SEO: a crash course

Incorporating keywords is crucial to creating quality content that your clients will love. After all, clients want blog posts that are keyword optimized for search engines, meaning they’ll appear higher on search engine results pages. 

How do I include keywords/ keyphrases?

At a minimum, the primary/focus keyword should be included prominently:

• In the article’s title

• At least once in the intro paragraph (ideally within the first 200 words)

• Throughout the body text at a frequency that makes sense given project length

• In headers, where they can be incorporated naturally

Additional related keywords provided by the client should also appear at least once.

• Abbreviations, acronyms, and other forms of the same word (like plurals and conjugations) are all acceptable. 

• Weave them in naturally, and avoid keyword stuffing.

• If the provided keywords are ungrammatical, contain typos, or are otherwise inherently unnatural, tweak them for readability. It’s OK to rephrase slightly or correct obvious typos. 

Pro Tip: Note that the Compose.ly platform will still flag the piece for missing keywords if you haven’t used them exactly the way the client submitted them. Just take the opportunity to confirm you have some recognizable version of the keyword or phrase. 

While there’s no set hard and fast rule for ideal keyword frequency, you need to find a reasonable balance. Ensure the keywords and keyphrases are being used naturally throughout the piece, and try not to use the same keyword repeatedly in a single paragraph, also known as keyword stuffing. 

Pro Tip: Hit Ctrl+F and find the keywords/ key phrases in your draft. Are they all there? Are they scattered naturally throughout the piece? If not, move them around, reword, and don’t forget to proofread!

In our projects for clients, you're likely to encounter two main types of links: external links to cite sources and internal links. All links are added using anchor text.

Anchor Text

Anchor text refers to the clickable text used in a hyperlink. Remember that you should include links to sources in your writing — and these links should be well-optimized.

To optimize anchor text:

• Make your anchor text relevant to the page you’re linking to. Avoid generic anchor text like “click here” — this is generally inappropriate when writing articles for clients.

• Keep your anchor text on the shorter side. A complete sentence should not be anchor text.

• It’s fine for anchor text to be a single word when referring to a company or brand name.

• Examples of acceptable anchor text:

  • According to a new report from the United Nations, the rate of species extinction is rapidly increasing.

  • Last year, Target had some nice Black Friday deals.

External Source Links

Before we dive into the details of linking, it's worth restating: do not copy-paste information from source material. Restate it in your own words. Even when restating, be sure to include a reference for info that isn’t common knowledge. Even if you link to a source, unless you’re using directly quoted material surrounded by quotation marks, you must reword the info. 

Take care not to borrow too heavily from a source’s organizational structure, too. If your headings are nearly identical and the same topics are covered, in the same order, this is a form of plagiarism. It’s also not a great experience for users browsing articles on the topic if all the top-ranking pages are facsimiles. Always aim to be better than the competitors.

Avoid linking to brands that are direct competitors of the client you’re writing for. In addition to ensuring that the article you’re citing wasn’t published by one of the client’s business competitors, you’ll also want to avoid linking to competing articles. To decide whether an article is a competing article, ask:

• Does it rank highly for the same primary keyword?

• Does it aim to answer exactly the same user intent as the piece you’re working on? 

A source might otherwise be considered acceptable, published by a reputable outlet that’s not a business competitor, but if the article offers the same thing on a different site, avoid it. You don’t want to drive clicks over to the pages you’re trying to outrank. 

In other words, an article titled "Everything You Need To Know About SERPs" shouldn't link to an article with the same title.

Procedure

All facts and statistics, anything that isn’t common knowledge, should be cited with a link. If you’re using the same source more than once, cite it each time.

• When citing statistics, please find the latest available stat. Do not use/cite statistics that are more than two years old whenever possible (if client guidance differs, defer to that). 

How To Cite Sources

Project guidelines will direct you to cite sources in one of two main ways: 

1. anchor text 

2. end of article 

Acceptable Sources

Acceptable sources will be:

• Primary

  • If a newspaper article references information from another source (like a Pew Research Study), dig in and find the primary source to cite instead.

• Recent

  • Sources should not be older than three years (two years for internal links). 

  • While statistics are helpful, they lose their relevancy quickly, so be sure they’re all recent enough to impact the discussion.

• Reputable and authoritative

  • Where the brief asks for authoritative sources, you should rely on .edu or .gov sources.

• Non-competitor

Internal Links

Include internal links to related content where possible. Aim to link to newer blogs rather than older ones. Internal link building also helps search rankings, and it keeps the user on the client’s site longer. More clicks equal more trust-building and more ad revenue (if relevant), and it increases the likelihood of conversion (i.e., sales or contacts). 

When crafting anchor text for interlinking, aim for the anchor text to represent the title of the article you’re linking to so readers can see at a glance why it’s relevant. If the reason you’re linking is buried halfway through the article under an H4, consider whether this link will feel helpful and relevant to the reader who’s followed it.

Ensure that you link longer phrases like this, not one word like this. Also, check that your anchor text is relevant to the linked-to page and not overly generic. 

You can optimize your writing for better search engine performance by using headings to break up your text. This also makes your writing more scannable and easy to read. For SEO purposes, aim to include your client’s specified primary or secondary keyword(s) in your article’s headings whenever possible. Do it naturally, and do not force keywords when a header does not call for it.

H1s 

Use AP title case in article titles (H1s). This is the title that appears at the top of the article, and on the Compose.ly platform, this is what you write in the “Suggested Title” field. Here’s a good resource on how to capitalize titles (just be sure to select AP from the options). 

• Don’t include an H1 in the body text, or clients will receive a draft with the title twice at the top of the page. 

• Include the focus keyword within your Suggested Title where possible. If the given title the client provided doesn’t include the focus keyword, provide a suggested title that does, unless it’s clear the client prefers to retain the supplied title.

H2s and below 

H2s and below also take title case, unless otherwise specified. 

• Note that AP title case capitalizes all verbs — even short ones like “is” and “are” — and the “to” in infinitive verb forms, as in “How To Become a Great Content Writer.” Note that “to” as a preposition remains lowercase, though, as in “How To Find Your Way to Rosie’s Bar.”

Best practices for headers

Headers at the same level should be parallel in structure — they should “match.” If one H2 is a complete sentence, all H2s should be complete sentences. All verbs should take the same tense. Use headers to organize your piece well at an outline level. 

• DON’T: 

  • H2 [1]: Writing a Great Article

  • H2 [2]: Add Headers

  • H2 [3]: Changing verb tense

    • H3 [1]: Don’t Change Capitalization Style

      • H4 [1]: Avoiding single subheads at the same level

  • H2 [4]: You Should Aim for Consistency

• DO: 

  • H2 [1]: Write a Great Article

  • H2 [2]: Add Headers

  • H2 [3]: Aim for Consistency

    • H3 [1]: Stick With the Same Tense

    • H3 [2]: Apply the Same Header Style

    • H3 [3]: Organize Headings Logically

• Avoid heading structures with only one heading at that level. You likely don’t need that subheading if a given section has only one H3 or H4. If you do, reconsider whether it should be nested or if, instead of an H2 with only one H3 under it, that H3 should be its own H2.

• Avoid using headers as anchor text, which can make it hard for Google to pull information for snippets.

Your client expects you to deliver a piece packed with helpful information, inspiring stories and case studies, and clear calls to action. Business blogging has no place for extraneous words, repeated concepts, or poetic phrases. Get straight to the point, and make sure to edit out any awkward phrases or filler text that doesn't offer anything useful to the reader.

Does your piece flow? Do the sentences make sense, or are you using awkward phrasing? Before you submit your piece, remember: 

Structure is the basis of all good arguments.

Okay, we just made that up. But honestly, are your arguments structured in a logical way? Do you provide links for supporting evidence, including links to the client’s website and other, highly reputable research? Does the piece follow a logical flow from one concept to another, and have you summarized your key points to keep them digestible?

Think about ways to break up the text and make it easily scannable, too. Pay attention to both paragraph length and sentence length, and consider adding lists.

Keep sentences short.

Sentence length should vary to enhance flow, but the ideal sentence length for best readability is around 14 to 18 words.

Use lists when it makes sense.

Incorporating lists into your writing makes your work more easily skimmable and visually friendly. However, don’t force lists into your article. Use them when relevant, such as when providing examples, the steps to take to complete something, or the pros and cons of a point.

Best practices for lists

• Stick to about five or six points for lists. Any longer than that, and a different formatting structure is likely a better choice.

• Bold first terms and separate them from descriptions with a colon to introduce the following information.

• Preserve parallel structure in list items.

• List items that complete an intro sentence should grammatically follow from the sentence.

• Use numbered lists sparingly. Numbers can imply order or finality. Use them when the order of items is important or in a listicle-style piece (“X Tips for Crafting a Great Article”).

  • For numbered lists and numbered items, format with a numeral followed by a period rather than a colon. Example: “1. [heading/item]” instead of “#1” or “1:”

• Don’t use end punctuation in simple lists. 

  • Example: To write for Compose.ly, you’ll need:

    • A computer with access to the internet

    • Great ideas

    • A solid work ethic

• Do use end punctuation in lists where all items are complete sentences. Mixed lists are best avoided, but if one item needs end punctuation, all items in the list get it.

• If the description of your list item runs long (more than two sentences), consider making each item an H3/H4 and describing it in a subsection.

Follow individual project guidelines when deciding whether to include images. Incorporate stock images into your writing with prudence. 

Typically, we offer clients up to two stock images per piece. These should be sourced from directly within the Compose.ly platform. Stock images do not require a photo credit; not all clients’ websites allow for photo captions. While a few clients’ guidelines outline exceptions to this rule, unless otherwise specified in project guidelines, the client’s style sheet, or the brand profile, do not use screenshots, non-stock imagery, or “free to use with credit” images sourced from external stock libraries. Copyright can be a concern if we offer clients unlicensed images sourced from outside our stock library.

If you do include images:

• Choose relevant images and graphics that reflect the concept or emotion you’re trying to convey.

• Opt for natural-looking, candid photos. Posed and airbrushed photos come off as artificial and even cheesy.

• Use only well-lit, high-resolution photos.

• Avoid pictures that look “busy” — for instance, those with cluttered backgrounds or foregrounds.

• Avoid logos (like Apple) when possible. 

• If choosing a stock infographic or design element, try to pick one that matches the look and feel of the client’s website. For example, a super contemporary neon infographic may feel out of place on a law firm blog with a traditional feel and a navy and gold color scheme.

• When selecting photos that include people, keep the target audience in mind. An image showing adults participating in occupational therapy would be inappropriate for a children’s health website. Similarly, a photo of young children at the beach wouldn’t mesh with an article titled “Great Trips To Take in Retirement.” Pay attention to diversity and representation. 

• If the photo you’re thinking of including is the top result for something general (like “soccer” or “team meeting” or “travel”), dig a little deeper and aim not to select the same photo every other writer would pull. This helps us avoid recycling only the most popular images. 

For Compose.ly projects, don’t include meta data (such as alternate titles, meta descriptions, friendly link suggestions, and the like) unless the client has requested it.