New to SEO writing? 5 Essential Things You Need to Know
Are you new to SEO writing and wondering if it’s right for you?
You may fear that SEO writing is too technical. Or it’s too unnatural to write “how Google wants.”
Relax. SEO writing is much easier than you think.
If you’re looking to build a new skill set, here are the essential things you need to know.
– You need to be a good writer. Period.
Can you tell a compelling story? Can you keep readers on the edge of their seats, salivating for more information? Good. SEO writing is more than “giving Google what it wants.” It’s being a good writer – period. That means years of writing, practice and good old fashioned trial and error. Understanding Google’s “rules” doesn’t mean a thing if your site copy sucks.
– What you think is SEO writing may not be accurate
I’ve talked with many writers who say, “SEO writing is so unnatural. I don’t want to worry about keyphrases, meta descriptions and search engine stuff.” I get it. I do. At the same time, the definition of good SEO writing has changed over time. It’s no longer about sticking as many keyphrases into the content as you can. It’s about writing tremendous content and making it easy for people to find it. Once you learn the “rules” of SEO writing, you’ll see that they aren’t as restrictive as you thought!
– Geek speak? No problem. You’ve got this.
HTML. Meta descriptions. rel=author. SEOs’ alphabet-soupy terminology can be scary – especially if you’re a new writer. After hearing the terminology, some writers decide right then to never learn SEO. After all, SEO is what “geeky people do.”
Although the terminology is a bit propeller-head geeky, it’s actually easy to figure out. Yes, there’s a learning curve. No, you won’t understand everything in a day. But you will understand it. It just takes practice.
– You really do need to learn this stuff.
If you write in-house, mastering SEO writing will give you the skills to really shine. The content you write will be sharable, seen by the right people and drive lots of yummy traffic. That means great job security (and more opportunities) for you. If you’re freelancing, offering SEO writing services to your clients gives you another profit center. After all, if you don’t offer it as a service – your competition will.
– No matter what, it will help your career.
Are you selling a book? Understanding SEO will help you reach more people, build your authority and create a killer author platform. Starting a side business? Why pay an SEO consultant to drive traffic when you can do the work yourself? Want to get a better writing job? Companies love working with experienced writers with proven track records. A few hours of learning time could result in a huge income jump. That’s some pretty powerful ROI.
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Photo thanks to © Edwardsamuel | Dreamstime.com
Being a “fledgling” freelance writer,I really like your posts. I applied and was accepted into the new group and you were one of the first I started reading. Seeing some of the other writer’s posts, I know it’s time to “step up my game.” I find your posts to be very informative for someone like me. I am a sponge at this point…I have been writing for a little over a year and it’s time to graduate kindergarten. Your posts are helping me do that. I just wanted to say THANK YOU!
DMS
You are *very* welcome, Debby! And congratulations for knowing that it’s time to step up your game. Not every writer comes to that realization (or is brave enough to do so.)
Happy writing! Just let me know how I can help.
I agree Heather. There is nothing to fear when you are going to start SEO copy-writing. You don’t need to remember that you should include all your primary keywords, according to me one or two keywords are enough and like you said …… “It’s about writing tremendous content” so you should try updating your website on a regular basis, and even search engines like such websites. Thanks for the insights you shared.
Great post Heather. The hard part is learning to write well though! Do you have any advice to help those just getting started in that department? Thanks!