How To Write SEO Articles In 4 Easy Steps

Writing SEO articles isn’t exactly rocket science, but it can be a bit complicated. It’s not as simple as it used to be 5-10 years ago, as there are a ton of things you have to keep in mind. Now, before we talk about that, it’s important to establish why they’re essential.

Most of the websites today need these blogs and articles to generate organic traffic. And according to research, around 96% of pages online get no organic traffic from Google. That’s because the content on these pages and articles isn’t correctly optimized for SEO.

Besides, traffic-drawing content is always of moderate length. Experts say that text should be around 2000 words to yield traffic online. So, how do you write such content without running thin? And how do you optimize it for SEO?

Today, we’ll show you how to write SEO articles in 4 easy steps. So, let’s get started.  

Step 1: Keyword Research 

Keyword research is the essence of SEO and one of the most critical methods in the whole procedure. In fact, adding/using keywords is the posterchild of entire Search Engine Optimization. Because if you ask any typical person, they’ll tell you something like:

“SEO is about adding keywords and stuff.”

That’s what most people think, and they aren’t wrong as adding the right keywords IS one of the most important and essential elements in writing a high-quality SEO article. However, that’s where your first dilemma begins, “where do I find the right keywords?”

Well, there are quite a few tools that help with keyword research, planning, and finding the right ones for your purpose, audience, and article type. There are various choices you can use, such as:

1. Google Keyword Planner
2. Ahrefs
3. SEMrush

Now, there are quite a few ways to conduct keyword research, and it’s crucial to target the keyword intent. Let’s say a user is searching for:

“What is a good car for constant long trips?”

The intention here is informational, and the user is looking for a car that has longevity, high-quality tires, and good mileage. Now, you can answer this question in your blog or article. However, the only way Google will know is if you target this intent by answering the intent’s questions.

That’s when a variety of keywords come into play, such as:

• Long tail keywords, such as the query mentioned above;
• Short tail keywords, such as “budget cars”;
• And LSI keywords, such as “budget cars under $2000 in 2024.”

A simple way to describe it is that long tail keywords are the ones with 5 or more words in the query. Whereas short tail keywords are usually only 1-2 words. Lastly, LSI keywords describe additional information and target that intent.

For instance, the keyword we mentioned, aka “budget cars under $2000 in 2024,” helps us understand the user’s intent of finding a car under 2k in the current year. That’s why keyword intent is vital, and the programs we mentioned above can help with that.

Other than that, there are a few more things you should focus on when picking the keywords, such as:

• Focus on high search volume but low competition;
• Find only the relevant keywords, even LSIs;
• Use long-tail keywords for niche articles and blogs;
• Analyze the use of keywords in competition;
• And regularly change, add, or update keywords based on shifting trends.

This way, you won’t only keep up with the trend of changing keywords but also use the right ones in your blog or article. Now, the next important part is how many times you should be using such keywords. There are times when certain keyword occurrences should be focused.

Let’s say you’re targeting a long-tail keyword like “how to restart a car after water lock?” then the question should be answered within the article. But can a question appear more than once? Yes, it can, and you should aim to add it 3-4 times in your article at least.

Other than that, the short-tail primary keywords are usually measured in percentage and should be around 1-2% of your entire article. Let’s say you’re writing a 2000-word blog; then the keyword should appear at least 10-20 times in the entirety of your text.

Another thing you should keep in mind is answering the keyword query. If the keyword is a query, then make sure it’s responded to or addressed immediately. Google, or any user, doesn’t have the patience for fluff or irrelevant content when it comes to question-related text.

That’s why you must answer or address the questions right away. And that’s why effective keyword incorporation is necessary for SEO. 

Step 2: Structuring Your Article

The second step is structuring your article and creating a proper format. This requires you to create a clear and logical format that not only enhances the readability for the user but also thoroughly employs SEO tactics.

Now, let’s say we wish to create an article based on the keyword “how to pick the right car in 2024,” then we’ll need a proper topic. So, for SEO content writing for beginners, you can come up with something like:

“5 Tips to Pick the Right Car for You In 2024”

Or, it could be a guide instead of a tips article, something like:

“Picking The Right Car for You: 5 Key Things to Focus On”

Now, this gives us leverage to employ the primary keyword we had somewhere in the article. However, we need a proper structure to get there. And for that, we’re going to need the H1, H2, and H3 headlines. So, first, we have to describe the topic and then get into the details.

For example, we’re using the “Picking the Right Car for You: 5 Key Things to Focus On” topic, so we’ll have to begin with a proper introduction. Now, the entire outline will go like this:

• H1: Picking the Right Car for You: 5 Key Things to Focus On
• H2: Why It’s Important to Consider All Corners 
• H2: 5 Key Things To Consider When Buying a Car
• H3: 1. Budget 
• H3: 2. Fuel Efficiency 
• H3: 3. Safety Features
• H3: 4. Reliability 
• H3: 5. Resale Value
• H2: Occlusion 

This is just an example of a structure, so you can twist it however you like. However, your structure needs to be concise. Now the reason the primary tips are in H3 is to accommodate other H2 headings. This way, the article looks more organized and is easy to read and follow for the readers.

We can also add various keywords in those H3 and H2s without making it seem unnatural. Now, that the structure is decided, we have to fill these headings with good content. Here are some key tips to do that properly:

• Write a detailed yet concise introduction. Make sure it contains the primary keyword in it, and also thoroughly forebodes the rest of the article properly. It should make the reader want to peruse the rest of the article.
• Make sure each paragraph you write doesn’t exceed 3-4 lines. And, also ensure that each sentence in those paragraphs is 15 words or less. Ideally, every sentence should be 10-12 words, but max length is 15. 
• Include as much important information, statistics, and knowledge as you can in the body content. The content should be educative, but it should also be engaging. And, being concise while providing information is the best way to do it.
• Lastly, the conclusion should focus on wrapping it all up. It shouldn’t be a recap but additional information or a directive on what the reader should do. 

It’s crucial that you start off strong, and that’s why writing a good intro is essential. Try to add a few statistics and other information in it to hook the reader. You can then head into the main information you wish to convey in the middle/body of the article. 

Now, let’s say your article is 2000 words; then the introduction will be around 150 words or 200 max. So, that’s like 10% or less than that. Then, your conclusion will be around 100 words, and that means it’s nearly 5% of the text.

This leaves us with 80-85% of the text, which is your middle/body content. For that, you must use primary keywords, LSIs, and others to address the main topic. And, fill it with as much important information as you can. 

Step 3: Content Optimization

Content optimization is one of the most important steps in writing articles, especially once you’ve written the content or while you’re writing it. Besides, this is the part where you also do a keyword check and see if they’re fitting.

Then, you should also see whether these keywords are appearing enough times—or if they’re exceeding the limit. That’s why it’s important to avoid keyword stuffing and make sure they appear only once now and then in your content. How do you ensure that? By checking a few boxes, such as:

• Use alternative synonyms to describe something;
• Focus on the natural flow;
• Keep primary keyword density to 1-2%;
• Use simple words to prioritize readability;
• And try using keywords in header/subheaders.

Now, once you’ve dealt with the keywords in your content, it’s essential to ensure that your content is flowing well. For that, you need to check how much white space there is in your text. It shouldn’t look like a school essay, and it should be easy to read. 

Besides that, you should try and reduce the fluff in your content. Try a reliable paraphrasing tool and see if you can reduce that clutter. Because clutter happens to be one of the significant issues with any SEO content. 

Cluttered content doesn’t only look hideous; it’s also difficult to read. Instead, try a few things to make it look less cluttered, such as:

• Shorten the sentences;
• Make sure no paragraph is exceeding 3-4 lines;
• Replace difficult words with simpler ones;
• Turn specific phrases into bullet points for better understanding;
• And make sure each heading covers specific areas thoroughly.

Then, it’s important to add meta tags, alt tags for images, and meta descriptions. These are the key things that’ll help search engine crawlers identify your content as relevant to the keywords/niche. So, you have to add meta tags, titles, and other SEO elements.

Besides, make sure each of the images or videos you use are renamed with the keywords as well. Now, it’s necessary that you focus on adding internal links throughout your content. Because the more you add internal links, the more you’ll ensure benefits such as:

• Improved navigation of your website;
• Boosted SEO ranks;
• Increase page views;
• And enhanced user engagement.

Besides, it’ll draw equal traffic to other areas of your website as well. As for the external links, they are a necessity too, and it’s key that you acquire them before writing the blog. Because doing so won’t only enhance content credibility but also provide critical additional information.

However, it’s essential that you use these external links from trusted sources. Because the more links you use from trusted sources, the better they will be for your content. So, make sure you look for:

• Authoritative websites with high domain;
• Websites/blogs relevant to your niche;
• And guest blog/post on their blogs to generate external links of your own.

This optimization will give your article an edge and make it appear more appealing. So, always try to add internal or external links to your content. 

Step 4: Proofreading and Editing 

The final step in understanding how to write an SEO-friendly article is to proofread and edit it before passing it on. It’s important that you ensure clarity, accuracy, and coherence before the content goes online. That’s why it’s crucial to proofread and identify the following:

• Grammatical errors and typos;
• Missing punctuations and breaks;
• And issues with structure, flow, and readability.

Now, it’s easy to detect errors and typos with the help of tools like Grammarly or Hemmingway. For instance, Grammarly can help you identify mistakes like missing punctuation, wrongly spelled words, etc. 

On the other hand, Hemmingway can help you diagnose problems with the flow, readability, etc. So, if you use Grammarly, make sure the score is above 90. This means you will have to go through the three main phases of Grammarly correction, such as:

• Correctness, which fixes spelling and punctuation errors;
• Clarity, which improves sentence flow and structure;
• Engagement uses better words to define something;
• And Delivery that enhances the general readability.

On the other hand, if you use Hemmingway Editor, make sure the score is 6-7. So, how do you do that? You’ll see a few things in Hemmingway, such as:

1. Fix the sentences that the tool identifies as “very hard to read.”
2. Get rid of weak use of language.
3. And use words with simple alternatives.

Once you fix the errors highlighted by these tools, make sure you proofread again and see if the structure, flow, and grammatical issues have improved. If the content is still draggy and not very fluent, then you can also try using a paraphrasing tool again.

Now, you can try the Regular and Formal tones in the tool that we have mentioned above. So, when paraphrasing, make sure you try the tool’s various content modes to see which one matches your general fluency and tone. 

Other than that, you should also run your content through a plagiarism checker to avoid any plagiarism/duplicity issues. Also, scan it through an AI detector, as using Grammarly or other AI tools can make your text appear as if it was written by AI.

So, make sure that you run your text through both these checkers, and then take these three steps:

1. Paraphrase the AI/plagiarized content with a paraphrasing tool.
2. Recheck and make sure it matches the rest of the text.
3. And scan it once more to guarantee it is plagiarism and AI-free.

Now, you can paraphrase manually, but using a tool will save you a ton of time and improve the general quality of your text. This way, you can rephrase your content efficiently. Besides, it’ll also help you with a few other things like:

• Getting rid of filler content;
• Remove fluff and redundancy;
• Make the content more concise and crisper;
• And improve the general readability. 

Therefore, when you focus on these things, your content will not only read well but also look superior to your competitors. So, get rid of plagiarism, AI content, and other issues in this step by following the tips we gave you. 

Conclusion 

We gave you a few SEO blog writing examples and showed you how you can employ various tactics to write an SEO article. It’s not exactly difficult, but it’s not very easy either. It’s a complicated process that requires you to pay thorough attention to each step.

Starting from keyword research until proofreading and editing, you need to be on your A-Game to ensure the text you write is of the highest quality. We showed you how to write SEO articles in 4 easy steps for beginners so that it’s easy for you to understand.

So, what you have to do is focus on the things we showed and use the tools that we suggested. Here’s a little checklist for you to work with:

1. Do proper keyword research and use only the right ones, be it LSIs, long-tail, or short-tail keywords. 
2. Structure your article correctly and make good use of the H2 and H3 headings. Try to keep a lot of white space to ensure readability.
3. Optimize your content with SEO tactics and add backlinks. Don’t forget to avoid keyword stuffing and ensure a specific keyword density.
4. Proofread your text and avoid any unnecessary jargon. Get rid of fluff and redundancy, as well as grammatical issues.

So, follow this checklist, and your content won’t only stand out against the competition but also perform well on search engines. 

FAQ Section 

How long should an SEO article be?

A lot of different experts agree with varying lengths of content. But it’s a known fact that longer text usually draws more traffic, and the ideal length of an SEO article is between 2000-2500 words. However, it can go above or below that range—depending on the requirement. 

Can I use the same keywords in different articles?

Yes, you can, as long as you’re not posting them on the same website. One of the best ways to use the exact keywords on multiple articles is by posting them on numerous platforms. Let’s say you are writing four blogs with the same keywords, then post one on your website, one on a guest blog, one on LinkedIn, and one on Medium. 

How often should I update my SEO articles?

It depends on the topic, but you should revisit content every 3-6 months. Let’s say your article is titled “Best cars of 2024,” then you’ll indeed have to update it in 2025, with the addition of the new year. 

What’s the difference between SEO content and regular content?

SEO content’s purpose is to show higher up on search engine result pages (SERPs). On the other hand, regular content is usually educative and has similarities with SEO content, but it doesn’t have SEO elements. 

How do I know if my SEO efforts are successful?

There are quite a few tools that can help you track your content’s SEO performance. However, one of the best ways to see that is if your content shows high in the search engine results once you look for the keywords.