Articles2 October 2023
What to consider when planning and writing content to reach top search engine positions.
There is a lot of unreliable and misleading information online. Search engines developed quality systems to reduce the spread of misinformation, especially on topics that affect people's lives.
Imagine two very similar texts with the same topic, style and structure. One appears in search results while the other does not. Why? The first was created using the principles we want to discuss here.
A strong article takes a series of steps: keyword research, competitor analysis for relevant queries, a clear brief and careful editing. Without this work, it is unrealistic to expect a page to rank well. Together with Tigran Arutyunyan, Serenity's SEO team lead, we look at how to create quality content and the stages involved in producing SEO articles.
Example search results for SEO articles
Start with keyword research. A keyword set is a collection of words and phrases people use when searching. It reflects the business and the products or services it offers. These terms, often called keywords, also help search engines understand what a web page is about.
Keywords can be grouped by search volume: high, medium and low. They can also be classified by user intent:
Informational
These answer a question. Example: “When was Dubai founded?”
Transactional
These signal that someone is ready to buy a product or service. Example: “order a marketing research study.”
Navigational
These help users find a specific website or page they already know. Example: “Serenity production article.”
How do you build a keyword set, and what tools can help? One approach is keyword discovery: brainstorm topics, explore related terms, analyse competitors and use research tools.
Once you have a keyword list, group the terms into topical clusters. This helps visitors reach the most relevant page and supports a clear site structure and content plan. Small sites can be clustered manually; larger sites may benefit from SEO research tools.
To understand the competitive landscape, review the length and structure of competing articles, keyword usage and related search terms. The first three are straightforward: see what competitors have published, learn from gaps and improve on their approach. Related terms deserve a closer look.
LSI stands for Latent Semantic Indexing. In SEO writing, the term is often used for words and phrases that are semantically related to a main query. Related terms can help indicate a page's topic and make the text more useful and readable.
Related terms do not have to be synonyms. They can be any concepts closely connected in meaning. For example, if “marketing” is the main keyword, related terms might include “research,” “advertising,” “targeting,” “brand” and “content.”
Related terms can add useful context to an article. Search engines use many signals to assess whether a page is relevant and useful to a searcher.
Use the researched keywords and related terms naturally in your content. Next, let's look at the main requirements for an article brief.
Use your research to prepare a brief for the writer. Include:
1. The topic
It may seem obvious, but define the topic clearly. Otherwise, the structure and focus of the article can drift.
2. The length
Specify the expected word or character count. Clarify whether spaces are included so the writer knows what is expected and revisions take less time.
3. The keyword list
List the terms to include and, where useful, the expected frequency. Separate essential high-volume terms from lower-volume suggestions.
4. Originality requirements
The text should be original and useful. A score of 100% can be a good result, but some common terminology and standard phrases may be flagged by checking tools. Treat originality scores as guidance and review any matches before publication.
For example, this article received a 100% originality score.
5. H1, Title, Description.
Specify the required HTML elements separately, including their approximate length and purpose.
6. Reference articles
It is fine to use other articles as references. Do not copy them; you can learn from choices such as the order of subheadings and adapt useful ideas to your own content. A concrete example is often more helpful than an abstract description.
Here is an example of a content brief for this article:
There is one more important point: the structure of the article deserves special attention.
Make the text easy to scan: use subheadings, short paragraphs organised around clear ideas, and bulleted or numbered lists where they help.
Headings deserve careful attention. They should describe the content clearly and help readers and search engines understand the page.
What else belongs in a content brief? Let's look at the example again:
The draft is ready, but is it clear and correct? Check grammar, style, punctuation, readability and repetition. This requires careful editing.
A skilled editor who understands the target language can catch even small mistakes. Not every team has one, and human reviewers can miss things. Writing and proofreading tools can help check originality, grammar, punctuation, repetition and readability—but they should support, not replace, editorial judgement.
— Text.ru;
— Advego.com;
— ETxt.ru;
— Orfogrammka.ru;
— Textovod.com;
— Glvrd.ru;
— Turgenev.ashmanov.com.
There are several less obvious details worth reviewing.
Plan internal links between relevant pages. Links to other useful articles can keep readers engaged, improve navigation, support discovery and distribute authority across your site. We discuss this in more detail in our article on SEO for IT products..
Where relevant, link to related articles or services. Search engines use many signals to evaluate pages; you can learn more about how these systems work in this article.
In some fields, such as law or medicine, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (E-A-T) are important quality considerations.
Show why readers can trust the article: name the author, include relevant quotations, credentials or links to the author's work. Make the expertise useful and engaging so it earns the audience's attention. Keep quality and trust in mind as search systems evolve.
We have gathered these recommendations to help you put them into practice. Follow a clear process when creating SEO content, then monitor how your pages perform in search results.
