How to write SEO content that ranks well on Google

If you want to write content that achieves top rankings on Google, both high quality and a search engine-focused approach are required. In this article, you’ll learn all about the best tools and techniques for writing SEO content that achieves top rankings on Google.

What is the benefit of SEO content from a user’s perspective?

In the Google-YouTube series “SEO Mythbusting 101”, Martin Splitt (a web developer at Google) was asked to list the key factors for achieving top rankings on Google. One of the most crucial points: providing content that helps users. And that’s precisely what good SEO content is about. The technical side of SEO is merely another way—alongside unique helpful content—to measure and improve the user experience.

Ranking factors are an essential tool for Google to determine if searchers like what Google shows them. Using the Bounce Rate, Google tracks the time a user spends on a page. If users immediately close a page, Google assumes the content is not very interesting and ranks it lower. Therefore, your primary focus when researching and writing content should be on creating something that is well captured by Google and at the same time matches the search intent of the users.

What are the different types of SEO content?

To create SEO content that serves users, it is crucial to consider the type of search queries you are trying to answer. The role your content plays in your own digital marketing strategy is also of great importance. The main types of SEO content are outlined in the following sections.

SEO content for product pages

The first SEO content that the vast majority of companies with a website need to work on is the pages that describe the products and services they offer. This type of content is often the easiest to write, highly keyword-focused, and usually covers these basic topics:

• What products or services do you offer?
• How and where can they be obtained?
• What features distinguish your products or services?

Industry-specific SEO content

After the product pages, it makes sense to work on content that addresses key industry terms related to the products and services offered. These pages are usually informative and help consumers answer questions they may have when deciding on a particular service or product.

For example, someone who is thinking about learning to play guitar might wonder whether it’s better to start with an acoustic or an electric guitar. An e-commerce guitar store website can answer this question in an article, and users who find your page through Google based on this query would have this in mind when making their decision.

SEO content for pages with related interests

The third type of potential content is much more comprehensive. It involves SEO content for all the topics or interests that potential customers may have, which are likely to be relevant to your products or services. For example, a website for a hotel in the capital of Hawaii might have a page informing tourists about the most popular attractions in Honolulu.

How to research keywords for SEO content

Keyword research is the cornerstone of good SEO content. The selection of keywords depends on the purpose of your content.

SEO keyword research for product page content

When writing content for product pages on an e-commerce website, your keyword research will largely consist of searching for relevant keywords for direct purchase. These are the phrases customers use to find and buy your products and services.

Keyword tools can help you put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Using these tools, you can identify the most promising search terms that align with your products and services. These then need to be narrowed down to a set of keywords that best match the user’s intent.

The biggest challenge is finding a balance between search volume (how many people search for the term) and a term’s competitiveness (the number of other websites optimizing their content for the same term). Just because a term has a high search volume doesn’t necessarily mean you should choose it for your SEO content. High competition terms are harder to optimize. An entry that ranks on the first page with a less popular term might attract more website traffic than an entry with a lower ranking that uses a term with higher search volume.

To find the best keywords for your products, you need to look at the terms customers use to search for your products. Keywords like “flower shop,” “florist,” and “flower delivery service” have different values for search volume and competition. Moreover, you can add adjectives to your keywords to create long-tail keywords like “brown leather designer handbag” or “affordable handbag with shoulder strap.” This allows you to limit your competition and better target your audience.

Keyword research for non-product pages

When doing keyword research for informational queries, your focus should be on identifying terms that align with user intent. To achieve this, consider the questions or phrases your customers are likely to enter into Google. For instance, if you’re writing an article comparing acoustic and electric guitars for beginners, you may attract more traffic with “electric or acoustic guitar for beginners,” as it typically has a higher search volume than “is acoustic or electric easier to learn.”

Ask yourself the following to determine the best keywords:

1. Does the term have a reasonable search volume?
2. Does the term match the intent of the visitors?
3. Can I create original and interesting content with this term?
4. Does the keyword relate to the services and products I offer?

What is the optimal SEO content length?

When it comes to SEO content, one of the most common questions is how long it should be. Two factors play a key role here: the purpose of your content and the competition. On your product pages, you can include keywords in your product titles and descriptions and list all their unique features. Especially if these pages directly sell products, make sure that the content is always engaging and does not distract from the page’s sales objective. Using an appealing Call to Action (CTA) helps increase the chance of a conversion.

SEO content that answers questions or explains concepts is logically almost always longer. This type of content is typically around 600 to 1,000 words long—depending on the topic, 2,000 or more words may be appropriate in some cases. If you find that the well-ranking competition’s articles are particularly long, it makes sense to consider this in your text planning. However, your primary focus should be on producing content that is interesting and useful.

How to structure SEO content

A key factor for effective SEO content is a clear structure with appropriate, meaningful headings. The main heading for your post (known as H1) is arguably the most crucial structuring element for placing keywords. Your primary keywords should be included in the H1. At the same time, it should be used as a hook to entice visitors to read further. The main heading plays an important role in attracting clicks to the article. It’s often the first thing a user reads from an article when it’s linked to other pages and shared on social media.

For the other sections of your article, you should choose smaller, subordinate headings (H2, H3, H4) that ideally also contain relevant keywords. Generally, your content should be structured like an inverted pyramid, with the most important keywords and information at the top and less important background information at the bottom.

What is a good keyword density?

When incorporating keywords into your text, always ensure that they do not affect the overall readability of the content. Mentioning a keyword more than once helps with ranking only to a certain extent: if keyword usage negatively impacts readability, the text is also likely not to rank well. This is referred to as keyword stuffing.

Google holds the view that SEO content is about incorporating keywords naturally into your content. Content that feels clumsy or artificial automatically receives a poor ranking. The time you spend writing engaging content for potential visitors is well spent—not only for your readers but also for Google! Don’t forget to include keywords in your meta-title and meta-description, as well as in your image descriptions.