SEO content writing is currently one of the hottest side gigs at the moment, thanks to the growth of digital marketing in the past few years. Before now, businesses relied on more conventional marketing techniques like TV adverts, radio jingles, billboards, and the like. The times have changed.
Digital marketing, which means marketing via the internet, now accounts for a large percentage of marketing efforts and marketing budget. Businesses, both big and small, are making efforts to become visible on the internet. To gain this visibility, however, these businesses must satisfy the number one need of people surfing the web, which is information. This leads us to an essential aspect of digital marketing known as content marketing and ultimately, SEO writing.
Why SEO Writing?
Most internet users rely on search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo search in their search for information on the internet. According to data from Internet live stats, internet users make about 3.5 billion searches daily on Google alone. Therefore, website content writers must now tailor their content to suit not only their human audience but also search engine robots. This consideration and other similar techniques form the field of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Writing for SEO has become a lucrative side job, especially for college students. Graduate students can also take up SEO content writing gigs while working on their research projects. Also, as every wise student knows, it is crucial to pay attention to your academic tasks irrespective of the other tasks one may have. 123 writing services, in which expert academic writers are on hand to help with essays and research papers, are beneficial for both college and graduate students.
Getting Started with SEO Writing
In this article, you will learn the basic concepts of SEO writing and five essential tips—enough to help you start offering SEO writing services of your own. Here are the tips:
1. Understand Search Engine Algorithms
If you are going to get your head in the game, then the logical foundational step is to appreciate the algorithms used by search engines. Google is by far the most widely used search engine and, therefore, an excellent place to start. The company releases guidelines for search engine optimization to help the content creator basic. Furthermore, basic knowledge of the technical aspects of SEO will help the SEO writer o her journey. This knowledge includes:
- How Google crawls, indexes, and ranks a page.
- Websites and blog contents structure.
- How internal and external links work.
2. Know the Essentials of SEO Writing
Just as with any other skill, SEO content writing has some ethics one should follow to deliver standard quality. Some of these include:
- Always conduct thorough keyword research
- Apply keywords moderately across content
- Never stuff keywords
- Write content that is easy to read and engages to your audience
- Ensure that your content is long enough and has the right depth
- Include facts, stats, and data in your content
- Add outbound links to authority sites and inbound links
- Write captivating titles, headings, and subheadings.
3. Start a Website and Write Often
Yes, this will add an extra strain on your time which is already stretched. But it will be worth the pain. Managing your website or blog is the best way to become conversant with the principles associated with SEO. When you run your website, you get a firsthand understanding to understand the various metrics used to measure the quality and success of SEO content. Also, your website will allow you to try out several SEO techniques before implementing them for your clients.
4. Stay Up to Date with SEO Trends
Because search engine algorithms are always changing, you must ensure you are conversant with the current SEO trends. For instance, a few years ago, SEO writing was mainly about stuffing the right keywords in certain parts of an article. The current trend is “EAT”, an acronym for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. By the time you are reading this piece, the chances are that there may be a new SEO trend.
To stay updated at all times, follow SEO experts and influencers like Neil Patel, Brian Dean, etc., and popular digital marketing firms HubSpot, Search Engine Journal. Join SEO communities on Reedit, and other social platforms where you can get information about changes to the search engine algorithm and latest SEO trends.
5. Embrace Modern SEO Tools
This advice is similar to the one before it. Never underestimate the power of the right tool. Starting from your keyword research to the publishing of your SEO content, endeavor to use SEO writing tools including analytics tools, keyword checkers and planners, anti-plagiarism tools, grammar checkers, etc. Get a mix of tools that works for you and keep an eye for newer tools that will make your work easier and more effective.
Conclusion
SEO writing is undoubtedly an excellent means of earning side income during college or graduate studies. You could even build a profitable career in this area and the broader field of digital marketing. In the meantime, it is important that you don’t neglect your school essays, research papers and other academic writing tasks you are required to do. The best way ways to stay on top of this is to work hard and use as many relevant sources as possible.
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