When creating search-engine-optimized content for the web, the content creator is tasked with providing users (or readers, if you prefer) with specific information that is accessible, easy to read, and easy to digest. To further complicate the task, the user could be from literally any part of the world and from any background. The user can be of any age, and there is no guarantee that he or she will be proficient in the language in which the content is written.

Despite these variables, SEO content still needs to be appealing and informative – all the while staying focused on the information it is trying to deliver.

The task is further complicated when we stop and consider what exactly it means to create search-engine-optimized content.

One of the biggest points of frustration when it comes to writing SEO content is that, to a certain extent, the content is meant to appeal to an algorithm. The SEO content creator can quickly become disillusioned as he or she might get the impression that they are writing for a machine – the bot that search engines send out to scour the web and peruse the content they come across.

Writing for these bots or trying to appeal to an algorithm has the potential to not only frustrate content creators but frustrate readers as well. After all, creating content is a way for people to interact with others (other people). And the fact that SEO content is meant to appeal to bots can be quite disheartening to the creator.

Additionally, from the reader’s perspective, it’s quite easy to identify content that is more interesting in appealing to an SEO algorithm than it is in appealing to a real flesh and blood reader. Perusing content that you know is not intended for you kind of defeats the purpose of optimization – or at least it should.

Be that as it may, it is possible to create content that can appeal to both the algorithm and the reader. In fact, certain components of the search engine algorithms are meant to ensure that the content is reader-friendly – through the determination of the artificial intelligence (the bots) still remains a poor substitute for the real thing. 

In this short article, we’ll be taking a more optimistic approach to SEO writing – despite its shortcomings. To achieve this, we’ll be taking a look at some tips of the trade that can help you to create content that is both appealing to search engine algorithms and appealing to readers. We’ll also be taking a look at some common characteristics of SEO writing that are widespread but that you might want to avoid.