Writing for SEO Success

Planning new SEO content for 2025? PLEASE do this first: 1. Get all your blog URLs into a spreadsheet. Use Screaming Frog to crawl and export. It provides other useful information like titles and descriptions. Connect further data sources: - Ahrefs - Google Analytics - Google Search Console 2. Enter each URL into Google Search Console or Ahrefs and find its best-ranking keywords. Add this data to the spreadsheet for each page: - Primary keyword (your main keyword) - Secondary keywords (variations and similar) - Current position for your target keyword(s) If a URL isn't ranking for anything? Find the most relevant keywords using Ahrefs. 3. Audit each blog post and assign actions: - Leave: Content that’s reached its full potential - Merge: Cannibalising or extremely similar content - Delete: Content that no longer offers value to users - Update: Small changes to improve the performance - Rewrite: Large changes to improve the performance 4. Spend a few weeks in Q1 implementing these actions to get more out of your existing assets. Prioritise updates and rewrites that have: - Target keywords in positions 4-20 - Higher conversion and $ potential - Easy improvement opportunities Remember: Not all of your Q1 content needs to be new. Look at your existing content first. You're likely sitting on many quick wins.

After managing hundreds (maybe thousands) of SEO campaigns… I've distilled content creation down to a science. Here are 6 core pillars that actually move the needle: 1. Smart Keyword Selection Search volume is a vanity metric. Focus on these factors instead: • Relevance to your business goals • Commercial intent signals • Click-through rate potential Pro tip: 60% of Google searches end without a click. Pick keywords where people actually click through to websites. 2. The Uniqueness Factor Google's drowning in AI-generated content. Your advantage? Being genuinely different. Here's how: • Conduct original research (even small studies work) • Share first-hand experience and opinions • Create fresh data sets • Build user-generated content around polarizing topics AI can't replicate human experience. Use that. 3. Perfect Intent Matching Want to rank? Match the format that's already working (while adding your unique spin). Simple process: • Search your target keyword • Study the top 3 results • Note the content format (list, guide, comparison) • Create something similar but better If Google shows informational content, don't try to rank commercial pages. Work with the algorithm, not against it. 4. Content Quality Standards Great content isn't about word count. It's about clarity and engagement: • Write like you're talking to one person • Use simple language (no jargon) • Break up text with headings and bullets • Add visuals that actually add value • Edit ruthlessly 5. Topic Authority Building One great page isn't enough. Build supporting content around your main topic: • Start with branded keywords (easiest wins) • Target competitor comparisons • Create problem-aware content • Build educational resources Each piece should link to others, creating a content hub that Google loves. 6. Technical Foundation All the great content in the world won't rank if your technical SEO is broken: • Page speed under 3 seconds • Mobile-first design • Proper URL structure • Internal linking strategy • Schema markup where relevant Stop pumping out random blog posts. Start building strategic content assets that serve your business goals. Every piece should either educate your audience or move them closer to becoming customers.

Most don't use ChatGPT and AI for SEO. Here's what you're missing: 1/ Keyword Research AI can expand your seed terms into hundreds of variations. Prompt: “List 20 long-tail keywords similar to ‘ecommerce SEO’ with traffic potential.” 2/ Keyword Clustering Group related keywords into themes for one piece of content. Prompt: “Cluster these 30 keywords into 5 groups based on search intent.” 3/ Search Intent Labeling Label keywords as Informational, Commercial, or Transactional. Prompt: “Categorize these 25 keywords into intent types with reasoning.” 4/ Content Ideation Generate blog, landing page, or resource ideas around core keywords. Prompt: “Give me 10 blog ideas for ‘AI in SEO’ targeting SaaS founders.” 5/ Blog Title Creation Come up with attention-grabbing, SEO-friendly titles. Prompt: “Create 10 engaging listicle titles for ‘SEO content strategy’.” 6/ Outline & Subtopics Map H1s, H2s, and FAQs before writing. Prompt: “Build a content outline for the keyword ‘best SEO tools 2025’.” 7/ First Draft Writing Spin up a draft in minutes that you then refine. Prompt: “Write a 1,000-word blog post for ‘technical SEO checklist’ with bullets and examples.” 8/ Metadata Generation Create SEO titles and meta descriptions at scale. Prompt: “Write 5 meta descriptions under 155 characters for ‘AI SEO tools’.” 9/ Content Optimization Improve readability, add entities, and boost on-page SEO. Prompt: “Rewrite this blog section to be shorter, clearer, and optimized for ‘E-E-A-T SEO’.” 10/ E-E-A-T Enhancement Layer in experience, authority, and trust signals. Prompt: “Suggest ways to add first-hand experience to this article about link building.” 11/ Internal Linking Suggestions Build smart interlinks between related posts. Prompt: “Suggest 5 internal linking opportunities between these blog URLs.” 12/ Competitor Content Gap Analysis Compare your site against a competitor’s top pages. Prompt: “Analyze competitor.com/blog and find 10 content gaps we can cover.” 13/ Repurposing Blog Content Turn articles into LinkedIn posts, threads, and videos. Prompt: “Rewrite this blog intro into a 7-post LinkedIn carousel script.” 14/ Featured Snippet Optimization Rewrite answers for conciseness and snippet capture. Prompt: “Write a 45-word answer for ‘What is technical SEO?’” 15/ Backlink Outreach Drafting Generate outreach email drafts for link building. Prompt: “Write a polite email asking to add our guide to their resources page.” AI is not here to replace SEOs. It’s here to speed us up and systemize tasks. The key is adding strategy, human judgment, and brand voice. SEOs who mix AI + expertise will always win. Find this useful? Repost ♻️ to help others learn too. P.S. Want SEO to drive leads to your business? Let's chat: https://lnkd.in/gYccSVY8

Freelancers: Your homepage SEO/Meta title is prime SEO real estate, and you're probably wasting it. Unless you've got Beyoncé-level fame (and let's be honest, if you did, you wouldn't be reading this), slapping your business name in the title tag and calling it done is like putting a "Bob's Shop" sign on your store and wondering why nobody knows you sell artisan coffee. ❌ Bad: "Smith & Co" - What do they do? No idea. - Where are they? Who knows. - Why should I care? Exactly. ✅ Good: "Commercial Property Law Services Manchester - Smith & Co" - Clear service offering - Location included - Actually useful for search ❓How to choose what goes in your title:  Start with your main service - What do people actually pay you for? - Use terms people search for, not internal jargon Add your location (if relevant) - City/region for local services - Country for national services - Skip if truly international Include your brand name if you're not brave enough to leave it out - Keep it short 🙈 You can ignore this advice if: - You're genuinely famous (hello, Apple) - You have massive brand recognition in your industry - Your brand name is literally what people search for For everyone else (99.9% of businesses), be descriptive. 🎯 Action Steps - Check your current homepage title - Ask yourself: "Would someone who's never heard of me know what I do?" - List your main service, location, and brand - Craft a new title using the formulas above - Test it for 2-3 months - Check your analytics for improvements Your homepage SEO title is often your first impression in search results. Don't waste it on just your business name.

I’ll be honest: I knew it mattered, but I wasn’t doing it. I had many excuses—“I don’t have time,” “I’ll add it later,” or “It’s not that important right now.” But the truth? I just wasn’t paying enough attention. What am I talking about? Alt text. Alt text is a short description read by screen readers that translates images into words. It’s how people who are blind or have low vision can experience visuals, like your graphics and images here on LinkedIn. What finally made me more consistent? 🤖 ChatGPT Now I use a prompt: “Please generate alt text for this image” almost every day. In about 5 seconds, you get a clear description of any graphic you upload. It’s one of the simplest ways to increase inclusion instantly. Because inclusion is when we feel expected, respected and reflected*. Alt text does all three: 👉🏼It shows that you expect people of all abilities to engage with your content 👉🏼It respects everyone’s right to fully access what you share 👉🏼It reflects everyone’s place in the audience by ensuring no one is excluded I'm not perfect at it, but I make an effort to hold myself accountable. What about you? Did you know what alt text is? Do you use alt text in your posts? What’s been your experiences, challenges or good practices? And for those of you who haven't been using it yet, here is how to add alt text to your LinkedIn posts: 🖼️ JPG/Images: Upload the image. Click "Add alt text" below the image. Add a brief description of the image and click "Save" 📄 PDFs/Documents: LinkedIn doesn't support alt text for PDFs directly. Add a short descriptive text in your post explaining the document's content. Just like this one below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 ______ Alt text: Dora - a woman with glasses, wearing a striped shirt and a scarf, sits at a desk working on a rose-gold laptop. Behind her, shelves with books and decor show a modern office setting. A search bar overlay at the top reads, "Can I become more inclusive in just 5 seconds?" Below, a text box explains: "Yes! In just 5 seconds, ChatGPT can create alt text for your posts. Alt text provides a short description of your visuals, allowing people who are blind or have low vision and use screen readers to engage with your graphics and images on LinkedIn." The Punt Kick logo is in the bottom corner, with the tagline "Shaping DEI Competency." *Source: Netflix Correction: it actually took 3 seconds generate the alt text for this post 😉

Research confirmed: informational searches dominate (50%+) Google results. Over half of Google searches are informational, meaning people are looking for answers, insights, or guidance rather than making a direct purchase or visiting a specific brand (research link in the first post comment). What to do about it? Focus on these three in your content marketing to capture the informational intent: 1. Publish thought leadership blogs, whitepapers, and case studies answering common industry questions. 2. Use product/problem specific how-tos, guides, and industry analysis to position your company as a trusted resource. 3. Leverage structured data (e.g., FAQ and how-to schema) to earn featured snippets and visibility in zero-click searches. 2025 looks like the year when most SEO programs will go down the funnel. They will still serve the informational user intent but explain how your product or service solves the problem.

IMPORTANT SEO Considerations! 💡1. Always check rendered output (what Google can see) Go to Google Search Console, use LIVE URL Inspection, copy the HTML on the output, go to the same page in another tab, open DEVTOOLS, edit the OPENING HTML tag and paste the rendered output there to see what Googlebot is likely to see ➤ Ensure render is complete ➤ Ensure resources for render remain ACCESSIBLE ➤ Avoid dynamic rendering where possible ➤ Remember any content loaded via an interactive class that's not preloaded is unlikely to be seen by Googlebot ➤ Use pre-render on JS driven websites 💡 2. Maintain the TIGHTEST, CLEANEST index you can this means ➤ No internal redirection ➤ Eliminate all or as much "canonicalised URLS" as possible ➤ Choose a canonical representative for "similar" content and noindex, follow anything that can't be properly differentiated ➤ Noindex, follow on pagination ➤ PushState on infinite scroll ➤ Ensure CONSISTENT internal linking (www/NON www, trailing slash etc) ➤ Ensure non standard URLS are handled with single hop redirect ➤ Consider indexability of category pages, tag pages ➤ Properly manage parameter driven URLS - reduce canonical reliance 💡 3. Focus EXPLICITLY on clearing up & improving content on your website ➤ Eliminate aged content that does nothing (0 click, low impression, no link equity, no other source traffic) ➤ Look at topical diversity and viability for your site - are you a master of something but not everything? ➤ Address content in decay, isolate decay point and attribution to what i.e. core update - segment and review content ➤ Perform NLP audits and look for content with topical gaps ➤ Consider content quality as a whole (alignment to intent, orientation, depth of information and whether its required, alignment with SERP, digestibility, GSC served query alignment, writing style & TOV, interaction points, engagement time) ➤ Update content that's aged where there has been decay and where your content may no longer be aligned with SERP or may have fallen out of scope i.e. depth, change in what users want/need ➤ Look at content internal link relationships (journey, content alignment) ➤ Look for content over optimisation or "keyword focus" - anything that looks or sounds unnatural ➤ Replace with user-first content that stays within typical SERP length limits where content is topically complete, to the point and presented in a way that is likely to yield a positive experience via behaviour ➤ Identify decaying content with a negative behaviour profile and hit that content first ➤ Eliminate cannibalisation ➤ Consolidate content of a similar nature (run a query gap overlay analysis) 💡 4. Internal Linking & User Journey ➤ Quality of internal links and relevance ➤ Internal link counts ➤ Anchor consistency & alignment to target page ➤ Link context (within content) ➤ Typical user paths (sub nav) 💡 5. Build Brand ➤ Focus on driving up brand searches ➤ Build good quality links #seo #seotips

On-page SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is optimizing individual pages of your WordPress website to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide to doing on-page SEO on a WordPress website: 🔧 1. Install an SEO Plugin The most popular options: Yoast SEO Rank Math All in One SEO ✅ Recommendation: Rank Math is beginner-friendly and powerful. 📝 2. Set a Focus Keyword for Each Page/Post Identify the main keyword you want the page/post to rank for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to research. Keep in mind search volume and competition. 📄 3. Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions Title Tag: Include the focus keyword at the beginning. Keep it under 60 characters. Make it click-worthy. Meta Description: Use 155-160 characters. Include the focus keyword naturally. Encourage users to click. ✅ Example: Title: Best Digital Pressure Machine Price in Bangladesh | HMCare Meta Description: Discover the best digital pressure machines at affordable prices in Bangladesh. Shop now at HMCare for reliable health devices. Use your SEO plugin to set these. 🖼️ 4. Use SEO-Friendly URLs (Permalinks) Go to: Settings > Permalinks Use the format: Post Name or Custom Structure like /category/post-name/ ✅ Good: https://lnkd.in/grwbFxYb ❌ Bad: https://example.com/?p=123 📚 5. Use Headings Properly (H1, H2, H3) Use H1 only once (usually the post/page title). Use H2 for main sections. Use H3 for sub-sections under H2s. ✅ Use keywords in headings when natural. ✍️ 6. Write SEO-Optimized Content Include the focus keyword in the first 100 words. Maintain keyword density ~1% (don’t keyword stuff). Use LSI (related) keywords. Write for humans first, Google second. Ensure original, high-quality content. Include internal and external links. 🔗 7. Internal Linking Link to related articles/pages using relevant anchor text. Helps search engines crawl and improves user engagement. ✅ Example: From a post on blood pressure, link to your product page: “Check our Microlife BP A2 Classic monitor here.” 📷 8. Optimize Images for SEO Use descriptive file names: digital-blood-pressure-monitor.jpg Add alt text with keywords. Compress images using plugins like Smush or ShortPixel. ⚡ 9. Improve Page Speed Use tools like: Google PageSpeed Insights GTmetrix Improve speed by: Using caching plugins (e.g., W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket). Compressing images. Using a fast theme (like Astra or GeneratePress). Hosting on a reliable server. 📱 10. Make the Site Mobile-Friendly Use a responsive theme. Test with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Tool 🌐 11. Use Schema Markup Add structured data (e.g., product, article, FAQ). Use Rank Math or Yoast SEO Premium to automate this. Helps with rich results on Google. 🗺️ 12. Create and Submit Sitemap Your SEO plugin (like Rank Math or Yoast) will create a sitemap at https://lnkd.in/gzgtnur4 Submit it to: Google Search Console Bing Webmaster Tools

We rewrote 40 title tags on the Semrush blog. Not because they were broken. Because they were invisible. Here's what most SEOs and marketers get wrong about title tags in 2026: They still treat them like a Google-only element. But your title tag now shows up in four places: SERPs, browser tabs, link previews, and AI citations. When ChatGPT cites a source, your title tag is the hover preview. When Google's AI Overview pulls your page, your title is the label on the citation card. A vague title doesn't just lose you clicks anymore. It tells AI systems your page isn't worth surfacing. After rewriting those 40 posts, here's what actually moved the needle: → Titles that mirrored the exact language of the search intent outperformed clever or creative ones → One keyword per title. Stuffing multiple keywords didn't just hurt rankings, it also confused LLMs about what the page was actually about → Keeping titles under 60 characters prevented truncation across both SERPs and AI citation previews → When the title tag and H1 said different things, both users and AI systems treated the page as less trustworthy The biggest shift? Clarity beats creativity. AI systems are pattern matchers. They don't reward clever wordplay. They reward titles that directly answer the question the user asked. I put together plug-and-play title tag templates for 10 different page types (from product pages to how-to guides to local business pages), inspired by https://lnkd.in/em2rF2FJ (Vlado Pavlik, Carlos Silva and Christine Skopec). Save this post. Copy the formulas. Stop guessing.

On-Page SEO – The Part You 𝐶𝑎𝑛 Control When I first heard the term “on-page SEO,” I assumed it was just for developers with their endless lists of code. But soon, I realised it’s actually 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐎𝐧-𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐄𝐎 is everything you 𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 to help it rank on search engines. If you’re writing or editing content, you’re already doing on-page SEO—whether you know it or not. 𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐧- 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐄𝐎 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞? • Using the 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 (without sounding like a robot) • Writing 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧-𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 • Adding 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 (like H1, H2) to break things down. Use one H1, and then structure the rest with H2s, H3s, and short paragraphs. Helps the reader and helps Google. • Writing 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬—the little snippet that shows up on Google’s search results page. Make it clear, make it relevant, and if possible—make it irresistible. Add primary keywords to strengthen it. • Using 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 to connect your content. It keeps readers exploring your site, and Google loves that. • Adding 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭. This one’s small but important. Alt text = a short description of the image. It helps make your content more accessible and helps with SEO by telling search engines what the image is about. • Making sure your site is 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲, because most people are reading on their phones. If your page is hard to read or scroll through, they bounce. So test it on mobile and make sure it works smoothly. • Paying attention to 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐛 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬—basically, how fast your page loads (LCP) and how stable it is while loading (CLS). The goal of on-page SEO is to make your content easy to find and easy to read—for both people and search engines—so it shows up on Google and brings the right people to your site. Off-page SEO, on the other hand, is about building trust, credibility, and visibility beyond your website to show Google that your content is reliable and worth paying attention to. Got a doubt about on-page SEO? Drop it in the comments. Let’s discuss! 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰: 𝐎𝐟𝐟-𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐄𝐎 – 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.