors at play. You also need to evaluate how competitive they are, as well as how long their relevance will last. 

Analytical programs give SEO writers estimations of such information, which is essential to building a strategy. Regardless of which keywords you choose, expect competition. The only way to succeed is by hosting the most relevant content.

Content Writing as SEO

Relevance cannot be understated. Even the most masterful manipulation of keywords will fall flat if there’s nothing interesting to back it up. There’s little use in having a high-ranking website if all your traffic backs out as soon as they arrive.

First impressions are made in a matter of seconds. This is why keyword selection has to be paired with relevant content to be truly effective. The content you produce will depend on your industry and the keywords you choose, but it must demonstrate your value in meeting the needs of the visitor’s search.

A particularly effective strategy is to produce engaging content that is not directly intended to lead to a sale. This may sound counterintuitive since the main reason most website owners invest in SEO is to boost profits.

While your website should have information showcasing the value your business has to offer, it’s also important to consider that many online visitors are not committed to making a purchase at first. If everything on your website is about products or services, it will only appeal to a portion of your traffic.

Interesting and useful content such as case studies, listicles, and blog articles helps engage a wider population of your audience. It also provides an opportunity to showcase your industry expertise.

Producing a greater volume of relevant copy also directly improves your SEO by giving search engines many examples of your relevance to the target keyword. Search engines favor websites that can offer the most information to their searchers. 

Another factor that can get overlooked is the visual appeal of your website’s content and copy. A reader’s eyes and brain can easily become fatigued if your text is too small, or appears too long. Especially when appealing to online visitors, who are likely in search of quick and easy information, the aesthetics of your writing can either boost or hinder the effectiveness of its content. 

For example, had this article been presented as a single wall of text, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t have even started reading it. Eyes naturally prefer text that is: 

• Large
• Spaced out
• Segmented into smaller portions

This helps to prevent eye fatigue and provides manageable sections of text to work through. If reading your content feels like work, most people aren’t going to do it.

SEO writers can also draw from psychological research in cognitive processing.

For example, studies found that text written in a format that requires a small degree of concentration can boost a reader’s understanding of the content.

This can be done by choosing a font that requires closer inspection, or by strategically adding italics, bolding, or variations in size that force the reader to pay closer attention to what they are reading. 

This strategy must be tempered with the knowledge that making your text too challenging to process will lead back to the issue of reader fatigue. However, used sparingly, such techniques can effectively draw your reader’s attention to the most important points of your writing.

Web Design

Any discussion on SEO would be incomplete without mentioning its web development aspect.

In addition to analyzing written content, search engines also examine the browsability of your website. This includes factors like ease of navigation, pages that result in error, number of backlinks, and more.

Although an SEO writer can detect issues in these categories through the proper analytical programs, specialists in web development are better suited for optimization in website design.

Summary

Appearing as a top search result is a challenging, competitive, and multi-faceted undertaking. Here are the key takeaways from this article:

• You must carefully research keywords before selecting which ones to compete for.
• Integrating these keywords into your website content improves your odds of showing up as a search result.
• Overuse of keywords can cause your website to be flagged for “keyword stuffing”, and even get deindexed from search results.
• Your website should host content that compliments the keywords you optimize for.
• Written content should be formatted to minimize reader fatigue and maximize engagement

I hope this has broadened your understanding of search engine optimization and the techniques you can implement to boost your website’s traffic.

Your business needs to be seen, and SEO is a modern technique for drawing the attention it deserves.