Know the best practices to position an article on the first page
In our previous article, how to appear in the first places of Google? We explained importance of web positioning. We conclude that having a blog reinforces the content strategy and that we must apply SEO writing so that the articles are friendly with search engines. So main question is: how to do that?
What is SEO?
SEO is the set of techniques, that should be applied so that a website is positioned in the first page of the search engines. In this article, we are going to focus on Google, which is used by 90% of the market share.
What should we include in the SEO writing?
An article optimized with SEO must have the following characteristics:
- Create quality content
- Focus a keyword
- Use inbound and outbound links
- Optimize images with SEO
- Use subtitles with the keyword
- Meet certain readability standards
Many writers know the importance of SEO, but make blunders when applying it to their articles. It is for this reason that we are going to explain step by step, what are the best practices to increase the organic visibility of the content.
Where do the keywords go?
- In the title of the article
- In the subtitles
- In the first paragraph
- In the last paragraph
- In the article URL (slug)
- In the meta description
- In the attributes of the images
- In the body of the text
Anatomy of an SEO article
The next step is to develop the structure of the content. At this point it is important that you organize the information and take advantage of the subheadings (H2, H3 and H4).
Sort your content
Technically, an article should have a clean structure. For this there are the following resources:
- Subtitles: There are several levels. There is the H1, which is basically the title of the note. H2, which are the main subheadings and under which we can develop the H3.
- Bold: Bold is used to highlight the most important ideas in the content. Also, if that piece of text has the keyword, it will contribute a grain of sand to the issue of SEO positioning.
- Bullets: Bullets are very attractive to readers. In general, they represent a visual rest and help to digest the content with ease.
- Images: An image is worth thousand words. has the ability to capture the reader’s attention long before words.
The Importance of first paragraph in SEO writing
It is necessary to make paragraph attractive, creative and dynamic. In addition, it must contain the chosen focused keyword.
Be careful with subtitles!
When Google spiders, search information for building list of results, they crawl keywords in the H1, H2 & H3.
Ideal amount of text in SEO writing
According to a research, articles that top the first page of Google have an average of 1,890 words. However, the algorithm prioritizes quality content.
Keyword density
The density of keywords refers to the percentage of times that you must repeat the keyword in the text, in relation to the number of total words.
A long time ago, iterating the keyword over and over again was essential for good positioning. However, the rules have changed. Now main priority is quality of the content.
Currently, no scope for repetitions, but it is a a determining factor for searches. It is recommended not to exceed 3% density.
SEO copywriting readability
A good article should be:
- Simple, that anyone can understand.
- Have short and concise ideas
- And usable: with lists, subheadings and good use of bold.
For this, we must take into account the following good practices:
- Sentence length: They must not have more than 20 words.
- Paragraph length: Minimum 3 lines, maximum 5.
- Distribution of subheadings: Every three paragraphs use a subheading. Search engine uses subtitles to catalog our content, helping natural web positioning.
- Consecutive sentences: The readability analysis deducts points when there are 3 sentences or more that start the same.
- Use of passive voices: A passive sentence is more difficult to understand. Do you want an example?
- Active voice: Google analyze readability of your content.
- Passive voice: Readability of the content is analyzed by Google.
- Use of words of transition: The words of transition are the connectives. Use them wisely to make reading the content easier.
How to write for users?
As embarrassing as it may be to say, many copywriters need to remember that they write for people, not robots.
In 2011, Google updated its algorithm to highlight the articles with the best quality of information. Penalizing who don’t meet following parameters:
- Originality: The content must be completely original.
- Avoid Keyword Stuffing: By this we mean repeating the keyword excessively.
- Attractive content: Google values the social relevance of articles.
SEO writing focused on the Buyer Persona and the purchase cycle
Always think about your reader. What do you want to know? What language best suits your age and profession? What is attractive to you? And most importantly: what stage of the buying cycle are you in?
With these clear ideas, you will develop an unique and powerful article. Able to turn strangers into sales opportunities and leads into customers…
Novelty
There are many ways , we recommend the following:
- Find the best result, read it and beat it
- Explains things better
- Be creative
- Use infographics or charts
- Research latest updates on a topic, some results were published few years ago.
- Develop a clever title and an attractive meta description: Sometimes all that is necessary to win a reader.
- Don’t be boring
Composition of the Snippet: Key factor in SEO writing
It is made up of a title, the URL of the web page and the meta description of the article. The more attractive it is, the more clicks users will make, which will have a positive impact on the CTR of the website.
Friendly URL
Content managers like WordPress, allow you to modify the slug of the article. Example:
Good: /how-to-write-SEO-content
Bad: /how-to-write-a-seo-perfect-content
Likewise, the depth of the URL for a blog should be of the first level. Example:
Good: /how-to-write-seo-content
Bad: /10-21-23/content-marketing/how-to-write-seo-content
Meta description
This block of text, which is basically a very short summary of the article, is the first contact of the users with your content. If what they read is not attractive to them, they will click on another result. The keyword must also appear in this space. Example:
Good: Are you wondering how to write SEO content? We tell you the secrets to position your page on first page of Google.
Bad: We have created a guide for you to learn how to write articles
Although, you should consider the size of some letters; For example, if you have many “M”, “W”, “O”, you should write less text than with “i”, “l” or “j”. Otherwise, the content will appear incomplete.
Incoming and outgoing links
Another factor that Google’s algorithm takes into account is the link structure.
Internal links allow us to tell the user (and Google) what other related articles the website has and how deep our knowledge of the topic is. While external links offer additional information, content sources and boost our authority domain.
Tips for external links:
- Must be reputable web pages
- Websites with quality information
- Take care of anchor text.
SEO optimization of images
SEO of an article will be affected if we don’t optimize attributes of images. In fact, this element can be the key to attract hundreds of visits to your article. These are the aspects that we should take into account:
- Image size: Try to make it as light as possible, adapted to the size that the blog needs and with good resolution. Doing so could delay page load time and affect user experience. That would shoot up the bounce rate.
- File name: Save the file with terms that describe the image, trying as much as possible to include the keyword. All words must be without accents and separated by hyphens. Example: structure-article-seo
- Alt attributes (alternative text): It is necessary to add a descriptive phrase that includes (if possible) the keyword.
- Caption: Very few bloggers use it, it helps in image positioning.
Conclusion…
What does Google want? Help users.
Understanding this formula is the key to success in SEO. And it’s very logical. Search engines are getting smarter, they recognize the intent behind queries. Its sole objective is to give users what they are looking for.
Although the technical requirements are essential for the algorithm, some social issues such as interest and user recommendations are becoming more relevant.