SEO Content Writing: How to Write Pages That Rank and Convert

This is my complete SEO content writing process, the same one I use for client articles and for every guide on this site. If you would rather have it done for you, see my content SEO service.

The 5 principles of SEO content

1. People first. Google’s helpful content guidance asks whether a reader leaves feeling they learned enough to reach their goal. Write for that reader.
2. Intent match. The format must match what already ranks: guide, list, comparison, tool or product.
3. Experience. Add what only you know: examples, results, mistakes, photos, data.
4. Clarity. Short sentences, plain words, answer first, structure that can be skimmed.
5. Connection. Every page belongs to a topic cluster and links to the next step.

Step 1: Research the keyword and intent

• Pick one primary keyword and its close variations.
• Search it. Note the page types, formats and angles in the top 10.
• Collect “People also ask” questions, related searches and questions from Reddit, Quora and your own customers.
• Check if you already have a page targeting it. If yes, improve that page instead of writing a new one.

Step 2: Build a content brief

Step 3: Write it, answer first

1. Title and H1: clear and specific. See how to write SEO title tags.
2. Intro: one or two lines on what the page covers, then a direct 40 to 60 word answer.
3. Question headings: use the real questions as H2s, each with a short answer first.
4. Show, do not just tell: tables for comparisons, numbered steps for processes, examples in boxes.
5. Cover related concepts naturally. That is semantic SEO, not keyword stuffing.
6. Cite sources for facts and numbers, and link to them.
7. End with an FAQ for remaining questions and a clear next step.

Step 4: Show E-E-A-T

Google’s raters look for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. On the page that means:

• A real author name with a bio and a link to an about page.
• First-hand details: “In 5000+ link orders I have seen…”, screenshots, results, case studies.
• Published and updated dates.
• Accurate facts with sources, and an editorial policy. Mine is here: editorial policy.

Step 5: Make it easy for AI search to quote

AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity lift short, self-contained passages. Keep each section’s first sentence a complete answer, use specific numbers and names, and avoid hiding the answer deep in a story. Full details in the AI search optimization guide.

Step 6: Optimise before publishing

Step 7: Publish, link and update

• Add links to the new page from 3 related older pages the same day.
• Request indexing in Search Console.
• Share it where your audience is, and track it with UTM links.
• After 8 to 12 weeks, check which queries it ranks for and add sections for the ones it does not fully answer.
• Update facts and the date at least once a year.

How long should SEO content be?

As long as it needs to be to fully answer the search, and no longer. Look at the pages that rank: if they cover 10 subtopics, you probably need to cover them too. Length without value does not help; Google’s guidance warns against writing to a word count.

Common SEO writing mistakes

• Writing for a keyword nobody searches, or for an intent that does not match.
• Long introductions before the answer.
• Generic text that could be about any business.
• No internal links, so the page sits alone.
• Publishing AI-generated text without expert review, facts or experience.
• Never updating old content.

Frequently asked questions