If customers can’t find your business online, it might as well not exist. People rarely look at results that don’t appear on the first page of a search engine query – in fact, 91.5 percent of all web traffic generated through search engines goes to the links that appear on the first page. If you’re wondering how you can change your website so that it gets that coveted first-page ranking, search engine optimization (SEO) content writing can provide the answer.
Well, maybe you don’t have to be the one to make the changes. You can outsource SEO content writing services to an expert who can help your company to rank more highly in search engine queries. As you search for the right content writing agency to hire for SEO content writing services, it’s important not to conflate SEO content writing with copywriting – and a trustworthy content writing agency will clearly be able to define both and explain how they differ.
What is SEO content writing?
SEO content writing is a content writing approach that aims to maximize traffic to your website from search engine queries. It combines standard content writing and organization practices with in-depth keyword research and optimization. It can prove crucial to bolstering your company’s internet presence since better search results don’t just come from top-notch SEO – engaging, high-quality, well-written content is just as important as SEO is for maximizing your search engine presence.
Why is SEO content writing important?
Bringing SEO content writing services into your marketing strategy is important for driving your company’s:
- Visibility. If you hire writers who prioritize SEO when writing content for your business’s website, then the information on your website might answer a search engine user’s query better – and more quickly – than any competitor sources. Providing search engine users with speedy, thorough query answers can help convert them to customers.
- Engagement. You can’t cram a blog full of SEO keywords and expect it to rank highly in search engine queries. This practice, known as keyword stuffing, can tank your website’s rankings. That’s because search engines care about quality, too – we’ll explain this concept more in a bit when we talk about bounce rates. For now, just know that well-written, informative content that engages the reader is just as important as is proper keyword usage – and good content writers know how to balance both.
- Ability to meet goals. SEO content writing services help you meet targets for increasing your audience, reaching new customers, and improving the overall “SEO health” of your website. What are these goals, you ask? We’ll get more into that below.
What are the goals of SEO writing?
You now know that SEO content writing attempts to maximize your business website’s overall health. But what does that mean? The best way to understand website health is to familiarize yourself with the goals of SEO writing. These include:
- Boosting your ranking in organic search results. Let’s say your company is a private dermatology group in the New York area. In that case, you probably want your company to appear at the top of all search engine queries for “New York dermatologist.” With high-quality SEO client writing services at your side, your chances of achieving this goal can increase.
- Keeping interested readers on the page. The longer readers stay on your website, the more likely they are to convert. That’s due to a metric called bounce rate. A bounce is when a visitor to your website only visits a single page, and your bounce rate is the percentage of all your site visits that don’t result in visitors clicking on your website’s other pages. You can interpret high bounce rates to mean that your content isn’t engaging enough. High bounce rates also discourage search engines from placing your content toward the top of a results list.
- Keeping your website up to date. Consistently updating your website is currently a factor in search engine rankings. Optimizing old content to include newly relevant keywords instead of creating brand new content can be just as valid an SEO writing strategy as can the creation of a brand new blog, webpage, or other content. Remember, the more current your information, the more relevant it is to your customer base.
- Creating internal linking opportunities. As you create more content, you generate more pages to which you can link in your other content. This practice is called internal linking. Good internal linking practices improve your website’s search engine ranking since they show search engines the structure of your website, and a search engine that knows your website structure may rank each of your pages higher.
- Creating external linking opportunities. Just as creating internal linking opportunities bolsters your website strength, so too does creating external linking opportunities. When another website links to your content, search engines learn that your content is worthwhile and a smart choice to rank highly.
Is there a difference between SEO content writing and other types of writing?
SEO content writing has a different goal than copywriting or other types of content writing. While copywriting specifically refers to snappy ad copy and content writing can refer to any kind of blog, article, or other written content, SEO content writing has a specific goal: to write content for the purpose of achieving search engine rankings.
At The Stellastra Effect, we argue that SEO writing, copywriting, and content writing converge on one another. That’s because all factors for each type of writing matter to your audience. Your content may rank well (SEO writing), but if it doesn’t sell (copywriting) or read in an engaging way (content writing), it may not inspire your reader to take action. Taking all three factors into account is the recipe for success.
How a content writing agency helps with SEO content writing
Chances are that if you’re looking for a content writing agency, you already understand the value of marketing copy aimed at consumers. You might be less familiar with how the same writers who can create high-quality content for any subject can also incorporate SEO content writing into their work. In fact, many content writing agencies offer SEO content writing services alongside their standard content writing work.
Content writing agencies help with SEO content writing by:
- Offering expert input. Few people understand content better than do content writers, and knowing content means knowing at least the basics of SEO. When you hire a content writing agency, you get a team of people who know not just how to create engaging, effective written material but how to factor in SEO best practices.
- Analyzing your strengths and weaknesses. Content writing agencies can use their years, if not decades, of expertise to analyze your content and determine where its SEO strengths and weaknesses lie. A content writer can identify content that prioritizes SEO over well-written, engaging copy from a mile away, and a really good content writer can sense a lack of SEO best practices in even the highest-quality copy.
- Comparing your strengths and weaknesses with actual user searches. Without a content writing agency on hand, you might not realize that the keyword you’ve prioritized in your content isn’t being searched much these days. A content writing agency will know how to determine relevant keywords, optimize your existing content to contain them, and create new content that’s as SEO-focused as it is riveting.
- Formulating a plan. SEO content writing isn’t a one-time remedy – it’s a long-term strategy. Bring content writing experts into the fold to formulate a plan for how you can rank highly in relevant searches and keep readers on the page once they’ve found your content.
Work with a content writing agency that’s in it for the long run
When it comes to SEO content writing strategy, there’s no such thing as too long-term a plan. That’s why the content writing agency you choose should be one you can trust to fulfill all your needs. Once you’ve taken the time to determine what those needs are – both in terms of SEO and content – you can search for content writing agencies. In some cases, agencies local to you or experienced in your industry may be better qualified than others – and the ones that rank highly in your searches clearly know their SEO.
At The Stellastra Effect, we offer SEO content writing services to clients located not just in the tri-state area but nationwide. Our client base spans a diverse range of industries as well, and no matter the subject matter at hand, we have decades of SEO content writing experience and journalistic background that enables us to ask – and answer – all the right questions about your company. In our SEO content writing services, we plan for the long haul and make sure you’re part of the process at every step of the way. We don’t just create great content – we make sure that search engines actually see our words too. Plus, we’re super easy to reach – just fill out our contact form to get your quote today!
