SEO Content Guide: A Comprehensive Handbook For Beginners in 2024

We know that many beginners feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information out there, so we’ve created this guide to simplify the process. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your skills, this article will walk you through the essentials of SEO content writing—from understanding keyword research to crafting high-quality content that ranks.

In this guide, we’ll break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand steps, provide actionable tips, and share insights to help you avoid common pitfalls. By the end, you’ll have a solid foundation to build on, and you’ll be well-equipped to create content that not only engages readers but also performs well in search engines.

Writing for Online

Writing for the web is a whole different ball game than traditional writing. It’s all about grabbing attention quickly, keeping things clear, and making sure your content is engaging and easy to find through search engines.

First Off: Why Things Go Viral

We’re writing content for SEO, which brings organic traffic. But we also want to try adding an element of virality to each post we write.

6 Principles of Virality (STEPPS)

Coined by Jonah Berger, the 6 STEPPS are all elements of viral marketing.

S – Social Currency

We share things that make us look good.

Things to give your audience:

• Give your audience inside information
• Exclusivity
• Something remarkable about a brand/place

T – Triggers

We share what’s at the top of our minds.

A great way to do this is by associating your brand with a particular day like #humpday, #throwbackthursday, or Star Wars Day #maythe4thbewithyou

E – Emotion

We share what we care about. High-arousal emotions (awe or anger) spur us into action. They make us shake our fists or want to spread the news with others. For example, Red Bull pushes you to achieve the impossible.

P – Public

We imitate what we see people around us doing. No one wants to be left out. If our friends are talking about something, we want to talk about it too! For example, we want to talk about new social media trends on platforms like Snapchat or TikTok.

P – Practical Value

We share things that are valuable to others. This works like advice. We like to have it before we make decisions, and we also tend to share it with others who need it. For example, Trip Advisor is the perfect place to get advice for an upcoming adventure.

S – Stories

We share stories, not information. Stories aren’t just engaging; they’re valuable vessels for carrying information. More than 2000 years later, religious stories and lessons continue to be passed down.

Tip: Read up on the importance of storytelling in marketing here.

Practical Value Guide

Your writing should add value to your website and your readers. It’s not creative writing and not quite technical writing. We generally write for an average audience looking for answers, solutions, and interesting information.

Ways to Provide Practical Value:

1. Listicles
2. Infographics
3. Guides
4. FAQs

Questions to Help Provide Practical Value:

1. How can I help the user?
2. What are some of the questions the user may have about this subject?
3. How do I answer questions my customers might need to be aware of?

Some STEPPS That Could be Combined With Practical Value

• Inside info – Special tips about a place, product, or destination
• Something remarkable about the place or destination
• Associating your brand/topic with a specific time/day
• High arousal emotions (e.g. awe, anger) – this can be done with images or facts
• Speaking about how popular something is or it being a “must-see.”
• Fictional situations where you missed the bus or arrived late and couldn’t enter a temple

Writing for Blog Posts or Articles

Writing for the web differs from writing for print, essays, etc.

Four Golden Rules When Writing for the Web

1) Do not ever copy someone else’s writing. No plagiarism is allowed. EVER!

This is not only lazy but also extremely disrespectful to the original writer and can land you (and the company) in some really hot water. We don’t want to see a rewrite of another post. Everything you write should be a collection of your research and written in your own words and style.

2) Leverage and refine existing web content to make your content BETTER.

We know what we’re writing about has probably already been written, so we research what’s out there and aim to make our content the most comprehensive (and original) information on Google.

3) Say it in as few words as possible.

When writing blog posts and web pages, focus on providing valuable information rather than just filling up the word count. Trim unnecessary words and avoid overly elaborate explanations. Steer clear of fluff, including filter words and passive voice. If more explanation is needed, use links to provide additional information.

4) We want to provide information, facts, and insights, not opinions.

In this case, research is better than experience (up to a point). We want to avoid our thoughts on things like ‘this tour guide’s voice is boring’ but add helpful tips like ‘the hike is quite long, so bring extra water’.

Writing Guidelines

• Represent the site: Use the word “we” and refer to the readers as “you” unless otherwise specified in the order instructions.
• Be conversational and engaging: Ask questions frequently and be friendly in the post. Try to relate to the reader’s situations and stories.
• Short, concise sentences are preferred: Convey your ideas as simply and clearly as possible. Avoid fluff/filler words for the sake of word count.
• Use everyday vocabulary: This isn’t an academic paper.
• Avoid using passive voice.
• Cite the source if you’re presenting a fact: Only cite credible & authoritative sites (big magazines, WebMD, etc. – only link to high-quality and in-depth work)
• Please back facts with links to evidence: Preferably from a site with some authority in the market. When linking out, insert the link on the most relevant words (<like this) in the sentence instead of pasting the entire URL > www.likethis.com

Best Practices for Writing

When writing for online platforms, consider the following best practices:

• Use Hyperlinks: Incorporate relevant inbound and outbound links to provide references and make it easier for users to find additional information. Avoid overloading your content with too many links.
• Use Images: Images enhance engagement and break up lengthy content. Aim for one image every 2-3 paragraphs, ensuring they are compressed (under 200kb) and at least 600px wide.
• Use Short Paragraphs: Keep paragraphs concise, especially for mobile readers. Limit paragraphs to 2-4 sentences to maintain readability.
• Use Formatting: Utilize subheadings, bullet points, numbered lists, and text emphasis (bold or italics) to make content more scannable and user-friendly.
• Use Headings: Headings (H1, H2, H3, H4) help structure content and improve navigation. Ensure there is only one H1 per page, with H2s, H3s, and H4s as needed based on content length.
• Use Lists or Bullet Points: Lists make content easier to read and skim. Use them for steps, reasons, or breakdowns to enhance readability.

Following these practices not only improves the user experience but also boosts SEO, increasing the chances of your content being featured in search engine results.

Keywords

Keywords are fundamental to SEO and form the foundation of any topic you write about. Typically, you’ll be given a primary keyword or topic, and it’s your responsibility to conduct keyword research, identify secondary keywords, and integrate them into your content.

However, it’s crucial to avoid keyword stuffing. If you’re given a keyword like “how to write for the web,” you don’t need to repeatedly use that exact phrase throughout the content. Instead, use synonyms and related terms to keep the writing natural and SEO-friendly.

For example, instead of repeating the keyword “writing,” you might use terms like “copy,” “content,” “posts,” “text,” or “paragraph.” Similarly, use related words for the web like “site,” “blog,” “website,” and “online.” Search engines understand the semantic relevance of these terms, so incorporate them naturally where they fit rather than forcing the primary keyword into the text. Use synonym tools or an online thesaurus if you need help finding alternatives.

SEO Requirements

• The main keyword should be in the title, meta-description, and first and last paragraphs.
• Insert secondary keywords naturally throughout the article and in sub-headings.
• Only provide information based on facts.
• You can link to scholarly articles, studies, or reliable sources to support your claim. However, avoid linking to competitor sites (sites competing for the same primary keyword/phrase).

How to Use Keywords?

SEO keywords must be strategically placed within a title, meta-description, and content.

The first place to find suitable travel SEO keywords is through your expertise. If you’re an expert and know about specific destinations, then use that knowledge by writing articles based on where you’ve been or what you know.

In addition to your own knowledge, there are plenty of ways to find the right keywords and topics to target.

Social Media

Another way to do this would be to list all the places that are coming up on Social media to give you some ideas.

Another good place is to look at the most used keywords on the website or blog you’re working for.

Make a list of all these and then use them in your content to ensure they are enhanced and highlighted when people visit your page.

Google

Some other places to find good travel SEO keywords are Google keyword tools, where you can type what words you want to rank for, and often, Google will spit out some “people also asked” sections.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a great tool that you can use to find keywords.

It’s a premium tool, but it has some great features for finding more traffic, so if SEO is your thing, we highly recommend signing up for this monthly service.

Keysearch

Keysearch is an excellent tool for finding keywords.

The free version of this tool provides some basic information, but the paid version ($12/month) has more features and can help with all your SEO campaigns.

Access to it is not too expensive, so we recommend signing up for the paid version.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is another excellent tool for finding keywords. It’s not as robust of a program, but it has some fantastic features and can be helpful if you’re just getting started in SEO or have an existing website that needs help.

The free version gives basic information about what words might work to rank higher on Google searches.

Surfer SEO Chrome Extention

Surfer SEO is a Chrome extension that shows you your keyword usage on the page you’re writing on and how many more keywords you should add.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is one of the most powerful tools you can use for finding keywords. It’s great for optimisations and identifying keyword gaps on your website, which you can then target.

Adding Images to Your Content

Images add a visual stimulus and aspect to your post. Not everyone has a vivid imagination, so adding pictures helps the reader better understand what is in your content.

NB: Extreme care must be taken when sourcing and adding images; using a copyrighted image or not providing proper accreditation can result in fines and penalties.

Where to Find Images

We only use royalty-free images, which means we can use them in blog posts without paying. Many websites offer paid and free photos, so having a list of trusted, free sites will make your job much easier.

• Unsplash: High-quality, free-to-use images contributed by a global community of photographers.
• Pexels: A large library of free stock photos and videos, perfect for SEO content and marketing.
• Pixabay: Over 1.7 million free high-quality photos, illustrations, vectors, and videos.
• Freepik: Offers a vast selection of free vectors, stock photos, and PSD files. Note: some images require attribution.

How Many Images Do I Need?

The placement of your images and the number of images to add per post will vary. These variants will depend on the length of your post, what site/client it is for, and whether a client has specifically asked for a set number of images.

The point of images, especially in travel writing, is to keep the reader engaged. Nobody wants to look at a wall of text; never mind read it. So, we break up the text with relevant images to make it more appealing to the eye.

Generally, stick to no less than one image every 200 words.

Image Sizing

You’ll need to ensure your images are sized correctly in pixels and file size.

File Size (KB)

KB (kilobytes) is your file size. This determines how much space the image will take up on your website and how long it’ll take for the image (and, therefore, the page) to load. For this reason, we never use images that are more than 200KB.

On rare occasions, you may need an image of higher KB to have good quality. But if you find good-quality photos, you won’t have to worry about this.

Pixels (Height & Width)

The dimensions of your image are measured in px (or pixels). The width is the most important aspect when sizing your image, and images should be as uniform as possible (all with the same width). This helps keep the reader’s eyes focused as they scroll down the page.

How to Choose Images

Choosing the right kind of image plays a significant role in the quality of your post.

#1 Relevance

Relevance is key when adding images to your post. Your images need to convey the same message as your copy. For example, we don’t want a picture of a baby on the beach if we’re writing about the best honeymoon beach vacations.

The same goes for subtle things as well. If you’re writing about searching for flights and you have a laptop screen with a Google search on it as an image, make sure that the search tab in the image doesn’t have something like “best spas in Dubai” or other irrelevant terms.

Use Relevant Search Terms

Keep this in mind when searching for images. If you have a post on ‘travel documents needed to fly to Mauritius’, your search terms can be ‘travel’, ‘travel documents’, and even ‘fly’.

Don’t Go Too Generic

In saying this, if you’re writing a post on ‘best places to go during Christmas’ and include Switzerland, London, and New York, you want to have images of the actual places as much as possible. Rather than just three images of a Christmas tree/Santa/gifts.

You can also try and add images of a Christmas tree next to the Eiffel Tower if you are doing a post for “Christmas in Paris”.

Your images must be as specific to your content as possible. If you do a post on CBD oil for cats, don’t just put a picture of a cat; try placing an image of a cat with a marijuana plant next to it or a cat getting given CBD oil. Of course, if you can’t find specific photos, a cat will do.

#2 Quality

You can see if an image is blurred. When downloading images from anywhere, you’re looking for high-quality photos to enhance the post’s look and feel.

We NEVER take an image and make it bigger—we only make it smaller. If we try to enlarge a small image, the quality is lowered, and the image often looks worse. You will be stretching the original size, compromising the quality.

Keep this in mind when downloading images – if you’re looking for an image that is 750px wide, you can download an image of 1200px and make it smaller, but an image of 400px is useless.

Generally, only download images that are either already the proper size or too big. If they are too big, you can resize them. Never download an image that is smaller than 750px.

#3 Make Sure It’s Visually Appealing

Images bring a post to life, drawing readers in and keeping them engaged. They break up the text, make content more visually appealing, and help convey complex ideas more effectively. A well-chosen image can set the tone, highlight key points, and boost shareability on social media. In short, images are essential for capturing attention and maintaining reader interest.

Naming Your Images

When it comes to naming images, we use a specific format. This format makes it easy to identify where the image was used on the website’s backend and what it is for.

Formatting Image Names

Three rules apply when naming your images online:

1) Never use spaces. Instead, we use underscores or dashes in between words.

I.e. “a pic of my cat” = NO.

But, “a-pic-of-my-cat” = YES.

This is because once online, spaces aren’t seen by the web and are replaced by strange symbols, which isn’t suitable for your website.

2) Name your images according to what they are of, but use keywords where possible.

So, if you have a picture of the Route 44 Cape Town market and the keyword ‘south african market’ in your keyword sheet, you can use “south-african-market-route-44-cape-town”.

3) When naming your images, be as descriptive as possible.

So, instead of saying something like ‘cape-town-beach,’ you will give the actual beach’s name, such as “camps-bay-beach.” This will make your images more user-friendly.

What Is Image Alt Text?

An image’s alt text is very different from its name. Alt-text is short for ‘alternate text’, an attribute that is added to the image’s tag through HTML.

This is done in the coding part of a website, and that is how you can get text to appear on the inside of the image container when the image cannot be displayed.

You should only add alt text to an image when uploading—it goes in the block that says ‘alt text.’

Alt-text is a brilliant way to get keywords in – BUT BEWARE OF KEYWORD STUFFING!

Your alt text should describe the image using keywords as naturally as possible.

I.e. if you’re adding images to a post about the best time to visit Seychelles and have an image of snorkelers for the snorkelling section of the post:

Your alt text should try to have the words “snorkelling’ and ‘Seychelles’ but also describe what you see. Alt text must explain what is in the image and be as specific as possible.

The point is to help search engines understand what a particular image is and what it’s about. Alternate text is also beneficial when images on a page cannot be shown.

Adding Links to a Post – Internal and External

Every post that you write should contain some or all of the following links:

• Internal Links
• External Links
• Affiliate Links

Internal Links

Internal links are links inside the same website. They’re used to link to similar or complementary posts. For instance, if you’re writing a ‘things to do in Munich’ post, the website already has ‘day trips from Munich’ and ‘where to stay in Munich’. These will both be great posts to link to inside of your post.

Internal links also connect your content and give Google an idea of the structure of your website. They can establish a hierarchy on your site, allowing you to provide the most important pages and posts with more link value than other, less valuable pages. So, using the right internal linking strategy can boost your SEO.

How Many Do You Need?

Internal links are good for your site, so add at least two, but if you can find more, that’s great!

Where Should They Go?

Internal links can go anywhere in the post. We like to have an internal link near the top of the post but not too close. If you have a link in the first sentence of your post, you may direct the reader away before they’ve had the chance to read your post.

External Links

External links are links that go from your website to another website. These are used to link the reader to high-authority information and to add context and sources for facts. Before you link out to a website, check the following:

• Is the site trustworthy? You can also check its domain authority to ensure you’re using trusted sources.
• The website is not a competitor to your website. We don’t want to direct the reader from our site and have them find what they need elsewhere. So, if you’re trying to write about things to do in a destination, don’t link to a similar site. Also, if your site sells tours or links out to partners who sell tours, external links should not be competitors.
• The links are relevant. Much like the internal links, we need to make sure that external links make sense. You wouldn’t randomly link to a post on ‘how to feed your pet alligator’ in a post about a road trip around Australia (unless you mention taking your pet alligator on the road trip with you).

How Many Do You Need?

Linking out to other sites uses up what we call Link Juice. Google crawls your page; the more links it has to crawl, the more link juice it uses. For this reason, we limit external links to between 2 and 5 per post. (if you have a short 1000-word post, two links are good – 2000+ words can have a few more links)

Where Should They Go?

External links are essential to any blog post but can direct users away from the current site. We try not to add them too early in the post. We’ll often have an internal link first and aim to put the first external link only after the first quarter of the post.

We also don’t want to add our external links too close together. If your external links are all in the same paragraph or under the same heading – you should look at spacing them out more.

Important: The general rule is not to add two or more external links from the same domain. This dilutes link juice and is often not necessary.

Affiliate Links

Affiliate links are similar to external links as they go to an external site. These links will direct readers to products or services, and the owner of the first site will earn a type of ‘commission’ from the second website.

• Typically, you would add more affiliate links than external links – because you’ll make money from them.
• They can be put anywhere in the post if they follow the content naturally.
• Affiliate links should come from partner sites, and the products/services should have good reviews.
• All affiliate links will have an ‘affiliate ID tag,’ which tells the website where the traffic came from. These tags are important—they’re the only way to make money from the link.

Links & Anchor Text

Anchor Text refers to the text used when hyperlinking your content. When linking internally (i.e., linking to other pages on your site), it is best practice to use a robust and relevant keyword for the anchor text.

External link anchor text should be non-keywords like “this website”, “get special”, or “this guide”, but it should also be relevant. We try not to link using just one word. Keep your hyperlinks between 2 and 5 words.

Examples of Internal Linking:

Imagine your post is ‘Visiting Thailand’, and you are linking to a post on ‘safety in Thailand’.

Good anchor text:

• “Staying safe in Thailand”
• “Thailand safety”
• “Danger in Thailand”
• “Is Thailand safe?”
• Or simply “safety in Thailand.”

Not good anchor text:

• “Crime”
• “Here”
• “Police officers”

Examples of External Linking:

Similar to above, if you want to link out to a site that explains crime stats in Thailand, good anchor text would be:

• “crime statistics”
• “crime rate”
• “levels of crime”
• “not much/lots of crime” (this would depend on what the stats say)

But we would avoid using anchor text like:

• “crime when visiting Thailand”
• “criminals”
• “stats”

How to Structure Online Writing

While there are many elements to a good, optimised piece of SEO content, one of the most important is the post layout. Each post has different areas with various purposes, each of which fits together to make a powerful SEO puzzle.

Here’s how you should structure each post and what to remember when writing each section.

Title

The title of your post is EXTREMELY important. Mostly, it will convince the reader to click on your post and read it. Here’s how you should write your title:

1. Include the topic/keyword given to you
2. Write the complete post
3. Go back to the title and expand it
4. Incorporate recurring modifiers into your title (words that regularly occur in your post and keyword research)

The Introduction (4-Part Intro)

This can be three to four paragraphs providing details about the subject or the process you will address in the body. It should be 100 – 200 words long and combine elements of the 4-part intro:

Part 1: Set the Context

This is where you’ll immediately hook your readers and give them a feel of the post’s main topic. It’s also a good place to present them with a problem. Good examples:

For Summer Vacation in Cape Town

‘Those who have visited Cape Town know how much the Mother City shows off in summer. The sun, sand, and sea make for a stunning vacation spot.’

For How to Grow a Veggie Garden

‘We all know how important vegetables are for a healthy diet, but supermarkets aren’t always a reliable source of fresh and tasty products. Which is why anyone with garden space should consider growing their own.’

Part 2: Invoke a Sense of Fear/Panic

This is not as mean as it sounds. We want this section to introduce the reader to the problems that many face with this topic. Good examples:

For Summer Vacation in Cape Town

Spending summer in the Cape can be glorious, but it can also be expensive and somewhat overwhelming. The Mother City is not small and is jam-packed with activities, attractions, and something happening around every corner. So how do you plan a fun-filled yet relaxing summer vacation in Cape Town?’

For How to Grow a Veggie Garden

‘But do you know which soil to use? When to plant your seeds? How often do they need water, and how much sunlight do they require? Growing a vegetable garden at home is more complicated than it may seem initially.’

Part 3: Invoke a Sense of Relief

Now, let them know that this post has the solution to the abovementioned problem. Good examples:

For Summer Vacation in Cape Town

‘Lucky for you, we’ve planned plenty of summer holidays and love Cape Town, so this guide contains useful tips and tricks. From where to stay, how to get around, and unmissable things to do, we’ve listed them all.’

For How to Grow a Veggie Garden

‘It may seem mission impossible right now, but we’re here to help! With the right tools, knowledge, and some handy tips, you’ll have a healthy veggie garden growing in no time.’

Part 4: Reassure the Reader and Draw Them In

So now you’ve probably got them interested in your post – they want something, know their obstacles, and believe you have the answers to help them. All that’s left to do is convince them to scroll down and continue reading. Good examples:

For Summer Vacation in Cape Town

‘With this travel guide, your warm Cape Town trip will be as memorable as anything. It’ll make planning a breeze, and the only sweating you’ll be doing all summer long is on Clifton Beach. Find all our insider advice below.’

For How to Grow a Veggie Garden

‘You now get to benefit from our tried-and-tested ways of gardening. This guide includes indoor, outdoor, small, and large gardens. So prepare your seeds and cultivate a rich veggie bounty.’

What the Intro Should Achieve:

• Grab the reader’s attention
• Present the reason for the post’s existence.
• Explain how the post will help address the problem.

What You Can Do

• Relate to your audience — think about how they got here and why they’re reading it, and place yourself in their shoes.
• Captivate them — tell them how awesome or inspiring it is or how it changed your thoughts or perceptions. Make them curious, enticing them to read more.
• Introduce your topic — If your intro can be read alone, it’s not an introduction.

The Body of a Blog Post

This is the value section. It will contain most of your words (break this up into several sections with a subtitle each).

Use H2s and H3s for each subsection. Your headings can usually be decided quickly using keyword research (we’ll learn more about this in a lesson or two).

Examples

If the keyword is “best places to see in Cape Town”:

DON’T

• Write about the things do in Stellenbosch
• Write about the costs of things (these change – so you may use a range or vague description “around R100 – R200” (if you are writing on a .com, use $. If you are writing on a co.za, use R – if not specified, use what you think would be best)

DO

• Write about what makes it a good thing to see
• Write about how far it is from specific points (city centre)
• Add useful info the reader would need (opening times, etc.)

Here Are Some Ideas of Info to Add:

1. Where to go?
2. What will you find?
3. Things to look for / shows and restaurants
4. Why is it a good place to see?
5. Address controversy
6. When is a good time to go?
7. Where should you stay?

The Conclusion

Write around 100 to 150 words in the conclusion.

Link it back to the information you delivered in the value section and show how the product/place fulfils all the user’s needs.

Whenever possible, end the conclusion with a call to action, i.e. “Book your trip to Cape Town now.” or “Why not share pics of your veggie garden with us on Instagram?” or even, “If you enjoyed this post, read our more in-depth guide on a road trip around South Africa.”

Other Guidelines

• Don’t go too in-depth in your descriptions: We’re writing a blog post, not a novel. If your sentence doesn’t explain it well enough, find a picture that does.
• Capitalise words in headlines: unless you’re instructed not to by specific website requirements
• Use lots of subheadings
• Write small bite-sized paragraphs
• Use lists and bullet points where possible
• Users love images; please use as many as you can.
• Avoid adding unnecessary sentences: Such as ‘Rome is just absolutely magical.’ Although this may sound nice, it adds no value to the reader and wastes their reading time.