How to Write With SEO In Mind? A Short Guide With a Downloadable Cheat Sheet.

Last updated on March 3rd, 2025.

Are you new to web content writing and a little confused about what is important for on-page SEO?

I’ve got you covered. In this article I share what is important when writing for the web. For users and for search engines.

Bonus: At the end of the article, download an A6-sized cheat sheet ready to print out and put on your desk.

1. Integrate the keyword you want to rank for in the headings

I bet you’ve done all the legwork and identified the keyword you want to rank for. Now you have to tell Google what your article is all about. For this, include your keyword in the heading (H1). Also casually slip the keyword or a synonym in the subheadings (H2).

Let’s say, you write an article titled «How to prepare for the Spanish DELE exam». Your subheadings (H2) could be:

H2: Determine your level
H2: Know how the exam works
H2: Use popular expressions
H2: Find a teacher to prepare
H2: Know the grading system
H2: Practice with past exams

It would be more search friendlier if your subheadings (H2) were:

H2: Determine your Spanish level
H2: Know how the DELE exam works
H2: Use popular Spanish expressions
H2: Find a Spanish teacher to prepare for the exam
H2: Know the grading system of the DELE exam
H2: Practice with past DELE exams

With these subheadings (H2) you give the Google more context on the topic.

2. Make your content scannable

For a client, I did heat-map tests with Crazyegg to see how users consumed blog articles. I found out that the users were not reading the content linearly. Instead, they scanned the page, looking for the information that was most pertinent to their current need.

Therefore, you have to serve users the content in bits and make your article scannable.

2.1 Include bulleted lists

You can break up large text into a bulleted list. On the one hand, the user can scan the information easily. On the other hand, bulleted lists increase the chance to rank in a featured snippet. Featured snippets are at the very top of the search engine results page (SERP), also called position 0.

2.2 Break up large blocks of text into digestible paragraphs

If you have big chunks of text, break the content up. Write 3-5 sentences per paragraph and elaborate only one idea per paragraph. This will help the user to read the content. The better the user experience, the longer the user stays on your page. This is a signal for Google that your content is interesting.

2.3 Include graphics and photos

Are you writing about stats and figures? Support the text with a graphic. On one hand, the image can help you get the message across. On the other hand, images break up the copy as well. And they are an additional opportunity to be featured in the image search on Google.

3. Use question-based H1 to rank in voice search

20% of searches in the Google app are now done by voice. In order to capture those searches as well, it is advisable that you include interrogative words such as What, Who, Why, When, Where in your H1, as voice search tends to be more question-based.

When we use search engines on a desktop, we might type «banana bread preparation time»

When we use voice search, we might ask, «Ok Google, how long does it take me to prepare banana bread?»

Additionally, a recent study from Backlinko confirmed that question-based title tags have above-average click-through rates on the SERP. I’ll explain more about the title tags in the next paragraph.

4. Add title tag and meta description

Basically, title tags and meta descriptions are tiny bits of HTML code in the header of a web page. They help search engines to understand the content of a page. And you want to take good care of them, as they are shown on the SERP.

What should a title tag contain?

A title tag is the shortest summary of your article. You have a limit of 50-60 characters to tell the user what your article is all about. Google advises using the same title tag as H1 of the article. You wonder why? Users see your title tag on the SERP. They click on it and expect the same or a very similar title for your article (H1). If they see a completely different title they might quickly leave your page. Read more on Googles recommendation on their support page.)

Sample of a title tag

So for this article, I chose the title tag:

How to Write for Search? A Short Guide With a Downloadable Cheat Sheet.

And what to consider when crafting a meta description?

Provide a 120-160 characters long summary of the content of your page.
Include the most important keyword of the article in the meta description. The closer the keyword is to the beginning, the more weight it has for the search engine. Again, don’t stuff it with too many keywords.

Sample of a meta description

So for this article, I chose the meta description tag:

Are you new to web content writing and are a little confused about what is important for on-page SEO? I’ve got you covered. Read my article.

I follow the AIDA model.
In the first sentence, I’m outlying the context I expect the user to be in.
In the second sentence, I offer a solution to the problem of the user.
The last sentence is a call to action.

It’s a real challenge to write compelling title tags and meta descriptions. But with practice things get easier. You got that 💪

A word of warning: Since August 2021, Google has started overwriting title tags and meta descriptions with their own snippets. They base them on content found on your website and adapt them to the search query of the user.

That being said, you should still always provide a title tag and meta description. Especially, title tag is an important ranking factor.

5. Add internal links

Have you already published an article about a similar topic? Link towards it.

On the one hand, you keep the user engaged with your site for a little longer. On the other hand, you pass over link juice to other pages of your website.

When linking internally, include the keyword of the target site in your anchor text. You shouldn’t use «here» as anchor text for an internal link.

If I want to link to another blog post of mine, the anchor text of the link should include a relevant keyword. This helps Google to understand what your website is about. For instance:

(…) want to know more? In a recent article I walk you through the SEO Audit steps (…)

6. Add alt tags and image title tags

If your article includes images, make sure you provide an alt tag and an image title tag. Both are again HTML attributes.

What are alt tags?

Alt tags are used to describe what is shown on an image.

On the one hand, alt tags help people with vision impairment to understand what is shown on the image. The person’s screen reader will read out the alt tag aloud.

On the other hand, alt tags also help search bots to understand what is on the image.

What are image title tags?

Image title tags can be seen as tooltips when hovering over an image in some browsers, such as Safari. Therefore, a image title tag enhances the user experience. But there is no proven impact on SEO. Use identifiable file names and not cryptic ones such as IMG_20250303_1703. See the exercise in the next paragraph.

Use hyphens to separate words instead of spaces.

Let’s try an exercise: An example of an alt tag and image title tag

Below we have an image of a cute hut in the Swiss alps on a rainy day. How would you define the title tag and the alt tag?

I defined the title tag and alt tag as follows:
title=”swiss-mountain-hut”
alt=”brown mountain hut in village with cloudy sky”

What is the maximum size for an image on the web?

I go by the rule of thumb of 100KB. An image should not exceed 100KB. https://squoosh.app/ is an excellent tool to resize your image. Is it a hard rule? No. If my image is at 106 KB, I keep it. But I try to not abuse maximum size.

A6 cheat sheet to print out

With that, we’ve covered the basics and you’re ready to go. I prepared a little cheat sheet to print out and pin next to your desk: writing-for-search-cheatsheet-a6.pdf

Do you like what you’ve read? What about inviting me for a virtual coffee? ☕ buymeacoffee.com/corinaburri