Learn to write SEO TEXTS [Tips and instructions]

 

As this article is around 5000 words long, it will take a long time to read. If you don't want to read it all, click on the topics that are of particular interest to you in the table of contents.

 

Where are the good old days? It used to be enough to publish your thoughts on a topic from time to time. Or to bang out a strategically sophisticated advertising text. Larded up with a good portion of keywords.

Yes, keyword stuffing was still an effective optimisation method back then. The higher the keyword density, the better the ranking and the more traffic.

But then Google started to "think". Since then, text optimisation has evolved significantly.

Let's talk about that now. Let's start from the beginning.

 

What are SEO texts?

SEO-optimised texts are an essential part of search engine optimisation, or more precisely: on-page optimisation. The texts are written and optimised according to specific SEO criteria. The aim of an SEO text is to achieve a good ranking in the search engines with the website and thus be found by interested parties.

Important criteria of an SEO text are, for example

• The search intention of the searcher
• The right keywords (focus keywords, long tail keywords and semantic terms)
• The right text length
• The right text format
• Clear structure
• Easy readability
• Enticing headings
• Internal and external links
• etc.

By adhering to these criteria and guidelines, you ensure that the website has a chance of being ranked by Google.

Is there a guarantee for a top ranking? No. But: Search engine optimised content has a better chance of landing on page 1 in the search engines.

 

How to write good SEO texts

I'm about to list and explain all the important factors of good SEO texts. After that, even a beginner should be able to create SEO-optimised content or at least understand what to look out for.

In the second half of the article, I'll show you step by step how I write SEO copy.

But I'll give you the most important tip right up front:

 

 

Sure, you want to rank well in Google searches. You want to land on page 1 in the search results. That's the whole point of creating SEO texts.

But: Your readers should still be able to read and understand the content.

Google wants that too. This Google Webmasters video explains it well.

 

Matt Cutts: Should I focus on clarity or jargon when writing content?

 

You've probably read blog articles, product descriptions, etc. that are only optimised for Google. Pointless collections of words with no added value or benefit. Every second sentence contains a keyword. The rest are empty phrases.

Hard to read. Is that right?

Most of these are relics from a time when keyword density was still relevant. Before the Google updates Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird and Co., keyword stuffing and cloaking were still common and quite successful.

Things are different today.

Pages with this type of text no longer have a chance of being recognised by Google and users. The bounce rate is very high and the average time on site is low. This does not go unnoticed by Google (the search engine tracks everything) and downgrades them in the rankings.

Such content is therefore worthless. For the searcher, for Google and ultimately for you too, as you will not be successful with your content and search engine marketing in the long term.

So: Write your website content in a way that is easy to read and clearly understandable.

 

Factors of a good SEO text or what you should pay attention to when writing SEO texts

I'll show you later how I write my content. Here's a short list of the factors you should pay particular attention to.

 

Text length - how long should an SEO text be?

A frequently asked question without a truly satisfactory answer. We go into this in more detail in our article "What is SEO". So here it is only briefly:

A search engine optimised text should be as long as necessary and as short as possible. It should contain all the essential information and cover a topic in full.

The TOP rankings on Google have around 2500 words. However, this figure only applies to topics with a high information requirement.

 

(Source: SERPIQ)

 

Does this mean that a text has to be 2500 words long to rank?

No.

The length of the text should depend on whether it contains all the relevant information for the searcher.

If I search for "height of the Eiffel Tower", I only want "300 metres" as an answer. In this case, I'm not interested in the history of the building.

 

User-friendliness - How are good SEO texts structured?

Let's first talk about the things that are perhaps not so obviously part of SEO optimisation. The things that immediately catch the reader's eye and decide whether they want to read on or not.

 

Structure/Organisation

First and foremost, search engine optimised texts are structured in such a way that the reader can read them effortlessly. What does that mean?

• Use short paragraphs (2-3 lines)
• Use short sentences (no long nested sentences)
• Provide white space (spacing between lines and paragraphs)
• Use graphics, videos and info boxes (breaks up the text)
• Use list elements (sorted and unsorted lists, bullet points)

 

Reading flow

To support the reading flow, we have already ensured a good text structure. You should also pay attention to the following points:

• No technical jargon (avoid technical terms or explain them)
• Simple language (not everyone has studied German studies)
• Figurative language (storytelling)
• No unnecessary nominalisations (noun formation), instead use verbs that keep the text flowing
• No or only sensibly used filler words

Here is a nice infographic with frequently used filler words that you should avoid if possible.

Found on https://conterest.de/fuellwoerter-liste-worte/

 

Dwell time

Measures to keep visitors on your website for as long as possible:

• A meaningful H1 headline that grabs attention
• A crisp introduction that picks up on the topic of the headline and arouses interest
• Subheadings (H2-H6) that encourage people to read on
• Comprehensible and enticing content (take a look at the AIDA formula )
• Media content that supports the text (graphics, videos, screenshots, statistics, tables, etc.)
• Set additional internal and external links to provide further information (you can set external links to target="_blank" if you want to prevent the visitor from leaving your site)

 

Now let's get into the obvious SEO.

 

Keywords

Writing SEO content also and above all means showing Google that the text is relevant to a specific topic.

How do you show this?

Through keywords and topic-relevant terms and word groups - so-called LSI keywords (LSI stands for latent semantic indexing).

In our article Keyword research: How it works, even for beginners, you can also find out what keyword research is all about and how to research the right keywords.

 

Where should the focus keyword be placed in the text?

You should definitely place the keyword

• in the URL (unique resource locator, file path)
• in the title
• within the first 100 words, in the first paragraph(marked in bold)
• in some subheadings
• in the last paragraph
• a few times in the body text (do not overdo it, keyword stuffing)
• in the meta description (as close to the beginning as possible)
• in the file names of images and graphics
• in the alternative text of images and graphics

 

 

Does keyword density still play a role in SEO-optimised texts?

YES.

Keyword density has been replaced by WDF*IDF.

WDF stands for "Within Document Frequency". This determines how frequently a term (i.e. a word or word combination) occurs within a document.

In a way, it is still about keyword density. The Within Document Frequency only uses a different formula for the calculation.

The formula:

 

I won't go into that now, RYTE has a very good description.

 

How often should a keyword appear in the entire text article?

MOZ published an interesting video on this in 2015 that is still highly relevant today.

 

 

But watch the whole video. It pays off.

 

 

Can you write perfect SEO texts?

Perhaps. For the moment. And when I say moment, I mean moment. SEO is not a permanent thing.

At the moment, the perfect SEO text is the one that ranks in position 1 on Google. Tomorrow it could be a different one.

Either another copywriter will do it better or Google will come around the corner with another algorithm update, such as Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, etc.

By the way: the ranking of a website does not only depend on the text. Other factors are, for example

• the website technology (e.g. page speed/loading time)
• Backlinks (references from other pages to your own page)
• And over 200 other ranking factors

This means for us copywriters and for SEO optimisation in general: You're never done. You can forget the motto of the past - publish and forget. Observe, track, react to changes and improve is the new motto.

 

 

What can an SEO copywriter do?

• To create effective SEO-optimised texts, you must at least be up to date with the content-relevant SEO trends and Google updates. It also doesn't hurt if you have an idea of SEO web design or backlink building in addition to on-page optimisation.
• An important point: keyword research. You need to know how to research relevant keywords with a meaningful search volume, low keyword difficulty and high profitability and how to optimally distribute them strategically in the text. The search volume does not always have to be very high. It depends entirely on the strategy you pursue.
• You don't need to know everything there is to know about every topic you write about. But you do need to know how to comprehensively research and prepare a subject area.
• Last but not least, you should be proficient in the language you are writing in.
• A little creativity, flexibility and a distinctive writing style don't hurt either.

 

How do you write search engine optimised online texts?

I promised to show you how I write SEO-optimised content. And anyone who knows me knows that I keep my promises. So.

 

How I create my SEO texts [Instructions]

It all starts with a brief and the initial briefing.

This first point is crucial. Only when you have all the information you need can you start writing. Only then does it make sense and have any chance of success.

So gather the following information:

• Background information on the client, e.g. the business field and company history
• What is the topic?
• What is the message?
• Who is the message aimed at?
• Is there a reader or buyer persona that can be specifically addressed? At least a target group?
• What is the intention of the text? (more enquiries, purchases, more newsletter subscribers, branding, etc.)?
• Are there specific ideas about the type of text?
• Which keywords should be used? Which main keyword, which secondary keywords?
• Should the text inform, animate, entertain, teach, sell?
• How should the prospective customer be addressed (you or you)?
• Tonality (e.g. neutral, dynamic, emotional, entertaining...)
• Are there company- or subject-specific terms (corporate wording) or should certain terms (names, brands, etc.) not be used at all?
• Is there supporting media content or should any be created?
• What are the no-go's? For example, can you link to external information to provide additional relevance (even if it comes from a competitor)?

If you don't have a client and are writing for your own website or blog, then answer the questions yourself.

 

Then research the most promising keyword. And above all..

...the search intent of the searcher.

• What are the users looking for?
• What information do they expect
• Where are they on their customer journey?
• What problem do they have
• What solution are they looking for
• etc.

How you can easily find out the search intent of searchers

The easiest and quickest way to find out the search intent of Google users is to use the Google search engine itself.

Enter your focus keyword in the search field and take a look at the first ten search results. Google knows exactly what its users are looking for. Google delivers the most relevant content on page 1, so take a look at the content of the TOP ranked pages.

Let's go through this point by point using an example.

 

What is the user looking for?

Let's take the topic of this article as an example. "SEO texts"

Type the search term into the field and look at the search results.

We can see from these search results that most of them deal with the topic "How to write SEO texts".

 

 

The primary intention behind the search query "write SEO text" is therefore learning.

 

What other intentions are behind the search query?

However, we also recognise other search results that show us that there are other intentions.

We can see this in position 7:

 

This means that Google assumes that a definition or explanation is also being searched for.

This means that not only the HOW is being searched for, but also the WHAT.

In addition, autocomplete (Google Suggest) and the Google AdWords adverts that appear also show an interest in having an SEO text written.

 

 

If you scroll to the bottom of the SERP (Search Engine Result Page), you will find "Similar search queries"

 

Under "Similar search queries to ..." you can get more keyword ideas.

 

Other useful keyword research tools:

• KWFinder
• Ubersuggest
• Google Keyword Planner

 

The competitor analysis

In the next step, I look at all the pages in the TOP 10. One after the other. I pay attention to which topics are covered. I also find out which questions have not yet been answered and make a note of them.

 

 

This is what my collection of keywords and headlines looks like after the research:

 

The only thing missing now is the website owner's intention. You will remember that we clarify the intention of the website owner (customer) in the initial briefing. Once I know this, I can decide which text format best meets my requirements and those of the website visitors and start structuring the text.

 

What is the website operator's intention?

The intentions behind this article, for example, are to achieve a page 1 ranking on Google and to draw attention to our offers"We write your web content" and "Have SEO texts written".

 

What type of text should it be?

Based on the search intention of the searcher and the intention of the website operator, we decide which type of content is the most suitable.

Based on this information, I can write the following text formats:

• Advertising text
• How To (instructions)
• White paper
• Product description
• Case study
• etc.

I have opted for a guide with detailed explanations. This way I fulfil all the search intentions of Google users.

 

Defining the structure

To determine the text structure, I prioritise the subtopics.

1. Search intention 1
2. Search intention 2
3. Search intention 3
4. etc.

 

Design:

 

The headings are defined in the next step.

 

Writing SEO headlines

First, let me talk about how I design my headlines with search engine optimisation in mind.

Every single headline I write is important. On the one hand, to provide the reader with orientation and, on the other, to prominently place my keywords and relevant words.

I make sure to use all headlines hierarchically.

 

Example:

 

If the sentence structure allows, the keywords should be placed near the beginning. However, this is not absolutely necessary. The headlines should not appear unnatural or contrived.

The headline - H1 heading - consists, for example, of the main keyword, the benefit and the added value.

This would be the example of this article:

 

Learning to write TOP SEO TEXTS [tips and instructions]

• "Learn to write TOP SEO TEXTS" (keyword and benefit)
• Tips and instructions (added value)

 

Important: Write enticing headlines. They decide whether the visitor reads on or not.

Tip: Square brackets increase the conversion rate. (Source: The perfect headline)

 

 

In the H2 headings (subheadings), I address the other questions asked by searchers.

Using this article as an example:

• What are SEO texts?
• How are SEO texts structured?
• etc.

 

Accordingly, the respective subsections are defined as H3-H6. As the SEO relevance decreases with each level, I limit myself to going into depth up to H4 at most.

The advantage of this approach for me is that I only ever concentrate on one part of the topic when writing. It helps me to stay focussed.

It also helps me to make sure that I cover all the important problems and questions of the searchers and don't overlook anything.

 

EXPERT TIP: Do you know "AnswerThePublic"?

It's a great keyword research tool that you can use to find out the questions and search inputs of Google users.

I have put together a small series of images for you.

In the first screenshot, you can see that I selected the language DE (German) and entered "seo" in the search field.

 

After clicking on "Get Questions", I get the following results:

there are 116 questions, 180 prepositions, 62 comparisons and 500 alphabetically organised keyword combinations for my search query.

 

116 questions for the keyword "seo"

 

180 prepositions for the keyword "seo"

 

62 comparisons for the keyword "seo"

 

500 keyword combinations for the keyword "seo"

Examples with the letters v, u, t

 

What I like about AnswerThePublic: Not only can you find relevant questions, keywords and keyword combinations, but you can also click on each individual entry. You are then redirected to Google page 1 and can immediately analyse and evaluate the TOP results.

Another advantage: Imagine how many blog articles you can create if you consider each of the entries as a headline or title.

 

Writing the text content

Once the headlines have been written and structured, I start to fill the individual chapters with content. I do this by writing the text freely, without thinking about every single keyword. I answer the researched questions and always have the user's search intention in mind.

Now, at this moment, I'm thinking that the readers - maybe you too - are looking for guidance on how to write SEO text. When writing, the most important search terms and keywords flow naturally and organically into the writing.

I try to write simple, understandable and short sentences. I don't always succeed, but more and more often ;)

Further keywords to optimise the text are added after completion.

And now that the text has been finalised at this stage, it's time for the..

 

Inserting the keywords

To make the written text a good SEO text, I carry out a WDF*IDF analysis and optimisation.

I'll show you how I use the on-page optimisation tool Surfer SEO to find and add the missing search terms, words and word combinations.

This is how it works:

1. Log in to Surfer SEO and select "Content Editor"
2. Create a new content editor for the focus keyword.

 

Create content editor

1. Select "Content Editor"
2. Enter the keyword
3. Select the target region
4. Select mobile or desktop
5. Click on "Create Content Editor"

 

Surfer SEO now analyses the top Google results and creates the content editor based on these results.

Once the editor has been created, it will appear at the top of the content editor history.

 

Click to open the editor.

 

Once the Content Editor is open, click on the settings icon to open it.

 

Here you can now see the top 10 competitors (1), their content score, the authority and the word count of each individual page.

Now select the right competitors according to certain criteria that you will learn in a training course.

You can activate and deactivate these on the left (2).

Then click on "Let's go".

 

The content editor will open, in which you will see the relevant terms required on the right.

 

Paste your text into the editor and optimise it so that all necessary keywords appear in the text with an appropriate frequency. Replace the terms that appear too often with synonyms and related terms.

I try not to spam and disfigure the text with keywords. We have already talked about unreadable blog articles or other texts at the beginning.

Don't overdo it and always keep the reader in mind when optimising your content.

If you want to try out Surfer SEO, create a basic account and test it for 7 days. If you don't like the tool, you'll get your money back with no ifs, ands or buts.

With the help of the tool, you can find out in seconds which terms your content is missing for a good search engine ranking.

With the Basic account, you have 10 content editors at your disposal every month. You can optimise the text directly in the editor.

 

Final corrections

Now I leave the text for a few hours. Ideally, I sleep on it for a night (often days). Then I read it through again - focussing on unnecessary text passages and filler words.

Anything that is too much is mercilessly thrown out.

Basically, after this step and a final spelling and grammar check, the copywriter's work is done.

 

Is proofreading (spelling and grammar) also part of SEO copywriting?

It most certainly is. Users and Google like grammatically correct formulations with good spelling.

But don't worry too much about this when writing. Write off the cuff. Don't let your writing flow be interrupted. You can always make corrections later.

Only do a spelling and grammar check after you have finished your text.

If you are not completely familiar with spelling yourself, have someone else proofread it. Or use other online and offline options.

Offline, you can spell check with Microsoft Words or OpenOffice, for example.

Online, you can use spellcheck24.de, for example. This will give you reasonably good and usable results.

Your text does not have to be perfect to the dot and comma. You will not be graded.

 

Integrate SEO content into the website

In our agency, the text goes to web development once it has been finalised.

There, the text content is entered into the website and the visual preparation and further on-page optimisations are taken care of.

If you take a closer look at this article, you will see a few other elements of search engine optimisation. For example..

 

Internal and external links

An SEO text should contain links that refer to other relevant information.

These can be

• internal links - i.e. those that redirect to your own subpages with further information
• external links - these refer to websites of other website operators

You should make sure that the linked content is relevant to your topic and complements your information in a meaningful way.

Again, the premise applies: Everything for the reader!

Internal linking is an often underestimated SEO tool, writes Svenja Gitzel in an article on seonest.

 

Graphics and other media content

Why does media content belong in a good SEO text?

• They loosen up the structure
• Supplement and clearly explain the written content
• Are found in the Google image search
• Increase the time the reader spends on the website

 

Which media content can be used for this?

The most common are

• Images (image series, sliders and carousels)
• Graphics and infographics
• Videos
• Audios

 

Make sure that the images and graphics are also SEO-optimised .

 

Meta data or snippet optimisation

In addition to creating good SEO text (i.e. the content that can be seen on the website or blog), I also recommend snippet optimisation. A snippet is the meta data that is embedded in the HTML code and displayed in the search results as a "preview" of the page.

 

I have now shown you how I write my text content. But you should also get to know other perspectives on the topic. The following video focusses on detailed keyword research.

 

(Source: evergreenmedia.at)

 

Finally, let me answer a few questions on the topic. Questions that you may also be asking yourself.

 

Frequently asked questions

Can you learn to write SEO texts?

Of course you can. You're taking the first step right now. You're reading this article and probably others to gather the best information about it.

Then you should start writing. Just start writing and gradually implement the tips you've gathered.

The first search engine optimised articles that you write may not yet land in the top positions. However, you will improve with every article and every website you fill with content.

You also need to realise one thing: even the best don't always rank at the top. There is not just one, but many others who write good SEO text.

But there are also other ways to get your content to your audience. Content seeding on social media, for example.

 

Can I write my own SEO texts?

Whether you write search engine optimised texts yourself depends on a few factors.

 

Do you have enough time available?

As you will have realised, this is not something you can do on the fly.

I need anywhere from a few hours to a few days to write a good text. Depending on whether the topic is familiar or unfamiliar to me, the research sometimes takes longer, sometimes not so long.

It also depends on the type of content. If I write a short list post, I don't need that long. If I write an extensive, informative article like this one, I need longer.

I wrote and SEO-optimised the article you are reading over a few days.

 

Is copywriting easy or difficult for you?

Not everyone is a talented copywriter. It doesn't have to be, otherwise I and my colleagues would no longer have jobs.

It's also important to realise that writing a school essay or a nice blog post for a hobby blog is very different from creating professional content.

Content that is written for the marketing of companies has to be found:

• Be found on Google and co
• provide the reader with all the information they are looking for (search intent, solutions, answers, added value, benefits)
• lead them to the next stage of their customer journey
• motivate them to take action and ideally
• transform them into a customer

If you want to acquire the necessary SEO knowledge, go ahead. Then you'll be able to write your own SEO texts in the future.

Until then, you can have your content written by professionals.

 

Can I buy ready-made SEO texts?

I advise against this. There is no such thing as a ready-made SEO text. You'll know that after reading this article. You now know that every search engine optimised text must be researched precisely and individually. How could a ready-made text do that?

Your content must also be unique. Identical content that has been published X times is of no use to your search engine optimisation. You need unique content. Duplicate content has no chance with Google and co. Why should duplicate content be ranked? It already exists (often several times).

If you read offers like: "PLR SEO text on the topic ..." in the future, then stay away from it. You don't need duplicate content. Invest your money in a professional instead. It will come back to you in the form of customers and sales.

 

Which tools can I use to carry out an SEO text analysis?

You already know the text analysis with Surfer SEO. You can find a free online tool for this here.

If you run your website on the basis of WordPress, I recommend the SEO plugin Yoast SEO. An extension for your WordPress installation. We have a tutorial for you on how to use Yoast.

 

How much does a professional SEO text cost?

An SEO text from a professional doesn't cost a fortune compared to its value. The prices are either calculated per word or agreed as a flat rate.

The prices you find on the internet vary from a few cents per word for simple SEO texts to 4-digit flat rates for extremely complex SEO content.

 

What does the price of SEO texts depend on?

If you have an SEO-optimised text written and spend money on it, you want to know how much it costs and how the costs break down.

You've read this article up to this point, so you know the work that goes into a properly written SEO text. Let me briefly summarise the most important components.

• Time spent on topic research
• Time spent on keyword research
• Time required for text creation
• Time required for final SEO analysis (WDF*IDF)
• Time spent on final proofreading and quality assurance

The price of a text also depends on whether you have it written by an experienced SEO copywriter or a novice in this field.

 

 

Conclusion:

SEO texts should be an integral part of your content strategy, your search engine optimisation and your overall online marketing concept.

The secret of good SEO-optimised content is: write first and foremost for the reader and then optimise for the search engine!

You have learnt how to do this in this article. With a little practice and the acquisition of the necessary SEO basics, you will soon be able to write useful SEO texts yourself

Compared to the inestimable value for your visibility in the search engines and the resulting increase in visitor numbers, conversion rate, customer enquiries and sales, the price of search engine optimised texts or the time they take is negligible.

 

If you have any questions about SEO texts or would like our copywriters to write good SEO texts for you, simply contact us. Write an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. call us on +43 1 353 2 353 or send us your enquiry using our contact form.