The Ultimate 2021 Guide to Writing SEO and User Friendly Content

The Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) landscape changes as frequently as the Melbourne weather does, but what hasn’t and won’t change is the core principle of SEO: putting the user first. Writing content and optimising your website with the user in mind should always be your primary focus, and will organically help drive traffic to your site.

When you start the process of writing SEO and user-friendly content, there is a simple framework to follow to ensure your content is optimised for search engines as well as users.

SEO Content Guidelines

Amount

• 2-3 keywords for each page. 
• Try and have keywords comprise 2-3% of the copy. If you do more than this, Google will likely penalise you for keyword stuffing. 
• For a typical page, we recommend 150-300 words. 

Type

• Aim for keywords that are low competition and high search volume.

Location

• Put your keywords in headings and subheadings (H1s, H2, etc.), as well as (ideally) the first sentence of the body copy.
• Try to place your keywords in the shape of an F in the copy. This is how people (and google bots!) scan content for the keywords they’re after. 

General

• Avoid duplicate content.
• Above all, write for the reader. Algorithms are complex and will know if you’ve just written for search engines. As a rule of thumb, including keywords shouldn’t affect the flow of the text. 
• Ensure the content is available on both mobile and desktop versions

SEO Meta Tag Guidelines

Meta Titles

• Keep between 55-60 characters. 
• Include keywords closer to the front of the title if possible.

Meta Descriptions

• Keep between 120-150 characters.
• Descriptions should make sense in the first 55 characters though. 
• Where relevant, try to include a CTA to entice the user to click on the result (find out more, read more, etc)

URLs

• Avoid the use of any special characters and use all lower case
• URLs should be as concise as possible – avoid making them too long
• The URL name should be accurate and descriptive and include keywords separated by dashes.
  • E.g. /about-us

Image alt tags

• All images should have alt tags.
• Alt tags should be accurate and descriptive, with each word separated by a dash.
  • E.g. Office-Kitchen-Panorama

Videos

• Include a video description with keywords included. This doesn’t need to be more than 1-2 sentences.

Get in touch with us today to see how we can work together to drive more traffic to your website.