Has this ever happened to you? You come to a site and click on their articles only to find that it’s a bunch words put together creating mumbo jumbo?  Yeah…too many times! What’s up with that? Why are these articles so poorly written? Well, in efforts of trying to rank well for certain keywords, sites publish articles that are keyword rich.  These sites forget the online reader and how this will completely turn them away from coming back to their site again.  And they assume that search engine spiders haven’t caught on to this reality as well!  Most search engines are well aware that sites try to keyword stuff content to rank well; and they aren’t thrilled about it. And I wonder why since offering great content, while still hitting your keywords, is extremely possible.

So how can you write a great SEO article, and still rank well with specific keywords?  You need to have a search engine friendly platform before getting started, and the rest is simple:

1.    Firs off, you need to start by creating a list of keywords

Sit down with your team and brain storm a list of possible keywords you would like to hit and rank well with. This is marketing 101. The list of keywords must revolve around words your customers use when describing your business. What words will web users use to search for your business in a search engine. I can not emphasize enough how important it is to use actual words your customers will use. Too many businesses describe themselves in words which their customers never use. For example, many secretarial type businesses use words such as, “helping you focus on your core competency.” Yes, a secretary helps me do that but I will never use those terms when searching for a secretary online. Finally, you can examine your server access logs to come up with keywords. Most of these logs will tell you what words people use in a search engine before they land on your site.

2.    Use a keyword research tool

Any of the keyword tools out there will do the job. However if you do not feel like paying for keyword research tool, there are free and good tools available as well. I know many businesses try to save money by cutting corners, but my experience has proven to me that at the end, hiring someone to conduct keyword research will save you time and money. There is a lot to say about keyword research but this is not our topic here. Your goal from using the research tools is to validate the list of keywords you came up. The tool will tell you which one of the keywords on your list is popular and which ones are not. Ultimately you need to come up with a list of 200 words that you can use.

3.    Create your list of topics

Use the final list of keywords to choose topics that will appeal to your target audience. We try to brainstorm a list of at least 50 different topics when creating a list for a new site. Most of the time we might even end up with a list of 100 different topics. I know this might sound a little hard but take all the time you need to come up with that list. This is going to be the cornerstone of your site. Not only will these topics attract regular readership but they will also help you rank well with search engines. Online forums are another source for good topics. Look for questions people ask about regularly in these forums. Linked-in and yahoo answers are gold mine for choosing topics that will appeal to certain groups of readership.

4.    Consider the length

There’s no right answer. Your articles can range from 1 page +. Some topics only require 1 – 3 page coverage, and you should not bore your reader with uninteresting details.  However, if a topic needs more, consider investing more time in it and giving it all it needs. Article syndication sites encourage users to create short articles. To be honest, I find very little value in a 200 words article. If you are going to write something that short, then consider posting it as a blog entry instead!

5.    Are you writing a whitepaper or an article?

Whitepapers are very popular amongst online readers.  Some people mistakenly think that whitepapers are just lengthy form of articles.  They are not. Whitepapers tend to be more technical in nature. Readers expect whitepapers to present some research results. Additionally, whitepapers are expected to present an objective view.

6.    Write your entry

Bunker down and start writing your articles. Of course, if writing is not your thing, then consider hiring a professional to help you write these articles. Here is something else you will notice as you are writing these articles: new topics will start coming to you. And all you have to do is add them to the list of topics!

7.    Don’t forget your keyword list

The goal of the article is to give your readers good and solid information. If you are the expert in your field, then share your knowledge with your visitors. You should also make sure that you use your keyword list when writing your article and try to incorporate any relevant terms from that list.  Most importantly, consider using your keyword(s) in the title and headlines of the article.  By no means do I advocate creating content for search engines. But utilizing simple techniques will help these articles rank well. Remember that search engine spiders give more weight to headlines! An article should have one H1, 2-3 H2 headers, and few H3. The number of headlines depends on the length of the article.

8.    Review your entry

Take a good look at your entry but not from your perspective; consider your reader.  Will it appeal to them?  Is the language appropriate (not too technical in nature etc.)? Does it offer new and solid information?  If so, you’re on the right track.  Remember, you’re not writing for a spider, you’re writing for a human.

9.    Review again

Make sure your document flows nicely; that it does not have any spelling or grammar mistakes. Circulate to some of your colleagues and get their feedback on it.

10.    How to release the articles on your site?

Well should you publish everything at once? Or should you consider publishing 5 articles during each interval? The most crucial thing is that you want to make a splash and impact, immediately. With new sites, we usually do not start an article section until we have few lengthy articles ready.  This doesn’t mean publish everything at once.  However, consider publishing a lengthy article and a couple shorter ones to start with. Then every couple of weeks publish a new a new article on your site.

11.    Finally, consider Using hittail to see what traffic the articles are generating

Hittail (hittail.com) “reveals the least utilized, most promising” in demand keywords for your site. This is a great way to expand on the articles and start considering new and better series to introduce to readers.

And there you have it, a great technique to great, authentic, and rich SEO articles that your readers will actually ENJOY for a change!  Do you have any other suggestions for people who want to publish SEO articles on their site?