Good SEO texts in 4 steps

A good SEO text is one that matches the search intent of visitors. Depending on the search term(s) the page is targeting, this can be a long article explaining a phenomenon in detail, or 10 lines of text repeating the benefits of a product, for example, and a good call to action. If the text (or other form of content such as a video, for example) matches what the visitor is looking for, it creates engagement and that is rewarded by Google.

What are characteristics of a good SEO text?

• The text has a clear purpose.
• The text has a clearly defined target audience.
• It is clear what the reader's desired action is after reading the text.
• Key keywords are used at a few points in the text but not too often.
• The text in read well online because of the use of headings and bullet points.

The Hemingway Editor lets you test whether your texts are clear.

SEO text writing in 4 steps

When writing good SEO texts, there are a number of steps you need to go through.

Step 1: Determine your target audience and topics

The first step is to determine what target audience you want to attract to your Web site. After you have your target audience in mind, the next step is to research what topics are of interest. When determining topics, you need to ask yourself two things: is it relevant and is there search volume? Preferably, you will write SEO texts for topics that are relevant to your target audience and also regularly searched for.

Step 2: Keyword research

After you've identified the topics for your target audience, it's time to conduct keyword research. On the one hand, this is simply market research. You look at where your target audience's interests and needs lie, but more importantly, how they articulate them. Divide these keywords into subcategories so you have a clear overview of what is most in demand. This way, you can prioritize where you want to write SEO texts first, because all your SEO efforts need to generate enough traffic. But also look at the competition, because a high position must be achievable.

Step 3: Check your keywords in Google

Now that you know who and what you are going to write SEO texts for, it is important to check what Google rewards. By this we mean: what does Google show in the search results when you look up the keywords from your research. In particular, look at the top rankings, what do you notice? For example, if you see that the top rankings consist of roadmaps, then it is wise to write your SEO text for that keyword in the form of a roadmap as well.

Step 4: Start writing

That's the next step, where you start looking at how to incorporate these keywords into your texts in the most natural way possible. The trick here is to turn your method around.

You first looked at what keywords are getting visitors to your Web site. Now that they are there, the most important question is what they expect and want to find there. The fact that your keywords appear in the text is logical rather than unnatural.

When writing your texts, make use of headings and incorporate your keywords in them. Use the headings in a logical manner, i.e. H1 for the title, H2 for the sections, H3 for the subsections, etc.

Don't take your search terms too literally

When you start including very literal search terms in your text, it can come across as unnatural. In such a case, always let readability be leading and look for other solutions.

For example, consider adding conjunctions between the different words in your search term. If your analysis shows that "comparing apples and pears" is a good search term, feel free to write "comparing apples and pears" in your text.

Writing meta titles & descriptions

Beyond the text that goes on the page, there is also the meta information that is displayed when the page is shown in search results. Click-through rate plays a role in a website's ranking in search results, so good writing is very important. Make sure that both the title and description make it immediately clear why the searcher should click through. Think of it as ad copy.

In general, you can say: don't make your titles and descriptions too long, use your keywords, preferably up front but don't overdo it.

Check what your title tag will look like: Moz Title Tag Preview Tool

If Google is to be believed, SEO no longer requires us to worry about optimized text. According to them, the algorithm is already so smart that it no longer needs keywords to understand what a text is about. An attractive ideal, but still far from reality. With the right keywords in your texts, you still make it easier for Google and your visitors to find your website.

Need SEO texts written?

Need help determining what texts are needed for your website to rank? Preferably engage an SEO agency with experienced specialists. Besides writing good texts, there are other aspects that play a role for good organic findability, such as the authority of your website and the internal linking of your pages. An SEO agency can help you optimize all other aspects of SEO in addition to writing good SEO texts.