How Using Good SEO Techniques Can Improve Your Writing

image for How Using Good SEO Techniques Can Improve Your Writing

Knowing SEO writing techniques can improve your writing, whether you are a blogger, a freelancer, a business owner, or an author. If you are writing for an online audience (writing for a website or blog), knowing a few key things can help you.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the cornerstone of ranking highly on search engines, particularly Google. Search engines use an algorithm to choose how to rank the sites on the Internet, in accordance with the search term or query that you put into the search bar.

SEO aims to optimize your website in a variety of ways so that your site is as close to the number one spot as possible. Since over 25% of people click on the first Google result, it’s easy to see why SEO is important. As a writer, you might be a little skeptical about the effect SEO might have on your creativity when writing. However, writers can actually learn a lot by writing with SEO in mind.

Let’s take a look at what you should bear in mind, and why.

Keywords

The term “keyword” doesn’t just apply to single words. Long-tail keywords are keyword phrases that help the algorithm pin down the best websites for you, which are based on these super-specific terms.

Writing with keywords in mind can be a useful way to focus your writing and make sure that you’re not going off track. They are also a key part of SEO, as they help the algorithm connect users with content that is useful and relevant for their search terms. By using them, you are showing the reader that you have understood their needs and are providing them with valuable information. Make sure to avoid “keyword stuffing,” though, which is where you use as many keywords as possible. Keyword stuffing makes your writing look completely unnatural.

Completing keyword research can also be helpful for you as a writer to find out what you should be writing about next. You can use tools such as Ubersuggest to help you. However, if you’d rather keep your focus on your writing, it can be worth outsourcing this task to a specialist, which will cost around C$440 per month. Regardless of what you do, it’s always best to follow the SEO Rules for Blogging Success.

Structure

Good SEO writing should be divided into sections using header tags. These tags work in a cascading system, with <h1> as the title tag, <h2> as a subheading, and so on. These tags help provide the content with structure, as well as make it easier for the reader to see what the article will cover. For SEO optimization, header tags make it easier for search engine bots to crawl the pages and categorize them.

Header tags are discussed in How to Develop a Great Writing Process. That post also shows you how to use them, and provides you with a sample topic as an example of how to structure a blog post using header tags. It also gives you

As a writer, defining your structure before you start can be great for making sure that you keep your piece relevant, as well as ensuring that you have covered everything that you wanted to.

audience image

Write for Your Audience

As a writer, you want to make sure that you’re impacting your reader and providing them with worthwhile content. You should also write in a conversational tone. In addition to doing keyword research, you should also dedicate some time to looking at your competitors and reading things they’ve written. Read More

3 Essential Articles Every Website Needs to Make Money Online

3 Essential Articles Every Website Needs to Make Money Online

To make money online, there are 3 articles you should have on your website.

Are you making the most of your writer website or your blog? Do you even have your own site?

For many writers and bloggers, setting up a website is crucial. It allows you to brand your business, display your portfolio, and gives you a place to write that is all your own.

However, unlike social media pages (which help with the above), websites incur costs. The natural thing to do is attempt to generate revenue through your website. After all, if you can break even or (preferably) turn a profit, your website truly becomes an asset rather than a liability.

However, to many, this can cause a conflict. After all, you want to offer genuine value to your audience, but you need revenue.  So, how do you not only provide great content for your readers but also turn some revenue without losing credibility?

Today, I’ve invited Dave Chesson to share with you three types of posts which have been proven to generate revenue for writer websites while also providing genuine value to audiences. He will even include examples so you can put these to work on your own site.

Although I actually have multiple income streams, Dave says the three types of posts you should have on your site to make money online are:

1: Product Review Posts

2: Product Comparison Posts

3: Resource Master Lists

Take it away, Dave!

1: Product Reviews

One of the keys to successful revenue-generating blog posts is getting the right mixture of enthusiasm and likeability. One of the best ways to achieve this mix is by taking the time to review and share the products you truly use and care about.

When you review a product you genuinely use and love, your enthusiasm will be tangible. It will be clear from the level of knowledge you provide that you are a genuine fan of the product.

Product Review Posts – Best Practices

Some of the best practice tips to keep in mind when putting together a product review post include:

– Be sure to take pictures and even videos of you using the product. This not only shows that you genuinely own and use the product, but it also conveys your personality more than simply writing about it.

– Make sure that the products and services you review have an affiliate program available. Be sure to register for this in advance of putting your review together.

– Check out the other reviews that are ranking on Google for the same product you are looking at. Make sure your own review offers something extra.

– Be honest about the product. Highlight its flaws as well as its advantages. This adds credibility to your review and shows it’s a genuine analysis rather than a fluff piece.

Now that you know some of the best practice tips for putting together a review for your website, let’s consider some of the types of products you might wish to review.

– Software relevant to your audience. As a writer, this could include writing software, editing software, or anything else you think your audience might enjoy and find useful. Examples could include notebooks, pens, or anything else writers need to get by.

– Off-topic products. These might not relate directly to writing, but might be useful for writers, such as a special brand of coffee.

Basically, anything that you love, and that you think your audience might as well, is the perfect choice for a review post.

Product Review Posts – Examples & Lessons

Now that you know how to go about creating a review post, and the type of products you might review, let’s check out some examples from real websites for the final piece of the inspiration puzzle.

1: Wording Well’s Review of Meaning, Self, and the Human Potential

Wording Well posted a review of Meaning, Self, and the Human Potential. Some of the tips to take away from this review include:

– Provide context. The relationship between the reviewer and the product being reviewed is clearly discussed and talked about.

– Explain the implications of the product. Rather than just talking about what the book is, this review also explains why it matters.

– Clear suggestion of who the book is for. Rather than just saying what’s good or bad in your review, suggest the right type of person for it.

Grammarly feature comparison table

2: Kindlepreneur’s Review of Grammarly

In the above link, you can see my review of Grammarly. Some of the actionable tips you can take away from this when putting together your own review post include:

– Include video content. This will capture your readers’ attention, cause them to spend more time on your page, and boost your Google rankings as a result.

– Include graphic content. A large wall of text is unappealing and is likely to bore your audience. Mix things up with lists, bullet points, graphics, and tables.

– Give a ‘good fit’ recommendation. Rather than include an overall verdict, suggest who the product is and isn’t right for. This makes it more likely that you will convert suitable traffic.

Read More

4 Essential Writing Tools that Will Help You Reach Your Writing Goals

4 Essential writing tools image

There are 4 essential writing tools that will help you reach your writing goals, whether you’re writing a book, an article, an essay, or publishing a blog post. These 4 tools are guaranteed to increase your effectiveness and your efficiency as a writer.

FYI, this post has been written by Dave Chesson (and edited by Lorraine Reguly, owner of Wording Well).

I’m not an advocate of using a tool for everything. I feel it’s possible to get almost everything you need taken care of as a writer using only the basic tools that come with your computer.

However, I’m a firm believer that a few carefully chosen tools can make a big difference.  In some cases, as I’ll discuss, they can even help lower costs in the long run.

So, to help you potentially get the most out of these tools, I’m going to share with you my personal picks for writing that are truly worth your time. They’ve made a big difference to my writing life and I hope they help yours as well.

Essential Writing Tool #1: Specialist Writing Software

The first category of tool I’ll recommend is specialized writing software.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with Word or Google Docs… but, while these may be fine for casual writers, there are far more suitable options out there for serious writers.  With the right tools, you can become more organized, track better, and get into the writer zone with greater ease.

Scrivener

Scrivener is my personal writing software, and it’s also favored by big-name bestselling authors such as Michael Hyatt.

Scrivener is absolutely packed full of features, so expect a slight learning curve if you’re using it for the first time.  But once you know how to fully use it, it is incredible what you can do, and how you can organize your writing.

Some of the main reasons I personally favor Scrivener and why I recommend it so strongly include:

1: It is packed with everything you need to write a book, including fully integrated research, and the ability to visually storyboard your work.

2: It is complete with formatting capabilities and options to export into any e-book format.

3: It is customizable with access to a large list of Scrivener templates, allowing you to make Scrivener fit your writing style, genre, or purpose.

4: There is an app version for iOS. This is great for editing on the go.

5: Its excellent value – you can try Scrivener for a full 30 days for free, and then you can save even more money by using a Scrivener discount code to help lower the costs further.

6: Scrivener is always offering new versions and updates.

Scrivener takes some getting used to at first, but I wouldn’t want to write a book using anything else these days.

FYI, if you need a hand getting your book published, let Lorraine help you. She offers author assistant services via Wording Well!

yWriter

yWriter is a great example of software created by someone who truly needed it.

Frustrated by the options available to him while he was working on his own novels, the creator of yWriter decided to take matters into his own hands and create the software he needed to write his books.

yWriter is only available for PC, but if that’s you, it’s well worth checking out because:

1: The software is totally free to use despite having a lot of premium features.

2: It was created with fiction writers in mind, so yWwriter has the option to store data related to characters, scenes, and objects.

3: It is updated regularly with new features. yWriter is constantly being worked on, with new versions in beta mode at all times.

Overall, Ywriter isn’t as powerful and slick as Scrivener, but considering it’s free, it’s superb, making it a great option for Windows writers. Read More

How to Optimize Your Writing Time to Achieve Your Writing Goals

How to Optimize Your Writing Time to Achieve Your Writing Goals

 

There are 6 things you can do to optimize your writing time so you can achieve your writing goals:

1: Determine your “best” time.

2: Determine your realistic writing time.

3: Determine the days you will write.

4: Make writing a priority.

5: Write during your spare pockets of time.

6: Optimize your writing time by getting help and outsourcing tasks/chores.

Now, let’s look at each of these in-depth.

NOTE: Two different planners are available to you in this post (for FREE)!

How to Optimize Your Writing Time to Achieve Your Writing Goals #writers #bloggers #freel­ancers

Click to tweet

1: Determine your “best” time

The first thing you need to do to optimize your writing time so you can reach your writing goals is to determine your best writing time. You can determine the best time to write if you know your body’s rhythms.

Do you write best in the morning, afternoon, or night?

When do you have the most energy? Write during that time!

A lot of people get tired in the late afternoon, but after they get their second wind, they are more energetic. When do you get your second wind? Write right after that!

Do you have more time on weekends? Write on weekends!

Do you exercise and eat healthily? Once you consider your diet and exercise habits, you can improve your energy levels. Some people feel more energetic when they drink caffeine (found in coffee, tea, and most sodas), while others find they are more energetic when they consume more water, eat more fruits and vegetables, and avoid sugar. Most people also function better when they exercise every day.

If you have a hard time finding your peak writing time, do some self-experiments. Write in the morning. Write in the afternoon. Then write at night. See what times you enjoy best, and see when you are most productive. Write during those times!

2: Determine your realistic writing time

The second thing you need to do to optimize your writing time so you can reach your writing goals is to determine your realistic writing time. By this, I mean how long you can actually write for.

I don’t know about you, but I get tired of writing after a while. I certainly can’t sit and write for hours on end! I can write for only an hour or so before I get bored or tired of the task.

(Even when I’m editing, I only edit for two hours at a time, at most!)

By determining your realistic writing time, you will be able to schedule the times you write. By doing this, you will become more realistic with your goals, too. And when you are writing, you will simply write, because you know that, after an hour passes, you can move on to doing something else!

I like this concept because I also apply it to exercising. I hate the moments leading up to it and find it hard to motivate myself to exercise. But once I am actually doing that task, I know it’s not going to last forever. I know that it will soon come to an end! I can then force myself to finish my 30 minutes easily. Also, I always feel great afterward, so that is another added benefit!

3: Determine the days you will write

We all have busy schedules and often make the excuse that we can’t find the time to write.

So how can you find time to do your best writing, even when you’re busy?

Make a schedule!

This is the third thing you need to do to optimize your writing time so you can reach your writing goals.

You can use this FREE PLANNER to help you. This planner is specifically tailored toward bloggers.

The other planner (the downloadable one) is for every writer to use.

Alternatively, you can use this planner. It’s also free and requires you to sign up to my email list but it’s a much better planner!!!

DOWNLOAD
Click here to get your FREE Workbook/Planner

Get a free weekly planner and learn how to reach your writing goals HERE!

Click to tweet
Read More

New Technology vs. Old-Fashioned Writing Methods: What’s the Best Way to Write?

image showing various ways of writing

How fond are you of writing? What’s the best way to write? Which writing method is your favorite?

Writing, as an art form and communication means, has evolved and thrived for thousands of years since carvings on walls. There is not one exact piece of evidence for where writing originated, as its earliest forms were found in various parts of the world by written Egyptians and Sumerians. Their writings were discovered dated from 3500-3200 BC.

Today, we have more modern writing methods. From using a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, to a smart typewriter that can store millions of documents and connect to the Internet, modern-day writing has made it easy to gain knowledge and gather information.

Indeed, writing has created a strong and never-ending bridge of possibilities for speakers and readers of all languages locally and around the world. It promotes talent, expression and much more. Writing will continue to progress.

Let’s look at a few novel writing instruments in history. Some of these writing methods, obviously, are no longer used today, as they have been replaced by other writing methods as history advanced, but it’s fascinating to see the evolution of different writing methods! (Note: These writing methods are different from writing tools!)

Reed Pen

Reed pens go back as far as ancient Egypt in the 4th Century. They used to come with a split nib. They are a writing tool that works by cutting then shaping a straw of reed or bamboo.

Quill Pen and Ink

With the aid of ink for permanence, quill pens are plucked from big-sized birds or geese. Many people still love the use of the quill as its sharp strokes offer style, accuracy as well as flexibility versus the contemporary ballpoint pen.

Someone actually bought me a quill pen and ink set as a Christmas gift one year!

Fountain Pen

A fountain pen or nib pen contains a slim container for liquid ink. The nib plants the ink to the paper by means of drawing the ink from its reservoir.

Check out these cool ways of writing! #writers #freel­ancers #bloggers

Click to tweet

Read More