After spending your time researching, collecting data, and crafting awesome content, you hit the publish button. But you seem unsatisfied with the number of visitors and wonder: what went wrong?

The thing is, if you’re writing online without a proper SEO strategy, you’re throwing a dart in the dark. So, to increase your blog traffic and get inbound leads via organic search, you’ve to incorporate SEO into your writing process.

And here’s how you do it:

1. Match your topic and keyword – As a newbie writer, I strived to make keywords and topics congruent. But I’ve realized that it’s about using the right keywords in the right context.

Let’s assume the target keyword is “SEO for small business” and the topic “How can small businesses leverage SEO?”. Here, the keyword isn’t copied to the topic as it’s tailored to the context of small business and SEO.

2. Write for humans – Google’s RankBrain algorithm determines the most useful results for the “users.” So, write content that answers your audience’s question.

3. Use keyword-rich phrases and LSI – Merely inserting a keyword is a casual approach. Instead, try to use LSI keywords (not necessarily synonyms) and in a natural way.

4. Build backlinks – Backlinks are a vital ranking factor since Google’s inception. Therefore, focusing on building high-quality backlinks will increase your DA. As a result, you’ll be seen as an authority in your niche.

Overall, SEO writing is all about talking to humans and optimising for the machine. By keeping some basic SEO principles in mind, your content efforts are bound to pay off.