I briefly volunteered for a small nonprofit. They saw my previous experience and asked me to write a guide on SEO they could use to share with future volunteers who have no familiarity on the topic. I whipped this up to show new writers the basics.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is how websites show search engines (like Google) that they are trustworthy and useful for users.
Thus, a website with poor SEO will likely be placed on page 10 of Google results, but a website with good SEO will be placed on page 1.
The easiest way to improve SEO is to write articles.
What is an SEO Article?
An SEO article is a written piece about a given subject. It is created in the hope that whoever is looking to learn about the subject will click it.
Google chooses which article is relevant to a user by scanning the user’s search for keywords and comparing it to the SEO article. For example:
You search: Should I own a pet lizard?
This is a result from Google:
You’ll notice that the text below the link has the words “pet” and “lizard” in bold. This means that Google sees these words as keywords. A keyword is a website’s way of telling Google how it can help a user. Because this article is full of keywords like pet and lizard, Google will not recommend it to anyone searching “good car insurance” since it has nothing to do with this.
How do you write an SEO article?
Think of your SEO article as a short essay about a given subject. It must define that subject, give supporting information on that subject, and be easy to read.
There are four aspects to a good SEO article: Titles, headings, keywords, and links.
Titles & Headings
Titles should be less than 10 words. A keyword should be one of those words.
Headings act as the outline for the article and give readers an idea of what will be discussed.
Headings should be under 8 words. Half of them should include a keyword.
H2 headings are the default. H3 headings are used to elaborate on a point made in an H2 heading.
If you click this link for the Pet Lizard SEO article, you will find that the article’s structure is as follows:
- Title: How to Choose and Care for a Pet Lizard
- H2: Choosing Your Lizard
- H2: What Kind of Lizard Should You Get?
- H3: Lizards for Beginners
- H3: Lizards for Experienced Owners
- H2: Caring for Pet Lizards
Under each section is text which explains the basics of the topic.
Text under the title would act as an introduction to the article. Ask yourself, “What would someone who made this search want to gain from this article?”
Text under Choosing Your Lizard would go over the kinds of things someone has to keep in mind before buying a pet lizard. etc, etc
Keywords
You can’t spam the keyword, or Google will think that your website is a scam. Instead, you have to naturally include the keyword in your writing.
The amount of times that you can write the keyword correlates with the amount of headings which you have. The supporting text below each heading should include the keyword 2-3 times, but this varies depending on how long you make the text.
Links
Links are used in SEO articles to build trust. They justify the content of your article.
For example, who would you trust more with information on getting a pet lizard?:
- Some rando on the internet
- Some rando on the internet who cites research from the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR)
One is more trustworthy than the other.
This applies to any SEO article, be it about lizards, taxation, or skateboarding. You must cite your sources!
The best way to do so is to link to credible source which backs up your claim when you make it.
A natural way to do this is shown under the example article’s Caring for Pet Lizards heading.
Heat and lighting are essential to the health of your lizard for a variety of reasons. Lizards are cold-blooded and rely on heat, invisible UV rays, and the day/night cycle to function properly.
You’ll notice that this links to a different page on the company’s website. This is a good thing! Try to link to a relevant page in your website 2-3 times per article. This helps the site show that it has more in-depth knowledge on a topic. That, or it just links the user to where they need to buy/donate.
Conclusion
Now you know how to write an SEO article. Pretty easy, right? Let’s check the effectiveness of our SEO article by looking at these metrics:
- Word Count (not counting conclusion): 728
- H2 Headings: 4
- H3 Headings: 3
- Number of times the keyword “SEO” was counted: 4 (1 in the title, 3 in headings)
- Number of times the keyword “SEO” appeared in the text: 11
“SEO” appeared in 15/728 words in this article – 0.2%! That’s great! The more naturally the keyword appears in an article without overtaking it, the less likely it’ll be seen as spam.
Because this article was thorough and addressed questions someone might have asked when reading, the chances of them reading all the way through increases. As does the chances of Google recommending this article over others.
Write on, SEO Expert, and continue growing your skill!
For examples of my SEO writing, click here.