If you scour the internet for information, you can readily find anything under the sun. From how to stop procrastinating up to if popping pimples are good for you, it’s there. With this, a lot of companies are banking on creating content to attract possible customers.
And for this marketing technique, it’s crucial to have SEO writers working for them. If you’re looking for an online job and writing is in your expertise, this might be the career for you.
What Do SEO Writers Do?
One central part of SEO is producing relevant and high-quality content. That’s where SEO writers come in.
A lot of people can write. But if you want the information to be shown to your target audience, you must create articles that show up in the search engines for specific keywords. Google ranks the best content for these keywords based on their proprietary algorithm.
Posting content and setting website configurations with this algorithm in mind is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
So how do you become a bona fide SEO writer? Here are 9 vital skills you should have.
Writing Skills
It might be obvious, but the first skill you should have is writing skills. You should have a decent command of the English language. And you can weave word plays that will entice your audience to read more.
No, you don’t have to be a PhD. and write scholarly. In fact, you just need content readability of around 60.0 – 70.0 on the Flesch-Kincaid Score. That translates to an 8th grader or a 13 to 14 year old student. The more readable, straight-to-the-point, and engaging, the better!
Research Skills
You will not be writing for your expertise alone. There will be topics that need information outside your scope of knowledge. For example, I have written for warding of black magic. And I’m not exactly a spiritual guide.
You need the proper research skills to find reliable information across the web. Try searching on Google and read the top 10 articles posted. You can also scour the depths of forums, Quota, and Reddit threads for more data.
In this way, you can provide a compelling article that will be useful for your audience.
Know Your Audience
And speaking of the audience, do you know who you are writing for? Valuable information presented to the wrong audience wouldn’t be adequate still. You should know the audience your company is trying to target.
With this, you can adjust your writing style that would fit their language. For example, you might want to be more perky and straightforward for Gen Z. And you might want to be all serious and authoritative if you’re appealing to Lawyers.
Know your audience to be one of the best SEO writers for your clients.
Basic SEO
As an SEO writer, you should be familiar with the best SEO practices — well, at least the basic ones. For one, you should have articles in outline form and with around 2-3 sentences average per paragraph. In this way, your readers wouldn’t be too overwhelmed with blocks of text.
Next are keywords. Gone are the days where you just have to flood an article with keywords. You should know how to incorporate keywords into your text in the most natural way possible.
As for finding keywords, usually, you will work with your SEO manager so that they can supply it to you. But in cases that there are none, you can check out this guide for simple keyword techniques.
Creativity
Knowing keywords and SEO, should you write for the sake of the algorithm? Not necessarily. Google’s algorithm is getting smarter and smarter every day. It can now track bad practices that aim to outsmart the system (like flooding every paragraph with the target keyword).
The best practice right now is mashing up your keywords with your writing prowess. And it takes creativity to do that. Write articles that are helpful and engaging for your readers. And as much as possible, add a creative and exciting flair to it.
In this way, you can attract a larger audience effectively, and Google ranks your article more for that.
Basic Knowledge on Blogging Platforms
Sometimes, you are not only tasked to write articles. You might also be in charge of publishing it yourself. With this, you should be familiar with blogging platforms. It might be daunting at first. But if you get the hang of it, it’s pretty simple.
As of writing, the most used blogging platform is WordPress. You should know how to plot your articles, add images or videos (if any), and edit the subheadings to H2 for SEO purposes.
Communication
Communicating online is quite challenging. You don’t see the person you are talking to. And you can’t really assess their emotions on the screen. What to do?
You should learn how to properly communicate your ideas to the team. Nuances like text capitalization or punctuation are crucial. Imagine receiving ALL CAPS MESSAGE WITH EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!! It wouldn’t be ideal. Or a deafening “K.” Yikes!
You might even need to overshare and explain some points to avoid miscommunications. It takes practice but is necessary for your success.
Teamwork
You will not be alone in this career. You will be working with people from marketing or IT. Can you work harmoniously with other people?
As the saying goes, collaboration is 1 + 1 = 11. With your ideas and expertise combined, you can create exponential growth for your company.
Adaptable
With technology, change is pretty much inevitable. There will be new advancements and different algorithm improvements in the future. Are you ready to adapt to these changes?
You should be updated and willing to learn new things. Join communities or newsletters in your field. In this way, you are sure to be relevant in the long run.
Conclusion
Do you have what it takes to become a sought-after SEO writer? Make sure to have the crucial skills above to set yourself apart from the rest.
If you’re looking for opportunities in this field, you can check this link for more information. Cheers!!
