You want to create optimized content mostly to improve your search engine rankings and in fact whenever clients write to me about requiring optimized content they basically need content to improve their SEO for particular keywords and key phrases.
Different content writers and content marketers approach optimized content differently. There is a short-term way to it and a long-term, more profitable way to it. It depends on the budget and the focus of the business. But as an experienced content writer, I’m able to maintain a balance, sometimes, even without telling my clients.
SEO or no SEO, optimized content is not a bad idea
Of late there has been a growing opinion against specifically creating content for the search engines. Of course you shouldn’t just create content for the search engines because it is counter-productive. You should first write human-centric content and then optimize it in such a manner that it also helps you improve your search engine rankings. How do you do that?
A good thing about optimized content is that it is subject-specific. When you are writing such content, you are not trying to pack everything into one single webpage, blog post or article. You want to focus on a particular topic. For example, if I’m writing this page on the topic of “what is optimized content” my primary focus is that by the time you are finished reading this webpage, you have a clear idea of what optimized content is. Of course along with that if you want to hire me in order to get optimized content for your website or blog, it solves both the purposes – it informs you, educates you, and it gets business for me.
Optimized content becomes a bad idea if it only improves your search engine rankings (yes, even bad content can improve your SEO). No matter how much traffic you get from search engines, unless that traffic converts, unless you get more leads and more business, it is of no use. So your primary aim MUST be to improve your conversion rate even if it gets you very low search engine rankings.
So it is not the name that is bad but the implementation and the attitude that makes it harmful for your business. Focus on quality, focus on the subject and stick to the main topic and optimized content can reap you great benefits.
What exactly is optimized content as understood by most of the clients?
Normally what happens is, a client sends me a list of keywords and key phrases to create content on and I write content using these keywords and key phrases. But unlike many content writers, instead of focusing just on the keywords and key phrases, I focus on the central message that can be delivered using these keywords and key phrases. My intention is to inform people, to motivate them, to get them going. Remember that the sole purpose of every content writing exercise is to generate more business (or whatever you want to generate) and unless that happens, everything is waste. Then keywords become secondary.
But then keywords are needed. So how to use them without compromizing on the quality of the content you are writing? This question arises because you may have to cover every possible keyword combination without creating duplicate content and without writing gibberish.
How do I do it?
For every new topic (keywords and key phrases) I create a separate Evernote note. Using those keywords and key phrases I create a compelling title. The title decides what I’m going to write for the rest of the web page or the blog post. It decides the theme. It decides the flow. It decides the structure and above all, it decides the central message.
After I have created a compelling title using the keywords and the key phrases (normally a key phrase involving 2-3 words) I start preparing the main body. When I’m writing the first draft I don’t worry much about the keywords although if they can be incorporated I don’t refrain from them, but I don’t go overboard.
Once I have created a draft, and start inserting the main headlines so that various chunks of content can be organised or arranged beneath them. These headlines I create using the keywords and key phrases. I try to use at least 3-4 sub-headlines on every article or blog post that I write to create optimized content. Once these are done, I try to incorporate phrases that contain the keywords. Again, I don’t force them. In case it is absolutely necessary to use them, I rewrite the content in such a manner that these keywords and key phrases are incorporated. I do it without losing the flow and the quality of the content.
Are you looking for optimized content for your website or blog?
Optimized content will certainly help you improve your search engine rankings so it will be good if you get it written for your website or blog. Just make sure that the primary concern should be the quality and the conversion rate. I regularly write optimized content for my clients and I can get great results for you. Contact me for more information on this.
