seo search engine optimization link building agencyseo search engine optimization link building agencyseo search engine optimization link building agencyseo search engine optimization link building agency
  • BRANDS
    • Marketer.co
    • PPC.co
    • Link.Build
    • DEV.co
    • Website.Design
  • SERVICES
    • Managed SEO
    • Link Building
    • On-Page SEO
    • White Label SEO
    • Content Writing
    • SEO Audits
    • PPC Management
  • TOOLS
    • Backlink Checker
    • Site Audit
    • Broken Link Tool
    • Robots.txt Tester
    • Sitemap Validator
    • Site Speed Tester
    • Title Tag Checker
    • AI Content Writer
    • SEO Training
  • WHY US
    • Case Studies
    • Our Process
    • Our Team
    • Our History
    • Acquisitions
    • Become a Writer!
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
LOGINGET STARTED
✕
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing a CMO
Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Your CMO Services
June 28, 2020
SEO & Google Analytics: A Comprehensive User Guide to internal site search tracking, average page load time+ Google adsense
How to Understand User Behavior in Google Analytics
September 8, 2020

How to Improve Your SEO Writing (in 10 Steps)

Last Updated by Timothy Carter on July 30, 2020
How to Improve Your Writing Style (in 10 Steps)

Having trouble keeping your readers spellbound?

It might not be your content, but your style that is causing them to yawn unnecessarily.

To amp up the voltage from your writing, you need to focus on the style demands from:

  • your reader demographic
  • your authentic voice and
  • the proper mechanics of writing.

Isn’t it amazing that a topic written by one person can be so much more thrilling than another?

The difference is not in the details and facts, it’s in the way it is written.

Writing online content well is a skill that needs to be honed over time, but there are some basics that anyone can use to get to a level of ease with their writing that may have previously eluded them.

Here are 10 ways to improve your writing style that will show dramatic improvement in the copy you publish:

Table of Contents

  • 1. Write with Your Targeted Audience in Mind
  • 2. Outline Your Main Ideas First
  • 3. Keep It Short and Simple
  • 4. Avoid Redundancy
  • 5. Use an Active Voice
  • 6. Show, Don’t Tell
  • 7. Provide Examples, Metaphors, and Stories
  • 8. Be Creative with Layouts
  • 9. Do an Editorial Review
  • 10. Add Internal Links

1. Write with Your Targeted Audience in Mind

The first step is to always write for your intended reader. The reason for this is because what interests one demographic does not necessarily interest another. Knowing your targeted reader helps you to write copy of interest to them, by taking their preferences into account – even before a single word is written on the page. For instance, if you are doing seo for a law firm or writing for a group of lawyers, they will be more interested in facts and figures than when you are writing copy for a fashion magazine, in which you will want to focus on look and feel.

Keep search intent in mind in your titles, H1s and descriptions.

2. Outline Your Main Ideas First

Once you know who you are writing to, then pick a concept of interest to them and outline the main ideas so that you can start with a coherent framework in mind, instead of just winging it. Once you get the hang of outlining your start, middle, and end, you can often do this step in your head. If your outline is too long, start trimming.

This should be done for individual posts, but you should also put together a spreadsheet that encompasses your intended writing schedule. This disciplined process can also help you in determining the frequency with which you blog.

3. Keep It Short and Simple

Each main section of your outline should be easily encapsulated in short paragraphs. However, if you are writing more than just a feature article, your outline may need to focus on themes for individual chapters first, and then break it down into noteworthy ideas related to the theme for each main section of the chapter. The point is to make each idea easy to read, easy to digest, and not overwhelming or wordy. Avoid run-on sentences, blocks of run-on paragraphs without subheadings, and chapters that are too lengthy to digest in one sitting.

4. Avoid Redundancy

Get straight to the point. If you repeat yourself in writing, it comes off as dawdling. Do not repeat ideas, unless you are adding useful information, like when you use a story, metaphor, or an example to clarify the thought process. Avoiding redundancy of topics can help you avoid keyword cannibalization. Do not use multiple words with the same meaning in the same sentence.

5. Use an Active Voice

Passive verbs in your sentences make the copy less exciting, so use active verbs that create action in the story. Present tense is also a good way to draw the reader into the moment with your story, instead of having them focusing on the past or future. Anytime your subject is not taking direct action and instead, is being acted upon by other agencies in your sentence, revise it to active voice to make your copy style more powerful.

6. Show, Don’t Tell

Fiction and creative writers will have to focus on also being descriptive, to create a 3-D world with their words. That means that they will need to also show what their characters are thinking, what they believe, and how they feel by what they do, instead of telling the reader what to think about those actions. They will need to be good at describing things in a new way, rather than using common words that are flat and uninteresting.

7. Provide Examples, Metaphors, and Stories

Even if you don’t write fiction, and want to write blogs and/or magazine articles, you can still benefit from showing the reader what you mean, via examples, metaphors, and stories. These types of techniques can make your style riveting and addictive, as well. It also provides a way to engross the reader on many levels, by invoking a common experience that triggers memory and, sometimes, sensory feedback.

8. Be Creative with Layouts

Your writing style isn’t just about the words on your page. It’s also about how those words are laid out on the page. Take advantage of formats that can make your writing style easy to read and concise, like bulleted or numbered lists. Don’t overlook the use of whitespace to make your writing easy on the eyes. Separate a large paragraph into two, if you need to add whitespace. This is particularly helpful for web copy written in successive paragraph. These consecutive paragraphs have a tendency to run into each other visually when they are on a computer screen.

9. Do an Editorial Review

With so many tools that can help you spell check and proofread, there is no reason not to do an editorial review of your own work. Good spelling and grammar makes your pieces look professional. It makes your style more polished. However, if you want to get some more insight into your style, you can get a professional critique for samples of some of your writing and use the advice to propel your work to a new level.

10. Add Internal Links

Creating a good internal link building plan is critical for SEO. Make sure all of your posts include keyword-targeted links to other posts on your website (just like you see here).

Every writer has a different style that they eventually adapt as their own. It can be a product of years of experience and training, or the result of an experiment in writing that proved successful with their particular audience. Each individual writer will ultimately progress on their own path, creating copy that echoes their own personality, even as it attempts to pull the reader into it. Those that master the craft of writing with unique styles, no matter how it ends up, will end up with a loyal grouping of avid fans and readers. For people trying to build an online business, the art of writing copy that is entertaining, informative, and persuasive can yield a return on their investment by closing more sales and creating a bigger audience of potential buyers and marketing leads as years go by. For writers who simply want to excel at their craft, it can help them generate a unique voice that audiences associate as their personal brand and is as good as money in the bank. Either way, it is a satisfying way to polish your professional image and find new ways to express your inner you.

If you’re looking to outsource your blog writing or join our SEO reseller, get in touch! We would love to hear from you!

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Timothy Carter
Timothy Carter
Chief Revenue Officer at SEO.co
Industry veteran Timothy Carter is SEO.co’s Chief Revenue Officer. Tim leads all revenue for the company and oversees all customer-facing teams - including sales, marketing & customer success. He has spent more than 20 years in the world of SEO & Digital Marketing leading, building and scaling sales operations, helping companies increase revenue efficiency and drive growth from websites and sales teams. When he's not working, Tim enjoys playing a few rounds of disc golf, running, and spending time with his wife and family on the beach...preferably in Hawaii.

Over the years he's written for publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, Marketing Land, Search Engine Journal, ReadWrite and other highly respected online publications. Connect with Tim on Linkedin & Twitter.
Timothy Carter
Latest posts by Timothy Carter (see all)
  • Drip Marketing Campaigns: How to Structure & Send Emails for Maximum Impact - February 6, 2023
  • Why Aren’t My Landing Pages Working? [50 Reasons] - January 31, 2023
  • 18 Search Engine Alternatives to Google - January 20, 2023
Share
4
Timothy Carter
Timothy Carter
Industry veteran Timothy Carter is SEO.co’s Chief Revenue Officer. Tim leads all revenue for the company and oversees all customer-facing teams - including sales, marketing & customer success. He has spent more than 20 years in the world of SEO & Digital Marketing leading, building and scaling sales operations, helping companies increase revenue efficiency and drive growth from websites and sales teams. When he's not working, Tim enjoys playing a few rounds of disc golf, running, and spending time with his wife and family on the beach...preferably in Hawaii. Over the years he's written for publications like Entrepreneur, Marketing Land, Search Engine Journal, ReadWrite and other highly respected online publications.

Related posts

Ultimate Guide to Drip Marketing Campaigns
February 6, 2023

Drip Marketing Campaigns: How to Structure & Send Emails for Maximum Impact


Read more
Local SEO Strategies & Tips
February 1, 2023

14 Local SEO Strategies & Tips


Read more
Why Aren’t My Landing Pages Working?
January 31, 2023

Why Aren’t My Landing Pages Working? [50 Reasons]


Read more
  • Content Writing Services
  • How to Write for SEO
  • Content Writing Guide
  • Content Writing Hacks
  • Outsource Blogging
  • Write Interesting Content
  • How to Scale Content Creation
  • Improve SEO Writing
  • Blog Post Cost
  • Content on a Budget
  • Hire SEO Writers

Inc 5000 Logo

Our Services

  • SEO Services
  • Link Building Services
  • On-Page SEO
  • White Label SEO
  • Content Writing Services
  • Amazon SEO
  • PPC Management
  • Public Relations
  • Brand Mentions
  • SEO Site Audits

SEO Resources

  • SEO for Beginners
  • Link Building Guide
  • Local SEO
  • Online Marketing
  • Digital Marketing
  • Content Marketing
  • SEO Reseller
  • Backlink Checker
  • Keyword Research
  • Google Ranking Factors

About SEO.co

  • About Us
  • SEO Team
  • SEO Blog
  • SEO Clients
  • SEO Tools
  • Markets Served
  • Locations Served
  • Client Login
  • Contact

Contact Us

Email: info@seo.co
Call: +1 (877) 545-4769
Address: 1425 Broadway Suite 22689
Seattle, WA 98112
White Label SEO Agency
  
Outwrite. Outrank.
© 2023 SEO.co. All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy | Sitemap
    GET STARTED
      Manage Cookie Consent
      To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
      Functional Always active
      The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
      Preferences
      The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
      Statistics
      The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
      Marketing
      The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
      Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
      View preferences
      {title} {title} {title}