Before I began writing this article on the easiest SEO content writing tool, I did my research. I identified the key phrase I wanted to target. I’ve Googled what articles I’m competing against.
What I’ve found is that most of my competition is reviewing five, six, thirty-six, forty-nine easiest SEO content writing tools.
I don’t think you want to skim descriptions of apps and then have to decide if it’s what you’re looking for. Especially, when there is an app that literally is a one-stop-shop for all of your writing SEO needs and it’s free.
INK is the content writing tool I’ve been developing. You can actually write your article in INK. It even corrects your grammar and spelling issues.
Here’s the best part. It also runs real-time analytics to ensure that your content is going to rank at the top of Google.
This article was written in INK. While I’ve been writing, it has been sharing tips to help me optimize my content.
Here’s how INK Works
You identify what keywords or key phrase you’re writing for. When you launch INK, it asks you to enter these words or phrase.
INK reminds you that short, generic terms are hard to compete with. Be specific when identifying these terms.
Once you click the plus sign, INK begins working its magic. There are no magicians or wizards locked in a room that generate the great results.
INK has a proprietary algorithm that analyzes the sites you are competing against for ranking. Then INK provides you with a content relevance score.
INK breaks my to-do list down to word tasks and relevance tasks. Remember this advice is customized for my key phrase that I entered.
INK’s Word Tasks
Word Count
I’ve learned that I need to write at least 1276 words for this article to be deemed relevant by Google. While keyword stuffing and writing a bunch of nonsense is discouraged, I can add more relevant content to this article.
I read back over what I had written and found areas that seemed weak in my description. I found ways to elaborate on the points that I wanted to make. In the end, this tip created a better article that answered my key phrase in a more thorough way.
This customized tip is very helpful. INK has found that I have a sentence that is very hard to read.
When I click on this task, INK highlights the sentence that I need to fix. Usually, this happens to me when I’ve combined multiple thoughts into one sentence.
Passive Voice
For this article, I’ve used passive voice too much. Is this the end of the world? No. But INK tells me my audience prefers active voice and I want to write for you.
Plus, according to INK, I really only need to fix one sentence. INK will show me where I’ve used passive voice, so I can easily make the corrections.
Unique Hyperlinks
INK has discovered that I need to add more hyperlinks in order to compete with the highest-ranking articles.
This is a suggestion, but an important one. Give credit where credit is due. Hyperlink to the sites that contributed to your article.
INK’s Relevance Tasks
Meta Title and Description
Here’s another tip from INK. I need to add a meta title and description. I decided to use my headline as my title. Now, I need to come up with a description.
Google’s algorithm has gotten much smarter since the good old days. Your site is no longer ranked by how many times you can work your keywords into the first paragraph.
However, its good practice to use your keywords or key phrase throughout your article. After all, it is what you are writing about.
INK shares with me that it would help if I could work my key phrase into a subheading. I’ll take this tip into consideration. But if I can’t make it sound natural, then I’ll dismiss this task.
Image SEO
It’s time to focus on image search engine optimization. Not only do I need to upload my graphics, but I need to write a great image ALT text and caption. By doing this, I’ll give Google more insight into what this article is about.
Unfortunately, INK can’t select my images for me. But it can optimize what I upload.
INK says that I’ve done a great job (but there are always areas of improvement) of crafting this article so you will see it.
INK is Free
Every feature I mentioned above is free. It’s not a free for three months, or it’s only free if you use the app version. There are no ads that you must watch to use INK. It’s 100% free.
Download it and see how much better your content will rank. Then tell your friends.
The cornerstone of what takes content marketing from good to great is keyword research. Simply put, this is the process you use to come up with a list of keywords you want to rank for online.
These relevant keywords and phrases help you define your content map. They also help with your editorial calendar while addressing user intent in a way that speaks to both the end reader and the search engines.
You can’t succeed with SEO if you don’t have a defined process for keyword research. In this article, you’ll learn the why and how of great keyword research. You’ll also learn how to establish a process you can turn to again and again to help your website rank for the right terms.
Without keyword research, you can’t begin to create a plan for SEO or implement that plan to drive valuable traffic to your website. Keyword research is all based on the foundation of search intent. That is, what the reader was actually looking for when they entered this information into a search engine.
Why Does Keyword Research Matter?
Keyword research both sets the tone and gives you the roadmap to crafting great material for content marketing.
Keyword research and knowing what tools to use significantly helps you rank for the right phrases in search engines. However, keyword research also gives you critical data about your readers. This includes who they are, what they need help with, and the kinds of information you can provide that directly relates to their concerns.
If you use a clear keyword research process as the first step to creating great content, you can become a thought leader. Furthermore, you can make readers feel as though you wrote content just for them each time they land on one of your pages.
Important Keyword Research Terms
In the process of doing keyword research, you might come across several unfamiliar terms. These are explained below.
Keyword Difficulty in SEO
Knowing how difficult your chosen keywords will be to rank for is critical when deciding on target keywords.
Keywords with strong competition are not a good place to put your focus, especially at first. Look for keywords for which you have a chance to rank instead. This means good search volume and a low level of competition.
CPC in SEO
Building your organic search strategy with keywords might lead you to ignore paid options, but CPC is still a valuable metric. Cost Per Click (CPC) describes the cost a search engine charges to an advertiser when a visitor clicks on their sponsored link.
The amounts charged vary depending on which search engine they are using and the popularity of the keywords.
High traffic keywords will cost more to advertise than more obscure ones. In addition, more popular search engines tend to charge more than less popular search engines.
This will help back up your selection of keywords for those with low levels of competition since the CPC should be lower than other keywords.
Search Volume
When researching keywords, pay close attention to the search volume of your target keywords. Search volume is the number of times that a specific keyword is searched for in a given month.
Sometimes search volume isn’t everything. ¦ Google Keyword Planner
You can see here that the cost per click of the chosen keyword “paleo diet” is $.36, which is likely due to the volume of average monthly searches.
Making a List of Keywords
Keyword research doesn’t have to be difficult. But far too many people approach content marketing by picking keywords the wrong way. They choose keywords a writer, not a reader, would use. This means leaving readers – and money – on the table, because at the end of the day, keyword research should be all about user intent.
The truth is that your keyword research tool should only be used after you make a keyword list.
The truth is that plugging your basic keyword into Google’s Keyword Planner only gives you basic results.
That’s because KP is only going to show you keywords directly related to what you typed in. While this is a decent starting point, it doesn’t clarify all the related keywords you should target.
That’s critical because those related terms and topics definitely belong in your keyword list. They are where the traffic – and money – are at.
Making a list of keywords goes one step beyond by telling you how your target audience thinks.
This information will help you craft a content and keyword strategy through the eyes of the end reader. On your own, you’re unlikely to be able to guess how to do this, but there are tools that help you create a targeted keyword list. We’ll explore those a bit later in this article.
From Narrow to Broader: The Right Keyword Research Strategy
One mistake made by most people new to SEO and picking keyword lists is focusing only on the obvious.
These obvious keywords are very competitive and only allow for limited room to write and create high-quality content. With so many people using only those keywords to create content, it can be very difficult to break in. Many of the related keywords are more important anyway.
Take the example of a person searching for information on the paleo diet. Those two words, “paleo diet”, are the most obvious to add to your keyword list.
But, if you stop there, you’re leaving traffic on the table. In order to succeed with keyword research, you have to start with a narrow topic or set of search terms.
But then you have to go broader, thinking more specifically about what other kinds of things that same reader would want to know.
This is where you create a keyword list and begin to frame how you’ll become a web “thought leader”. You’ll start with those main keywords eventually while first getting results with the related keywords.
Someone researching the paleo diet might also be looking for:
Grain-free recipes
Autoimmune protocols
Breaking a sugar addiction
The best time of day for exercise
What are good vs. bad carbs
Initially, you might have run off to the races to write a giant article on the paleo diet targeting only those two keywords.
But readers don’t think like that, and search engines don’t either. You can eventually target the “paleo diet” keyword by writing other content. This means thoughtful, in-depth content that the same reader would care about.
That same reader probably has a general interest in health or wellness. Or, they’re ready to break free of bad habits and live a healthier lifestyle. They might be wondering how much prep and cooking time is required to make paleo food.
Or, they might think of how they can transition from a processed food diet to one that’s more plant-based.
By meeting the reader where he or she is at and providing content to their general interests in this field, you can build up to ranking for “paleo diet”. This means first ranking with these other topics that are more likely to build a following and earn the reader’s trust.
Starting with your focus keyword also gives you a good frame of reference for other topics.
On your own, you might not have ever thought of mentioning the Atkins diet or the Pritikin diet, right?
Now that you know that your reader might be searching to find the right diet plan for themselves, you can write articles about the Atkins diet pros and cons.
Or, you can even compare with other types of diets. You address the reader’s underlying psychological standpoint and interest first. But you also building up to your paleo diet-specific page over time.
Free yourself from the simplicity of typing “paleo diet” into Google’s Keyword Planner. Start by brainstorming other related topics and keywords that could also interest your buyer persona. Then you can use each of these to do keyword research to determine specific terms and concepts to mention.
Inside Keyword Planner you can also see “related terms to try” as a helpful place for creating even more keyword lists and ideas.
Branching out can be one of the best tactics for achieving ranking superiority. ¦ Google Keyword Planner
Within each of these articles, you might also reference the paleo diet, but it won’t be the main point of the articles you create first. Instead, these sub-articles will build up to the bigger topic, so that it operates as a “hub” of information.
How to Do Keyword Research
Your final step involves taking your list and editing it. Use a keyword planning tool to check out your list of keywords. Here you can find search volume and traffic numbers so that you can pick and choose which keywords will serve you best. Aim for keywords that have a high search volume with low difficulty.
Within each of these articles, you might also reference the paleo diet, but it won’t be the main point of the articles you create first. Instead, these sub-articles will build up to the bigger topic, so that it operates as a “hub” of information. Your final step involves taking your list and editing it. Use a keyword planning tool to check out your list of keywords. Here you can find search volume and traffic numbers so that you can pick and choose which keywords will serve you best. Aim for keywords that have a high search volume with low difficulty.
Keyword Research Tools
There are many great keyword research tools to help you on your SEO journey. Here’s an overview of each tool and how they may help you out.
This handy tool takes a primary keyword target and automatically provides you with a multitude of similar keywords that may complement your SEO. Use Ubersuggest to help you brainstorm keyword and topic ideas to ensure that your content is relevant to your audience.
For brainstorming, there are few better tools than Ubersuggest. ¦ Ubersuggest
Here’s what’s interesting about Ubersuggest — while we already know that the primary search term we started with is competitive, we now have a breakdown of the chance to rank in the top 20 on this particular word. Ubersuggest makes for a great backup to Google Keyword Planner to make sure you’ve considered all aspects of your refined keyword list. Now let’s try a good long tail keyword.
In keyword research, it’s best to diversify your searches to find the best terms for you. ¦ Ubersuggest
This shows me that even though the CPC is high, the search volume is lower and that SEO difficulty is going to be easier to target.
Select the right terms for your content marketing strategy through the use of Google Keyword Planner. This tool helps you with finding new keyword opportunities, analyze current keywords, and making a solid plan for your SEO. Earlier in this article you saw some examples of how to use KP for generating keyword ideas.
KWFinder offers accurate keyword difficulty scores and provides a list of low difficulty keyword options that your competitors might be missing. Plus, this keyword planner tool will give you exact search volumes. This will help to give you a great understanding of the keywords you want to rank for. One of the interesting things about KWFinder is that you can see some other information. This includes the pages that rank well for this search term already and how many hits they get.
You won’t be the first person to find a better keyword opportunity with the help of KWFinder. ¦ KWFinder
This keyword tool provides a highly automated process that gives you useful keyword data. With Moz’s Keyword Explorer, you can sort through thousands of keyword suggestions. You can even explore a detailed analysis of keyword metrics. These metrics include search volume, difficulty, opportunity, and potential.
If you want to take a deep dive into your keyword’s potential, this is the site for you. ¦ Moz’s Keyword Explorer
This free service offered by Google helps you to monitor and maintain your site’s rankings in Google. Google Search Console gives you an insider look at how Google views your webpage. Everyone with a website should take advantage of this handy tool from Google even though it doesn’t go as far as other keyword research tools.
Sometimes it’s best to get advice straight from the horse’s mouth. ¦ Google Search Console
Take the guesswork out of analyzing your competition and prospective market with SEMRush. SEMRush gives you a thorough platform for researching keyword and domain analytics. This will make your content market process a lot simpler. The major advantages of SEMrush are only unlocked when you have a paid account with this keyword research tool.
If you want a catch-all analysis of your keyword strategy, SEMRush is for you. ¦ SEMRush
Summary
Keyword research serves as the blueprint on which we can build a well-optimized website. With a great keyword research process in place, you can drive customers to your website and encourage new business. Put simply, keyword research is the first stage in ensuring your content gets seen by the right readers. It also sends a signal to the search engines about which topics your site covers. Keyword research drives all of the content you create and helps you to establish your site in that industry. As a refresher, keyword research consists of three categories of keywords: head, body and tail keywords. To know which keywords to use, you need to analyze a few things: difficulty, CPC and search volume. To make this process easier, there are a number of great tools available. Your best results will be obtained by using paid tools, but you can certainly get a jump on your project by using free tools. Throughout this article, we have discussed what keyword research entails. We also covered why it is important, and how to go about starting your keyword research planning. Remember that it all boils down to user intent. From one specific article to many that provide thoughtful, well-written ideas, you can begin to grow your site and rank in search engines. With your newfound knowledge on keyword research in hand, there’s no time like the present to dive into your keyword research project and generate your first keyword list.
We’re a resource-lean marketing team of 2, and creating content is 90% of our marketing plan. At this point, our entire copyrighting process is centered around INK.
Here’s why:
Our old process relied on several different versions of the same Word Doc, with edits sent back and forth in our project management tool. It was clunky. Not to mention, there was a lot of uncertainty in the efficacy of our changes, which isn’t uncommon in the world of organic search. But as soon as we implemented Ink, that uncertainty was gone.
The platform provides real-time feedback on our content relevance, with actionable tips for improvement.
The checklist of must-haves is stellar, including some I didn’t think were weighted too heavily, like passive voice and adverb usage.
I truly believe that INK takes the guesswork out of ranking, and there’s proof. Before using INK, we had about 600 monthly organic visits to our website. Now, we average over 2,400 and counting! And that’s in 6 months.
Truly impressive. I highly recommend using INK as your all-in-one SEO tool.
Jericka’s Testimonial
Content that reaches an audience of zero feels like shouting into the void. INK has helped us not only streamline our workflow, but also focus on producing creative, research-based content that resonates with our audience.
INK is easy to use and has expanded my knowledge of SEO in a way that keeps our audience’s needs and interests top of mind.
Now that it’s 2019, there has to be one kid who grew up dreaming of the high-flying good life that is writing content for SEO.
But, I’m not that kid. I grew up dreaming of flying fighter jets. Sometime later, I used my terrible eyesight to look down at my flat feet. No military doctor or pilot school would approve my physical. So, naturally, I started complaining to my LiveJournal.
That”s me on the left without the medal 🙁
Eventually, all of that lead to an appreciation for misanthropes and American short fiction. I later got my undergrad in Creative Writing with Honors. Naturally, I then became a sommelier. Just kidding, there’s nothing natural or predictable about choosing to be a writer.
Eventually I started editing SEO content on the side for extra cash. Spinning, rewriting, and near-spam were the names of the game back then. Rather than filling up the Internet like an ocean full of trash, Google and Internet users realized that quality content was the way ahead. I started enjoying writing for SEO. But it was hard. It was hard to guarantee people that what I was writing for them would rank. Often times, it wouldn’t rank. The struggle continued.
Then I found INK. What a relief!
INK has been confidence for me as an SEO professional. It takes into account every SEO best practice and reassures me that my content is perfectly geared towards SERP ranking. When it seems like there’s nothing you could do to be more relevant, INK will be there to back you up as it has me.
I love starting a new INK project. So much potential.
I also use INK with a full team of SEO content writers and editors. Each step in optimizing a set of content can often be confusing and like trying to pick up and understand another developer’s code. But, with INK, my team can hop in and out of a very specific set of content without delay or issue. It’s a breeze!
I got a 94% relevancy score! This stuff is basically guaranteed to be optimized for search.
After using INK for a while, creating well-optimized content for a very specific set of search intent becomes a routine, a process, a well-oiled mechanical process, and I couldn’t be happier. Thanks INK!
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