How To Write Effectively for Search Engines

Writing Content on the Internet has changed significantly over the past two years due to Google’s algorithm updates (Penguin and Panda). If you want to be successful, you need to change the way you create websites.

How To Write Quality Content For Ranking

The common phrase you’ll see thrown around is “write content for your readers, not for search engines.” In the past content used to be about numbers verse actual words. It was about inserting your keywords in your content as much as possible since Google evaluated websites based on the amount of times the keyword appeared on the page.

Today, Google values content based on quality – instead of quantity. If you write a page that engages your writers to share, you’re on the path to success. If your content is written for the sole purpose of ranking, you’ll find it much harder to rank and enjoy organic traffic.

Writing For Search Engines And Readers

Now, there still is a style of writing that is good for both search engines and for readers. Keywords are still an important part to ranking in search engines but the over-optimization of keywords is now frowned upon.

Your keyword should be used naturally and in various ways throughout your content. Essentially, you want to be writing as if you were speaking to someone naturally and your content should reflect that.

Originality

The main thing you can do nowadays is to make sure your content is unique and original.

Content that is directly copied or loosely written from another website will not rank or be as engaging. In some cases, it might even just be listed as duplicate by Google.

This could lead to a penalization of your website, which is the opposite of what you want.

The best way to avoid this is to write content yourself. Now, if you’ve got the budget to hire engaging, well-spoken writers, then by all means go for it. Keep in mind this is going to be expensive, although well worth the price if you’ve got the budget.

Google is not asking you to create content that has never been presented before. Instead, Google is simply asking you to write in a creative, thoughtful way. Copying somebody else’s work is the exact opposite of what Google wants, which is why they punish sites so often that do this.

If you do use somebody else’s content, add value to it. This can mean agreeing or disagreeing with a position or even going more in-depth on a topic. If you do quote someone else’s work though, make sure to give them credit and throw them a link in your content as well.

In addition to taking someone else’s content, it is not recommended that you copy content on your own website. For example, you wouldn’t want to have a page on famous sports players than a page on famous athletes. The two go hand-in-hand, so consolidate the topic into one page and save yourself the trouble.

“Thin Content”

Thin content is content that is lacking detail or information. It is true that topics may require you to write a different number of words. For example, explaining how your metabolism works is going to require much more depth than explaining how to cook pasta.

You do not need to set a minimum length for how much content you produce but it is a good idea to write in detail and be as comprehensive as possible. This will prevent you from having a high “bounce rate.” Bounce rate is measured by the amount of visitors who visit your website and leave without visiting another page.

Bounce rate is very important because the higher it is, the less likely you will be to convert a visitor into a sale or regular visitor. It’s vital you lower your bounce rate and you can do this by adding new content to your blog daily, making your navigation as easy as possible, and by cleaning up your web design so it’s pleasing on the eyes.

Presentation

Another way to draw attention to your website is by adding pictures, videos, and infographics. All three of these things are attention grabbing to your visitors and enhance the value of your content.

If you cannot find pictures relevant to your article, look at places like iStock Photo or Shuttershock. Both of these have thousands of images you can use for a nominal fee. Other photo services require you to give credit to the original owner.

Finally, make sure you publish content that you’ve gone through and edited. Glaring grammar mistakes or spelling mistakes will negatively impact your website. Sure we all let a mistake through from time to time – but several mistakes will negatively impact your website.

Writing Content For Google

This is a basic guide for writing content for Google. Essentially, write content that your readers will like and want to share and the search engines will reward you in the long run.