In today’s competitive and ever-expanding internet world, creative content often clashes with out SEO strategies!
As the demand for quality content increases, we want our posts to be listed on search engines such as Google and Bing, but we also want them to be engaging and creative at the same time.
For many of us content writers out there, this can prove to be particularly challenging! Being creative means using unconventional language that may not be able to adjust the SEO keywords and phrases.
Alternatively, taking an SEO First strategy might restrict your creative boundaries and not allow you to unleash your true potential!
Connects with you? If it does, welcome to Kaivalya.me! In this post, we’re going to see a few handy tips and tricks which will not only allow you to write creative content which is super-engaging, but also takes an SEO First strategy at the same time!
Can’t resist reading further? Me too, if I were you! So, let’s jump right into it!
How To Write Creative Content With An SEO First Strategy?
A Reader-First Keyword Research
Many of us use tools such as Ubersuggest and similar products for our keyword research process. These tools are great, since they show keywords related to your topic and the volume, cost per click, and other vital information on the same.
Nevertheless, one thing to note is that, at the end of the day, keyword tools are machines and your audience are humans!
While using such tools will give you great keywords which please the search engine, are your target audience really going to connect with it? Does it really suit their taste? Is it engaging enough and suitable for the content you’re writing?
A great way to avoid becoming a robot-oriented keyword researcher is to couple your normal SEO tools with other tools which provide insights into searches humans make, such as Google Trends.
Such tools let you know, with region, time, and other filters, how many people really search for and engage with the keyword you’re going to use. Also, since you’re a human yourself, you can judge the compatibility of your keywords with your content!
If you’re one of those who is wondering whether SEO is really important at all, we’ve got an exclusive post on it!
Nailing The Unseen SEO
Since you’re aiming at great and creative content, it does become imperative that you follow the cut-throat SEO tactics with the unseen SEO elements of your page such as the meta tags.
There’s a great chance that a search engine might just list your competitor because your content doesn’t have the robotic keywords, even though the content is surely more creative and engaging.
To avoid this, absolutely nail the unseen SEO elements. Add all the robotic elements into the SEO description, fill the meta tags with Google-friendly content, and be an “alt” tag pro. Use alt for images that Google totally loves, such as by throwing keywords into it!
Avoiding Forced Keywords
Indeed, context is the future of SEO. Search engines are optimizing themselves everyday for better methods of filtering web pages.
Therefore, searching for top-listing keywords and just plugging them into your title isn’t going to make the cut anymore!
And that might just be good for you! What’s the last time you had to compromise on the creativity of your content just to force in that keyword. Feels bad, doesn’t it?
To avoid ruining your creative content, do avoid forced keywords. And don’t worry, this doesn’t go against your SEO First Strategy by any means!
Writing For People, Not Search Engines
If there is no user engagement, Google won’t lead users into your page no matter how solidly you’ve nailed the SEO in your post!
Most content writers make this dangerous mistake of going all-in to the SEO tactics and forgetting that humans, not search engines, are reading their posts! That results in frustrated experiences by the users, and no search engine wants to take you anymore!
Therefore, compromising on creative content in an SEO First strategy does quite the reverse effect!
On the contrary, when you’re writing your first draft, forget about anything called SEO. Just consider the topic title, research on it, write it, and throughout the process, just imagine the impact you’re making to the reader who it’s aimed at!
This first draft will be a hundred times more engaging than if you’re going to sit with the SEO only mindset which many content writers do!
Once you’re done with the first draft, it’s now time to see if you can integrate any more of the human-friendly keywords we discussed above in the post.
Finally, while publishing the post, do nail the unseen SEO as discussed above. If you’re following this seriously, you’re going to see instant results!
Using Multimedia
Let’s face it… plain text is tremendously boring. Especially over the internet! What’s the difference in your content than a Victorian Era parchment if all it’s got over is pages over pages of text?
A modern user wants more than just text! Color, images, videos, links, GIFs, and the many other forms of multimedia will make your text a lot more interesting and engaging for the reader.
The best part is, it keeps your SEO high! Not only do search engines rank web pages with great balance of text and multimedia higher, the audience will be a lot more engaged on your website, which is all the more sweet for the search engine!
And while it’s there, it’s also increasing the creativity of your content! Does that sound like a great stroke on both creative content and SEO First strategy?
Try to add humor, context, information, decoration, and perspective through the many multimedia features we’ve got over the internet today, such as integrating a YouTube video!
Final Thoughts
Clearly, as a content writer, you have too much load on your shoulders. You’ve got to engage the reader through creative content, you need to list your web page by following an SEO First strategy, and you’re answerable if anything goes wrong with your content over the internet!
Most content writers lose their balance due to this enormous responsibility, while even more never know that they have such a huge responsibility over their shoulders!
The five tips provided in this post have personally helped me improve my content writing techniques and have allowed my clients to see a significant boost in their own listing and user engagement!
With these tips, you’ll break the door that keeps you from creative content in an SEO First Strategy! Hope they’re going to be of the best use to you, just as they have been to me!
In case you need more help with creative content, setting an effective SEO First strategy for content writing, or absolutely any other form of assistance in the field of content writing, we at Kaivalya.me have got an experience of over five years in this industry!
All you need to do to put your post in the first page on Google and Bing is book a session with us, on a time and date of your own convenience! Looking forward to meeting you! The ball’s in your court now.
If you’ve got more tips which can help the content writer community out there, mention them in the comments below, along with any general queries you might have! And while you’re hanging here, also check out a guide to split testing in 2020 (for free).
Kudos!
