SEO writing tips for web pages
SEO - search engine optimization - is the practice of making web pages and websites more easily found by search engines.
You are a wonderful copywriter familiar with your brand tone, messaging, and have a knack for convincing readers to take action. All you need are a few tips to become an SEO expert.
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What words or phrases will people use when hunting for the information on this page? Each page should be identified by a single, specific, unique keyword phrase. For example, this page's keyword phrase is "SEO tips."
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Write each page to focus on one topic. If there are sub‐topics with more than one paragraph of information, they should be written as separate pages if possible.
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Use the keyword phrase and target keywords in strategically important places within the page:
- Page title (and browser title)
- Headlines and subheads (H1 & H2)
- Body copy
- Link text
- Alt tags – text attached to an image that describe it to the sight-impaired
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Your page needs to stand alone. Remember that visitors may arrive at a page deep within the site from a search engine. Ensure the page can stand on its own and that you link to other pages that are related in multiple ways.
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Write your copy for the general public. If you are covering a complex topic, do include unique terminology, but also explain it for those that aren't familiar. Users most often search in layman terms – so you need to be aware that user may not be familiar with the exact terminology used by professionals.
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Use links to refer users to actions or related information that doesn’t belong on the page itself. The text that is linked should use keywords for the target pages. Links should make it clear to users what will happen if they click the link. Say "Go to more information on smartphone apps," not "click here."
