Writing for the web is a full-fledged practice that has its own rules.

The first steps are sometimes hesitant as the areas and skills covered by the web editorial are broad: web marketing, SEO, mastering a foreign language, or storytelling … So many fields that can discourage the most neophytes. Here are ten tips for daring to take the step of web writing and boosting your SEO, to be well seen by Google, but also by your audience in search of quality content.

1) Think before acting

Writing for the web is taking care before thinking about the main keyword on which you want to position yourself. There are many tools available to help you choose your primary and secondary keywords. You’ll find easy-to-read lists of useful SEO-optimized content writing tools by browsing your favorite search engine. The key is to find the right balance so that your keywords are sufficiently typed by users to generate interest (and therefore visits to your page), but the competition is not too much fierce to give you a chance to reach the correct positions. A tool like Google Trends tells you, for example, the search frequency of a keyword, always interesting to know the priorities of Internet users or to find ideas of subjects! Do not forget to insert these keywords into your titles to facilitate better SEO.

2) Be natural!

You’ve probably learned that writing for the web is both writings for Internet users and search engine robots to position your page. Leave aside the machines and their algorithms during the drafting phase and think above all to the Internet users  ! A still common mistake is to want to seduce the robots at all costs and to think wrongly that for that it is enough to repeat the same keywords until indigestion — nothing better to drive away your audience readers and penalize your site. Indeed, the over-optimization of your content is a method that has not worked for ages and is therefore counterproductive for gaining visibility and popularity of your website. Search engine robots are becoming more efficient and now is taking into account the quality and originality of the content. So, be natural in your writing. If people think your text is relevant and useful, there is a good chance that robots will feel the same!

3) Meet the expectations of Internet users

Try to anticipate the needs and questions of your target audience and answer them! Your web page must be the answer to their request. Your content must provide information that will adequately inform users. Obviously, it is wise to stay in your theme, but nothing prevents you from gravitating around it if your approach is consistent. If this can support your expert image in your industry, these are all points earned. In hoping to benefit from a leader in your field, it will be necessary to build an editorial strategy plan coherent to offer content in line with the concerns of your prospects. A long and tedious work that will get rewarded with time!

4) Go straight to the point

A surfer is a man in a hurry, and he has a habit of reading information diagonally. And without wanting to discourage you, it is quite rare that it reads the entire content of a web page. For these reasons, it is advisable to adopt a direct and concise style. Avoid extended sentences and put the essential information at the top of your page. You will then be able to return more specifically to the details. This method is called the inverted pyramid. First, start with essentials so that readers quickly understand what is being discussed and how is your content structured. Answer from the beginning your 5W page (What, Who, Where, When, Why) so that the reader can easily understand the subject. It is only during the reading that the information will be more secondary (and not redundant). Web writing has similarities with journalism, and you must also be particularly vigilant about the integrity of your information by checking your sources beforehand.

5) Structure your content

The user is easily distracted. That is why it is essential to know how to put forward your texts to optimize their impact. Use catchy titles with keywords that will catch the attention of your audience. Structure well your paragraphs by skipping lines, and use smart lists if it can improve the readability of your content. Support your strong ideas with bold text (sparingly) to make it easier for people to read. Finally, think of decorating your content with visual aids such as photos or videos. Well chosen, they will bring a real comfort of reading to your public.

6) Do not copy from other sites

A breakdown of inspiration? It can happen. However, for the proper endorsement of your site, we can only strongly advise you never to resume the content from another site, whether it is a paragraph or extracts of text. This practice called duplicate content remains common on the internet; a downgrading of your page can penalize it in the results of the search engines. Whether it’s a matter of ethics, for your visitors or robots, it is imperative to write only original content.

7) A page = a request

A page must answer the main keyword and secondary keywords. These are the latter who are part of what is called “the long tail.” These are the keywords less searched by Internet users, but which together will bring the bulk of traffic. In SEO, it is much more interesting to create different pages related to queries that are being searched by your audience. Avoid adding all your queries to a single page, by bringing them all together under various topics. The purpose of this operation? Deal with your topic at length to increase your chances of being the gateway for users interested in your industry. Logic is the best friend of natural referencing. The more quality pages you have about your topic, the more likely your prospects will fall on your site after a search.

8) Hunt for faults

You may have already come across a website containing several unwelcome shells. What did it feel like to you? The level of tolerance varies according to each person, but the first impression is decisive, and a misspelled word, a verb with a dubious conjugation or forgotten chords are as many deviations to avoid if you do not want you to discredit. Spelling mistakes can have adverse effects on your image and your ability to build trust. Print your texts if necessary, but read them twice more than once. Moreover, by dint of correcting, you will notice your faults, and you progress more quickly in spelling.

9) How many words?

In content writing, as in SEO, quality takes precedence over quantity. However, you will need to find a balance between the two. In general, it is advisable to reach at least 500 words for your page to position it properly. Indeed, robots need to identify what your web pages are talking about to be able to rank the results of the search engines. If they feel that other pages are more comprehensive and relevant to the subject, you can be sure that it is the competition that benefits. It is estimated that the best-positioned pages reach 1500 words, but if you think you have done the trick before, there is no point in adding superfluous elements (or worse, repetitions) that could make you lose the user.

10) Share your content!

Your article or web page is written and published on your site? It’s a good start. Now, why not share it on your social networks? It is a significant source of traffic, and it would be a shame to deprive yourself of such an audience. New visitors can be charmed by your pen or the quality of your content and share the article in turn. Some will even linger on your site to take a closer look at your business … Finally sharing is an effective way to attract attention to get quality links that point to your website, which is particularly favorable for SEO.

By following these ten points, you can take pleasure in writing while satisfying both users and search engine robots. The key is to dare to start, and with practice, you will realize that content writing is a captivating field that requires some knowledge of SEO, but can greatly improve the positioning of your pages through the pure pleasure of transmitting and communicating.