Welcome back, Class. If you are expecting the easy, nothing-to-it type of list we covered in Article Writing: 6 Rules To Getting The Perfect Format, we are happy to disappoint. The 6 steps to the ideal SEO formula are the most difficult and just as important for the perfect articles and blog posts every single time.
With some major Google Panda updates, some of you may find it even more difficult to nail the right methods.
There is nothing more powerful than or as riveting as an article or
blog post with the perfect format and SEO formulas. Let’s explore the 6 steps for the right SEO formula.
Step 1: The Perfect Articles Or Posts Keyword
If you have been writing since the 1990s, you will still remember what it was like to write content around keyword density.
It can be a hard habit to break. The Panda algorithm took keyword
stuffing out of the equation a couple of years ago and I still catch
myself worrying over how to stuff keywords and have to stop and remind
myself not to do so.
Too many keywords can kill an article quicker than a bullet. Step One is easy. Stop worrying about keyword density and write original, free-flowing content.
Step 2: The Title
Keyword optimization still exists. The Panda is a wise old bear indeed. He knew that doing away with keyword density would alleviate the unoriginal content problem.
He also knew that keywords are the easiest way for a search engine to connect traffic to the websites they seek. Place your researched keyword in the title as close to the beginning as possible to help the search engines find your website or blog.
Step 3: Images Are Worth Much More Than A Thousand Words
The images tags are how a server reads and understands what a website’s images are all about. Servers do not see the images. All they can do is read the descriptions that are placed in the tags.
The wise placement of a keyword in your image alt tag is another way the search engines can find your content and bring you the traffic your perfect articles or blog posts deserve.
Step 4: Optimize H1
Your Header 1 is an excellent place to put a keyword simply because
it is the one subtitle on the page that you know Google’s spider will
crawl. It is also possible that it will crawl and index your H2 and H3
subtitles but it will definitely crawl your H1, so do not miss the opportunity to get your perfect articles or blog posts noticed.
Placing keywords in these areas takes a little planning. Think it through beforehand for the perfect content, header, and keyword optimization.
Step 5: The Ice Cream Sprinkles Dilemma
We learned quickly when we were children about the ice cream sprinkle effect on our cones and sundaes. Too many sprinkles are pretty, but they detract from the taste of the ice cream flavor. If we put too few
sprinkles on our ice cream, we barely notice them at all and it defeats
the purpose. We became sprinkle experts in a hurry. Thus it is… with
keywords.
Too few keywords may as well be none and too many will cause Google to pass you by, which defeats the purpose. You have to get a feel for the perfect amount of keywords
without worrying about saturation. That is like telling someone that
the ship is sinking but not to worry about it because there are not
enough lifeboats anyway. How can you not worry about something for which
there is no clear answer?
Place a keyword in your title, a keyword in your H1 subtitle, a keyword in your perfect article’s or blog post’s first and last sentence, and of course, your images alt text.
Once you have these 5 keywords in place, one in each paragraph or in
every other paragraph are more than enough and not too many. As long as
your five bases are covered, write naturally.
Step 6: Content Is King
We have learned about formatting and optimizing the perfect articles. The question is… are they really perfect? The answer lies in your content.
Once you have formatted and optimized your work, go back, read everything very slowly, and then ask yourself these 5 questions.
- Is it interesting?
- Is it informative?
- Does it answer all the questions that it raises?
- Does it have anything of value for the reader?
- Is it original?
If you can honestly say yes to all of the 5 questions above then
congratulations are in order. You may have just recreated the SEO
formula for the blog posts every single time.
Practice Makes Perfect
You may not be Stephen King, but you will be your client’s favorite
content writer and well on your way to securing a reputation as a
dynamite article and blog writer. So what are you waiting for? The perfect articles or blog posts takes practice.
