A Detailed Guide on How to Write an SEO-Optimized Article

If you’re in the field of blogging or content marketing, you must be well aware of the term SEO.

And, in case you’re not, you’re in luck, as today I’m going to tell you all you need to know about SEO to write content that reels in organic traffic, literally!

So, let’s start with the basics…

What is SEO?

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimized,” and as you can probably guess by the name, it’s a technique to write articles for them to rank on the search engine. And by rank, I don’t mean showing up on the 10th page because, to be honest, no one ever makes it past the 1st page! By rank, I mean ranking on the very first page of Google!

You heard it right; a person searches for a keyword, and BAM, your article shows up in the search results!

So…

What is an SEO-Optimized Article?

An SEO-optimized article is an article that is written using all the tips and tricks of SEO so that it passes the criteria of being ranked.

And what are the criteria? Well, the article should:

Fulfill the search intent of the researcher
Have well-structured content
Have easy-to-understand and interactive quality content
Be full of authentic knowledge with references
Contain all related search terms/keywords
Be skimmer-friendly
Have no grammatical errors

That seems like a lot of information to take in, right?

But don’t worry! I have simplified everything in this guide and explained all the important factors that you need to take care of while writing an SEO-optimized article.

But before we dive into the details, let me break down the parts of an article for your better understanding.

Parts of the Article

Pay close attention, as this is the cornerstone of article writing, especially if you're a newbie.

An article, whether it's a blog post, long-form article, how-to guide, or any other type, has 5 parts:

Title
Meta Description
Intro
Body
Conclusion

1. Title

The title is the first thing that catches the eye of the reader; therefore, it should be catchy and compelling. However, at the same time, it should be concise, clear, and descriptive.

This means that the reader should get a clear idea of what the article is about when they read the title. And in case you're wondering, the ideal length of the title should be 50 to 60 characters with the primary keyword included.

2. Meta Description

The meta-description is not exactly part of the article; however, it is the line that shows up on the search engine when you search for the specific keyword.

It is basically a 130 to 160-character description of what the article is about and contains the main keyword.

3. Introduction

After the title, the most important part of an article is the introduction. It is the deciding factor for a reader whether they want to continue reading the article or not.

The introduction should be interesting enough to hold the reader's attention; however, it should also be concise and to the point while telling them what the article covers.

Sounds tricky, doesn’t it?

Therefore, we have split the contents of the introduction into three parts for easy understanding.

The Hook

The hook is a line that grips the reader’s attention as soon as they start reading. But it should be one or two sentences only.

Now, it could be a fact, a question, or a quote that's interesting enough to compel the reader to continue reading.

Problem Statement

The problem statement provides background information related to the topic, like an existing issue.

Thesis Statement

And the thesis statement provides a solution to the problem statement. It gives an overview of what you’re going to talk about in the article.

To write a compelling introduction, it's essential that you follow this sequence.

Things to Consider when Writing an Introduction

Now that you know what an introduction is and its parts, here are a few pointers to consider when writing one:

It should contain short paragraphs
Ideally, it should be 100 words or less.
Keep it concise and straightforward.
It should be attractive.

Tips and Tricks for an Attractive Introduction

If you're at a loss for how to make an introduction attractive, here are some valuable tips and tricks:

Add questions in the introduction to make it more interactive.
Add facts & figures.
Use one-line paragraphs.
Write the introduction at the end of the article because after completing the article writer has maximum knowledge about the topic. the more knowledge you have, the more creative you will be while writing the intro.

4. Body

After the introduction comes the body. It contains evidence backing the thesis statement. You can divide it into as many parts as you want; however, each part should establish a link with the next. This helps the reader know what's coming next. Don’t start a new paragraph abruptly.

Also, avoid writing long paragraphs because, truth be told, long paragraphs seem boring, and the reader would probably skim through them without taking the time to read every line.

Another important thing is to read what you're writing. This reduces redundancy and helps you structure your sentences in a better way.

Structure the Body with Subheadings

Subheadings are quite important to make your content descriptive and organized. It is best for people who skim through articles to find exactly what they're looking for without having to read the whole thing.

An article without subheadings makes the content look bookish, and nobody reads the bulky content!

Therefore, add plenty of subheadings to make the article readable.

5. Conclusion

The conclusion is the last part of an article, the ending. This is where you restate the thesis statement and summarize the whole article with an interesting last line or call to action. And just like the introduction, the conclusion should also be short, ideally within 100 words.

Now you know the main parts of an article and how to write them to make your content readable and interesting.

However, that's not the only thing that makes your article worth reading! The formatting also plays an important role.

Let's see how formatting works to make your article rank.

Formatting

Follow these guides for proper formatting of the article.

Title & Heading 1:

The article name or main Title of the article should be “Heading 1”. In the article, the “Heading 1 or Title” number is always one, which will be the page's title.

Paragraphs:

The paragraph, descriptions, or lines which are written below headings their format always remain “Normal Text”

Heading 2 & Sub Headings:

Use “Heading 2” for the other topics or parts of the article, and if “Heading 2” have subheadings, then give them the format of “Heading 3”. For Example, our heading 2 name is What is Snapchat and their feature, pros and cons, price plan, etc. should be in “Heading 3”

Similarly, if “Heading 3” have a subheading, then the subheading should be “Heading 4”

At the End of the “Summary,” the “Conclusion” always be in “Heading 2”

You can see in that video how to change the format and style of the text. Google Docs – Create and Format Your Document

Keywords:

The main keywords should be present in the:

SEO Title
Introduction
Headings
Body
Image Alt Text
Conclusion

Other than this, you can add them naturally in the article. Don’t force them into the text, and don’t overuse the keywords.

For example, in a 200-word article, the selected keyword should appear 1 to 4 times only.

Google Search Tricks:

New writers do not know tricks to quickly search for information. Here are a few tips:12 Cool Google Search Tricks You Should Be Using!

Images

Use images relevant to the headings. They should show exactly what you’re talking about to give the reader a clear idea.

Free Resources:

You can use royalty-free images from the following websites:

If you don’t find good or relevant images on the mentioned websites, you can search for images on Google and mention the source when adding it to the article. You can also find images from Youtube Videos / Instagram.

Alt text:

Write Alt Text below the image. ‘Alt text is intended to convey the “why” of the image as it relates to the content of the document or web page.’

For example,

Redundancy

Try to keep the sentences short and to the point. Don’t use unnecessary words, and don’t repeat the ideas.

Example 1:

After making a purchase ❌

After purchasing ✅

Example 2:

Watch this video for a better understanding of this concept:

English lesson to reduce redundancy and improve English speaking style.

References and Links

Whenever you are quoting a reference or stat, always link it to the main source. Don’t add references at the end. Simply hyperlink the text.

Avoid Naked Links

A naked link is a hyperlink that uses the URL itself as the anchor text. The link is described as “naked” because the URL is entirely visible to the readers.

You must hyperlink all links on the text.

Plagiarism

Once you have written the article, run a plagiarism check on it. You can use the following free sources:

Don’t copy-paste sentences from websites. Try to rewrite the same concept in your own words.

Grammar

Always run your article through online tools like

Grammarly

Or any other tool to remove common grammatical errors.

Read books and other write-ups on grammar to learn the basics.

Quality over Quantity

Don't worry about the word count (if the client hasn’t given one).

Focus on the quality. It doesn’t matter if your article consists of lesser words as long as all aspects of the topic are covered, and the concept is clear.

Readability:

Must check readability using this tool:

Hemingway Editor