Life-long learning is at the core of writing for SEO. Whether you specialize in SEO, blog content, or social media marketing, there are a plethora of examples out there to learn from. 

By learning about SEO, you will be able to provide your clients with better value-for-money and higher SERP rankings. Let’s talk about SEO-centric writing tips and take a closer look at great examples of content online.

The How and Why of Writing for SEO

How can we define “writing for SEO”? Content can be defined as anything that was published on the web with the intent to somehow engage its readers. SEO stems from content, or Google’s wishes to rank valuable, relevant content to anyone looking for something online.

Typically, content marketing is associated with blog posts, news articles, and social media status updates. Statistical data indicates that 65% of marketers struggle to create content that will rank well with Google’s SEO. 81% of content creators believe that it's important for them to be seen as credible and trustworthy first and foremost. 

There is a lot you can gain by learning to write for SEO:

• Improved brand authority and reputation within the industry
• Higher-ranking links in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing
• Increased visitor engagement and conversion rates
• Inform and educate customers on products, services, and trends
• Omnichannel marketing opportunities via email, social media, blog, etc.

Great Examples of Content Writing for SEO to Learn From

1. Tailor your Writing Style to your Audience - The Cup of Life

Your audience needs to be able to read your content without any issues and SEO can tell whether you succeeded. Readers need to understand exactly what you’re saying for them to come back for more content later. The Cup of Life is a great example of a blog that speaks to its audience’s sensibilities. Its content is structured with tea-lovers in mind, meaning that people who love tea will know exactly how to navigate and read it.

Your writing style, vocabulary, and abbreviations you use should be familiar to your target audience. Don’t use IT-related terminology in a content writing blog post, for example. You learn about your audience’s writing style expectations - for starters, place yourself in their shoes and read your content - does it make sense? Writing for SEO first and people second is a surefire way to have your links buried under more relevant content.

2. Build Credibility with Reliable Sources - Forbes 

Fake news and false information are rampant on the internet, especially in the post-COVID world. Google has taken extra precautions to ensure that each piece of information in its SERP is as accurate and reliable as possible. You need to establish proper content standards with your audience and do it fast. The best way to do that is to rely on verified sources of information in your content writing.

Look for certified resources in your industry to use as sources, especially when it comes to empiric and numeric data. Forbes is a platform that publishes a wide range of content as part of its business portfolio. Each blog post on Forbes contains external links to reliable data, reports, and research. Do the same for your content and your professional reputation will skyrocket as a result.

3. Make your Writing Relatable to Empathize with the Reader - Yoga Journal

Your audience has to feel as if the content you wrote was made custom-made for them. Again, SEO algorithms have evolved from being keyword-centric and now take contextual search queries into careful consideration through their AI. Yoga Journal is a great example of a blog that takes great care to cater to its target audience. 

You can see how Yoga Journal is using emotional triggers and empathy to relax its readers and make their blog-reading experience more comfortable. You can do the same by using a casual tone of voice and everyday lingo in your writing to make good use of SEO. This will let Google know that you are using the right emotional words and phrases which are common in your industry.

4. Readability is as Important as Content Itself - WordPress

Formatting your content improperly will not only make it illegible but also harm your SERP ranking. Instead of presenting your readers with blocks of text, why not segment your writing into paragraphs and subheadings?

WordPress is a popular CMS platform with its blog section dedicated to digital marketing tutorials. WordPress is leading by example in the way it formats its blog posts per SEO standards. Its blog content is well-formatted and aims to provide readers with maximum legibility. As a result, more people will be inclined to come across it in SERP and read through WordPress’ resources instead of skipping them.

On Becoming a Better Content Writer

It’s easy to see the value in learning from what came before when it comes to SEO. No matter if you’re your boss or outsource your services to others, these examples will improve your SEO-centric writing moving forward. Never stop looking for content to learn from and you will continue to up your game in what you can do as a writer.