People don\u2019t like walls of text, but they like long reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sounds like a paradox? I don\u2019t think so; there\u2019s a stark difference between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Walls of text:<\/strong> look intimidating and boring (and often are<\/i> boring);<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Long reads:<\/strong> look promising, are easy to read and effective at teaching new things.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s all about perception. And perception of text comes from its formatting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to format your content to be more readable, these tips can help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Short paragraphs are better than long ones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Negative space pleases the readers\u2019 eyes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If you think your font size is small, increase it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Break long sentences into shorter ones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use lists (both bulleted and numbered).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Highlight the important parts with bold, italics and colors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use headings and subheadings before distinct sections.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Just this step alone can drastically improve almost any content piece. And we are just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>2. Always Check Grammar<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Even if you\u2019ve always failed English at school, there\u2019s still hope!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are plenty of tools which check spelling and punctuation for you. Good old Microsoft Word does it automatically as you type. However, many users don\u2019t find Word potent enough and enhance it with add-ons \u2013 or straight out look for other tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pick your poison. As long as you don\u2019t forget your commas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-check-grammar.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>3. Be Unique, Don\u2019t Copy Others<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Plagiarism is the greatest sin you can commit as a content maker. Copy somebody else\u2019s content, and it\u2019s a race to who will denounce you first: Google or users. If you are lucky, Google will hide your crimes from its search results before any users see it \u2013 the damage will not be permanent then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, it doesn\u2019t mean you need to Google every sentence you write to make sure nobody has used it before you. But large chunks of text are definitely a no-no. Unless you include one as a quote and list a source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have doubts about your text\u2019s originality, run it through a plagiarism checker<\/a> like Grammarly (it\u2019s free).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-plagiarism-1200x663.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/span>4. Write It Yourself, Don\u2019t Trust AI<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Another mistake you may be tempted to make is use an automatic article rewriter. Sorry not sorry, ChatGPT!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s no denying that text generating algorithms have vastly improved over the last few years – and so quickly, it’s almost scary. Even then, it’s still too easy to tell when your texts were written by AI. And while many users don’t mind, there are just as many who do – and give preference to websites crafted by human hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So maybe go easy on AI – unless AI-generated content is exactly your selling point. Remember when somebody made an AI watch 1000 hours of Batman movies and write its own script?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-ai-1074x1200.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If that\u2019s your gimmick, power to you. But in any different case, if you want to create something that will ring with the users, a human touch is absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>5. Add Pictures and Videos<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s also not forget about visuals. The user experience is not the same without them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Images naturally complement text. Even when you\u2019ve already formatted your text to perfection, an informative picture or two will make it even better. Just make sure all your images work properly \u2013 scan your site with WebCEO\u2019s Technical Audit tool.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-broken-images.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nVideos work greatly too, except the other way around: text complements them. However, users appreciate having both options. Some users prefer one of the two and will be glad they can choose, and some users are omnivores who will read and watch. It\u2019s your duty to make them happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>6. Learn From and Surpass Competitors<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now you have a great piece of content on your site that users love. All that\u2019s left is get some love from search engines too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s easy! Make your content more SEO-friendly by analyzing your top competitors<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One way to do it is by entering your keywords in Google and visiting the top 10 search results one by one. Sounds tedious? I’m not saying you shouldn’t do that – it never hurts to be thorough, certainly not when you want to create something awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Long reads:<\/strong> look promising, are easy to read and effective at teaching new things.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-new-report.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-fill-out.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-competing-pages-896x1200.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-total-words.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-readability.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-keyword-usage.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/optimize-content-for-seo-content-advice.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n