Content writing for SEO is probably one of the most tricky aspects of internal optimisation. There is definitely a skill to adding good copy to a website. The difficulty lies with it having to meet the needs of your target market, it has to read well, it has to portray your business and at the same time it has to make sense to the search engines.
In an ideal world you will have designed your site with your keywords in mind and already have appropriate pages to optimise. Along side your main keywords it has become increasingly important to integrate long-tail keyphrases into your copy (I will expand on long-tail keyphrases at a later date). They tend not to have a high search volume, they are very industry specific, and will usually convert better than the big keywords as they target the buyer at the end of the buying process (the stage when they have researched and know exactly what they want).
Stage two is structuring these throughout your site. Remembering that your content has to be written for your audience but with maximum emphasis on your chosen keyword. Search engines for all they can do they are limited by what you feed them. Below I will outline the best practices for distributing your keywords throughout your site.
1. Heading tags need to be structured chronologically, making the h1 the most important and needs to include your main keyword. Your h2 will be your second most important keyword, and working down the page. Ideally do not try and optimise for more than 3 keywords per page.
2. You should try to include an exact copy of the keyword from the heading within the first paragraph, and at least once more naturally throughout the text.
3. For maximum effect put strong tags around the first reference of your keyword.
4. Integrate variations of your keyword and long-tail keyphrases naturally throughout your copy.
5. If it is possible include them in a list.
6. Finally optimise your page title tag with your main keywords. Google has a limit to the number of characters it will display so bare this in mind.
7. Google has a limit of 70 characters for their page titles, be clever it needs to show the user your site is what they are looking for, at the same time its a prime position for your keywords.
8. Meta description: Again has a limit to the number of characters. You need to grab the attention of anyone reading to ensure they follow it through to your site.
9. Keyword tag thanks to poor SEO practices it does not hold the weight it once did. There is no limit on length, but only include the keywords you are optimising that page for.
10. Make sure that point 7, 8 and 9 is unique throughout every page of your site.
11. Any images throughout your site should be appropriate for you to add a keyword rich description in the alt tag. An alt tag is an alternative description for an image allowing users that are visually impaired to understand the site, so don't abuse them!
Ensure you copy is written in a manor that reflects your business, keep it professional but there is no harm in adding some humor if it is fitting, keep your paragraphs concise and to the point. Finally rope in a few friends and family to read your copy before publishing it, the more critical the better (just as I am about to do now...).
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