20 Ways to Create SEO-Friendly Articles

Writing an article effectively is not enough. You also need to make the article search engine-friendly and user-friendly. This way, your blog will have an easier time becoming number one on Google and attracting visitors.

How to do it? First, you need to know how to create SEO-friendly articles, which follow the latest Google algorithm rules and are appealing to readers.

Well, in this article, we will share 20 tips for writing SEO articles. You can also learn from examples of SEO-friendly writing to practice. Curious? Let's read on!

20 Ways to Create SEO-Friendly Articles in 2023

There are twenty ways to create quality articles that achieve high rankings on Google:

Conduct Keyword Research
Understand User Intent
Adopt a Unique Perspective
Pay Attention to Article Structure
Focus on the Opening Section
Use Short Paragraphs
Employ the Inverted Pyramid Technique
Write Focused Articles
Distribute Keywords Naturally
Utilize Conjunctions
Insert Internal and External Links
Add Visual Content
Optimize Images
Include Headings and Subheadings
Strive for an Optimal Article Length
Address Technical Blog Components
Leverage SEO Plugins
Ensure Error-Free Writing
Consistently Publish Articles
Remember to Promote Your Articles

Indeed, there are many ways to create SEO-friendly articles. Let's start discussing each one step by step.

1. Use the Right Keywords

The first step to align your article with SEO guidelines is to use the appropriate keywords – those that have high search volume, low competition, and are relevant to your blog's niche.

Keywords with high search volume indicate that they are frequently searched for by your audience. So, if you write about them, it will likely attract a significant number of readers.

Keywords with low competition will make it easier for you to achieve a high position on Google. This could be because not many have written about them yet, or their competitors are not prominent blogs.

Now, selecting keywords that match your blog's niche will help keep your content relevant. This way, it will cater to the needs of your blog visitors. For instance, in the case of a beauty blog, using keywords like beauty tips, best skincare, and the like would be more fitting.

To obtain the right keywords, you can conduct keyword research beforehand. Some free SEO tools you can use for keyword research are Ubersuggest, KWFinder, or Google Trends.

As an example, we conducted keyword research for "creating a blog" using Ubersuggest.

The results show that the keyword "creating a blog" has a search volume of 5400 per month. So, it's promising for crafting an article, especially considering its difficulty level is 28, which can be considered easy.

Read Also: Learning the Latest SEO for Beginners

2. Understand User Intent

Intent is the information that users desire when they type specific keywords into Google.

Writing SEO articles requires paying attention to intent because search intent is one of the factors in Google ranking. The reason is that the right intent will address the searcher's needs with relevant content.

Now, when visitors obtain the desired information, they will likely spend more time on your article. This leads Google to consider your article valuable and deserving of a high ranking.

Fortunately, understanding user intent is quite simple. You merely need to peek at competitor articles in Google search results (SERP).

For instance, if you want to write an article with the keyword "best cat food,"

On the search page, the articles that appear are about recommendations for the best cat food brands. So, if you want to create the article, write recommendations for more brands or delve deeper into the discussion as per the reader's requirements.

3. Adopt a Unique Perspective

A keyword can be utilized to create an article from a distinct point of view. This step proves effective in making your article stand out. However, ensure it remains in alignment with user intent.

Let's say you wish to use the keyword "how to make noodles." If a competitor has an article on restaurant-style noodle-making guide, you could write about "Crafting Homemade Noodles in Five Steps."

Aside from making your article unique, the convenience offered is bound to captivate readers. Furthermore, a unique perspective guarantees the originality of your article, making it more favorable to Google for achieving a high ranking.

4. Pay Attention to Article Structure

After determining the point of view, you should create a well-structured article. The goal is to facilitate the writing process by selecting what needs to be conveyed in the article.

Moreover, a good article structure will make it easier for visitors to understand your article. Generally, the structure of an article is divided into three parts:

Introduction (Prologue) - the beginning of the article that explains the background and purpose of the article.
Body - a detailed explanation of the main topic.
Conclusion (Epilogue) - the closing section that contains a summary or conclusion of the article.

One tip you can try is to write a few short sentences outlining each section. Then, you can expand them into a coherent explanation that is interconnected.

5. Pay Attention to the Opening Section

The next way to create an SEO-friendly article is by crafting a well-written opening section, which addresses the reader's intent and incorporates keywords. Why is this necessary?

Firstly, an opening section that doesn't address the reader's intent can lead them to abandon your article. Secondly, placing keywords in the opening section can help Google recommend it to the appropriate readers.

To make the opening section engaging, you can utilize the AIDA formula:

Attention – Capture the reader's attention with a main sentence that includes a question, a brief joke, or a statistic.
Interest – Spark the reader's interest by touching on the issue being faced.
Desire – Explain that your article can provide a solution.
Action – Encourage your readers to complete reading the article.

An application of the AIDA model can be seen in the following blog article:

Here's a brief explanation of the AIDA opening section above:

The first paragraph captures the reader's attention with a question that frequently haunts business owners: how to retain customers.

The second paragraph piques the reader's interest with the problem being faced, which is customer loyalty.

The third paragraph mentions the solution for maintaining customer loyalty, which can be found in the article.

The fourth paragraph urges the reader to discover these steps.

6. Summarize into a Brief Paragraph

Ensure that paragraphs in your article are concise, as this can make readers comfortable. Three sentences are generally sufficient to convey explanations effectively.

According to research, online article readers tend to scan rather than read word by word, following an 'F' shaped pattern.

Readers will thoroughly go through the opening section and then vertically scan for intriguing words/sentences. And so forth, until the end of the article.

By limiting each paragraph to a maximum of three sentences, it will:

Facilitate readers in locating the necessary words/sentences.
Create a more relaxed reading experience for better comprehension.

Also Read: Tips for Creating an About Us Page.

7. Use the Inverted Pyramid Technique

The inverted pyramid is a writing technique where you place the most important information at the beginning, followed by more detailed explanations, and concluded with additional information.

This approach will make your article concise and help readers quickly grasp the main information.

You can apply the inverted pyramid technique to the entire article, within a subheading, or even within a paragraph. In the article "What is a Bug," the outline structure used is as follows:

The reader's understanding of the bug definition is placed at the beginning as the most crucial information. Next, various causes of bugs are presented as further explanations. Lastly, tips on avoiding bugs are provided as additional information for those who want to follow the given steps.

8. Writing an Article Focused on a Single Topic

Choosing a single topic and concentrating on its explanation is an essential approach to creating an SEO-friendly article. Apart from avoiding confusion for readers, a clear article topic will make the conveyed information more organized.

For instance, when crafting an article about "raising chickens," you should concentrate on providing a guide for raising chickens. If you wish to discuss different chicken breeds for raising, write a separate article. This approach will facilitate a more in-depth and comprehensive discussion.

Furthermore, focusing on a specific topic will lead to the use of related keywords. Ultimately, Google's web crawlers find it easier to comprehend the article's structure for indexing purposes.

9. Spread Keywords Appropriately

One of the mistakes beginners make when creating an article is using keywords excessively (keyword stuffing). The goal is to appear more quickly on Google search results.

However, keyword stuffing is a spam practice that deviates from the standard way of writing SEO-friendly articles. Google considers keyword stuffing as spam because it diminishes the quality of your article and makes readers uncomfortable.

If you engage in keyword stuffing, your ranking will drop or you might even be removed from search results. Oh dear!

Therefore, spread your keywords appropriately and as needed. Remember, you're writing articles to be read by humans. So, ensure your paragraphs are substantial and enjoyable to read.

10. Increase the Use of Conjunctions

As the name suggests, conjunctions are words that connect sentences or paragraphs. Conjunctions are used to help readers understand the relationship between ideas within an article.

Examples of conjunctions that you can use are:

Contrast conjunctions: but, however, whereas, on the other hand
Correction conjunctions: but rather, only
Emphasis conjunctions: even, moreover, furthermore, let alone
Limitation conjunctions: except, only
Sequence conjunctions: then, next, subsequently
Equivalence conjunctions: namely, that is, that, is
Conclusion conjunctions: so, therefore, thus

Let's take a look at examples of the use of conjunctions below:

Text A
Wrapping up, I want to explain some advantages of brand X cat food compared to brand Y.
It's more affordable, which is perfect for me as a college student living off-campus. I don't have to buy it online since the pet shop near campus sells it. This brand is definitely more popular than brand Y. My cat eats it enthusiastically and asks for more. Interestingly, I'm giving her the same portion as I did with brand Y.
Brand X comes highly recommended, and I will be switching to brand Y starting from now. That's all, see you in the next article!

Text B
As a conclusion, I want to explain several advantages of brand X cat food compared to brand Y.
First, it's more affordable, which is great for me as a student living off-campus. Second, there's no need to buy online because the pet shop near campus sells it. It seems that this brand is more popular than brand Y. Third, my cat really enjoys it and asks for more, even though I give the same portion as brand Y.
In conclusion, brand X comes highly recommended, and I will switch to brand Y starting from now. That's all, see you in the next article!

Even though the content is the same, there's a significant difference between Text A and Text B, isn't there?

Text B clearly presents three interconnected advantages and concludes with a summary. Meanwhile, Text A needs to be read and absorbed slowly to be understood.

11. Inserting Internal Links and External Links

An internal link is a link from one page to another within the same website.

An SEO article should incorporate internal links as they are beneficial in aiding Google to index your website and comprehend the context of the created article. Consequently, your SEO will also improve.

For visitors, internal links help guide them if they wish to delve deeper into the topic you are discussing. This not only keeps visitors on your website for a longer duration but also showcases your expertise in addressing the topic extensively.

On the other hand, an external link is a link that refers to a page on a different website. You can incorporate external links as sources to strengthen explanations and persuade readers. For instance, linking to research findings, statistics, quotes, or references from other media.

However, strive to insert external links reasonably and only to relevant pages! This is because Google may impose penalties if you are caught spamming irrelevant external links that disrupt the reader's experience.

12. Add Visual Content

Visual content such as images, illustrations, infographics, charts, GIFs, and even memes are ways to make your article SEO-friendly! Why?

The human brain processes visual data 60 thousand times faster than text. So, incorporating data in the form of infographics or charts into your article will make it easier for readers to understand.

Furthermore, visual content with the right color combination has been proven to increase reader engagement by 80%. For instance, colors that don't clash or colors that match your website's design.

Lastly, 91% of netizens prefer visual content over text. Consequently, they will likely stay on your article longer if there's visual content to support the explanations.

You can obtain visual content from free image providers like Pixabay or Unsplash. Additionally, you can create your own visual content using Canva. If you're interested in making memes, you can visit Imgflip or Kapwing.

13. Image Optimization

Writing SEO articles with added visual content is indeed important. However, you need to take optimization steps. The goal is to conserve storage resources, accelerate blog or website loading, and enhance visitor comfort.

What needs to be done to implement image optimization techniques in WordPress?

Here are some tips:

File Name — Provide a brief, accurate, and keyword-relevant image file name. For example, brown-persian-cat.jpg. Instead of something like, super-cute-brown-persian-cat-cant-handle-it.jpg.
Alt Text — Describe the alt text of the image thoroughly to help Google identify the topic you're discussing. You can also include keywords if possible.
Image Format — Choose the appropriate image format for your website based on the type of image. For instance, JPEG for photos, PNG for detailed images, GIF for animations, and so on.
Image Compression — Compress your images to reduce their file size without sacrificing quality. As a result, images will load faster, and visitors will still be satisfied with the quality. You can compress images using tools like iLoveIMG or TinyJPG.

The above tips are just the basic steps of image optimization. If you're interested in a more comprehensive guide, you can read it here → Complete Guide to Maximizing Image SEO for Websites.

14. Use Headings

A heading is the title of a section of an article that explains specific information.

Using headings is crucial when writing SEO articles. The reason is that readers will find it easier to identify the main outline or topic of your article, especially for those who tend to scan information in articles.

Furthermore, Google favors articles with a well-structured format. It's no wonder that articles with clear structure and reader-intent alignment will receive featured snippets and achieve a "ranking 0."

WordPress itself offers six headings (H1 to H6) that you can utilize as needed. Here are some tips to maximize the use of headings that you can try:

Whenever possible, include keywords in your headings.
Use H2 as the main title of an article, similar to chapter titles in a book.
Use H3 when more detailed explanations are needed, as part of H2. And so on, up to H6.
Use headings according to their functions. This means that H2 is elaborated further with H3, not H4.
Avoid using H4-H6 if possible, as it can make the article structure overly complex or intricate.

15. Strive for the Optimal Article Length

Yoast, the creator of one of the best SEO plugins, recommends a minimum article length of 300 words so that Google can understand your topic. However, aim to create articles with an average of 1000 to 2500 words.

Why is that? There are two reasons:

Firstly, longer articles usually provide comprehensive explanations, thus offering more benefits to the readers.

Secondly, SEO-friendly long articles tend to have more headings, images, or links that can incorporate keywords. As a result, the overall SEO of the article will be better.

As long as the optimal article length is maintained and the provided information is relevant, the article will easily rank higher in search results.

16. Pay Attention to Technical Components of a Blog

Creating SEO-friendly articles not only requires you to focus on sentences and paragraphs but also the technical components of the blog. The goal is to make your articles visually appealing and competitive in Google search results.

So, what are the technical components of a blog?

Title Tag/SEO Title — This is the page title that appears in Google search results. To be SEO-friendly, ensure your title tag outlines the article's main points, includes a single keyword, and is no longer than 60 characters.

Permalink — By default, the permalink is taken from your article's title. For instance, yourwebsite.com/how-to-peel-onions-quickly-without-teary-eyes-guaranteed-effective. Quite lengthy, right? Therefore, it's recommended that you improve the article permalink to yourwebsite.com/how-to-peel-onions.

Meta Description — This is a brief description of your article in Google search results. Aim for a meta description that is no more than 160 characters and includes a single keyword.

By paying attention to the above technical components, your SEO will also improve. As a result, your articles will ascend more rapidly in Google search rankings.

17. Utilize SEO Plugins

An SEO plugin will automatically provide suggestions to optimize the SEO aspects of your article. Very helpful, isn't it? Therefore, make sure you use one of the plugins to facilitate writing good SEO articles.

The SEO plugin we recommend is Yoast SEO. This plugin can help you ensure that the title, word count, meta description, keyword distribution, image optimization, and so on are properly optimized.

Interestingly, Yoast SEO will display a green icon if your article is already in good shape. So, it's easier to know. If not, you simply need to implement the suggested optimizations.

18. Ensure There Are No Writing Mistakes

Make sure there are no writing mistakes in your article. For instance, typos, improper use of punctuation, and incorrect grammar. These errors can damage the reader's experience and diminish the quality of the article.

Furthermore, having numerous writing errors in the articles you write will also make you appear less professional, thereby lowering your credibility.

Therefore, meticulously check the article before publishing.

One of the tips, after you finish the article, take a break for a few hours to refresh your mind. Then, position yourself as a reader and read the article aloud to make it easier to identify awkward sentences.

19. Consistency in Publishing Articles

Consistently publishing articles is also crucial as one of the ways to create SEO-friendly content, you know. Why?

Firstly, you can provide more benefits to readers in the form of up-to-date information. You surely prefer getting information from the latest posts, right?

Secondly, this consistency sends a positive signal to Google that your blog is active. As a result, Google won't hesitate to recommend your content in search results.

However, you don't have to publish articles every day. You can schedule them according to your needs and abilities. If you're unsure how, check out the article on How to Schedule Article Posts in WordPress, okay.

20. Don't Forget to Promote the Article

Promoting an article aims to quickly acquire readers and attract relevant traffic. This will send a positive signal to Google because your article is indeed being read and needed.

With these steps, your SEO will improve and your position in search results will also increase.

Here are some tips for promoting your SEO-friendly article:

Promote it on all your social media, both personally and in relevant social media groups/communities.
Also, promote it on relevant online forums. Remember, don't spam!
Create a mailing list to ensure your article promotion is faster and more targeted.
Install share plugins like AddToAny or MasShare to make it easier for visitors to share or promote your article.

Read also: Best SEO Strategies for Various Industries

Ready to Write SEO-Friendly Articles?

Turns out, there are quite a few tips on how to create SEO-friendly articles, right? Yup!

In essence, to craft an SEO-friendly article, you need to follow Google's SEO guidelines and pay attention to reader comfort. Starting from incorporating keywords, optimizing images, applying the inverted pyramid technique, and so on. You must be able to balance all the aforementioned tips.

Hopefully, the above tips are beneficial and assist in attracting a lot of readers to your article on Google. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section, alright? See you later!

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20 Ways to Create SEO-Friendly Articles