Not long ago, writing web content was oriented toward search engines, not humans. Content spinning was a common phenomenon. As in, you download spinning content software that automatically replaced words and phrases with synonymous.
No more! Google put the finger on the problem and launched updates like Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, and RankBrain to combat spinning issues and, more importantly, make sure that marketer focussed on high-quality content with the searcher’s intent in mind and not for Google spiders.
Issues that Arise when you Exclusively Focus on SEO?
Some content writers are totally focused on SEO. For them, things like content length, keyword placement, not to mention variations in keywords matter more than creating an impressive piece.
But the fact is: Keyword stuffed content combined with poorly-constructed sentences is a sure-fire recipe for failure. Your content, of course, will appear easily on the web. But then readers won’t be happy reading your content; which means, your content will face high bounce rates and Zero backlinks.
Issues that Arise when you Exclusively Focus on Readers?
These days most of the marketers tell you to write reader-friendly copies. Not surprisingly, today, you will find web pages flooded with enough and more content that doesn’t focus much on keywords.
But, here’s the problem: Such content is not easily found on the web. For all the effort you pour into producing reader-friendly stuff, remember, it’s keywords that helps bind the copy and, more importantly, helps readers relate with the content.
Tips for Writing Content that Keep both Readers and Spiders Happy:
The key is to create reader-friendly content that’s also fully optimized for search. Simply put, it should be well-written, understandable, detailed, and at the same time quickly found on the web.
Writing for SEO and writing for humans should complement each other. In other words, don’t inject SEO into your content as an after-thought. Readers could easily make that out; instead, work in tandem with SEO best practices. This will help you come up with a clear, concise, informative, useful post that meets both SEO and Human standards. You can seek the help of top content marketing companies to come up with the reader and search engine-friendly content or check out these tips to ensure the same:
# Nail down keywords first
First, figure out what subject you are going to write about? Next, find one single word or a short phrase for the same. This will help search engines figure what the post is all about in one shot, and at the same time, the search engine will ensure that readers find your content on the web.
# Nail down related searches
When a user reaches your site through a specific keyword, figure out what else would they have loved to know about that topic? Finding answers to those questions will expose you to related keywords, which you can embed in your copy. This, in turn, will offer a better experience to the reader, making them stay on the site for longer, not to mention enhance search engine’s understanding of your topic.
# Optimize for popular searchable sites
Optimizing for Google is understood. But then, by all accounts, consider optimizing for popular searchable sites such as Amazon, Reddit, Pinterest, among many others. This will help you generate all-around stuff that will not only appeal to human emotions but the search engines at the same time.
# Be Straightforward
Don’t beat around the bush! In other words, get the point quickly. Opt for longer, informative posts. An average post should comprise 1,890 words. This will make sure that the reader stays on your post sometime. Smaller posts may lead to higher bounce rates, and Google takes bounce rates pretty seriously.
# Be Organized.
Last but not least, organize pieces and break them into chunks backed by informative headlines. Use H2, H3 hashtags, and more. Also, use italics and bold to highlight key phrases. This alerts search engines what’s important, what’s not and most importantly, allows humans to digest the highlighted parts of the article quickly.
Extra Points:
Be extra careful with your introductions and the conclusions, not to mention the external links. Google pays extra attention to them. More importantly, readers equally focus on them.
Sometimes, you may feel like tweaking your content a tad more to ensure its discoverability, but then remember, it shouldn’t hurt the flow of the copy. Readability should be on the top of your agenda because search engines may attract traffic to your site, but then your style of writing, your content is what keeps them hooked and make them come to your site for more.
Google is full-on focused on giving the best answers to user queries; likewise, you need to focus on creating the best content that strives to satisfy both the readers and the spiders.
