Ten Tips to Write Search Engine Friendly Content

chillibreeze writer — Rita Bhattacharjee

Summary: Optimizing content for search engines is more difficult than you think. Read on to learn how to tame spiders, mesmerize site visitors, and get a high ranking – all in one go!

Rub…rub…where has the genie gone?

You can think of the Internet as a mighty genie trapped in a quagmire of search engines. And in a modern twist on the old tale, in order to be the master of this Internet genie, you first need to master the fine art of search engine optimization. Unlike the good old days when all you had to worry about was channeling traffic to your website, now you also have to contend with thousands of similar other websites vying for your target audience's attention.

The search is on…

Today, in order to get your website noticed, you need to resort to smart marketing techniques – search engine optimization being one of the most effective. Web users usually search for information using search engines like Google or Yahoo, and having search engine friendly content on your site helps your potential customers/users find you faster, giving you an edge over your competitors.

Itsy bitsy spider crawled all over the site

Most search engines use special programs or "spiders" to comb the web for most relevant websites and one way for them to determine the worth of a site is through its content. If your content is rich in keywords and relevant, chances are your site will get a good ranking and will be viewed by a lot of people.

Keyword is the key

Keywords are the terms users type in to search for items or information they are looking for, and inserting a few well-placed keywords in your content goes a long way in improving your chances of getting a good search ranking.

As easy as apple pie? Think again!

If you're thinking that by quickly putting together some content and liberally peppering it with keywords, you'll hit the ranking jackpot, you may be sadly mistaken. To be truly successful and stay on top of the rankings, search engine optimization needs to be an ongoing process. Here are some tips that'll make your content more palatable to spiders and human beings alike!

1. Be true to your site. What is your site about? Is it meant to sell a product/service or is it an information site? While an information site offers more scope for objectivity, you can keep product or service sites realistic by being truthful and upfront about what you're selling and avoiding unnecessary hyperbole.

2. Keep it crisp. Your text should be precise, to-the-point, and completely relevant to the product or service you are selling. All irrelevant information should be carefully weeded out. Stick to short sentences and break up your content into several paragraphs. Remember that no one likes reading long-winded essays that lead nowhere.

3. The importance of headings and sub-headings. These break up your content and present them in an organized format. Most people don't read online text – they merely scan the copy. Headers and sub-headings ensure visitors get an idea what the content is about.

4. Bullets can be a lifesaver. Bullet points are a great way to attract readers' attention. They make scanning the content and understanding the features of the product for sale easier for readers.

5. Too many keywords is not necessarily a good thing. While keywords are of the utmost importance in getting your site noticed by search engines, be sure not to use too many of them in the copy, or you might appear to be spamming the search engine.

6. Keep an eye on keyword density. In order to ensure that keywords have been used judiciously, be sure to check keyword density. There are many online tools that will measure the density of a given keyword on your site or in a particular article. While opinions vary as to what the ideal density of a keyword should be, anything between a score of three to five should see you in the clear.

7. The power of synonyms. Since people may use a number of words to search for an item, it's important to include synonyms of your main keyword. In addition, include both the singular and plural forms of your keywords. If your website sells cars, be sure to use car, cars, vehicle, vehicles, automobile, transport, van, vans, sedan etc. in the website's content.

8. Web page title. Your web page is the first piece of text visitors as well as spiders will read. Search engines use title tags to get information about your site and that influences how your site will be ranked in search results pages. Your home page title should be short and include your business name and its function. It's also helpful to give each page a unique, descriptive title to help searchers find what they are looking for.

9. Home page copy. It's the copy on your home page that first grabs the attention of your customers, and lays the foundation to making a sale. Additionally, it also attracts spiders. Your home page content should be rich in the keywords and phrases that initially led customers to your site. Some search engines pick up text from the top of your home page to create a description of your site, so be sure to include keywords that will appear on the top portion of the screen.

10. Meta tags. These are similar to title tags, but are not displayed at the top of a browser’s window. These tags explain the web page’s content and store keywords for search engines, thereby helping in the ranking process. While meta tags don’t impact the display of your site, they are important because some search engines use them to create descriptive text that accompany search results.

Keep in mind that well-written content will not only keep your visitors happy and give them reason to return to your site, it will also, over the course of time, make sure that search engines reward your site with the high ranking it deserves.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.

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—About our writer:

Rita writes for chillibreeze.

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