How to Write Amazing Content That

Ranks and Brings Sales

Search Engine rankings are the benchmarks that measure your blog’s/website’s success.
Over the years the algorithms that dictate these rankings have evolved from passive
advertorials to AI-based semantic indexing.

Through this evolution, content creation has transitioned from single page journals to
an aggressively creative ecosystem of brilliant ideas and software to manage them. With
the internet becoming more dynamic than ever, new channels like vlogging and
podcasts come as stiff competition to written content.

However, ​according to the 2018 report by Demand Gen​, ​71% of B2B buyers went
through blog content before making a purchase. It is because:

● Written content offers exhaustive detail to readers.

● Comparisons and discussions are easier for static written content.
● Blogs combined with images and videos perform the best.

2019 onward, creating content and publishing just for the sake of content creation can
result in a great loss. You must focus on generating rich information sources for your
readers and followers. Genuine content followed by planned marketing strategies yields
evergreen results.

You need to have a set outline before writing any piece of content. The keywords should
be relevant to your niche and research according to your audience. Your endgame must
be clear before you have chosen a title for your post.

More than ​53% of digital marketers ​find blogging as their top content marketing
strategy. It is because a rich blog creates audience engagement with informative content,
valuable outbound links, embedded videos, and social media posts.

Without any further delay let’s dive into detailed elemental strategies and benchmarks
that will drive traffic to your content and boost sales.
#Step 1. Identify Your Audience
● Who is the person that will read your content?
● Where are they located?
● What language are they comfortable with?
● What is the age-group of the potential readers interested in your niche?
● Are their interests, hobbies, and spending patterns in line with your offerings?

These and other similar questions must have a definite answer before you proceed to
write.

The easiest way to figure this out is by using Ad management tools like ​Google
Keyword Planner, Facebook Ads, and ​SEMrush​. You can enter keywords and see
how they intersect with audiences over different parameters like:

● Age;
● Interests;
● Likes and dislikes;
● Geographical location;
● Number of searches;
● Existing competition in your niche;
● Average spends;
● Specific search queries.

Collect and organize this data according to your business strategy and content
requirements.

Google Trends ​is also an excellent way to gauge interest in your niche. An upward
trend means higher potential traffic and keyword performance.

Here is an example of a broad keyword “​premium cars​”​. I analyzed the trend in the
US alone. Here is what I got:
From here, I can deduce what regions and precisely at what time periods, the interest in
the keyword “​premium cars” ​was the highest.

Coupled with metrics from other tools that I mentioned above, I can
effortlessly plan a lot of content in advance from here!!

All in all, you have to understand the people you are trying to connect with. That’s why
the tone and density of a different topic like parenting, for example, will differ from
how you blog about cars.

Create and save these audience personas for different content plans. However, keep
dynamically modifying them according to the latest trends. This way, you will keep
churning out fresh content.

Moving further​, let me show you how different types of content can cater effectively to
different audience formats.

#Step 2. Identify Content Types & Their Relevance

There isn’t any single standard way of creating online content. You need to structure it
in a manner that is relevant to the information you are trying to project.

If you are describing a method or procedure, then a list-based article is ideal. The same
goes for catalogs of products or services. Similarly, a press release or launch update has
a different, more crisp format.

In the same way, reviews or comparisons will have a structured format based on
comparisons with tables and charts.

To get a better understanding of different content formats, let’s look at all the categories
in broad detail.

#1 “How To” Articles

This is an ideal content structure if you aim to educate your audience about certain
procedures, processes, and mechanisms across any subject.

I can safely say that a major share of search queries begin with a “How to” or “What”.
Therefore, developing such content around your niche, products, and services is highly
recommended.

You can generate numerous ideas when it comes to such content. Here are some
examples:

● How to make money with blogging.

● How to start a blog monetization.
● How to tie a Windsor knot tie.
● How to dress for an outdoor winter carnival.

The ideas are immense and only limited by your imagination. Looking at our earlier
steak example here is how a “How To” post looks like:
#2. Listicles (List Based Articles)

List-based content is ​a very popular content type​ across all niches. In fact, ​36% of online
traffic prefers​ list-based content. It is because one can encapsulate the entire gist of the
article or blog by just scanning through the headlines.
Furthermore, there are three types of list-based articles. Let’s check them out and see
which are ideal for different types of information.

Suppose you have a travel blog. You are creating a content campaign for Kerala tourism.
An ideal post will be something where readers, who are planning to travel to Kerala this
winter, can find ideal spots to visit and explore.

Here are some examples:

● 10 Things to Do when in Kerala.

● 5 Spots That you Must Visit when in Kerala.

Here is a special one:

Listicles are ideal when you want to convey power-packed information. Readers don’t
need to hop to multiple articles for information.
You can also link detailed posts to other parts of the listicle and generate optimization
for your entire website.

For instance, an article about “5 Things to Keep in Mind when Cooking Lamb” can have
a point like:

-- ​Selecting the Best Cut of Lamb for Best Taste​ --

You can create a separate post for this topic, explaining it in detail and link the
summarised version in the listicle to this post. Most readers will follow through and read
it.

#3. Rating-Based Articles - Best/Top/Highest

This type of structure is quite popular. If you own websites that promote products,
applications, software or services, you may publish posts that detail these.

These posts attract people who are looking for information before making a purchase.
They get the ideal ​window shopping experience​ through these articles. They get
information about various elements of one similar group, which allows them to make
comparisons and decide what fits their requirements.

Google Algorithms ​are also important for these types of posts as purchase-related
queries are often search for. However, these must be written with genuine information
and not pushed as promotional affiliate content.
When done right, List-based articles have the highest potential to be picked up as google
featured posts. See the example below:
Therefore, your content plan must include List-based articles across multiple formats as
shown above. This way you will always have fresh ideas and deliver relevant information
to your readers.

#4 “What is” or Information based Articles

If “How to” articles are the most heavily searched for, then “What is” based articles are
the second most heavily searched terms on the internet. Different aspects of your niche
may be relevant but still unknown to your readers. Therefore, informing them becomes
important during the buying journey.

You should figure out the key elements of your business, products, services, and
offerings that need more detail. For instance, if you have a blog about affiliate marketing
and are targeting new people who are interested in the field then some informative posts
include:

● What is Affiliate Marketing?

● What are the Best Networks for Affiliate Marketing?
 ● What are the Different Types of Affiliate Marketing?

Let’s dig deep using an example. Let’s say you have a blog that showcases the best
laptops for various uses. Some informational post may include:

● What to Look for in a Laptop for Office Use

● What is the Laptop Best Configuration for College Use?

When launching a unique idea, there are always key ideas and elements that need
proper content outreach for the audience to understand and connect to them. Therefore,
make sure you figure out these elements and create content ideas around them.

#5 Reviews & Comparisons

More than 50% of Online Purchase Journeys involve customers reading

reviews.

There is an easy way to recognize such posts online.

Just look for star ratings. WordPress and other CMS have plugins index these star
ratings for reviews using search engines.
They are an excellent way to showcase particular products and services and provide
authentic information to readers. These types of posts drive the highest number of
conversions and sales. First, people find them reliable. Second, they offer comparisons,
feedback, and experiences.

People relate to them and estimate their own experiences if they would use the product
or service reviewed. Therefore, for websites and blogs that publish and promote
services, products or any kind of purchases, reviews become a critical component of the
content plan.

Here is an example of a hosting review:

As you can see, a review post should have the following elements:

● Pros & Cons;

● Comparisons with similar products;
● Comparison tables;
● Product A Vs Product B;
● Critical appraisal of key elements and features;
● Verdict in the form of a personal opinion.
Excellent​ ​reviews drive excellent traffic to your website and generate record sales
conversions. However, don’t ever write manufactured reviews.

Use the products and services, form a genuine opinion and then create a post. This way,
it will be unique and personal; people will relate better.

Now​, ​we have glanced over the major content types. Any form of content you create will
fall into these categories. Knowing their features allows you to have content plans ready
beforehand.

Now, let us delve into another critical aspect of content creation: finding the right
keywords.

#Step 3. Create a Structure around Keyword

Research
Keyword planning is the most critical factor that determines the final quality of your
content.
When keywords are researched and sorted, you will be able to properly define the crux
of the post. You will also be able to connect distinct ideas in meaningful ways.
These qualities will give your content an edge over your competition.

#1 Start Keyword Research

Stepping in the shoes of the reader helps you write with their expectations in mind –
which is what keywords help you find.
Before you begin writing, you must learn about the different types of keywords. The first
order of business is to learn about ​‘Buyer’ keywords​.
These are the kinds of words that are searched for when someone is looking for a
product or service. However, every person searching the internet for products and
services does not have the same intent.
Buyer keywords help us understand what the searchers’ intent is.
They are:w
Navigational keywords​ – These are the words that navigate users to a brand website.
People use these to research products from different brands before they make a
decision.
Example search term – ​Popeyes Burgers
Information keywords​ - These are terms that users search for when they’re looking
for general information about a topic. People use these terms when they become ​aware
of their needs ​and are looking for solutions.
Example search term – ​Best gaming laptops
Transactional keywords​ – These are the words that users search for when they’ve
decided to make a purchase​. They’ve already found what they want to buy, and use
very specific words to help them find the best deal.
Example search term – ​Acer Aspire best price

#2 Find primary keywords

Primary keywords define the ideas and subjects that are related to your content.
Examples:
● Digital Marketing Hacks;
● Best Laptops Under 500;
● Online Engineering Services;
● Online SAAS Courses.

Each piece of content that you put out must have at least one primary keyword assigned
to it. This indicates to search engines ​and​ to readers that your post is about that
keyword.
There are loads of tools on the internet that will help you find primary keywords. Here
are some of the most popular ones:
Ahrefs Keywords Explorer​ – This keyword explorer gives you in-depth information
about the keywords you’re looking for.
Not only do you get the search volume of the term, but Ahrefs also tells you exactly how
many backlinks you need to get to the first page on Google.
Google Keyword Planner​ – Although Google’s Keyword Planner is not as
feature-rich as some of the other tools available, the data comes straight from Google –
so you know exactly what the keyword’s rating is.
It also gives you a “Top of the page bid” which indicates how much advertisers are
spending per click for a specific keyword.
KeywordTool.io​ – This tool gives you a ​TON​ of keyword suggestions, all of which can
be filtered based on location and search engine.
KeywordTool.io also allows you to generate keyword ideas by analyzing your
competitors' keyword usage.
#3 Find LSI/Related Keywords:
LSI keywords (Latent Semantic Keywords) are the words or phrases that are related to
or are synonyms of the primary keyword.
Examples:
● Best baked apples in Florida;
● Tips for SAS courses in Delhi NCR;
● How to plan content for your blog.
Including three to five related keywords is best since it loads the post with additional
context. This helps search engines rank a page better.
Here are some tools that will help you find LSI keywords:
Moz Keyword Explorer​ – Moz is a very powerful tool that supplies loads of
untapped, out-of-the-box lateral keyword ideas.

It also shows you the ‘Organic CTR’ and the ‘Priority’ of the keywords you pick. These
features indicate how many clicks you can expect from the keyword.
Keywords Everywhere​ – It is a plugin available for both Chrome and Firefox that
helps you find related keywords. It works while you’re browsing Google. While it started
as a free extension, it is now a paid tool.

It supplies effective keywords since they capture audiences looking for content, not
products.
Using tools is the best way to find keywords for your content. Not only do they provide
you with a lot of ideas for your post, but they also help you see if your post will pull a
substantial volume of visitors.
Finding the primary and LSI keywords will help you frame your posts’ content in just a
few minutes.
Say you decide to write about laptops. If you pick the ​primary keyword​ ‘​gaming
laptops’​, then the ​LSI keywords​ could be ‘​Best gaming laptops’​, ‘​Best gaming
laptop review’​, and ‘​Best gaming laptop sale’​.
When it comes to searching for keywords, the best thing to do is to be patient and keep
looking. The longer you keep at it, the more you’ll uncover.
Almost 60% of the entire population​ uses the internet, and ​most of these people
specifically search for content​ they want to consume.
This is why efforts must be made to generate organic traffic, rather than generate traffic
via advertisements – and the best way of pulling traffic organically is by using the right
keywords and building high-quality content.

#Step 4. Creating Content through Informed

Research & Optimization

We are done with the planning part. Once you have finalized everything including your
keywords, the task of content creation begins.

I always follow pre-set guidelines, designed through personal experience. By

maintaining a set plan for developing content, you develop a standardized procedure for
content creation and deliver the best results.

#1 Create a Content Outline

Content outline is the very first step before you start writing your target article. It is kind
of a synopsis, a step by step mechanism of approaching every part of the article.

All you have to do is to finalize the article structure. Here is an example:

Post Title: ​How to Start a Blog in 2019: A Step by Step Guide

Article Outline:

What is a Blog? (Brief Intro)

The difference between a blog & website
Is it worth starting a blog in 2019?
How to start a blog.
● Choose a niche;
● Choose a domain name;
● Buy Web Hosting;
● Install Wordpress;
● Setup your blog (Plugins, Theme);
● Add content;
● Monetize it (Mention some blog monetization like Adsense, Affiliate, etc.).
Conclusion

Defining a structure similar to this one makes researching much easier. It allows you to
develop one section at a time and then come back and develop other sections with
continuity.
Therefore, think about what you will write in your post and then create an outline that
entails and summarises the same for future references.

#2 Start Your Content Research

This process requires a lot of patience. Content research is critical to developing terrific
content. It is because:

● You learn more and more when you research.

● You find topics you are unaware of and increase your knowledge base.
● Your opinions become backed by facts.
● Your approach becomes information-centric.

The process of research is quite simple. You simply search for each part of your content
outline on Google. Pick up the top information and then go through it in vivid detail.
There are literally millions of sources online for each subject, each product, and almost
anything you could think of. Just start googling and delve deep into your research.

Best Practices

● Read exhaustively.
● Watch videos and vlogs on the subject.
● Choose top-rated sources of information like Statista, Medium, Mashable,
Forbes, and many more.
● Save what you find important for future reference.

#3 Create a Compelling Headline

A headline is what gives your readers a roadmap to your post. They instantly know what
to expect and rely on you to deliver.

The headline doesn’t have to be extravagant or clickbaity – these tactics only work in
certain situations, and you won't be as genuine. Only then, people will be able to
perceive your exact style and identify your brand.
However, the headline needs to be magnetic.​ ​Eight out of every ten people only read
the headline​ – therefore, only a captivating and compelling headline will get them to
read your post.

It must be compelling, and someone looking for a solution, a recommendation, or just

something to read must be excited to read the next sentence.

Now,​ ​let us look at some optimization techniques. Following these will help you get
recognized easily by search engines like Google and Bing.

They also make your post well structured and tailor-made for online audiences. Google
crawlers scan through your content and pick up these little hacks.
#4 Use Primary Keyword in the Title

#5 Use the Primary Keyword in the First and Last paragraph

The primary keyword must be in the first 100 words. This immediately gives Google the
knowledge of what your post is about.
#6 Use primary keyword in URL
#7 Use the Primary Keyword in the Meta Description

A meta description is a gist that google uses to show the summary of your post to
readers. It is mandatory and will amplify your optimization.

#8 Write Small Paragraphs

Paragraphs shouldn’t exceed 4 lines. They are easier to read and understand and don’t
irritate your readers.

#8 Use Proper Subheadings (H2, H3 tags)

Use subheadlines, bullet points, and H2, H3 tags. They provide an organized structure
for your blog posts. They also amp up keyword juice to Google when you place them in
the headings.

#9 Give SEO-Optimized name to images

Your images must be SEO optimized if you want to rank them on Google.
#10 Repeat primary keyword 2-3 times in 1000 words article.

The ideal keyword density is ​0.05%​. i.e your primary keyword shouldn’t repeat itself
more than 5 times in an 1000-word article.

Adding too many keywords will lead to stuffing and makes your article worse. Google
pickups on these things and your ranks will go down exponentially.

#11 Add relevant links to other high-quality blog posts

Find relevant articles from authority blogs and link back to them using previous articles.
It increases your backlink juice, and at the same time, provides additional value to your
readers, I just did it below.

Using statistics in blog posts improves consumer trust​. (Forbes, 2018)

It increases the overall optimization of your page and which makes your content
authentic and relevant in terms of relating to other content on the internet.

#12 Do internal linking

Find out your best blog post and perform internal linking to boost SEO. The words or
phrases that you’re linking should be relevant.

Don't be afraid to break some barriers. Online audiences are always hungry for new
content with refreshing approaches.

Use videos, graphs, charts, tables, images – whatever you need to convey your ideas
effectively. Make sure you add relevant links to your other posts. Inbound links can
increase retention rates. Also, add genuine outbound links that increase the value of
your blog post.

These elements, coupled with invigorating writing, make for a very appealing and
engaging post.

#13 Add Stats, Reports, and Graphics

Stating facts blandly is not enough to hook your reader. You must find relevant stats and
present them where they fit.
Stats are attractive – and having researched figures linked and highlighted between your
content is a great way to get the reader hooked.

Numbers make for better credibility since they make the blog look professional. They
also add to the narrative of the post.

Having the right balance between effective writing and search engine optimized
content is key to your blogs' success.

--

That is it! Now you know the exact method for creating content that ranks right from the
get-go. I have tried to encapsulate every possible element needed to create awesome
content. Therefore, consider all points seriously, chalk out streamlined plans for each
article.

If made a regular practice, you will 100% see a rise in traffic and engagement.
Consequently, you will get the sales-boost that you have always wanted.

Content Creation is a dynamic exercise. You learn as your progress. Always look at what
your competitors are writing when you are doing research. Learn from them and other
credible sources and keep tweaking your plans to meet the latest standards.

All the best!