How to Write SEO Content That Ranks, AI Favors & Converts

In the last 2 years, each SEO article I've published has made an average of $1,000 in revenue.

And I haven't just written a handful of articles, I've written HUNDREDS.

Not only has the content ranked on page 1 of Google, but it's also gotten LLMs like ChatGPT to promote the businesses I've worked with, like it does here with RankUp:

But I didn't achieve this by pumping out generic AI content.

Every piece I created provided unique value competitors couldn't replicate and nailed the SEO fundamentals that actually matter.

In this tutorial, I'll walk you through the exact 5 step workflow I use to create content that ranks in Google, AI recommends, and converts readers into customers. Plus, I'll show you how you can use AI agents to speed things up and even make the process fully autonomous.

Let's get started!

P.S. New to SEO content? I warmly recommend reading this guide to SEO content in the age of AI search first. It gives you the foundation you need, from understanding what SEO content actually is to building a strategy that works.

1. Pick a Topic

The rules for picking keywords have changed. AI can now answer many queries directly without linking to any website.

Simple informational queries like "what is SEO" aren't worth prioritizing anymore. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, or whichever AI you want to bring as an example here, can give a satisfying answer to these without having to link to a single website.

NB! Creating content for informational keywords still helps your site build credibility and show expertise in your niche. Just don't make them your priority.

Prioritize topics where people actually want a human take. For example:

how to [X action]
best [Y thing] for [Z usecase/person]
[Brand A] vs [Brand B]
[Brand A] competitors

In RankUp, you can see an AI Replacement Risk percentage for each keyword. This score tells you how likely AI is to fully answer the query on its own without the searcher needing to visit any websites.

The higher the percentage, the more likely AI can handle the query alone. The lower the percentage, the more likely searchers will need to click through to a website for a complete answer.

Once you have the keyword you want to target, the next step is analyzing what's actually ranking for it.

2. Analyze Google's SERP

SERP analysis is the process of examining search engine results pages to understand what type of content ranks at the top for a specific keyword. It involves studying the top-ranking pages and SERP features.

Analyzing the SERP before writing shows you exactly what Google considers the best answer for a keyword. This helps you match the right content type, format, and depth with search intent, so you're not guessing what to create.

In this clip, I break down the fundamental idea of search intent:

SERP analysis matters for AI search visibility too.

Ahrefs ran a study on how much traditional and AI search results overlap. They found that 76.1% of URLs cited in Google's AI Overviews rank in the top 10 of Google search results. That means almost 8 out of 10 sources cited by AI come from page one.

The higher you rank in Google, the more likely AI will cite you in its answers.

Let's start the SERP analysis by studying the pages that already rank.

Top-Ranking Content

Top-ranking content is the pages that currently rank in the top 3-10 positions for your target keyword. Analyzing them lets you reverse-engineer what's already working and spot gaps you can take advantage of to outrank them.

NB! Sponsored results at the top of the SERP aren't top-ranking content. Those are paid ads. We're looking at the organic results below them.

Let me walk you through the 3 step process I used to analyze the top-ranking pages for this post. The keyword I want to rank for is "how do you write SEO content."

1. First, I pulled up the SERP for my target location.

With RankUp, we're targeting the US market, but I don't live there and I don't use a US IP. Google shows different results based on your location and IP address, so if I just Googled from where I am, I'd see a different SERP from what my audience sees.

valentin.app is an easy way to get localized SERPs if you're targeting a market where you don't live or have a local IP.

Valentin.app is only necessary when your location or IP doesn't match where your audience is searching from. Just Google it normally, if you're already in your target location.

2. Next, I decided which sources to actually analyze.

A common approach is to analyze the top 3-5 ranking pages. But depending on your SERP, not all of them might be comparable to your site.

In my case, I looked at the SERP and immediately ruled out a few sources:

Reddit and Quora - forums playing a completely different game
Google for Developers and usa.gov - both have basically infinite authority (one owns the search engine, the other is the US government)

None of these are comparable to RankUp, an SEO software company.

But Ahrefs and Semrush? Those I can compare myself to. They're SEO software companies as well. The Medium article by an SEO person and Bynder (content software) are also in the same neighborhood. These sources are playing the same SEO game.

So the move here is to select sources that are actually comparable to you. If all the top results happen to be in your league, great! Analyze the top 3-5.

But don't compare yourself too heavily with special cases like forums, government sites, or YouTube videos if you're seeing them mixed in. Feel free to look past the top 5. They're not competing the same way you are.

3. Then came the deep dive into each page.

Here's what I look at when analyzing each page and what intel it gives me:

H1 headline

The H1 headline reveals the angle each competitor has taken and the format they've used. That helps you understand what format works best for ranking and how you can differentiate.

For example, here's the H1 from the Medium article ranking second (right after Reddit):

That's clearly a how-to guide focused on writing content that ranks on Google.

Here's the H1 from Bynder's article, ranking third:

That's a tips list, also focused on ranking content on Google.

Here's Semrush's H1, ranking sixth:

Same format and angle as Bynder, but Semrush is going for a more comprehensive list. 16 tips instead of 12.

And this is Ahrefs's H1, ranking at the seventh position:

That's a beginner's guide. Broader angle, targeting people who are just getting started with SEO content. Also focused on Google rankings.

Guides and tips lists are the formats ranking best for this keyword. For this post, I went with the guide format for 2 reasons:

The highest-ranking article I analyzed (the Medium piece at #2) uses the guide format
I believe it delivers the most value for someone trying to understand how to create SEO content

I spotted 2 gaps in the competitor titles that I could capitalize on:

None of them mentioned AI search. Every post was solely focused on Google rankings.
Both the Medium article and Bynder had "2025" in their headings.

Outline

Outlines show you what topics competitors cover and how deep they go. This tells you what Google expects to see and how thoroughly you need to cover the topic you're writing on.

Pro Tip: Instead of clicking through each page and noting down their headings, you can use the Detailed SEO Chrome Extension. Open it on any page to see its headings instantly.

Here's what I found when I analyzed each page's outline.

Starting with the Medium article:

This one opens with a brief definition of SEO writing and why it matters, then jumps straight into the content creation process. The headings use action-focused wording rather than questions, possibly a way to signal to search engines that this is a guide.

Depth-wise, it hits most of the on-page SEO elements but doesn't really get into the actual writing part. Things like how to structure sentences, direct answers, or writing techniques aren't covered. The focus stays on the technical SEO details rather than the craft of writing SEO content.

Moving on to Bynder's outline:

This one skips any intro context and goes straight into the tips. Like the Medium article, the headings are action-focused, starting with verbs that tell you what to do. Most of the 12 tips cover the usual on-page SEO elements like alt text, URLs, meta descriptions, and internal links.

In terms of depth, it does touch on the actual writing side a bit more than the Medium piece. There's a tip about writing for readers first and another about creating content based on reader questions. But the majority still focuses on technical SEO details rather than content writing.

Now, Semrush also uses a list structure, but it takes a slightly different approach:

Unlike Bynder which jumps straight into tips, Semrush opens with context about what SEO writing is and why it's important before diving into their 16 tips. The action-focused heading format is the same, but they've added more tips to the list. A few are more up to date too, like optimizing for AI overviews and featured snippets.

Coverage is very similar to Bynder. Same on-page SEO elements like keywords, meta descriptions, URLs, internal links. Has a couple more writing-related tips around readability and finding content gaps, but still mostly focused on technical SEO details rather than how to actually write well.

Finally, let's take a look at Ahrefs's structure:

This one targets a different keyword ("seo content") and still ranks in this SERP. The outline starts with the basics, moves into a 7-step process, and ends with key takeaways. It's more condensed than the others overall.

Ahrefs leans more into the actual writing side than the others, covering things like proving your credibility, going deep on topics, and bringing something original to the table. The key takeaways at the end are probably an attempt to get picked up as a featured snippet.

My takeaways from analyzing these outlines:

None of the posts cover how to get LLMs like ChatGPT or Perplexity to recommend your content. They're all focused on how to rank on Google.
All 4 articles use action-focused, verb-driven headings, I'll stick with that format.
Every competitor walks through manual steps only. I'll add a section on automating the process with AI agents.
Most competitors focus heavily on technical SEO details but skim over the writing. I'll go deeper on how to actually write search-optimized content.
None of them cover how to set yourself or your team up for writing content efficiently. They skip straight to the tips/guide. I'll start with the setup before getting into the actual writing process.

Now we have a complete understanding of what top competitors are doing right, where they're falling short, and how we can outrank them by better meeting search intent.

But top-ranking content isn't the only source of insights.

SERP features offer additional clues and opportunities for maximizing your search visibility.

SERP Features

SERP features are any result on a Google search engine results page that isn't a traditional organic blue link. They're enhanced display formats that Google uses to present information in ways that better match user intent.

Google has over 30 different SERP features. But you won't see all of them at once. The average search results page shows around 3-4 SERP features, depending on what you're searching for.

So which ones actually matter for writing SEO content?

You don't need to analyze all of them. Most SERP features won't give you useful intel for content creation. Focus on these 3:

AI Overview - Google's AI-generated summary that pulls from multiple top-ranking sources to answer the query. It shows you what Google considers the most important topics and subtopics to cover.

People also ask - The expandable question boxes that reveal follow-up questions searchers have about your topic. These are potential subtopics or questions for your FAQ section.

People also search for - Related queries that appear at the bottom of the SERP. These reveal additional subtopics and angles searchers explore around your main topic.

These 3 SERP features give you direct insight into what searchers want to know and what related topics Google could reward you for covering.

Other SERP features like knowledge panels, local map results, and shopping carousels won't help with content creation. In fact, if you see these dominating the SERP, you probably won't rank with an article anyway - the searcher is looking for something else entirely.

For this post, the SERP had all 3 SERP features I look for. Here's how I analyzed each one:

Starting with the AI overview, I saw that Google broke down the SEO content writing process into 4 main steps:

1. Topic research – finding keywords, understanding search intent, identifying relevant terms

2. Content creation – writing for users with expert-driven content, focusing on helpful and accurate information, good readability, adding images and videos, covering the topic in depth, and adding unique insights

3. On-page optimization – title tags and meta descriptions, proper keyword placement without stuffing, internal and external links, image alt texts

4. Publishing and monitoring – promoting content on social media, updating it regularly, tracking performance

I already had a rough outline in my head of the topics I was going to cover, but this gave me additional insight into what I might be missing.

It helped me decide to include topic research in my guide. I was on the fence about it since this post is about content writing, not keyword research.

But seeing Google break it out as part of the process confirmed I should at least cover the basics.

Next, I opened up the People also ask box.

One question stood out: "What is an example of SEO content writing?" That's directly relevant to what I'm writing, so I added it to my list of things to cover.

But not every question is worth chasing.

There was also "How to write a content brief?" – that's a separate topic entirely. And "What is the 80/20 rule of SEO?" – interesting, but not what someone searching "how to write SEO content" needs answered.

The more questions you click on, the more new ones appear. Don't fall into the trap of trying to cover everything. Your content will become unfocused and bloated. Only pick what's actually relevant to your main topic.

Finally, I checked the People also search for section.

In my case, I didn't pull any actionable insights from here. The related queries were mostly adjacent topics rather than subtopics I should include. And that's fine. You won't always get useful intel from every SERP feature. The point is to check them, not to force insights where there aren't any.

Between the AI overview and People also ask, I got enough direction to move forward.

Now that we have a full picture of what the SERP is telling us, it's time to turn all of this intel into a unique angle that sets your content apart.

3. Identify Your Unique Angle

A unique angle is a sentence or two that explains why someone should read your piece instead of the ten others on page one.

In this short video, I explain why a unique angle matters more than ever with AI search and why you're taking a big risk without one:

There are several ways to differentiate your content. Here are the most common types of unique angles:

Experience-based angle – You've done the thing you're writing about and can share firsthand insights. Example: "I tested 47 AI writing tools over 6 months, here's what actually works."
Contrarian angle – You challenge a widely accepted belief with evidence or reasoning. Example: "Why keyword density doesn't matter anymore (and what to focus on instead)."
Data-driven angle – You present original research, surveys, or analysis that no one else has. Example: "We analyzed 1,000 top-ranking pages, here's what they have in common."
Methodology angle – You teach a specific process or framework that's uniquely yours. Example: "The 3-layer outline method I use to write articles that rank in 30 days."
Audience-specific angle – You narrow the focus to a specific group that competitors ignore. Example: "SEO content writing for SaaS companies: A complete guide."
Recency angle – Your content is more current than what's ranking. Example: "How to write SEO content in 2026" when competitors still say 2024 or 2025.
Depth angle – You cover the topic more thoroughly than anyone else. Example: Your guide on SEO product page copy covers keyword research, structure, AND conversion optimization. Other pages only cover one.

You don't need to pick just one. The strongest content often combines multiple angles.

So how do you find yours? Here's the 3 step process I like to follow:

Gather the insights you extracted from analyzing the SERP in one place.
Analyze the gathered insights to identify differentiation opportunities.
Package your differentiation opportunities into a single, cohesive angle.

Let me walk you through how I arrived at the unique angle for this post.

First, I gathered my SERP insights. Here's a recap:

Guides and tips lists are the formats ranking best
None of them talked about AI search. Every post was solely focused on Google rankings.
Two of the top ranking articles had "2025" in their headings.
All top-ranking content uses action-focused, verb-driven headings
Every outline covers on-page SEO details
Most articles focus heavily on technical SEO but skim over the actual writing part
None of them cover how to set yourself up for writing content efficiently. They skip straight to the tips/guide.
Every article walks through manual steps only. No one covers automation.
The AI overview breaks SEO content writing into 4 phases: topic research, content creation, on-page optimization, and publishing/monitoring.
"What is an example of SEO content writing?" appeared in People also ask. A question worth addressing.

From these insights, I identified 3 key differentiation opportunities:

Cover how to optimize for AI search
Go deeper on SEO copywriting
Show them how to automate the content writing process with AI agents

Lastly, I packaged these into a single unique angle:

An up-to-date guide that covers how to optimize for Google AND AI search, goes deeper on how to write SEO-optimized copy, and shows you how to automate the entire workflow with AI agents.

And there we go!

Once you have your unique angle, let's use that and all the insights we gathered from analyzing the SERP to map out your content structure, so we can start writing.

4. Create Your Content Outline

A content outline is a list of headings and subheadings arranged in the order they'll appear in your article. It prevents you from going off-topic and ensures your content meets search intent.

An SEO outline consists of 4 core components:

Title (H1): Your main headline
Core topics (H2s) and subtopics (H3s): The meat of your content
CTA: What you want readers to do next
FAQs: Common questions worth answering

Let's break down each component, starting with the title.

Write the Title (H1)

The title is the first thing searchers see of your content in Google and AI search results. It heavily influences whether someone clicks on your page or scrolls past it.

Best practices for writing a H1 headline:

Put your target keyword as close to the start as possible. Google gives more weight to the words that appear first in your title when figuring out what your page is about.
Keep it under 60 characters so it doesn't get cut off in search results.

Signal relevance immediately. The searcher should know within a second that your page matches what they're looking for.
Give them a reason to pick yours over the rest. What makes your content different from the other search results?

Here's the title I went with for this guide:

How to Write SEO Content That Ranks, AI Favors & Converts

My target keyword for this post is "how do you write seo content" but my title starts with "How to Write SEO Content" instead. A close variant works just as well if your target keyword reads awkwardly as a headline opener.

"How to Write SEO Content" also immediately signals relevance. Searchers know within a second this page matches what they're looking for.

The second half of my title, "That Ranks, AI Favors & Converts" is the differentiator. When I looked at the top-ranking pages earlier, not a single one mentioned AI search. They're all still focusing on just Google rankings. "AI Favors" fills that gap.

"Converts" is there because most articles stop at basic on-page SEO tips. Mine goes further into how to actually write search-optimized copy.

The full title comes in at 57 characters, so it won't get cut off in search results. I used WordCounter's character count tool to check this before finalizing my title.

Map Out the Core Topics (H2s) and Subtopics (H3s)

Mapping core topics and subtopics means planning how you present your content's primary information.

Best practices for mapping out your H2s and H3s:

Order sections by what the reader wants to know next. This keeps them in a flow and ensures the most important topics get covered early.
Use questions as headings when possible. It makes it easier for AI to retrieve and cite your content.
Start with a verb when a heading describes an action. This signals to AI that the section covers how to do something, making it easier to retrieve when users ask about that action.

Cover all topics that more than half of the top-ranking pages include, if relevant to your content angle. Google sees that topic as part of a complete answer.

For this post, the structure was straightforward.

Since it's a step-by-step guide, each H2 follows the same pattern: step number + action. "1. Pick a Topic," "2. Analyze Google's SERP," and so on.

Close the Outline With a CTA

The CTA presents your solution to a problem related to the topic you're covering. It leads readers to the next step in your marketing funnel.

Best practices for writing your CTA's heading:

Describe an action, outcome, or feeling your audience desires. This pulls them toward the CTA instead of pushing a sale.
Communicate your differentiator in delivering that action, outcome, or feeling. You're likely not the only one promising it, so show why your approach is different.

For this post, my CTA heading is:

How to Agentify Your SEO Content Writing Workflow

Right now, forward-thinking businesses are looking to integrate digital workforces into different parts of their operations, because they're cheaper and faster than human teams.

That's exactly what RankUp helps with.

RankUp is an agentic SEO content system which executes your content operations end to end, from strategy to writing to optimization, using a team of specialized AI agents. It's a digital workforce for SEO content.

Since this post covers SEO content writing, I wrote the CTA heading to specifically address agentifying that workflow. This way it directly connects the post's topic to the operational transformation these businesses (and maybe you as well) are pursuing.

This angle is also our differentiator.

No other SEO software can make this promise. No other SEO software does what we do.

Add FAQs (If Applicable)

FAQs provide opportunities to grab featured snippets in Google's SERP and cover questions that your target audience asks but that won't fit into your main sections.

NB! Include FAQs only when the questions are genuinely relevant to the content piece. They aren't required in every outline.

Writing FAQ headings is simple. Just write out the question.

Here's where to collect them (besides from the SERP itself):

Sales and support call recordings
Reddit forums
Review sites (e.g. G2, Trustpilot, Capterra)
X (Twitter) or LinkedIn search
Comments on your videos or other popular related videos on YouTube
Industry Discord servers or Slack communities
Quora threads

And wherever else your customers hang out! The possibilities are basically endless.

For this post, I picked 3 FAQs to address. Here's my reasoning for each:

What is an example of SEO writing? - I found this in the People also ask section during my SERP analysis. It's highly relevant to the topic and, beyond potentially securing a featured snippet, gives me an opportunity to direct you to more of my content where you can learn more about SEO.
What tools do you need for SEO content writing? - Business owners and marketers (perhaps including yourself) are always looking for and discussing SEO content creation tools on X and LinkedIn. Since RankUp has an SEO content creation tool in it's suite, it's a natural place to show you how RankUp can help with your content writing.
How long should SEO content be? - Everybody asks this when they meet me in person or when we're on a call. I want to address it so people stop targeting word count as it doesn't help you rank higher on Google or get more mentions from LLMs.

With your FAQs added, your outline is complete.

P.S. Creating a high-quality outline often takes at least an hour. As we just went through, there's A LOT involved. But you can cut that down to just 5 minutes. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to create outlines fast, so if you're busy like me, I'd recommend to check it out.

5. Write the Content

SEO content writing is the process of creating content that's optimized to rank in search engines and get cited by AI while also engaging readers and driving conversions.

Regular copywriting focuses purely on persuasion and conversion. SEO copywriting does the same thing, but structures content so search engines and AI can find it, understand it, and serve it to people searching for answers.

Every piece of SEO content has 4 key parts:

Introduction
Core Content
Call to Action
FAQs

Each part has a different job and follows different rules.

Let's start with writing the introduction.

Introduction

Your introduction determines whether readers keep reading or bounce once they click on your content. It's your chance to earn their attention and give them a reason to stay.

A strong intro accomplishes 5 things:

Hooks the reader - Grab their attention with something relevant and engaging.
Confirms relevance - Make it clear this content is for them and addresses their situation.
Sets expectations - Make it clear they'll get what they came for.
Shows proof of expertise - Give them a reason to trust you as a credible source on this topic.
Stands out - Show readers why your content isn't just more of the same.

NB! These elements can overlap. A single sentence might hook the reader AND prove expertise at the same time. There's no rigid order.

Here are 5 hook types that work well for intros:

Results-based - Specific outcome(s) your target audience desires
Surprising statistic - Numbers that challenge assumptions
Contrarian take - Disagreeing with common advice
Pain point - Directly addressing a frustration your target audience feels
Question - Engaging the reader by asking something they want answered

These aren't anything special, they just work.

For this post, I used the results-based hook. If you've made it this far, that's your proof.

Here's a breakdown of how I wrote this article's intro:

The hook

"In the last 2 years, each SEO article I've published has made an average of $1,000 in revenue."

The hook opens with a specific, verifiable result. The result grabs attention through curiosity ("how?") and establishes credibility.

Mentioning "SEO article" and the fact that it has made me money also confirm relevance because I am stating that I have used the mechanism you are interested in to get what you ultimately want (money).

Proof of expertise

"And I haven't just written a handful of articles, I've written HUNDREDS."

"Not only has the content ranked on page 1 of Google, but it's also gotten LLMs like ChatGPT to promote the businesses I've worked with, like it does here with RankUp:"

These lines stack credibility. Volume of work, Google rankings, and AI citations (proven by the screenshot). Three proof points that make it hard to dismiss the advice that follows.

Differentiation

"But I didn't achieve this by pumping out generic AI content.

Every piece I created provided unique value competitors couldn't replicate and nailed the SEO fundamentals that actually matter."

Here I confirm that this guide is not about the same old tactics that deliver underwhelming results.

Setting expectations

"In this tutorial, I'll walk you through the exact 5 step workflow I use to create content that ranks in Google, AI recommends, and converts readers into customers. Plus, I'll show you how you can use AI agents to speed things up and even make the process fully autonomous."

This tells readers what they'll get from reading this article.

The internal link

"P.S. New to SEO content? I warmly recommend reading this guide to SEO content in the age of AI search first."

2 reasons why I added the link in the intro:

It directs beginners to the basics-focused guide first. This pre-qualifies my audience. People who need the basics get them first. People who already know the fundamentals skip ahead.
The link connects the new post to my other SEO content creation articles. Internal links make it easier for Google to crawl and helps distribute authority between pages.

With the intro covered, let's move on to writing the core content.

Core Content

Core content is the main body of your article. It answers the questions your reader came to find answers for.

Each section of the core content has 2 parts:

Direct Answer
Expansion

Direct answers come first, then expansion.

Here's how to write each one, starting with the direct answer.

Direct Answer

A direct answer is the first paragraph after a heading. It gives readers the most important information about a topic, without requiring them to read further.

Here are 6 key best practices for writing direct answers:

1. Use certain tone. Avoid uncertain phrases like "might," "could be," or "try to" because search engines and LLMs trust confident statements more.

2. Mirror the heading. Use a 2-3 word phrase from the heading in your answer to immediately confirm to search engines and readers that your content answers the query.

Example: Start with "SEO content is..." if your heading is "What is SEO content?"

3. Keep direct answers to 3 sentences max. Search engines measure "information responsiveness," meaning how quickly content answers a query. Shorter, focused answers signal higher responsiveness, which tells Google your content efficiently satisfies user intent.

4. Use relevant entities and semantically related words. Specific terminology helps search engines understand the exact subject of your content, making your page more likely to appear for the right searches.

Example: Instead of "I hired someone to manage my social media accounts," write "I hired a social media manager to handle content scheduling and engagement."

5. Keep one idea per sentence. Simple sentence structures help search engines extract answers faster. Faster extraction signals your content efficiently satisfies the query. Readers grab the main point faster, too.

6. Bold the answer, not the search term. Bold text signals to search engines which text directly answers the query, improving your chances of winning featured snippets.

Here's a direct answer from this article that follows all 6 rules:

"SERP analysis is the process of examining search engine results pages to understand what type of content ranks at the top for a specific keyword. It involves studying the top-ranking pages and SERP features."

First sentence states confidently what SERP analysis is. Second sentence clearly states what the process includes.
The heading above it is "2. SERP Analysis." The answer opens with "SERP analysis is..." to mirror the heading.
The direct answer is 2 sentences. Less than the maximum suggested.
Mentions relevant entities like "search engine results pages" and "SERP features."
Sentence one defines SERP analysis, sentence two explains what you study during it. One idea per sentence.
The definition to what SERP analysis is bolded, not "SERP analysis" itself.

That covers the direct answer.

Expansion

Expansion is all the content that comes after your direct answer in a section. It answers the reader's follow-up questions.

Here are 8 best practices for writing persuasive, search-optimized copy:

1. Ask "what's next?" After someone reads your direct answer, what question pops into their head? Use that to guide what details, examples, analogies, etc to add.

2. Write directly to the reader. Use second person (e.g. "you," "your") as if you're talking to them, not describing things to a third party. This makes the content feel like it's written for them specifically.

3. Keep it value-dense. Every sentence should earn its place. Cut it, if you can remove it without disrupting the flow or leaving the idea incomplete. A well-written piece of content is like a well-made burrito. This clip explains it perfectly:

4. Include your unique insights. Add your own data, opinion, or first-hand experience whenever possible. This is what makes your content stand out. In this short clip, I explain why this matters more than ever and the cost of sounding like everyone else:

5. Put "if" statements in the second part of the sentence. Lead with the main idea, then add the condition. Readers grasp the primary information before encountering qualifiers.

Example: Write "Shorten your intro to hook readers faster if your bounce rate is high," instead of "If your bounce rate is high, shorten your intro..."

6. Qualify the instances. Add descriptive details that specify and distinguish what you're discussing. Precision helps readers understand exactly what you mean and signals authority to search engines.

Example: "There are reasons to update old content" → "There are 3 critical reasons to update old content: keyword decay, outdated statistics, and broken links."

7. Use the same part of speech in listings. Keep grammatical structure consistent across list items. Parallel structure aids readability and helps search engines parse your content.

Example: Instead of "Research keywords, writing headlines, and to optimize images," write "Research keywords, write headlines, and optimize images."

8. Mix up formatting. Use bullet points, numbered lists, and short paragraphs (max 4 lines on desktop) to make content easier to scan and consume.

P.S. Rules 1, 4, and 5 from the direct answer best practices also apply here.

Beyond SEO copywriting, you'll also need to create visuals and links when building out your section expansion.

Here are 4 best practices for visuals and links:

1. Add visuals strategically. Use infographics for visualizing processes or concepts, tables for comparisons, and images to show uncommon actions or things. I explain this in more detail in the short clip below:

2. Add external links. Link out to other websites when citing statistics or referencing external sources. It shows you've done your research and aren't making unsupported claims.

3. Use max 1 internal link per section. Make it highly relevant. Place your most important internal link first, as it passes the most authority.

4. Match the anchor text with the targeted page's title. Use words from the linked page's title as your clickable text. Search engines see this alignment as a relevance signal, increasing the hyperlink's value.

Example: For a page titled "How to Do Keyword Research," use "keyword research" as anchor text, not "click here" or "this article."

For a complete example, check the "4. Content Outline" section of this article.

Call to Action

The call to action section is your chance to get readers to take the next step in your marketing funnel. It bridges the content they just read and the specific action you want them to take.

Here are the 4 principles I follow when writing CTA sections:

Present a solution to a related problem. Don't pitch everything you do. Just the thing that helps with what they came here for.
Show, don't tell. People trust what they can see more than what they're told. Show customer results, show a video of your product in use, whatever it is that you offer, prove that what you are promising is a reality.
Make the next step clear and give a reason to take it. Otherwise, readers will be confused about what to do next and won't see a reason to take action.
Communicate how you're different. The CTA should reinforce what makes your approach better than anything the reader has seen.

Here's a breakdown of how I wrote this article's CTA:

Introduction to a related problem

"The content creation process we just went through has been critical in helping me generate on average $1,000 per article.

But I didn't actually write the hundreds of articles myself.

You need scale to outcompete established sites.

And it's only getting harder because:

Search engines are getting better at filtering out generic content. Quality thresholds are the highest they've ever been.
AI has changed the pace of competition. Manual workflows can't match the speed of teams who've integrated AI into their operations."

The article taught you how to write SEO content. Now this section introduces a related problem you'll face once you start creating: doing it at scale. This setup makes the pitch that follows feel like a natural next step rather than a random sales push.

Differentiation

"That's exactly why we built RankUp.

RankUp is an agentic SEO content system that creates unique, search-optimized content fast, using your product and industry knowledge."

RankUp identifies itself as a completely new category: an "agentic SEO content system." This way, you can't dismiss us as "just another SEO tool." The category itself is the differentiation.

Show, don't tell

"Here's how it works:"

[Video embed]

A product demo video lets you see the system in action rather than just reading claims about it.

Clear next step and a reason to do it

"Want to learn more? Book a call to see the full system in action."

One action. One link. One reason to do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Writing answers to FAQs follows the same approach as writing a direct answers.

I've found that FAQ answers without any expansion tend to win more featured snippets. Not that adding more details to your FAQ answers hurts, but keeping it tight has worked better in my experience.

But you can expand on it, if the additional context below the direct answer is essential.

Pro Tip: Establish Brand Guidelines

Brand guidelines are the foundational rules that keep every piece of content consistent with your company's identity.

Here's a short clip on why consistent brand voice is becoming increasingly important for higher Google rankings:

Key takeaway: A consistent brand voice across all your content helps search engines verify your authorship and expertise, creating trust signals that are harder to fake than traditional SEO tactics.

Brand guidelines speed up content creation too. Feed these to AI and the copy it produces is much closer to your brand voice, which means less cleanup on your end. Same goes for writers who use AI as part of their workflow.

Brand guidelines consist of 2 parts:

Creative brief
Style guides

Here's what goes into each.

Creative Brief

In the context of SEO content writing, a creative brief is a document that includes information about your target audience psychology, the problem you solve, and your offerings. It ensures your messaging stays consistent and aligned.

This is slightly different from traditional creative briefs used in advertising and marketing campaigns. Those also include details like campaign goals, deliverables, timelines, and budgets. For SEO writing, you just need the brand messaging.

Here's a creative brief template I use that you can make a copy of and fill out for your own brand.

Style Guides

Style guides define the rules for each content element. They include the guidelines and examples for each component, so your brand voice stays consistent across all content, no matter who writes it.

Traditional style guides also cover visual elements like logo usage, color palettes, and typography. But for SEO content writing, you only need the writing-related guidelines.

You can create style guides for different content elements. Here are the main ones to consider:

FAQs
CTAs
Intro
Lists
Headings
Emoji Usage
Content Flow - how sections connect and build on each other
H1 Headlines
Image Placement
Internal Linking - where and how you link to other pages on your site
Paragraph Cadence - the rhythm of short vs. long paragraphs
Competitor Section - how you mention and compare against competitors
Informative Section - factual, educational portions of your content
Promotional Section - where you pitch your product or service
External Authority Signals - how you cite external sources, studies, and expert opinions

For each element, define the rules it should follow and include examples of it done well.

Here's an example from RankUp's own style guide for External Authority Signals:

External authority signals use inline hyperlinks embedded directly in the sentence flow, not footnotes or superscript numbers. Citations appear naturally within sentences, typically 1-3 per article section, placed where they directly support a specific fact or statistic rather than general statements. The goal is to build credibility by showing you've done research and aren't just making claims, but the links should feel like a natural part of the conversation rather than academic references. Link anchor text describes what the reader will find rather than generic phrases like "click here" or "learn more".

Best examples:

It's true, that AI search is taking market share, with 5.6% of U.S. desktop search traffic in June 2025 going to ChatGPT and Perplexity, more than double compared to June 2024.
When LLMs pull information from the web, many of them tend to favor the same sources Google does. A Semrush study found Perplexity citations overlap 91% with Google's top 10 rankings. Google's AI Overviews overlap 86%.

Skip elements that don't apply to your content. For example, skip the emoji guide if you don't use emojis. The style guides don't have to be perfect either. You can always come back and update these.

Content lacks consistency and requires more editing without style guides. I wouldn't recommend skipping them entirely.

How to Agentify Your SEO Content Writing Workflow

The content creation process we just went through has been critical in helping me generate on average $1,000 per article.

But I didn't actually write the hundreds of articles myself.

You need scale to outcompete established sites.

And it's only getting harder because:

Search engines are getting better at filtering out generic content. Quality thresholds are the highest they've ever been.
AI has changed the pace of competition. Manual workflows can't match the speed of teams who've integrated AI into their operations.

That's exactly why we built RankUp.

RankUp is an agentic SEO content system that creates unique, search-optimized content fast, using your product and industry knowledge.

Here's how it works:

You provide the knowledge. The agents handle the execution.

And RankUp doesn't stop at writing.

RankUp's AI agents run your entire SEO content operations end-to-end, from content strategy to performance analysis.

Want to learn more? Book a call to see the full system in action.

FAQs

What is an example of SEO writing?

An example of SEO writing is this article. It's written to rank on Google and get cited by LLMs, explains how to create SEO content, and breaks down how the piece itself was created.

For more examples, check out the RankUp Academy, where all the content is SEO content about creating SEO content.

What tools do you need for SEO content writing?

The only tool you need for SEO content writing is RankUp. From keyword research to content writing to content optimization, RankUp's SEO AI agents do it all.

Visit RankUp's homepage to learn more.

How long should SEO content be?

SEO content should be as long as necessary to satisfy search intent and provide unique value. Google's documentation on creating helpful content confirms word count isn't a ranking factor. Prioritize comprehensive coverage over hitting a specific number.