When it comes to optimizing your website, it’s easy to become narrow minded, focusing only on the best SEO blogging practices. The problem with SEO-focused content, however, is that it tends to get optimized to the point that you sound like a robot. Imagine reading an article that is obviously packed with phrases that don’t really make sense.
Obviously, this doesn’t make for a smooth, enjoyable user experience. And can often send your readers away after just the first paragraph.
Good news is that you can still optimize for SEO, without the boring, robot tone. We’ve got the tips for you!
Tips on how you can optimize for SEO without sounding like a robot
1. Don’t focus on your keywords
One of the trickiest things with writing SEO optimized content is to balance out keywords and content. Yes, keywords are there for a reason. However, it doesn’t mean that you need to focus on them throughout the article. Keyword stuffing (it’s a thing) can actually hurt your SEO.
So, when starting out to write your content, don’t be afraid to write freely. Without your keywords in mind. Once you’re done, think of your keywords as your seasoning – sprinkling them around the article when they fit in. Adding a pinch will do just right while over seasoning or under seasoning will definitely disrupt the taste you are aiming for.
2. Don’t use too many keywords
The result of focusing on your keywords too much is that you tend to use them way too many times throughout your article. Since the number of keywords will matter in the SEO rating, you have to be mindful of how many times you should only use it in a specific content.
You can avoid keyword stuffing by knowing how many keywords you will be allowed to use in the article. Then, you can plan the use of your SEO keywords accordingly depending on the content. After you’ve finished writing your article, highlight the SEO keywords to check how many you have used and its distribution all throughout the content. Then, you can edit the article, removing or adding the necessary number of keywords.
3. Write for humans first, SEO later
Much like the keywords, don’t write for Google from the beginning. Start off writing your content for humans. Think of your audience that you are writing for and write for how they will be able to relate to your content.
Who are the ones who are going to read your content? Who is going to engage in them? Write for them, for humans. After that, then consider what Google wants to see and start optimizing content.
4. Tell a story with your content
Avoid sounding like a robot by writing content that people can relate to. This is where the importance of storytelling comes into play. Storytelling allows you to share content in a way that not only inspires readers, but shows them how your content relates to their daily lives.
Tell a story with your content – not only are you guaranteed to get engagement from these posts, but people will most likely trust your website more. Telling a story with your content will also help you relay the necessary information without sounding like everything is too calculated. You can also use this technique to stand out among all the other content that you are competing with.
5. Read your work (out loud)
When you are working with an SEO article, you have to make sure that you still sound as normal as possible. After you are finished writing, you should read the whole article not just to proofread but also to check how you sound like. I like to read my writing out loud as it’s the best way to spot when something doesn’t sound right.
If you feel like you are giving off an impression as if you were forced to write the article, or that the placements of the keywords are not as natural-sounding as they should be, then it’s time for you to edit the content. It needs to come out naturally.
Last thoughts
The above five steps will help make sure that you’re content doesn’t sound too boring, or robot like, while still be able to optimize for SEO. It may be a bit tricky to get it right, especially if you are just starting out. But once you have been acquainted to how things work in SEO writing, it will be easy for you to roll out content.