How to Write SEO Articles

In order to have a successful blog or website, you will need to find a way to increase your foot traffic by writing marketable SEO articles. Why is this important? Increased views on your content means advertising. Advertisers are more likely to pay for space on your website or pay for sponsored content if they know people are tuned in to your content. There are a lot of factors that go into how you get foot traffic, but also what you use to do it and why it’s important. 70% of marketers see SEO as more effective than PPC (Pay-per-click). In this article, we will detail what SEO means, a few examples of successful SEO, and how to write articles that will get you noticed.

What Does SEO Mean?

Let’s start with the basics. What does SEO mean? SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s a marketing tactic used to increase digital foot traffic by using effective, popular words on a blog or website. This is through the use of a search engine like Bing, Yahoo!, or Google and can be paid or “organic”.

How Does SEO Work?

Search engine optimization works through search engine channels like Google, Yahoo! or Bing and normally, when you put a sentence or question into these search engines, a long list of websites will appear. This gives perceived results that are determined by the words you use. This is why your choice of words is so important. But the factors in search engine results go beyond simply words. It may all sound confusing but there are lists of factors that determine a search engine’s results. Some of them are:

• Quantity/quality of links on the domain
• Domain page rank
• Content relevance on domain
• Content length, readability, and loading time
• Offline mentions of brand/domain name
• Traffic from browsers
• Quantity/Quality of social metrics
• Exact keyword match
• Domain name length

Because SEO involves an enormous amount of intricate, analytical marketing, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Should you pay to promote your website? Should you do it organically? What goes into organic website promotion? How do SEO articles play into website promotion? It may not be initially apparent, but all of these words are interlinked in digital marketing and are important to note when writing SEO articles. Knowing the basic marketing science behind SEO will mean gaining better backlinks and heavier foot traffic. Let’s take a deep dive into the world of marketing and how SEO plays a huge part in the digital world.

SEO for Marketing

Now that we know how important marketing is for SEO, let’s break down a few reasons why SEO and marketing are a perfect match. As we’ve listed above, there are many factors that dictate how a website is promoted on a search engine. Below are a few of those factors that we’re going to break down. These relate heavily to the significance of not only writing SEO articles, but also general SEO marketing.

Paid Advertising vs. Organic Results

The two types of search results that will appear on the SERP (search engine results page) after typing in a question or sentence are: paid results/advertisements and organic results/non-paid traffic. It’s important to know the difference between these two when it comes to developing a way to increase clicks on your page or article.

• Paid Ads- When a website wants to be promoted on the SERP without having to necessarily trust in their SEO, they can pay for promotion. The benefit of this is that paid ads generally have a high ROI and receive information regarding what people are looking for. The negatives are, obviously, that the costs are higher than an organic result.
• Organic Result- Organic results are the true, non-paid results that come from factors like SEO, backlinks, and page rank. The benefits of these are that they’re free and enhance digital credibility. The negatives are that they require constant upkeep in order to remain on the results page and they are in constant competition with ads.

Backlinks

Backlinks are a crucial part of increasing your SEO, so it’s important you know how to get backlinks. We won’t get into the full rundown of backlinks in this article, but backlinks are how people find your content through other content. For instance, in this article, we have linked SEO articles as well as other articles from different domains. This is an example of backlinking and can help with SEO due to keywords, addition of quality web domains, and collaboration.

SEO Content

SEO content can come in many forms including:

• Product ages
• News articles
• Infographics
• Feature pieces
• Videos
• Lists
• Guides
• Blog Posts
• Interviews

There are a lot of options to choose from when creating a piece of SEO content and there’s a lot that can go wrong. We’ve mentioned previously in this article about the importance of using specific keywords, but with SEO content it’s crucial. Google’s SEO Starter Guide references the importance of using various different keywords that other domains may have missed thus increasing the chance of your domain being promoted.

What is an SEO Article?

Now that we know the specifics and importance of SEO, we can begin talking about SEO articles and why we need them. So, what exactly is an SEO article? An SEO article is a form of SEO content. It can be a blog post, news article, or interview and is usually a long-form, detailed piece on a website that is important for the SERF because it offers a plethora of keywords.

The Importance of Writing SEO Articles

SEO articles are an incredibly important part of SEO marketing because they are often what appear most on a search engine’s result’s page. They are also a hub for backlinks, keywords, Infographics, videos, and lists. Because all of these pieces of content appear on SEO articles, they are sort of a one-stop-shop for SEO.

Their importance in marketing is well noted, but creating proper SEO articles takes extensive marketing research and time. Writing a basic article on brown bears might be great for a small informational blog, but in order to appear on the results page for every person doing a project on brown bears, you will need to analyze keywords and user data that can separate your articles from the rest.

Example of an SEO Article

Writing SEO articles can be time consuming and involves a great deal of research on, not only the topic, but how to make it promotable. For this, we have decided to create a short article example that will give you an idea of what goes into it. First, we will write an article example and then we will analyze it in order to show you what to do and what not to do. Let’s begin.

__________________________________________________________________________

Article 1 Example: Benefits of Keto for Weight Loss

It’s finally 2021 which means new year, new you! It’s no secret that 2020 hasn’t been the best year for most, but with the new year means new hope for change and that includes weight loss! Losing weight is always a popular new year’s resolution and we’re going to be talking about the benefits of the Keto diet for weight loss.

• High Protein High Fat is great for brain and muscle development
• Keeps you full for longer
• Keto can be done on any budget

________________________________________________________________

Now, let’s analyze this brief article and see how SEO marketing tools were used.

• The title was short, to the point, and included popular keywords like “keto” and “weight loss”.
• Using keywords like “2021”, “New Year’s resolution”, “budget”, “full”. These words are important because people often type them into the search bar.
• As we’ve mentioned, lists are a popular form of SEO content, so using them means a higher chance to end up on the SERP.

Don’t:

• Forget backlinks. Using them in this article and could help boost its promotability.
• Forget spelling and grammar.
• End your article on a list. Add a brief conclusion.

How to Write SEO Articles

Now that we’ve seen an example of an SEO article, let’s learn how to write one by breaking down our tips into steps. One of the most popular forms of SEO articles are blog posts. So we will briefly touch on how to write a blog post and how to incorporate SEO into it.

Step 1: Know Your Topic

It may be obvious, but to start, you need to know what you want to write about. It could be anything, but make sure your topic is well researched, informative, creatively written, and relevant to your desired audience.

Step 2: Write Your Article

Another seemingly obvious step is to write your article. This step is actually the most important because this is the middle of the sandwich. Every word here matters. Make sure your grammar, punctuation, wording, and paragraph formation is set up correctly.

Step 3: Research Keywords & SEO Factors

Here is the step that will make the most impact when it comes to promotion of your article. If your article is on carrots, make sure you type “carrots” into a search engine to find out exactly what people want to know about it. Follow the tips we’ve written above, and link to credible sources. The more trustworthy a site is, the more likely a search engine is to promote your article.

Step 4: Know Your Competition

Who else is writing about your topic? Make sure your content differs from theirs and add in more information. The benefit of writing a topic after someone is that you can add what they missed. Use words they didn’t think to include and link to better articles.

How SEO Design Chicago Can Help with SEO Writing

Are you looking for help writing SEO articles for your website? Let SEO Design Chicago help you today. We have the experience and digital marketing tools necessary to properly promote a blog, website, or social media account. Contact us so we can help you bring your content to life.

Frequently Asked Questions About Writing SEO Articles

1. How long should my SEO articles be for optimal ranking?

SEO articles should typically be between 1,000-2,500 words for optimal performance, though quality matters more than length. Longer articles (1,500+ words) often rank better because they provide comprehensive coverage of topics and naturally include more relevant keywords. However, the ideal length depends on your topic, competition, and user intent. Some topics require shorter, concise articles (500-800 words), while complex subjects benefit from in-depth pieces (3,000+ words). Focus on thoroughly covering your topic and providing value to readers rather than hitting a specific word count. Monitor your analytics to see which article lengths perform best for your audience.

2. How many keywords should I include in an SEO article?

Focus on one primary keyword and 3-5 related secondary keywords per article. Your primary keyword should appear in the title, first paragraph, and naturally throughout the content (aim for 1-2% keyword density). Include secondary keywords and variations to capture related search terms. Avoid keyword stuffing, which can hurt your rankings and readability. Use synonyms and long-tail variations of your main keyword. For a 1,500-word article, your primary keyword might appear 10-15 times naturally. Remember that Google’s algorithms are sophisticated enough to understand context and related terms, so write naturally while keeping SEO in mind.

3. How long does it take to see results from SEO articles?

SEO articles typically take 3-6 months to show significant ranking improvements, though some results may appear sooner. New websites often take longer (6-12 months) to build authority, while established sites with good domain authority may see results in 4-8 weeks. Factors affecting timeline include competition level, keyword difficulty, content quality, and your website’s existing authority. Focus on creating consistent, high-quality content rather than expecting immediate results. Monitor your progress using tools like Google Search Console and Analytics. Some articles may rank quickly for long-tail keywords while taking longer for competitive terms.

4. What’s the difference between writing for SEO and writing for readers?

The best SEO articles balance both – you should write primarily for readers while incorporating SEO best practices. Write compelling, valuable content that answers readers’ questions and solves their problems. Then optimize by naturally incorporating keywords, using proper headings (H1, H2, H3), including internal and external links, and ensuring good readability. Avoid sacrificing readability for keyword density. Google’s algorithms increasingly prioritize user experience, so content that engages readers and keeps them on your page longer will rank better. Focus on providing genuine value while following SEO technical requirements.

5. Should I update old SEO articles or always create new content?

Both strategies are important for SEO success. Updating existing articles can be more efficient than creating new content, especially for articles that already rank on page 2-3 of search results. Update old articles by adding new information, improving keyword optimization, refreshing statistics, adding internal links to newer content, and improving readability. However, continue creating new content to target additional keywords and topics. A good balance is updating 2-3 existing articles for every new article you create. Focus on updating your best-performing content first, as improvements there often yield the biggest results.

6. How important are backlinks for SEO article success?

Backlinks are extremely important for SEO article success – they’re one of Google’s top ranking factors. Quality backlinks from authoritative websites signal to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. Focus on earning backlinks through creating exceptional content, guest posting on relevant sites, building relationships with other content creators, and reaching out to websites that might find your content valuable. Internal linking within your own site is also crucial for SEO. However, avoid buying low-quality backlinks or participating in link schemes, as these can harm your rankings.

7. What tools should I use to research keywords for my SEO articles?

Start with free tools like Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and Answer the Public to identify relevant keywords and search trends. Google Search Console shows which keywords your existing content already ranks for. For more advanced research, consider paid tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz Keyword Explorer, which provide detailed keyword difficulty scores, search volumes, and competitor analysis. Don’t forget to analyze the “People Also Ask” sections and related searches on Google for your target keywords. Combine multiple tools for comprehensive keyword research and always verify that keywords align with your content goals and audience needs.

8. How do I measure the success of my SEO articles?

Track multiple metrics to measure SEO article success: organic traffic growth, keyword rankings, time on page, bounce rate, and conversions (if applicable). Use Google Analytics to monitor page views, user behavior, and traffic sources. Google Search Console shows your average position for target keywords, click-through rates, and which queries bring visitors to your articles. Monitor backlinks using tools like Ahrefs or Moz. Set up goal tracking for actions you want readers to take (newsletter signups, downloads, purchases). Review performance monthly and note which topics and formats perform best to inform your future content strategy.