17 Article SEO Best Practices To Follow For Visibility

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Picture this: you’ve poured your heart into crafting the perfect blog post, but it’s barely recognized on the internet. Frustrating, right? This is where Article SEO comes into play. Think of it as the compass that ensures it finds its audience and audience but thrives in the blog growth engine. You can transform your blog into a traffic magnet by mastering this process. So, how do you make it happen? This article will guide you through practical steps to ensure your content gets the attention it deserves.

To get there faster, consider using Feather’s notion to blog. It’s designed to streamline your workflow and boost your Blog Growth Engine with actionable insights on writing SEO-friendly content.

Understanding Article SEO

Imagine you're crafting content with a precise aim: to land on Google's first page. That's what an SEO article is all about. It involves researching the right keywords and creating content that satisfies user intent. Google's spiders crawl your content to understand it. If you’ve optimized it well, they’ll rank it higher. Without SEO, your article might not even register on their radar.

Why Writing for SEO is a Big Deal

Think about how you search on Google. Most people don’t go past the first page. So, if your content doesn’t rank high, it doesn’t exist.

Studies show that the first search result gets over 28% of clicks. It drops from there. Getting to the top isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. SEO writing also works long after you’ve written it, unlike pay-per-click ads that stop once you’re out of budget.

How SEO Writing Works

SEO writing isn’t just about stuffing keywords. It’s about creating high-quality content that search engines and people love. Start by researching relevant keywords. Then, craft your content to answer the questions people are asking. Enhance your article’s visibility and drive organic traffic with essential SEO strategies.

Here’s what to focus on:

Headings

Bullet points

Images

And don’t forget to link to other relevant content. This helps search engines understand your article better.

SEO is a long-term investment. Once your content ranks, it can continue to drive traffic for years. Unlike other marketing strategies, you don’t have to keep paying for it. And as you publish more content, your site’s authority grows. This makes it easier for all your content to rank, not just the new stuff.

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17 Article SEO Best Practices To Follow for Visibility

1. Choose a Proven Topic

Selecting the right topic is the foundation of successful SEO. A proven topic has traffic potential, business relevance, and ranking potential. For example, a proven topic for a baking supplies store might cover tips for using specific products, which can organically mention your offerings.

Ensure your topic has the following:

Traffic potential: Can attract enough visitors.

Business potential: Naturally aligns with your product or service.

Ranking potential: You have a real chance of ranking for the target keyword.

2. Analyze Search Intent

To align your content with what searchers need, you must understand their intent. Search intent can be tricky to infer from keywords alone, so look at the top-ranking pages. Identify the three Cs of search intent:

Content Type: Is the leading content a blog post, product page, or video?

Content Format: Are guides, lists, or comparisons dominating?

Content Angle: What approach is used? For example, are articles focusing on “best” or “authentic” solutions?

3. Check Your Expertise

Google values content created by individuals with real, hands-on experience, especially for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics. Showcasing your expertise can include:

First-hand Experience: Share personal experiences or use the product yourself.

Expert Quotes: If additional authority is required, seek expert input.

Proof of Expertise: Include photos, videos, or other evidence that you’ve personally engaged with the topic.

4. Cover the Topic in Full

Create content that exhaustively addresses the query. Being thorough means covering every step or detail that a reader may need. Comprehensive content helps boost rankings by covering additional keywords and increasing time on the page, but it doesn’t have to be extended.

Make sure to:

Provide detailed steps

Include all relevant resources

Answer potential follow-up questions readers may have

5. Make It Unique

Avoid creating “copycat” content by offering something unique that competitors don’t. Google’s algorithm values uniqueness and readers are likelier to link to your article if it adds new insights. Provide the following:

Additional context

Personal insights

Rare examples that can’t be found elsewhere

6. Make It “Sticky”

For your content to perform well, visitors need to stay engaged. Here’s how to make your content “sticky”:

Simplify: Avoid complicated words or phrases.

Visualize: Break up text with images and videos.

Speak Their Language: Use the terms and tone that your audience prefers.

7. Keep It Evergreen

Keep your content relevant and fresh. Some topics, particularly those in fast-moving industries, require periodic updates. For example, posts about trending searches need regular updates to maintain relevance. Review your content periodically to keep it up-to-date and ensure it continues to perform.

Including related words, often called latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords, improves your content’s relevance in the eyes of search engines. Use natural, topic-related words to enhance SEO without overstuffing keywords.

9. Link to High-Quality Sites

Citing high-quality, authoritative sources builds your credibility. Avoid linking to spammy or low-quality sites, as it can reflect poorly on your content. Always link to well-known and trusted sources to reinforce the quality of your information.

10. Use Varied Content Types

Diversify the media on your page to make it more engaging. Use videos, infographics, images, and other media types to support and enhance the text. This variety helps break up large blocks of text and improves readability.

11. Write Meta Information

Meta descriptions and title tags are critical for SEO. A substantial title tag (up to 70 characters) and meta description (up to 160 characters) help search engines and users understand your content. Ensure these are well-written and optimized for search queries.

12. Use Plenty of Subheadings

Subheadings improve readability and provide logical breaks in content. They also make it easier to include keywords prominently. Readers often scan articles, and subheadings help them quickly find the specific information they seek.

13. Optimize for Featured Snippets

To capture featured snippets, provide concise, clear answers to common questions. For example, if a keyword calls for a definition, aim to answer it in fewer than 58 words. This increases the chance of being selected by Google for a featured snippet.

14. Write for Humans, Not Search Engines

SEO is important but always write with your audience in mind. Provide thorough answers, use scannable sections, and include images or videos. Keep your potential customers’ challenges and interests at the forefront to ensure the content resonates with them.

15. Satisfy Search Intent

Make sure your content aligns with the search intent behind your target keywords. Caters to the searcher's needs, whether:

Informational

Navigational

Commercial

Transactional

Work best for informational keywords are:

How-to guides

Tutorials

List posts

16. Structure Content for Readability

Organize your content to be easily digestible. Use subheadings, short paragraphs, bullet points, and highlight key phrases. Breaking up content this way improves the reader’s experience and helps search engines understand the structure of your page.

17. Implement Internal Linking

Internal links are essential for SEO and user experience. They create a network of related content on your site, improving visitors' navigation and helping search engines discover new pages. Use internal links strategically to guide readers to related topics or newer content.

Run your blog and newsletter with Feather today — create a new account and send emails from Notion, or go from notion to blog in minutes! Feather is an SEO-friendly blog and email newsletter service that lets you publish blog content and newsletters through Notion with no coding or design skills required.

Why Focus on Writing an SEO Article

Boost Your Rankings with SEO

SEO is like the secret sauce for improving your search rankings. You can move your content up the search engine results pages by focusing on specific keywords. Want more people to find your site? Get those keywords right. Research them, target them, and watch your visibility soar.

Drive More Traffic to Your Site

SEO-friendly content is your ticket to more clicks and visitors. It’s about catching the attention of search engines and users alike. You can draw people in with the right keywords and compelling meta descriptions. Even if you share the same page with others, a catchy title can get you more traffic.

Attract the Right Audience

SEO isn’t just about numbers; it’s about quality traffic. Those who find your content should be genuinely interested in your business. By understanding your audience’s pain points and needs, you can create content that resonates with them. This means more qualified leads and more potential customers.

Cost-Effective Marketing

SEO is a wise investment. Unlike paid advertising, which requires constant funding, SEO-optimized content can generate traffic over time at no additional cost. You put in the effort upfront, and your content works for you. Compare this to PPC ads, which need ongoing budget allocations to maintain traffic.

Enjoy Long-Term Benefits

SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. While it might take time to see results, the payoff is worth it. High-ranking articles can bring consistent traffic for years, especially if you keep them updated. This long-term return on investment makes SEO writing a must-have tool in your digital marketing strategy.

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8 Best Article Optimization Tools

1. Feather: Seamlessly Publish Blogs and Newsletters

Feather is a game-changer for bloggers looking to publish SEO-friendly blog content and newsletters without coding. By integrating with Notion, Feather enables you to write and publish blog posts effortlessly while managing your CRM and website blog through the platform.

You can customize your design with CSS and send newsletters straight from Notion. Run your blog and newsletter with Feather today! Create a new account and send emails from Notion, or go from notion to blog in minutes!

2. Surfer SEO: Optimize and Audit Content Like a Pro

Surfer SEO offers a comprehensive platform that makes content optimization a breeze. Its features include:

Content editor

Keyword suggestions

SEO audit tools

Surfer SEO integrates smoothly with:

Google Docs

WordPress

Chrome

Surfer's content editor guides you in creating SEO-optimized content while its planner tailors suggestions for your audience. Pricing starts at $89/month.

3. MarketMuse: AI-Powered Content Research and Writing

MarketMuse leverages AI to help you produce more content faster and improve your rankings. Its features include:

Automated content audits

Keyword research

SEO writing assistance

MarketMuse's inventory:

Automates audits

Analyzes web pages

Provides optimization metrics

Pricing starts at $149/month.

4. Clearscope: Create Highly Relevant Content

Clearscope uses advanced NLP models to help you create relevant content that is aligned with current search trends. It offers keyword recommendations and a scoring system that assesses quality based on the following:

Readability

Word count

Clearscope integrates seamlessly with Google Docs and WordPress. Pricing starts at $189/month, with custom pricing available.

5. SE Ranking: A Holistic SEO Approach for Diverse Needs

SE Ranking offers a powerful blend of content optimization with robust analytical tools to meet diverse marketing needs. Here's how it stands out:

It generates actionable content briefs

It analyzes readability and grammar

It offers comprehensive SEO tools

SE Ranking starts at $52/month, with a free plan available.

6. SEO PowerSuite: Comprehensive SEO Management

SEO PowerSuite is ideal for marketers who prefer local software for SEO and content optimization. It provides:

Comprehensive content audits

Local project saving

Versatile toolset for SEO management

SEO PowerSuite offers a free limited plan, with premium options starting at $125/year.

7. Hemingway Editor: Improve Readability and Clarity

Hemingway Editor is essential for any writer looking to improve content readability by highlighting complex sentences and passive voice. Its syntax checking identifies problematic phrases and offers vocabulary enhancements, while readability grades help gauge content quality. The online version is free, with a one-time fee for the desktop version.

8. Frase: AI-Driven Content Briefs and Automation

Frase excels in AI capabilities, allowing you to generate content briefs and automate writing aligned with SERPs. It provides insightful SERP analysis to optimize content further and quickly generates outlines based on AI input. Frase starts at $15/month.

How To Track SEO Success

Climbing the SERPs Ladder

Tracking your position in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) is crucial for SEO success. To monitor where your site ranks for target keywords, use tools like:

Google Search Console

SEMrush

Focus on your average position and specific branded and non-branded keywords. This data reveals your visibility and helps you strategize for better rankings.

Keep an Eye on Impressions

Impressions tell you how often your site appears in search results. If your rankings are high but impressions are low, you might target keywords with low search volume. Use Google Search Console to track both total and keyword-specific impressions. This helps you ensure you're focusing on valuable search terms.

Boost Organic Search Traffic

Organic traffic is your site's lifeblood. Use Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor how many users land on your site from search engines. Pay attention to:

Overall traffic

Specific keywords

Branded vs. non-branded traffic

These insights show how effective your SEO strategies are at attracting visitors.

Optimize Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) measures how often users click on your site after seeing it in search results. A higher CTR indicates that your Title Tags and meta descriptions are performing well. Use Google Search Console to track and tweak your CTR by refining how your search listings appear.

Engage the Audience

The engagement rate shows how users interact with your site, such as:

Staying on a page

Clicking links

A high engagement rate means your content is performing well. Use Google Analytics 4 to track engagement and identify areas for improvement.

Build Domain Authority

Domain Authority (DA) predicts your site's ability to rank based on its link authority. A higher DA means better ranking potential. Use Moz to track your DA and see how your link-building efforts pay off.

Maintain Technical Site Health

A technically sound website is essential for SEO success. Use SEMrush’s Site Audit to get reports on issues like broken links or slow page speeds. This ensures your site is optimized for both search engines and users.

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Feather is transforming the way companies manage their blogging and newsletters. With Feather, you can publish your blog and send newsletters through Notion. No coding or design skills are required. It's SEO-friendly and allows you to set up a subfolder blog, which is crucial for boosting your site’s search engine rankings.

You can even customize your blog’s design using custom CSS. Feather simplifies collaboration, enabling your entire team to work seamlessly during the publishing process.

Want to run your blog and newsletter from one place? Feather makes it easy. Create a new account and send emails from Notion, or go from notion to blog in minutes.