Welcome to our guide on Content Writing Tips! Crafting compelling content is essential for online success. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting, our tips will elevate your content game.
Learn how to engage readers, optimize for search engines, and create content that resonates. We’ll explore practical strategies to enhance your writing skills, boost SEO, and captivate your audience.
From keyword placement to structure, our user-friendly tips will empower you to create impactful content. Dive into the world of effective content writing and watch your online presence thrive.
Let’s make your words work wonders!
Content Writing Tips
To boost your content strategy’s success, think about these 5 important things to enhance how well your content performs:
1. Focus on quality first
Focusing on quality is better for companies than focusing on quantity. While quantity matters for SEO, if you prioritize quantity over quality, you won’t achieve much. Good articles attract traffic and boost conversions, signaling to Google that your content deserves higher search rankings—a win-win.
High-quality content is more shareable on social media and catches the eye of industry stakeholders. Meaningful campaigns, posts, or publications can establish your company as active and valuable in thought leadership or as an expert.
2. Pick a central keyword or phrase
Think about what terms a potential reader might use to find your content. (Don’t rely on your intuition though. Do keyword research using tools like AHREFs or Google’s keyword planner). Establish your primary keyword and three to five variations BEFORE you start writing. Be sure to include your keyword naturally and avoid keyword stuffing
3. Structure your article
The smart way to write a lot of content is to organize it well on the page. Begin with one main heading (H1) and then use subheadings (H2s) to back up your main idea or keyword. This not only benefits Google but also makes it easier and more enjoyable for people reading your content.
To begin, make a simple outline:
- Who are you writing the content for?
- Define tone of voice and formality of the content
- Core thesis
- Supporting point and evidence
- Summary/so what?/what to do next
- This is a great time to seek support from colleagues if you need their input also. Define who and what you need from them.
The length of your article is important. Try to make it between 301 and 500 words at least, or more if you need to explore a topic deeply. Shorter articles can affect your SEO negatively, while excessively long ones might lack a clear and impactful idea. If your article exceeds 1500 words, consider breaking it into a multi-part series. This not only helps your SEO but also provides good chances for internal linking.
4. Add visuals
Include pictures, drawings, charts, symbols, and logos in your writing to make it more interesting. This is crucial for lengthy articles to prevent large chunks of text.
Name your image file with the main keyword. For instance, if the keyword is “content marketing,” change the image name from IMG_20150805.jpg to Content_Marketing.jpg. Ensure the alt-text includes the keyword to indicate relevance to search engines.
5. Don’t forget linking
SEO uses links as a signal of authority. Both links out and links in are helpful for telling Google it is a legit piece of content. If your PR team is involved in the promotion, make sure they approach it as a link-building opportunity. If a high-domain site (such as the New York Times) links to your article, that’s a great way to help your article’s visibility. Be mindful of using good anchor text for your links!
6. Provide metadata that includes your keyword
Create a title of ~55 characters and a description of ~115 characters. Be sure to use the keyword in your post URL and on all alt-tags on the page. Use a snippet preview tool like Sistrix to help you stay within the optimal character count.
7. Include social media posts
A good habit to get into is writing your social content at the same time you are writing your blog. While the subject is fresh in your mind, jot down enticing questions or facts that will encourage conversation and help drive traffic to the blog.
Content Promotion Tips
As mentioned earlier, after you publish your content, the actual work is just starting. Now, it’s time to focus on the “marketing” part, sharing it to build readership. Here are some tips to ensure your hard work gets noticed.
1. Build a social foundation
Social media is super important for promoting stuff quickly. People share content they find, and that’s like the fuel for social media. Posting is easy, but making people excited about it takes skill.
On social media, making friends with industry influencers helps spread the word about your brand. Building relationships sets the stage for more people seeing your work. It’s like a “you help me, I help you” kind of thing. Sharing others’ content before you have your own also helps build your social media presence.
2. Encourage employee advocacy
Your team can be a fantastic support for your content on social media. Keep them informed through an internal newsletter or messaging channel, urging them to share the content. Consider going a step further by creating your own employee brand ambassador program!
3. Align content marketing and advertising efforts
Your content strategy and schedule should match your overall marketing plan and messages. If you’re considering paid promotions for certain content through PPC or Facebook ads, coordinate with your digital marketing and paid social teams.
Keep in mind that good content isn’t just about selling quickly; it’s about being a reliable source of information, whether it’s addressing specific questions or broader interests. Rather than presenting content as a solution in product form, focus on providing helpful information and value to meet customer needs.
4. Monitor reaction
In addition to tracking the numbers of shares, comments, and other engagement metrics, it’s important to see what people are saying about your content. This is where social media monitoring comes in. You can use a tool like Meltwater to monitor brand mentions, sentiment, specific keywords, and industry influencers. Then you can then see which pieces of content are working in terms of performance and which are not. Use your reporting insights to draw actionable insights and improve your content strategy.
5. Engage with people who share and comment
Engagement on social media is not a one way street. The brands that succeed are the ones that also participate in the conversation. In addition to monitoring mentions and shares, engaging with people who responded to your content can be a very powerful way to broaden your reach and connect with potential prospects or industry stakeholders.
Is Your Content Marketing Strategy In Shape?
Continuously improve your content plan. A basic guideline is: do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. Stay flexible, try new things, and remember that seeing conversions from your content takes time and concentrated efforts.
Results come with patience, persistence, and a positive attitude. Even if you can’t see immediate conversions, with patience, you’ll notice the impact of your content marketing as analytics become more accurate and you gather trend data.