How to Create SEO Friendly Content Without Keyword Stuffing
Webmasters are searching for writers who can create the kind of content that will help them to fare better in search engine rankings. However, they are doing so in an environment in which the rules and established guardrails for good content have been blown off of the SEO map. As a result, the formulas and processes which had long been fixtures in directing writers as to how to make their content SEO friendly have also been abolished.
Search engine giant Google is constantly re-writing its search robot algorithm which determines what it will retrieve as the ten most relevant website results for searchers typing in a certain keyword. This has thrown both webmasters and their content creator cousins into a flux as to how to move forward in the ever competitive race for keyword based search rankings. The old formulas for how to construct "good quality content" no longer correlate to high search rankings with same certainty it used to.
The old formula used to be based on two principles. First, the search engine robots were crawling and scanning for a certain keyword density in order to determine how relevant it was. In other words, if your article was about peanuts, it would be reasonably to assume that the word "peanut" would be found in your content a certain number of times. If your content piece had a certain percentage of its total words as your main keyword (peanuts in our example), your content was sufficiently optimized.
Although content written that way was positioned to be ranked in the search engines, it did not always provide the searcher with the best answers. In fact, it was content written for the search engines, as opposed to being written for the reader. That was fitting for a search engine algorithm that drove what made good content. However with each and every change, the opposite is true. Good content drives the search engines.
To hear that "good content now drives the search engines" sounds cute and cliche-ish, and bears some discussion so as not to be a trite explanation of what is happening. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, allow people to share content with each other that they think is noteworthy or important. Search engine experts are calling this process Social Signals. In other words, social media statistics signal to us what people are finding helpful and useful. Substitute "good" for "helpful and useful" and you will have insight on what is happening in search engine evaluation of content.
So what does that mean as to what you should do to provide "good" content based on certain keywords. In short, you should not write for the search engines. You should write for people to read and find it worth sharing with their social network online. This means that your content should have certain elements:
- Depth of discussion - Usually not less than 600 words, while 1000 is ideal.
- Up To date elements - You should add something new to the discussion of the subject.
- Expert facts and theories - Your coverage should include the elements that an expert would find necessary to have in their discussion of the subject.
One of the best ways to know if you have treated your subject with the right level of respect is to take a look in three places online:
- The Search Tools/Related Searches link in the left hand margin of your search. Clicking this link will show you the related subjects to your keyword. Take a look at these subjects and ask the question as to whether you should include them in order to make your treatment complete.
- A Google News search will provide you with up to date information on what is happening with respect to your subject.
- The Search Tools/Anytime links in the left hand margin of your search. This will give you a sense for the real time discussion of your subject. Take a look at what these links provide to you in the way of information.
If you choose to be thorough in your treatment of the subject matter in this way, you will find yourself using the right number of keywords--naturally. The search engines are rewarding those who write good sharable content. It is not your job to trick the robot into thinking that you have content that is share-worthy. Write for the benefit of your readers and you will have your share of the top ten results.
Scripted has SEO experts who are well versed in creating high quality content for search. Scripted is free to try for a month, and only pay for content you accept. Starting your SEO strategy has never been easier.
