How to Create SEO Content Without Writing Skills
You know you need awesome, engaging content on your website to compete for organic search traffic. But what if you’re not a strong copywriter? How do you implement a strong content strategy?
The easy answer is “hire a copywriter”, but I’m assuming that’s not the advice you’re here for. Perhaps you’re running a small business. Perhaps you’re the SEO manager for a business. Whatever your situation, you need to create engaging SEO content, but that doesn’t mean it has to be written.
So, here are the top five ways to produce SEO content without superb writing skills.
1. Design an infographic
Good infographics usually aren’t cheap (unless you have an in-house graphic designer), but they have higher viral potential than text-based content, and they don’t require much text. You’ll need access to data to provide your graphic designer, along with valuable insights drawn from it. Conducting customer surveys is a popular method of gathering data for infographics.
2. Produce a YouTube video
YouTube is the second most popular search engine next to Google. It’s also owned by Google, and Google gives priority to its videos within search results. You can shoot a short video (1 to 3 minutes) with your iPhone, upload it to YouTube, promote it across your social media channels, and take pride in the SEO content you just created.
3. Create a slideshow
Because images are so popular online and they get indexed by search engines, slideshows are great for SEO. Slideshows don’t require much writing; a title and a brief description for each image. For a great example of how to use slideshows as content, take a look at Electronic House’s recent slideshow of “13 Really Cool Retro Home Theaters”.
4. Request reviews
Rather than writing content, how about getting your customers to write content for you? User-generated content is a fantastic tool for SEO, and all you have to do is ask for it. You can publish feedback on a Testimonials web page, and if you run an ecommerce site, you can ask for product reviews.
5. Throw your thoughts onto paper
Seriously. Grab an old-fashioned pen and a nice piece of paper, and start writing. Yes, you just learned four ways to create SEO content that doesn’t demand much writing, but there’s no ignoring the importance of basic written content, especially for your blog. Don’t have a blog? An active blog is necessary for a successful SEO initiative.
First, write down topics. The most important part of writing is knowing what you want to write about. The trick to writing a great blog when you don’t have great writing skills is to write about things you know. Don’t choose a topic that requires hours of research. Pick one that you can talk about effortlessly.
Next, start talking about your topic. I mean it. Have a little conversation with yourself, and listen. Remember what you say, and then write it down. If you have a voice/tape recorder, even better. Turn it on and educate that recorder.
When you’ve said everything you have to say about your topic, you’ll probably have a mess of written content. That’s fine. That’s fantastic. Fix it up a bit. You can do it, I swear. If you have 1,000 messy words, cut it down. A 400-word blog that makes sense is way better than a 1,000-word blog full of nonsense. And if you have a little budget to work with, hire a college student to edit it for you.
This same strategy can be used to write guides, articles, product pages, and other written SEO content. Will it be the best writing on the Internet? Maybe not. But if it’s interesting, and provides value for your readers, then it’s going to benefit your SEO campaign.
For more content like this, be sure to check out my podcast, The Entrepreneur Cast!
