Basics of SEO editing- what you need to know

Writing and editing for search engine optimization (SEO) is honestly very simple, and pretty intuitive. But as search engines change and adapt to the way marketers have used metadata in the past, we have to continually think about the opportunities SEO affords us, and how to use it to best benefit our goals.

Here are the most important things I think about when editing content for SEO. Feel free to use this as a conceptual outline or checklist for your SEO editing needs!

Step One: get to know your market

Before you create your concepts, get to know the company, what they stand for, and how they like to be communicated with. This is so important- especially when you are doing freelance work and might not know a company that well.

Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

Market research and audience demographics are some of the guiding factors here: how does your brand fit into the market space? How does your audience already interact with them? What parts of the market audience is the brand not capturing?

Here are some things you might consider:

• What does my audience want to know/come here for?

• How does my audience like to consume media?

• Why do people already love this brand/site/company?

I would definitely recommend adding these answers explicitly on the top of your writing outline. Keep these key concepts in mind while writing your body, keeping in mind the tone and vocabulary. This will help you a lot when it comes time for editing- both the text and metadata.

And the last part here is to notice key words and phrases that have been repeated through the copy you've read through. This will help you organically get a sense for the market tone, and might guide you towards key words for optimization.

Photo by Surface on Unsplash

Step two: write write write

First say what you need to say. Get the body typed out- what are the arguments you want to make? What info did you want to explain?

Aim for 500-1000 words in a blog post. And keep in mind that the most important information should be towards the top of the content. Include key words and phrases in the body of the text, but make sure they're organically integrated- no one wants to feel like they are being marketed to.

Readability is the name of the game here. You'll want to make sure that your sentences are short, and that they don't have any filler words. White space is your friend: use lists and bullet points when you can and keep paragraphs short to keep your reader's attention.

To place yourself in the most relevant marketplace, make sure to include relevant links to other high performing sites in the market place.

Make sure your images are optimized, too- be sure to fill out alternative text and key words.

Step three: adjust your metadata

Before we get to the basics, I just want to cover some of the more organic optimization tools you have available, and I find are often underutilized:

• post your content on a variety of social media- every time

• optimize your images

Four main types of metadata you need to familiarize yourselves with:

1. Key words

2. Title tag attribute

3. Meta description attribute

4. Alternative text for images

When writing out your metadata, here is what you need to know:

Key words are an important tool in connecting your content to the search bar. What kinds of things are users going to search for where they might find your content pertinent? Key words aren't as important for optimization anymore- because of the trend of key word stuffing, Google and other search engines don't assign a lot of priority to key words.

That being said, in order for the search engines to get a glimpse for what your work is about, your key word should appear:

• in the body of the text 3-4 times

• in the title

• in the subtitle

• in alternative text (see below)

To avoid your content being flagged and de-prioritized, make sure your tags are relevant to the content and genuinely connect your content to the searches that might be made about it. Both the search engines and your organic market will thank you for it.

Title tag attributes are the most important to SEO- so make sure your copy here is precise and brief. It gives the page a primary reason for existing, gives the reader a clear view on what they content will give them, and gives the search engines a reason to sent users to the site. Add your key words are integrated into the body and the title to make the connection as clear as possible.

Meta description attribute is a tool that lets search engines and users what the content is about. It won't always show up on the search engine, and it isn't important for key words to appear here- but if your description is compelling, it might be a helpful factor in moving the user from the search engine results page (SERP) onto your site.

Alternative text is an incredibly useful and underutilized tool for several reasons. To anyone with visual impairments reading the text with an audio reader, this makes the images more accessible to them. And accessibility will actually help you rank higher for SEO. Use the title tags in the images to provide a brief description-- and never forget your key words.

Step four: publish, evaluate and edit

With all these steps, you've taken the time to mindfully write and edit content to connect with your message and audience. But what if it isn't what you wanted?

Keep in mind that just because something was posted once doesn't mean you shouldn't continually refreshen your content- if your post isn't performing well, update key words, change the title, post it to a different audience.

Connecting with your audience is no means one size fits all- but just because you aren't connecting now doesn't mean you won't later. Keep readjusting and reanalyzing your content to find the right formula for engagement for you.

With all these tips, you can successfully create online content that is easy to find and connect with.

Like I said in the beginning, search engines and users are constantly adjusting how they interact with our content- so it is important to do your research and know how SEO can work to fit your needs. At the end of the day, this is a great tool to connect you with the readers, users, and customers that you want a relationship with- make the tools work for you!