How do you strike the right balance between search optimized content and writing that makes readers...
Are you blogging effectively enough to build brand awareness, or are you stuck spinning your wheels?
Building a blog into your website won't add much beyond window dressing if you fail to fill it with valuable, informative, and relevant content. However, quality content on its own won't magically attract interested eyes — you need an active effort to generate traction. When you consider that more than half of all web traffic originates through organic searches, the reality becomes clear: your blog needs smart, targeted SEO writing baked into its posts.
Why should you invest the extra effort into the legwork that requires? Keyword and competition research, content analysis, and more — may be more work, but it affords you advantages that online businesses can't ignore. What does writing with SEO in mind do for you?
Improve Your Ranking in Search
It might seem obvious, but it's still worth noting: effective SEO writing is one of the most reliable ways to start elevating your business's page rankings for critical keywords. Most people don't stray far beyond the first page of search results, so even breaking into the top 10 or 15 results for some of your keywords will bring fresh new traffic to your pages.
That traffic means many opportunities to put more eyes on your site and to spread a compelling marketing message. With increased search visibility comes increased awareness. A user might not click on a result that heads to your page the first time, but the more often you appear, the more likely you are to earn that click. Raising brand awareness and boosting traffic are two key knock-on benefits of effectively building SEO into your blog posts.
Build Authority with Readers
Writing for SEO is an excellent way to seize opportunities to depict your business in the best possible light. Consider the results of accurately targeting long-tail keywords that involve questions common to your industry or the products you sell.
When you put reliable answers in front of search users, you build trust and authority with every visit—especially when others link back to your resources. With authority playing an even bigger role in search algorithm evaluations today, you don't want to miss opportunities to set yourself up as a leading voice.
Kick Off a Reader's Buying Journey
Sometimes, writing for SEO means targeting frequently asked questions or specific buyer personas. Other times, it's all about capturing traffic from people at the beginning of their buying journey. Structuring a content campaign around these different outreach goals requires a smart approach to keyword selection for effective SEO. When you execute such a project successfully, you can nurture leads at every step of the funnel, ultimately driving home more sales.
Don't Overlook the Value of Good SEO
When done right, content written to rank well functions so well on its own that the "behind the scenes" purpose is invisible to the average user. A search engine sees a piece of query-relevant content; the user sees a blog that answers their question and offers next steps. Don't let your most important and valuable blogs become a part of the 94% of pages that don't ever see a visitor from Google. By investing the time and effort into robust SEO writing, you can generate traffic, build your brand, and drive towards a better bottom line.
