In the life of a content writer, clicks are your
be-all and end-all.
It is what you
live and strive for. You want people to click on your article, read it and, ultimately,
love it.
Organic clicks are the dream.
Some content writers have
daydreams about their articles popping up on people's Google searches, answering all their questions.
It sounds magical. How do you make this happen?
SEO!Have no worries because media update's Alrika Möller explains all the ins and outs of SEO below:
What is SEO?
Let's start at the very beginning.
SEO stands for
Search Engine Optimisation. It sounds
complicated, but when you break it down, it becomes
a lot less scary.
Whenever you
search for something online on Google, ChatGPT or whatever you use as your
search engine, it uses SEO to determine what results it will give you.
What are SEO keywords?
SEO keywords are the words and phrases that determine
where you rank according to SEO.
Let me explain!We already covered the fact that SEO is what ensures that people will see your writing
pop up on Google when they search for something. Keywords are what decide what will end up
on top and what will end up at the bottom of
page 1 999 of Google.
The more
SEO keywords you have, the better you rank. The Internet
may be smart, but it needs the help of keywords to know what the piece is about so that they can know if it
matches what people are searching for.
Why is SEO important for writers?
As a content writer, you want people to
read your work. That is the whole reason for writing it in the first place. Yes, we all share links on
various social media pages, but your posts can
drown in the sea of other posts on social media. That is why you aim for
organic clicks.
Organic clicks is a term we use to describe clicks you get from
online searches. Whenever someone searches a topic or question online and your piece
pops up as the result, they can then click on that link and that click is what we call
organic.
The better your SEO and SEO keywords, the more organic clicks you will receive on your articles.
It's that simple.
How do you use SEO?
This part can get
a little tricky. Most of us are not exactly thinking about
search optimisation while we are writing. We have a
vision for the piece, and we let our
creativity take the wheel.
So, how are we supposed to work SEO into our writing?
When it comes to
boosting your clicks, there are many different ways to
skin the SEO cat.
Using
SEO-rich phrases is a trick a lot of writers enjoy. When people search for something online, they usually
search for phrases or
ask the Internet a question. By incorporating those phrases, you can get a higher SEO ranking.
Another way to make SEO work for you is by using
punchy headlines. Phrases such as
how-to or words like
boost can give your heading an
edge when it comes to
the SEO game.
Where can you find SEO keywords?
Keywords are not some
mythical pot of gold or
treasure you have to hunt for. If you know where to look, it can be
quite simple.
AI programmes such as ChatGPT can provide you with keywords
if you ask nicely. Some writers add their articles to the AI chat box,
asking for SEO keywords, while others provide a
genre and
topic, hoping it will provide a list of words they can add.
Another
great way to get SEO keywords and phrases is to add your title or topic in
a search engine. The search engine will then give you the
most searched phrases and questions relating to that topic. Those phrases can be added as
SEO phrases when you publish your piece.
If AI or search engines are
not your thing, there are a few
keyword-specific programmes such as
Semrush and
Keyword Tool that can help you out.
Always keep in mind that the idea is
never to build an entire article around SEO but rather to
use SEO and SEO keywords to
boost your clicks and make your piece more
searchable.
Have you ever used SEO for your writing? Let us know in the comment section below!
Are you looking for more insights into the world of content writing and creating? Have a look at Copywriting versus content writing [Infographic].
*Image courtesy of Canva