What To Say: How To Find The Right Words To Use On Your Website

Congratulations on having your very own website! You've taken the first step in establishing your presence in the vast world of the internet.

The second step is putting together awesome content.

We will be talking about a few things that will help you get started in writing your content for your website.

We will be covering two main topics in this article.

The first topic will be focusing on what you should write for your website with regards to optimizing your content for SEO. This helps you place your website on the first page of a Google search when your clients or potential clients look for you.

The second topic will be all about how to engage the readers who have clicked on your website and have started to read your content.

All in all, this article will be about helping you to hook your readers on your content so that they keep coming back for more.

Through The Lens Of SEO

Knowing how to optimize your content for gaining a higher ranking with Google will help your website pop up as one of the first options when a user searches on a certain keyword.

This will be your hook to entice readers to click on your website and read your content.

Keyword Search Research

Doing your research before you dive in headfirst into writing for your website is going to make everything easier for you. Not only will you be guided in what you’re supposed to write but also your writing process will be much smoother.

But what exactly are keywords?

Keywords are the ideas and topics that define your content. Think of it as a big label on a product. This helps not only your audience but will also help Google’s algorithm know what your content is about.

What would your target audience type for a Google search if they're looking for someone like you?

This is where keyword research comes in. You’ll need to understand what words your target audience will use to search for you, so you can play off those words and come to their notice when they're searching the internet.

In starting your keyword research, there are a few questions that you have to keep in mind.

• What do people search for?
• How many people are searching for it?
• How do they want to receive this information?

Answering these questions will start you off on your keyword research.

Your content should have these keywords to help direct your audience to your website when they look for you in Google.

With all of this in mind, some keywords are more efficient to use than others. If you’re a dental clinic, using words like “dental clinic near (insert name of place here)” would be highly beneficial.

These words are the usual words that users type in google when they look for content like yours. This will make your website more visible.

Next, we'll be using a keyword research tool so that we’ll be able to see the average monthly search volume of your keywords. If you've run out of ideas as to what keywords you should use, the same tool also offers an option to show you similar keywords that are connected with your initial keywords.

You will also be able to see different variations of the keyword that you type in. Determining which of these variations is most popular among users will help you decide what to use in your content.

Using the same example earlier, you can play with words like “dental clinics near me” or “dental clinic in (insert name of place here)”.

Quality Over Quantity

Now that you have a collection of words that you can use to boost your ranking, why not use all of them repeatedly in your content? The more the keyword appears in your content, the higher Google will rank your content, right?

Unfortunately, this is not the case.

What you're doing is called keyword spamming, also known as keyword stuffing, and it's going to cause you more trouble than it’s worth.

Keyword spamming is when you try to overload your content with the keywords that you have found in order to rank high with Google. You write it all throughout your content even if it's not very appropriate to do so.

If your clinic offers OB-GYN services, then spamming “OB-GYN clinic in (insert name of place here)” in your content won’t be helpful. Repeatedly using this keyword even though it has nothing to do with the content will get you in trouble.

So, your content, crammed as it is with lots and lots of keywords, doesn't make for interesting reading. On top of this, Google will penalize your website and make sure that your page gets demoted in rankings. And if that isn’t bad enough, Google could remove your content altogether.

Instead, incorporate your keyword in a much more organic way into your content. You can pace yourself with how often you use the keyword in your content.

Another suggestion would be to use synonyms for your keywords. In this way, you're still using a different variation of the keyword that ranks high with Google.

Mainstream vs. Niche

Sometimes, the competitive market can become too competitive to penetrate, especially if you’re a small start-up business.

This means, trying to use generally popular keywords may only benefit you a little because bigger companies are using the same keywords. They can saturate the market with their content and choke yours in the process.

When you're a small start-up clinic, you would want to specialize in a niche so that people will find it easier to differentiate you from your competitors. Being a general clinic is nice since it can cater to a lot of things, but find a specialization that can help you stand out.

This also goes with optimizing your content to accommodate niche keywords. Instead of using keywords that big clinics or hospitals use, find the keywords that may not be as high ranking as the general keywords, but would be able to describe you uniquely.

How Would Your Customer Say It?

You’re tempted to describe our products and services as the best in the business. You’re excited to use technical terms to explain how the product works because you want your customers to know that you did your research and you know what you’re doing.

But how would your customer say it?

We've been discussing keywords in the past few points. With this in mind, people usually use words that are common to them when searching on Google, not jargon in the industry.

You have to be able to accommodate this limitation in your user's vocabulary. In doing so, you'll not only be more relevant to your readers but also more visible when they search for your content.

Through The Lens of Reader Engagement

Now that we have learned how to hook users into clicking on your website and becoming readers, we would want to make sure that they come back for more.

This is why we have to focus on creating content that is engaging and will make your readers want more.

Your Customer’s Language Over Yours

As just mentioned, we have to use keywords that are common and people-friendly so your content is more visible.

The same principle applies when you're writing to engage your readers.

It’s awesome if you’re knowledgeable in your industry’s jargon and that you’re well-versed in medical terms.

But unless your target audience is made up of highly trained individuals who are just as knowledgeable as you are, you might want to use words that your readers understand.

Being able to explain the jargon and complicated concepts to your readers who have zero knowledge on the subject is an art all of its own. You're able to communicate your content in a familiar and meaningful language that your readers understand.

Speak With Authority, But Keep It Casual

Your audience is more likely to believe your content if they see that you write with authority. This means that you know what you're talking about and you're confident that it’s coming across.

You’ll be able to achieve this by making sure that your content is backed up, not only by experts in the field but also by research.

Consider including the following citations in your content:

• Journals
• Research studies
• Expert Interviews
• Statistics

If you’re writing for a nonprofit site to spread awareness to your readers, authority is indeed an important factor you should consider. Writing with facts that are backed up paired with a professionally-made nonprofit web design will help in improving your authority and credibility.

Can you imagine reading content from a nonprofit site that’s poorly-designed and asking for your support? Would you support that kind of site? Even with great content, a site’s appearance also matters. It’s best to put this into consideration as well.

Casual And Personable Communication

On the other side of the coin, even though you're authoritative with the way you write your content, don't forget to keep it casual. A common perception for people who are authoritative and knowledgeable is that they're hard to approach.

You wouldn't want that.

You would want to appear friendly and accessible to your readers so that they feel comfortable when they read your content. To keep a casual tone, avoid being condescending and forceful in the tone of your writing.

Don't be shy to insert a joke here and there to keep things light. Your personality shines through your content when you add these small, personable touches.

Key Takeaway

Finding the right words to use when you’re writing your content for your website is crucial. Since you’re already putting in the effort to create content, you might as well optimize it so that people will be able to read it, right?

The first step is when your content pops up on a search when people are looking for content that is similar to yours. Writing engaging and informative content that will be valuable to your readers will be your ticket to making them regular visitors to your website.