How To Do Content Writing (Right) For SEO & GEO

If you’ve ever published a blog article, you are aware of the time commitment involved.

The entire process, from choosing a topic and gathering information to drafting the piece and pushing “Publish,” can often take hours. Therefore, it can be a significant letdown if your piece doesn’t receive the traffic you anticipated.

Whether you’re writing a blog about computer technologies or how to make a perfect pancake (don’t ask why that came into my head), we as content writers have to create content that targets the user first, but also for search engines to understand and love as well! Of course, the more we write the more we know what works and what we need to improve.

Fortunately, search engine optimisation is a strategy for dealing with low traffic. As marketers, our goal is to consistently create content that ranks highly on Google, and SEO is the link that will bring you there. So how can you include that into your material, you may wonder?

We have you covered, so don’t be concerned. We’ll explore some strategies for writing effective SEO content in this post.

What is SEO content writing?

The process of generating content for search engines like Google’s first page of results is known as SEO writing. This entails conducting keyword research, creating content of a high standard that adheres to user intent, and optimising your headers to improve relevance and content structure. 

But more on that later!

According to a 2020 Search Engine Journal study, websites at position one of the search engine results pages (SERP) had a 25% clickthrough rate.

For websites in positions two and ten, this percentage dramatically decreases to 2.5% and 15%, respectively. That number drops even further by the time you reach Google’s second page. Think about it – when was the last time you clicked through to the second page of Google?

This means that there is a slim possibility that users will reach your website naturally if it is not on the top page. Less traffic to your website means fewer chances to produce leads and, ultimately, money.

But it’s not all doom and gloom! Below we’ve got some tips and tricks you as a content writer can use to add to your writing skills and hopefully equal great content creation!

6 content marketing writing tips for SEO

Take a look at these content writing tips you should be using in all your blog posts to boost your SEO! With these tips, you’ll learn how to do content writing the right way.

1. Use Compelling & Optimised Headings

Headers make your blog article and its sections easier for Google’s web crawlers to interpret and for users to understand you can help them. 

Consider the crawlers to be skimming readers of your blog post. Your H1 heading should provide a summary of the topics your article will cover. Then, your H2s, H3s, and H4s dissect the article’s subtopics.

Your sub headers should therefore include high-intent keywords and mirror the content of the body. You have a far better chance of ranking on the SERP (search engine result pages) when you employ the proper keywords, or those that your target audience uses.

2. Optimise for featured snippets

Featured snippets on Google are the most direct answers to search queries.

You must provide a complete and concise response to the question in order to receive a featured snippet on Google.

For example, use “What to wear with patterned leggings” as your H1 or H2 followed by the steps in a numbered or bulleted list, for instance, if the search keyword is “what to wear with patterned leggings.”

After completing that, make sure to incorporate a portion of the question into your response. If you were to use the aforementioned example, you would begin the sentence with: “To decide what to wear with patterned leggings…”

Moreover, begin every sentence with a word that can be used to take action, such as “click” or “select.”

If a definition is necessary for the keyword for which you wish to rank in the featured snippet, keep your answer to 58 words or less.

3. Make sure to include keywords in your meta description

Do you give your post meta descriptions? If the answer is “no,” you’re probably not exposing your post to as many people as you could. Let’s discuss their significance.

Subheaders, keywords, and snippets are a few of the ways a blog post might interact with Google that we’ve already covered. That is not a complete list, though.

Google also analyses meta descriptions to determine search results. The one- to three-sentence summaries that appear beneath a result’s title are known as meta descriptions.

Meta descriptions are also a chance to speak to users and further convince them that this link is the right one to click that will help them with the problem they are currently searching around. Same with headings, make sure it’s compelling as well as optimised.

You won’t likely need to look far to use the feature because meta description boxes are typically embedded into content management systems (CMS).

4. Always start with keyword research

You must target the precise keywords and phrases that your potential clients are using while searching online if you want to stand out from the SERP clutter and outrank your rivals. Otherwise, how will people locate your website and content?

Think about this like you would for finding hashtags for your social media posts. What are people searching for?

Utilise a keyword research tool first. You can discover more about what people are searching for and how popular those questions are by visiting websites like Ahrefs and Google Keyword Planner.

To make sure you’re still concentrating on the right keywords for your target audience and aren’t passing up crucial ranking possibilities, be sure to undertake keyword research on a regular basis.

5. Link to high-authority websites

Don’t be scared to use external links when you construct your blog content.

In addition to providing blog visitors with additional reading material to broaden their knowledge, linking to trustworthy websites demonstrates to search engines that you have done your homework.

Nothing strengthens a blog post like data supported by research from reputable websites. Using compelling statistics will help you create a stronger, more specific argument that will help you win your readers’ trust.

6. Link to your other blog posts

Search engines can more accurately build a sitemap when you link to other web pages or blog posts on your website. Additionally, it aids in expanding the audience’s knowledge of your content and establishes you as a reliable, credible source of information.

Internal links to other worthwhile material on your website keep visitors around for a longer period of time, lowering bounce rates and improving your chances of a conversion. Isn’t that the main focus here?

Include links that support the points you make in your postings and are relevant to the topic at hand. With your keyword research done you should have a lot of ideas for content.

What About GEO? (And No, We Don’t Mean Maps)

You might have heard the term GEO popping up more and more lately. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is essentially SEO’s newer sibling, and if you’re serious about improving AI visibility, it’s worth paying attention to.

Where traditional SEO focuses on ranking in Google’s blue-link results, GEO is about making your content the answer that AI-powered search tools pull and present directly to users. Think Google’s AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and tools like Perplexity. These platforms don’t just point users to a page, they read it, summarise it, and serve it up on a plate.

So what does that mean for the way you write content? A few things:

• Write clear, direct answers to questions your audience is actually asking
• Structure your content so AI tools can easily extract key points
• Back up your claims with data and credible sources
• Keep your language natural and accessible, not stuffed with jargon
• Use headings that mirror real search queries

The good news? A lot of what makes content great for SEO also works for GEO. Customer-focused content that genuinely helps people tends to perform well across the board.

GEO services

Content Writing Tools Worth Bookmarking

Even the most experienced writers rely on a solid toolkit. If you want to sharpen your content strategy and work more efficiently, here are some content writing tools that are genuinely worth your time:

Tool	What It’s For	Best For
Ahrefs	Keyword research and backlink analysis	SEO techniques and competitor research
Surfer SEO	On page SEO scoring and content briefs	Optimising content as you write
Hemingway Editor	Readability and clarity checks	Keeping your writing clear and simple
Google Search Console	Performance tracking and search data	Content audit and spotting quick wins
AnswerThePublic	Finding questions people are asking	Content innovation and topic ideation
Grammarly	Grammar, tone, and style	Polishing website copy and blog posts
Google Keyword Planner	Search volume and keyword trends	Building out your keyword list

No single tool does everything, but used together these give you a strong foundation for reliable content delivery from research right through to publish.

How to Simplify Complex Topics Without Dumbing Things Down

One of the trickier parts of content writing is figuring out how to simplify complex topics without making your audience feel patronised. It’s a fine balance, but get it right and you’ll have readers coming back for more.

Most people searching online aren’t experts. They want information in a format that’s easy to digest, not buried under technical language. That’s true whether you’re writing about search engine algorithms, financial services, healthcare, or anything else that tends to lean towards the complicated end of the spectrum.

A few things that actually work:

• Use analogies and real-life examples to explain abstract ideas
• Break processes down into numbered steps
• Define any technical terms the first time you use them
• Keep sentences short. One idea at a time is usually plenty.
• Ask yourself: would someone with no background here understand what I’ve just written?

Engaging copy isn’t about sounding clever. It’s about being genuinely useful and easy to read.

Why a Content Audit Should Be on Your To-Do List

If you’ve been running a blog or website for a while, there’s a good chance some of your older content is quietly underperforming. A content and SEO audit is simply the process of reviewing everything you’ve already published to see what’s working, what needs a refresh, and what might be better off removed or merged.

It’s one of those content writing best practices that tends to get pushed to the back burner because creating something new feels more exciting. But it’s genuinely worth making the time for.

Here’s what a basic content audit looks like:

1. Pull a full list of your published pages and blog posts
2. Check performance data in Google Search Console or your analytics platform
3. Identify content that’s ranking well and build on it
4. Flag anything that’s outdated, thin, or no longer relevant to your audience
5. Look for gaps where you could write content on topics you haven’t covered yet
6. Update, merge, or redirect underperforming pages where it makes sense

Search engine algorithms reward fresh, relevant content. Regularly reviewing what you’ve already published is one of the simplest ways to signal to Google that your website is active and genuinely useful.

Check out this Dandy content strategy case study:

Read the Full Case Study Here

Writing With Your Business Goals in Mind

Good content is never just good writing. The best content strategy ties every piece back to your business objectives.

Whether you want to generate leads, sell a service, build brand awareness, or position yourself as an authority, every bit of content you produce should have a clear purpose behind it. What do you want the reader to do when they reach the end? Start there.

When you sit down to write content, run through these questions:

• Who is this for?
• What problem does it solve for them?
• What action do I want them to take?
• Does this fit into our wider content strategy?

Customer-focused content isn’t just a buzzword. It’s what separates content that converts from content that just takes up server space. When your audience feels like you genuinely understand their problems, they’re far more likely to trust you, and eventually, to work with you.

A strong digital marketing agency will always lead with value first. The sales follow naturally when the content does its job.

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Looking for help with your blog writing and content marketing?

In order to secure greater traffic and engagement on your website, it’s essential to apply excellent strategies for both SEO and content writing focuses. This is where we come in!

Get in contact with Dandy right now if you want to increase your search rankings, traffic, and engagement but lack the time or expertise to do it.

We are a full-service digital marketing company with over 10 years of experience writing blog entries that are optimised for search engines.

We’ll work with you to understand your target audience and what they’re looking for, then produce high-quality, engaging content that is optimised for your target keywords. 

So why not give us a try? We even offer a free, no-obligation website SEO audit to get you started.

Check out our SEO packages or Book Your Free SEO Audit today!

How to do content writing FAQs