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Everything You Need to Know About SEO

Everything You Need to Know About SEO

Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, is integral to driving digital traffic and engagement to your brand. With 68% of online activity driven by organic and paid search, SEO is the key to ensuring the right people find your content and, in turn, find you.

But if you’re not sure where to get started with SEO, we can help.

In this article, we’ll cover what you need to know about SEO, including what SEO is, how to use it, and how integral it is to content marketing.

What is SEO?

As we’ve mentioned, SEO is short for Search Engine Optimisation. It’s the process of improving digital content marketing (such as websites, articles, or research) to grow organic search results and drive website traffic.

In other words, optimising your content helps you rank higher on search engines when people use relevant keywords. Rather than reaching people through paid advertising methods, you can grow a following just by posting optimised material online.

Search engines like Google “crawl” published content to index and rank it based on quality and relevance. SEO shows Google how to intentionally crawl your content to help it rank where it matters most.

Ultimately, SEO is a cost-effective, long-term solution to brand growth and success — which is why 66% of marketers rely on it to enhance their strategy.

Why is SEO Integral to Content Marketing?

Digital marketing is integral to reaching and growing a steady audience for your brand, so it’s no surprise that 72% of marketing budgets go towards digital channels.

With strong SEO practices, you can stand out in the overcrowded digital space and reach the people that could benefit from your brand most.

Publishing digitally is essential to growing brand awareness — but the content you release matters. The internet is overflowing with search results, so SEO helps your content stand out and add value.

How to Use SEO in Content Marketing

Below are the essential components you need to understand to use SEO effectively in your content marketing.

1. Target Audience

To optimise your content properly, you must first define your target audience. Who are you trying to reach?

Create detailed audience personas to understand:

  • Their goals and challenges
  • Their online habits
  • The types of content they consume
  • The keywords they might search for

Quick tip: Study competitors’ content to identify audience overlaps and gain insight into common interests.

2. Keywords

Keyword research is central to SEO. Use tools like SEMrush or Ubersuggest to find:

  • Short-tail keywords (1–2 words): high volume, high competition
  • Medium-tail: slightly more specific
  • Long-tail keywords (3+ words): lower volume, more niche, less competition

Basic keyword usage rules:

  • Use 3–5 keyword mentions in a 1,000-word article
  • Insert them in the page title, headings, and meta description
  • Never “stuff” your content — keywords must sound natural

3. Formatting

Proper formatting improves both readability and crawlability. Follow these guidelines:

  • Page Title: under 60 characters, include your brand name
  • Meta Description: under 155 characters, summarise and entice
  • Headers: use H1 for the page title, H2s for main sections, and H3+ for subsections
  • Bullet Points: format lists properly to appear in featured snippets

4. Internal Linking

Link to your other relevant content to strengthen site structure and help Google crawl your site.

  • Include 2–5 internal links per article
  • Add at least one call to action (CTA) (e.g. a contact page or downloadable guide)

Internal linking also boosts average session time and reduces bounce rates.

5. Quality Content

SEO works best when paired with high-quality, audience-relevant content. No tactic can replace genuine value.

Tips for high-performing content:

  • Plan and outline content before you write
  • Ensure information is accurate and well-cited
  • Edit thoroughly for clarity and grammar (tools like Grammarly help)

Final Thoughts

SEO is about more than just keywords — it’s about strategy, clarity and value. By understanding how SEO fits into your content marketing, you can attract the right audience and improve your rankings without relying solely on paid advertising.

Want help creating SEO content that performs and converts? Contact us today and discover how CopyHouse can elevate your digital presence.