Want to Solve Google's Riddle? 

Follow These 4 SEO Content Writing Tips

In my head, Google is a lot like the Sphinx.  With the head of a human and the body of lion, the Sphinx has been an intimidating character for thousands of years.  According to Greek mythology, the Sphinx crouched on top of a rock and waited for people to pass by.  Every time someone did, the Sphinx presented them with a riddle.  If they couldn't solve it, they were killed immediately.

Doesn't sound too different than trying to climb the search engine ranks, does it?
So, what riddle do you have to solve to keep Google from "killing" your rankings?

The riddle of SEO content.

If SEO content writing were as easy as shoving some basic facts and some keywords into a spinner (or into a $2 content writing service) and publishing whatever came out, everyone would have all of the traffic and sales they want.  Getting to page one of the search engine rankings would not be the multi-billion dollar industry that it is today.

But the funny thing about riddles is that the answer is usually a whole lot more obvious than you think - and Google's riddle is no exception.  Instead of crunching keyword densities, counting characters, creating syntax, and developing complex linking strategies, the answer to Google's riddle can be solved merely by following these 4 SEO content writing tips:

1.  Give your readers the information that they need
People log onto to the world wide web and type something in a search box for one reason - they need a quick answer.  After all, isn't that why you use search engines?  To get quick information?  So why would your target audience act any differently?
Doing some good ol' fashioned research and using those facts to support your SEO content is going to do a whole lot more for your readers than anything else you do.  If you can provide people with the answers and solutions that they need, you'll be their top choice when they need to do business with someone.  It's that simple.

2.  Keep the stuffing reserved for Thanksgiving
The best way to integrate your target keywords into your SEO content is to do it naturally.  The last thing you want is for your keywords to jump out of every sentence and scream, "Hey!  Look at me!  I'm a keyword!"  Keyword stuffing is annoying for readers, and it's a surefire way to make sure that they don't make it to the end of your content.  Plus, it shows them that you're more interested in impressing the search engines than you are in impressing them - and that's the biggest no-no of them all.  Even Google says you should write for readers first and search engines second.

3.  Make it compelling
All of the well-researched facts and naturally-integrated keywords in the world won't make up for SEO content that's boring.  A big part of successful SEO content writing is coming up with a way to grab readers' attention so that they can't wait to see what else you have to say.  Whether you're writing a blog post, an SEO article, or optimized sales copy, you need it to be compelling.  Otherwise, readers have no reason to keep reading.  If you can keep people reading, you have a much bigger chance of getting them to buy from you.

4.  Use lists whenever you can
Internet searchers like to skim; they don't read everything word-for-word.  It all goes back to that whole searching for quick answers thing.   It won't work for every piece of SEO content that you write, but by using a numbered list or a series of bullet points, you can grab readers' attention.  If they like what they see while they're skimming your list, they'll go back and read the entire thing.

Bottom line - internet searchers are a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately bunch.  Give them SEO content that misses the mark, and you will never be able to turn readers into buyers.

…And that's no myth!

Nicole Beckett spent more than a decade as a professional journalist, and now she is an expert on SEO content writing.  As the owner of PremierContentSource.com, Nicole specializes in creating quality SEO articles, blogs, newsletters, premium PLR, professional editing & proofreading, and rewriting services.

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