8 Steps to Create Search-Optimized Content

SEO writing is the process of writing content to rank on search engines like Google.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to create search-optimized content your readers and Google willlove.

If no one is searching for the topic you’re writing about, you won’t get search traffic no matter how high yourank.

So, the first step to creating SEO content is to do keyword research. Here’s how to get started:

1. Go to Keywords Explorer
2. Enter a broad term from yourniche
3. Go to Matching terms

Eyeball the report for keywords that actually make sense for you to target on your website. For example, if I owned an online shop that sells tea, I might target this keyword because searchers are clearly looking for tea recommendations, so I can easily “sell” my product in the content.

Google’s goal is to serve the most relevant results. They do this by figuring out why searchers are looking and what they want tosee.

This has two implications for SEO writing.

Match search intent

Search intent is the why behind a search query. If you want to rank high on Google, you need to align your content with search intent.

To check search intent, Google your target keyword. For example, if we search for “how to make money,” we see that most of the top-ranking pages are lists of ways to savemoney:

Despite the term “how to,” searchers are not looking for a guide—they’re looking for a list. So, if you’re targeting this topic, you’ll...