SEO CONTENT

WRITING
MASTER CLASS
BY HEATHER RITCHIE
Learn how to write engaging SEO
content people actually want to
share.
 MASTERCLASS
TOPICS
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
• Important definitions
• The biggest SEO mistakes bloggers and
other content creators make
• A brief overview of SEO
• Understanding Google SERPs
• Some of Google's ranking factors
 MASTERCLASS
TOPICS
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
• The basics of keyword research
• Why optimizing your blog posts is
important
• How to structure your blog posts use a
blog post outline
• How to optimize your blog posts
WHO IS HEATHER RITCHIE
I'm the freelance writer, blogger, and Certified
Content Marketing Strategist over at Writer's Life
for You. I've been writing blog posts for businesses
since 2017 and invested in TONS of SEO courses
to learn how to write SEO-optimized content that
Google loves.
WHAT IS GOOD CONTENT?
Good content is well-planned,
comprehensive content that thoroughly
answers a question related to your audience's
problem. But it must also be interesting and
engaging.
GOOD CONTENT IS ALSO

• Well-researched and provides

the correct answers
• It cites facts and claims.
• It's free from spelling and
grammatical errors.
• Ex. can cats eat fruit
 WHAT IS SEO AND
HOW DOES IT WORK?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is
the process of optimizing your website and content
to rank higher on Google. For our purposes, it is
taking a piece of content and optimizing it for
search engines to return it whenever someone
searches for a term.
 WHAT IS BLOG SEO?
Blog SEO is the process of optimizing a blog's site
architecture, HTML code, and content for search
engines.

Associated tasks include installing plugins,

improving page load speed, internal linking, and
on-page optimization.
WHAT IS SEO CONTENT WRITING?

SEO content writing is the process of planning,

writing, and optimizing content to rank on search
engines. It involves keyword research for a term
you can rank for so you can optimize the content
with keywords and related phrases to get more
organic traffic from Google.
THE BIGGEST MISTAKES
CONTENT CREATORS
MAKE
1. Choosing the wrong keyword.
2. Keyword stuffing
3. Not working on your content and
readability.
4. Not Optimizing Your Meta Descriptions
and Title Tags
5. Ignoring Page Loading Speed
THE BIGGEST MISTAKES
CONTENT CREATORS
MAKE
6. Noting Linking Internally to Other Posts
7. Writing Blog Posts That are Too Short
to Rank
8. Not Promoting Your Content
9. Not Updating or Deleting Bad Content
10. Having Too Many Tags
THE BIGGEST MISTAKES
CONTENT CREATORS
MAKE
11. Not Optimizing Your Images
12. Not Maintaining Your Site
13. Writing the Content You Want to Write,
Not What Your Readers Want to Read
14. Not Setting Up Your SEO Plugin Right
15. Selling and Buying Backlinks
16. Not Fixing Broken Links on Your Site
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SEO
There are 3 main components of SEO:

• On-Page SEO - All the things you optimize on

your website like site structure, code, and
website content.
• Technical SEO - This type of optimization
helps search engines crawl your website.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SEO
There are 3 main components of SEO:

3. Off-Page SEO - Helps build your authority

and influence and relates to all the things you do
off your website to rank higher in Google -
Example: Building backlinks
UNDERSTANDING
GOOGLE SERPS
WHAT ARE GOOGLE SERPS?

Google SERPs are Search Engine Results

Pages, but you’ll commonly see them referred
to as SERPs. These are the pages that return
after you type or say something to Google.
UNDERSTANDING
GOOGLE SERPS
ORGANIC AND PAID RESULTS
The two most important things you’ll see are
the organic and paid search results. The paid
results say ad next to them, and they are the
paid results for those bidding on those
keywords through Google Ads.
ELEMENTS OF STANDARD
ORGANIC SEARCH RESULTS

• Page Title
• URL
• Meta Description

Google also chooses to show other data it finds

relevant - site links, images, review stars,
snippets.
OTHER TYPES OF
SEARCH RESULTS
FEATURED SNIPPET -

Can include FAQs, tables, numbered

lists, bulleted lists, etc. Most featured
snippets are text, but video featured
snippets are becoming more and more
common.
OTHER TYPES OF
SEARCH RESULTS
KNOWLEDGE PANEL -

Knowledge panels and graphs often

show up to the right side of the search
results and give you basic information.
It's often returned on businesses.
OTHER TYPES OF
SEARCH RESULTS
DIRECT ANSWER BOX -

These boxes provide direct

answers to a very specific question
like "how tall is the Statue of
Liberty."
OTHER TYPES OF
SEARCH RESULTS
VIDEO RESULTS -

Google returns video results, too,

now. For example, try searching
"how to make money on YouTube."
OTHER TYPES OF
SEARCH RESULTS
GOOGLE IMAGE RESULTS-

Google also returns images in

search results too. For instance,
they only show up when it makes
sense for the search, like “pink
houses.”
OTHER TYPES OF
SEARCH RESULTS
OTHER RESULTS -

• Twitter Results
• People Also Ask
• Google Shopping
• Top Stories
• Learn More
GOOGLE RANKING FACTORS

Google uses over 200 ranking factors to

determine where a page ranks in SERPs.
There are too many to go over here but
experts have determined 10 crucial ones.
GOOGLE RANKING FACTORS
• Content Quality- Is your content high quality,
accurate, and relevant?
• HTTPS vs. HTTP - Is your website secure and
safe for others to use? You want it to be
HTTPS.
• Backlinks - Do other sites link to content on
your website?
GOOGLE RANKING FACTORS
4. User Experience - Is your content easy
to engage with and valuable?
5. Page Speed - Is your website secure
and safe for others to use? You want
HTTPS.
6. Mobile-First - More people search on
mobile devices than ever before. Is
your site optimized for mobile?
GOOGLE RANKING FACTORS
7. On-Page SEO - The keywords and
phrases you use on our post or page.
8. Behavioria; and Trust Signals - Do
other people mention your content and
share it?
9. Direct Traffic to Your Website - Do
users need to Google you first to find
you or come directly to your site?
GOOGLE RANKING FACTORS
10. Schema - Is it easy for search engines
to understand your content?
11. Content Depth - Is your better and
more comprehensive than other posts
and pages on the topic?
12. Off-Page SEO - Backlinks - how many
other websites link to your page or
post?
GOOGLE RANKING FACTORS
13. How Recent Your Content Is - Is it
an indirect ranking factor affecting
search engine rankings.
INTRODUCTION TO
KEYWORD RESEARCH
WHAT IS KEYWORD RESEARCH?

Keyword research is the process of finding and

analyzing these search terms to find specific
ones based on the purpose of your content. It
helps you find keywords you can rank for as
well and related keywords.
INTRODUCTION TO
KEYWORD RESEARCH
WHAT IS KEYWORD RESEARCH?
Keyword research also helps you determine
user intent and keywords that match the goal of
your content. Do you want to sell a product,
answer a question your readers have, etc
WHY IS KEYWORD
RESEARCH IMPORTANT?

It provides valuable insight into the words

and phrases your target audience actually
uses. You can use the data you get from
keyword research to create both your
content and your marketing strategy.
KEYWORD RESEARCH:
USER INTENT
There are 4 main types of user intent:

• Informational
• Navigational
• Transactional
• Investigational
INTRODUCTION TO
KEYWORD RESEARCH
INFORMATIONAL
With informational intent, the internet user wants
to learn about something.

Example: how to start a freelance business – The

user intends to learn more about starting a
freelance business.
INTRODUCTION TO
KEYWORD RESEARCH
NAVIGATIONAL
Navigational intent means that a person is
looking for a specific website or business.

Example: “Chewy” – The person is looking for the

Chewy website.
INTRODUCTION TO
KEYWORD RESEARCH
TRANSACTIONAL
Transactional intent is when the user looks for a
specific service or product.

Example: “Kindle e-reader” or “cat litter box

supplies” – The user is looking for the specific
product the e-reader or cat litter supplies on the
second example here.
INTRODUCTION TO
KEYWORD RESEARCH
INVESTIGATIONAL
This search intent is where users search for
information that could lead to a purchase or
transaction in the future.

Example: “which cat anxiety plugin would be

better”
THE BUYERS JOURNEY
To understand the intent behind
someone's search, you need to
understand the buyer's journey.

The buyer’s journey describes a

customer’s path to purchase from
start to finish.
THE BUYER'S JOURNEY

Think of the last time you

purchased something. You probably
didn't wake up and say, "I'm going
to buy a sofa today!" There are
three main stages in the buyer's
journey.
THE BUYER'S JOURNEY

STEP 1 - AWARENESS
At the awareness stage, your
buyer is usually unaware of two
things – who you are or that they
even have a need.
THE BUYERS JOURNEY
STEP 1 - AWARENESS
It's your job to create awareness
for your product or service, and
your content should focus on
your client's or reader's pain
points.
THE BUYER'S JOURNEY

STEP 1 - AWARENESS
• What keeps them up at night?
• What is keeping them from
achieving their goals?
THE BUYERS JOURNEY

STEP 2 - CONSIDERATION
Your client knows the name of their
problem and what it is now. Their
research kicks up another notch, and
they search for ways to solve their
issue.
THE BUYERS JOURNEY

STEP 2 - CONSIDERATION
Example - how do I stop my cat
from licking the curtains

Is there something I can buy to stop

him from licking the curtains?
THE BUYER'S JOURNEY

STEP 2 - CONSIDERATION
One reason cats lick curtains is anxiety
which makes sense. My poor cat is
very anxious. They make products to
reduce your cat's anxiety.
THE BUYERS JOURNEY

STEP 3 - THE DECISION

Now the buyer knows the solution,
so they want to narrow down the
place or person they want to buy it
from.
THE BUYERS JOURNEY

STEP 3 - THE DECISION

In my research, I found plugins that
release scents and pheromones that
use synthetic chemicals that mimic
various pheromones known to
soothe cats.
THE BUYER'S JOURNEY

STEP 3 - THE DECISION

Like me, the buyer needs to know
where to buy the service or product
that is their solution - Pet Smart,
Chewy, Amazon, etc.
THE BUYERS JOURNEY

UNDERSTANDING THE BUYERS

JOURNEY IS CRITICAL FOR
KEYWORD RESEARCH.
DIFFERENT KEYWORDS TARGET
DIFFERENT STAGES, AND THAT
GOES BACK TO USER INTENT.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO
OPTIMIZE BLOG POSTS

Optimizing your blog posts helps you get

consistent organic traffic to your website if
done correctly. SEO traffic is the most
stable traffic you can get as social media
algorithms change drastically all the time.
HOW TO STRUCTURE
YOUR BLOG POSTS

• Title
• Introduction - hooks the reader
• Body - broken up with headings that
represent the main points of the article
• Conclusion
• CTA - Call to Action
HOW TO STRUCTURE
YOUR BLOG POSTS
Headings help search engines and users
understand what your blog post is
about. They also show which parts are
important and how everything in the
content connects.
HOW TO STRUCTURE
YOUR BLOG POSTS
They also help readers skim your content
to get the gist of a post and help guide
them through the content. Since headings
are in HTML, they help with accessibility
for people with disabilities using screen
readers.
HOW TO STRUCTURE
YOUR BLOG POSTS
H1 - The title is not the same as the
H1. The H1 only appears on the
post or page, while the SEO title
appears in the search results and
browser window. H1 is like the
name of a book.
HOW TO STRUCTURE
YOUR BLOG POSTS
H2s and H3s are used to introduce each
section on your page or in your blog
post. The H2 subheadings are like the
chapters in a book, and the H3, H4, H5
are the individual sections.
HOW TO STRUCTURE
YOUR BLOG POSTS

You won't go much deeper than H4

tags, but sometimes you may. An
SEO plugin can help you make sure
your subheadings are evenly
distributed.
HOW TO STRUCTURE
YOUR BLOG POSTS
Example:
H1 - Cat Calming Plug-Ins That Reduce
Anxiety
H2 - What is a Cat Plug-In?
H2 - Which Cat Calming Diffuser is Best?
HOW TO STRUCTURE
YOUR BLOG POSTS

H3 - Feliway MultiCat Starter Kit Plug-In

Diffuser
H3 - ThunderEase Cat Calming Diffuser Kit
H3 - Felisept Home Comfort Plug-In
Diffuser
H3 - Comfort Zone Calming Diffuser Kit
WHAT IS A BLOG POST
OUTLINE
An outline is essentially a
roadmap or structure that helps
you know what to write ahead of
time and how to present it in a
clear, logical manner.
WHY YOU NEED A
BLOG POST OUTLINE
An outline helps you organize
everything so it's easy to read and
you don't forget anything important.
It saves you time when you sit down
to write and helps improve your
writing.
HOW TO CREATE A BLOG POST OUTLINE

1. Define the Goal of Your Post - What is your

goal for the article? Do you want to make money
or cover a common problem your audience has?
2. What are the Essential Points You Want to
Cover - What are the main points you want your
readers to understand?
HOW TO CREATE A BLOG POST OUTLINE

3. Create a Clickable Title - You want to craft a

title that encourages people to click, one that
invokes curiosity.
4. Research - There's a lot that goes into
research - Type your phrase into Google
• Does it match your intent?
• Look at the top posts’ headings.
HOW TO CREATE A BLOG
POST OUTLINE
RESEARCH CONTINUED:
• Check People Also Ask
• Identify the Gaps in Your Content
• List All the Things People Need to
Know
HOW TO CREATE A BLOG POST OUTLINE
5. Create Your Initial Outline - Combine
everything you learned and did so far into an
initial outline.
6. Create Your Headings - Now, you can start to
finalize your headings and reorganize them if you
need to. Each heading should summarize what the
section is about.
HOW TO CREATE A BLOG POST OUTLINE

7. Edit and Cut - This is where you cut the fluff

and only keep what's important.
8. Create Your Final Blog Post Outline- Now,
clearly define your headings and each piece of
supporting evidence so that it's organized and
clearly describes the problem and solution.
WRITING INCREDIBLE
CONTENT
Writing great content is more than
just presenting information
logically, as you can see. The
process may feel complicated
initially, but the process becomes
second nature over time.
WRITING INCREDIBLE
CONTENT
Formating in WordPress is also
important and where you do
essential things like internal and
external linking as well as SEO
optimization and adding affiliate
links and email opt-ins.
WRITING INCREDIBLE
CONTENT
Writing awesome content is about
being creative while writing content
purposefully. An outline helps you
create a template that makes writing
blog posts easier and even outsource
later.
WRITING INCREDIBLE
CONTENT

You can also use AI like Jarvis or

Frase to write amazing content your
audience will love. These tools are
super helpful for writing and
optimizing your content.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• The Biggest Mistakes Content
Creators Make
• The 3 Main Components of SEO
• Understanding Google SRPs
• Google Ranking Factors
• 4 Main Types of User Intent
KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Buyers Journey

• How to Structure Your Blog
Posts
• Blog Post Outline
• Writing Incredible Content