The Complete Guide to Creating SEO-Friendly Content (That Ranks and Converts)

The big day is finally here – your website is live, so you can sit back and watch the leads roll in.

Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.

Your website is the cornerstone of your entire online presence. Getting your site right can influence the future success of your business. But how do you ensure that people actually find your website? How can you ensure that your website is reaching the right people online so it can fulfil its purpose to act as a lead-generating machine?

If you want your business to grow, you need content that ranks highly in search results, speaks to people and search engines alike, and converts visitors into customers.

That’s where SEO-friendly content comes in, helping you to attract, convert and nurture your target audience at each stage of the buying journey.

This blog explains the best ways to create SEO-friendly content that doesn’t just rank but also converts visitors into customers. For personalised advice, contact our team of SEO experts.

Why Creating SEO-Friendly Content Matters

Creating SEO-friendly traffic brings in targeted traffic, which is people who are actively looking for exactly what you’re offering.

It’s about more than simply showing up on Google and hoping for the best – it’s about showing up for the right people.

When your content is optimised for SEO, or SEO-friendly, it appears higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs) and hooks visitors in when they land on your site.

Things like the right keywords, how the content is structured, and your content strategy can make all the difference when it comes to a visitor clicking away from your page or guiding them towards making a purchase (or any other action you want them to take).

Along with helping with sales, having SEO-friendly content boosts your website’s credibility, meaning that visitors are more likely to trust your business.

Think about when you search for something online – are you more likely to make a purchase through a company whose website has high-quality, relevant information, or a bare-bones page with poorly written content and grainy images?

Just like how you’d prefer option 1, so will your website’s visitors. So how do we make SEO content that does all of these things in one?

How to Create SEO-Friendly Content That Ranks and Converts

Thankfully, there are many ways to optimise your SEO content to help you reach your goals. They include:

1. Doing Keyword Research

Keyword research is the number one thing you should do to optimise your website for SEO. You can then utilise these keywords to tailor your content and help it rank higher on search engines.

There are a few different ways you can conduct and utilise keyword research. One such method is to find out what your target audience is searching for and then centre your content around that.

This is also known as identifying the search intent.

With this research, you’ll need to differentiate between commercial and informational keywords. Informational keywords are key terms users utilise to find information. Commercial keywords are terms users utilise when they are ready to buy or engage.

Most businesses want to focus on using commercial keywords for the greatest effect.

For example, searches for ‘web design’ have a much broader intention. Users could be asking what web design is, how to learn about web design or where to find a web designer.

On the other hand searches like, ‘web design company,’ and ‘web designer Melbourne’ indicate a specific purpose. These are commercial keywords as the person is searching for a specific company to engage with.

While these keywords typically have less search volume they usually create higher-quality leads. Higher-quality leads are more likely to generate valuable revenue and make SEO a worthwhile investment.

Likewise, another method is to determine what your business offers that sets you apart from the competition and drives the most revenue for your business. This is also known as your primary offer and by targeting it you can generate more valuable leads.

You can do this by identifying the primary keywords that align with your products and services. For instance, at SGD we offer web design, Google Ads and SEO services. We highlight web design as our primary offer as the majority of businesses understand this service and need to utilise it.

While your primary keyword will likely be the same as your competitor’s, some of your keywords may be different. That’s why it always pays to do your research.

Don’t forget about your long-tail keywords, too. These are more specific words or phrases that might have lower search volumes but still drive a lot of targeted traffic.

Typically, a mixture of keyword types is the best way to go, and tools like Google Keyword Planner, SE Ranking and SEMRush can help you find the right balance.

2. Creating Engaging Titles and Meta Descriptions

Think again of your own experiences when searching for something. What’s the first thing you see?

Titles and meta descriptions are the words that show in the search engine result pages (SERPs).

So, do all you can to make these as attention-grabbing as you can without going over the top. Treat them as an ad for your business, as they essentially are. They are the first thing a user will see and can either convince or turn them away.

Keep your titles clear and concise while you incorporate your primary keyword naturally.

For meta descriptions, focus on making sure they’re compelling to human eyes, enticing visitors to read on once you’ve got them hooked.

The more clear and compelling your content is in these areas, the more likely users are to engage. This can generate more traffic and win clicks over your competitors.

3. Using Content Headings

The way people read web pages is similar to looking at a newspaper. Visitors skim the headings and images before choosing a section to read more about.

This is one of the reasons why headlines matter.

Long blocks of text tend to overwhelm people, and no matter how engaging your content may be, if it all blends together, eyes will glaze over and readers won’t stick around to read more.

Instead, structure your content in a way that both users and search engines will like.

Along with breaks in your text, use headings like H1s, H2s, and H3s to ensure your content is clear and easy to navigate and read.

Search engines also look at these to understand the hierarchy of your content, so make sure your headings incorporate keywords and help readers make sense of what they’re reading.

4. Posting High-Quality, Relevant Content

Quality content provides real value, and that’s what visitors are looking for. To create high-quality content first, you’ll need to identify relevant topics and then create valuable content for them.

To identify relevant topics, consider what questions your customers frequently ask. Similarly, you can likely determine what problems and challenges your target audience consistently struggles with.

If you’re not sure where to start, you can leverage AI in your research to consolidate your information and isolate potential topics.

Once you’ve selected a topic, there are several steps you can take to begin creating quality content. First is to write compelling headlines that incorporate keywords, to catch your audience’s attention.

With the content itself, it’s important to be as clear as possible. Trying to be clever can often result in confusing copy that alienates your audience. Writing as though you are talking to a person from your target audience can help you avoid these pitfalls.

If you struggle to find a place to start, AI is a useful tool that can help you write your outlines. However, a simple blog outline could be as follows:

• Heading
• Introduction
• Sections that address challenges, questions or relevant topics
• Conclusion

Whether you’re answering a question, providing insight, or solving a problem, your content should do this in an engaging way.

Whatever your topic, the key is to write for your audience Get into their heads and think about what they want to read and the best way to approach it, and go from there.

When your content is well-written, well-researched, and relevant, search engines take notice, and targeted traffic will be attracted to (and stay on!) your page.

5. Writing for Conversions with Compelling Calls to Action

SEO is all about driving traffic, but the end goal is to convert that traffic into leads and sales. The last thing you want is for your target audience to reach your page but not know what to do once they’re there.

Give them the next step by adding clear calls to action (CTAs).

These will guide your visitors towards the next step you want them to take, whether it’s to make a purchase, sign up for a newsletter, or book a consultation.

Being clear and concise about what you want them to do next reduces confusion and makes it easy for your audience to take action, which reduces your bounce rates and increases your lead pipeline.

6. Optimising Images and Multimedia

While everybody has their own learning style, as a general rule of thumb, we’re typically drawn to images before text. So whenever you’re creating content, make sure your images count.

Visuals like images and videos are key to keeping people engaged, but they also need to be optimised.

This means using keyword-rich file names and inserting alt-text to boost your SEO behind the scenes. Visitors won’t see these, but search engines certainly will.

For example, an image of two people talking while pointing at a computer could have a file name such as DSC001.jpg. This name is not relevant to search engines and will not add anything to your ranking.

Instead, rename this image in a way that incorporates relevant keywords in a clear way. A title like, ‘web designer discussing a project with a client.jpg’ is more relevant to users searching for web designers. This can add context to your image that search engines can assess and rank.

You can also compress images to reduce their file size, which will help your pages load faster. If you would like to learn more about compressing images, you can read our article on it here.

But above all else, ensure your media files are relevant to your content. While it might be easy to choose a stock image or create an image with AI, if it doesn’t make sense on the page, it’s best to leave it out.

7. Using Internal and External Linking

Both internal and external links are SEO essentials.

Internal links guide people to relevant pages on your website, keeping them interested in what you have on offer. This helps to keep them exploring your site for longer, increasing the likelihood they’ll perform the action you want them to.

These links also help search engines understand which pages on your website are the most important (typically more internal links mean more importance).

External links, meanwhile, are useful for both users and search engines. These are where you link to other online sources – but not just any source will do.

Always use high-quality, authoritative sources, as they show you understand what a trusted source is, and help you to become one yourself.

8. Optimising for Mobile

More and more users are accessing websites through their mobile devices, such as their smartphones and tablets. This makes mobile optimisation a must.

Ensure your website and its content are mobile-friendly, with responsive design and fast loading times.

The longer it takes your page to load, the more likely it is that a potential customer will give up. A non-responsive design is awkward and inaccessible.

It’s just as important for your site to be mobile-friendly as it is desktop-friendly – so don’t miss out on the potential for significant traffic on mobile devices.

9. Monitoring and Updating Content

Once you’ve done all of the above, your SEO-optimising task is over. Right? Not quite! SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it type of deal.

To stay competitive, you need to monitor your website’s performance and update it regularly to stay in the top results.

Regularly check your content for outdated information, broken links and images, and anything else that could use a refresh, like your keywords and CTAs.

Staying on top of these will help to keep your rankings high and your conversions converting.

SEO-Friendly Content That Does Seriously Good Double Duty

Looking for SEO-friendly content that does more than just rank well? If you want this plus valuable, engaging content that turns visitors into customers, you need an SEO content team on your side (and site)!

At SGD, we can take care of all your SEO needs, from keyword research to content creation and mobile optimisation. We understand how vital every element is to your site’s performance, and we’re just as dedicated to your success as you are. Learn more about our SEO plans to get started.

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