1) Keywords

Before you begin writing (whether with the help of tools like ChatGPT or your own expertise), it’s crucial to select your primary keyword. This keyword will serve as the main focus of your content and help Google understand your article’s topic. The Ahrefs free keyword generator can assist you in identifying the right keyword.

• Analyze the search intent behind your chosen keyword. This reflects what users aim to achieve with their search queries. Search for the keyword on Google and review the top-ranking pages to understand the types of content that are performing well.
• Incorporate your primary keyword in the meta title, meta description, URL, H1, the first H2, H3–H6 (if applicable), and within the first 150 words.

2) Article Structure

You’re not just creating content; you’re building a comprehensive information hub that Google will recognize as an authoritative resource on the topic.

• Review the top 15–20 articles for your keyword to develop an article structure that Google will deem thorough. Ensure you cover all aspects that competitors have addressed while providing additional insights.
• Use clear headings, subheadings, bullet points, or numbered lists to facilitate easy reading.
• Keep paragraphs short (2–3 sentences maximum).
• Incorporate various media to support your ideas (images, infographics, downloadable templates, videos, etc.).

3) Crafting Valuable, People-Centric Content

Google emphasizes that its ranking systems prioritize helpful and reliable information designed primarily for human benefit rather than simply for SEO. Here’s how to meet this criterion:

• Provide a thorough and comprehensive overview of your topic to address user needs fully.
• Include original research or reporting.
• Share 1–2 case studies to showcase your expertise on the topic.
• Offer insightful analysis or engaging information that goes beyond surface-level insights. Your article should provide significant value compared to others in search results—avoid merely summarizing existing content without adding new insights.
• If referencing other sources, avoid direct copying or rewriting; instead, provide meaningful additional value.
• Create content that readers would want to bookmark, share, or recommend.
• Present information in a trustworthy manner, including clear sourcing (links to references).
• Ensure factual accuracy.
• After reading your content, readers should feel informed enough about the topic to achieve their goals without needing to seek additional information elsewhere.

4) Engagement

How can you write engaging content that drives conversions? This is a common dilemma for writers, whether they are crafting a novel or developing SEO content. Consider the following strategies:

• Use copywriting techniques to boost engagement.
• Steer clear of vague, exaggerated, or subjective language.
• Avoid clichés.
• Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases that don't add meaning.
• Accurately answer questions and support your claims with data.
• Utilize transition words.
• Favor active voice; limit passive constructions to no more than 10% of your sentences.
• Avoid beginning consecutive sentences with the same word.
• Use Hemingway Editor to enhance readability.
• Use Grammarly to ensure your writing is error-free.

5) Visuals

Incorporating appealing images serves two primary purposes: aiding article scannability and potentially featuring in Google Images, which can drive additional traffic. Consider using tools like Playground or Bing Image Creator to generate AI images based on your content (both are free). Alternatively, Canva is a good option; ensure your visuals are original.

• Use descriptive file names for images.
• Provide descriptive alt text.
• Include captions as necessary.

On a side note, it's fascinating to see how different AI tools interpret the same prompt. For instance, here’s a result from Playground for the prompt "draw a futuristic AI writer":

And here are the outputs from Bing:

6) URL

It’s advisable to make your primary keyword the URL of your webpage. Search engines regard the URL as one of several factors in determining a page's relevance to a specific query. Here are Google’s recommended practices:

• Use your main keyword as the URL slug.
• Maximum length: 75 characters.
• Avoid numbers and special characters.
• Use lowercase letters.
• Replace spaces with hyphens (-).

7) Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO leverages AI to analyze 500 aspects of your page’s content against your top competitors, providing reliable insights into what’s currently effective for your target keyword.

• Use Surfer SEO to find semantically related keywords and how often to incorporate them.
• Identify the recommended content length using Surfer SEO.
• Determine the optimal number of images to include with Surfer SEO.

8) Meta Title

The meta title (or title tag) appears in search engine results pages (SERPs). It should accurately reflect the content of your post and set clear expectations for readers. While Google automatically generates the title link, you can guide it by adhering to best practices:

• Begin with your primary keyword.
• Maximum length: 60 characters.
• Infuse emotion and convey a value proposition.

9) Meta Description

A meta description offers a brief summary of the page. Readers should grasp the content's value at a glance. According to Google Search Central, the page's content is often used to automatically generate the snippet. Research indicates that Google rewrites meta descriptions more than 70% of the time. Nevertheless, consider these general guidelines:

• Include your primary keyword early in the description.
• Maximum length: 120 characters.
• Incorporate a compelling call to action (CTA).

10) Header Tags (H1-H6)

Header tags organize the content on a page, ranked by importance from H1 to H6, with H1 being the title.

• Begin your H1 tag with the primary keyword.
• Use H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6 tags for subheadings.

11) Links

Linking to relevant resources is vital, and ensuring all links are functional is equally important.

• Develop a clear linking strategy for your pages.
• Utilize internal links effectively.
• Reference authoritative sites within your blog post to demonstrate that your content is well-supported and credible.
• Use anchor text that is rich in keywords.

What is the Ideal Length for a Blog Post?

Google does not advocate for adhering to a specific word count simply because it’s perceived as an optimal number.

However, many are curious about the ideal length for content.

You can use SurferSEO Content Editor to identify the suggested content length based on competitor articles that rank for your keywords.

Consider the following findings:

Brian Dean discovered that the average word count for top 10 Google results is 1,447 words. Semrush reports that articles exceeding 7,000 words attract nearly four times more traffic and 43% more shares than those of average length (900–1,200 words). Wix has also identified ideal word counts for different post types:

• Newspaper articles, product descriptions, and encyclopedia entries: 600–800 words
• "What is ..." blog posts: 1,300–1,700 words
• "How to ..." articles: 1,700–2,100 words
• Optimal blog post length: 2,300–2,500 words
• Pillar pages and guides: 4,000+ words

Clearly, long-form content tends to perform better; however, there is no universally "perfect" length. For example, a detailed recipe for a delicious apple pie will require more words than a simple three-ingredient recipe.

Conclusion

On-page SEO encompasses numerous elements.

While you might aim to craft a detailed article that resonates with your audience, neglecting the inclusion of essential semantically related keywords can hinder your ranking potential.

If you require assistance with content creation, I’m here to help; otherwise, I might just find myself distracted on Instagram!