SEO for Devs 2: Create Content That Users and Google Actually Want

In our last article, we covered the basics of SEO for web developers, including HTML optimization, essential tools, and URL structuring. Now that your website is structurally sound, it’s time to focus on what really drives traffic—content.

Introduction

Let’s say you already launched your site, great! URL structure looks great, HTML is optimized, but you find an issue: Your site is not getting any visitors, and it’s not getting any traction.

What’s happening? What SEO Strategy can I use to boost visitors to my website? Well, the same as a store that doesn’t have anything to sell, a website without content won’t bring any people. And it’s key the for getting consistent visitors, and ranking higher on Google. Let’s dive into what is content, how to create engaging content that will rank you higher on search engines, and key tips that will make you stand out.

What is content? How can I implement it into my project to boost SEO?

Having a website that only composes of Home, About, Services and Contact is just not enough, you might get visitors from people searching your name or your brand. But you would be missing out on the huge opportunity of people looking into specifics and content to read online, but what exactly is content?

Content in SEO is king. It’s they for making sure you’re driving traffic and getting visitors into your site. Content can go from resources, articles, studies and research, to anything in between.

Why is important to have content in my website?

Well, the answer is really clear once you know it. We make thousands of searches on Google, and we want to get answers. Wether it’s informational, entertainment, or technical, getting these answers is what has built the current SEO landscape we currently have. By creating content to which you audience can engage and find they answers too, you’re providing value for them, which is exactly what Google is aiming for.

Focus on user intent, not keywords

When you look at how to create content to rank higher on Google, you will find a ton of people talking about keywords. These are pretty important, but it’s more important to craft engaging content that actually answers the questions your audience might have, instead of just having content that repeats the keyword you want to be found for over and over again. Search Intent is all about ensuring people will find you for the questions that you’re answering, and the value you’re providing to the audience.

For example, if you have a tools store, and you want to create content to make people buy drills, a great article based on search intent might be “What are the best drills to open holes for cables?” or “What’s the most reliable drill for opening big holes in walls?“. These are good examples because they directly engage in things the audience might be looking for, and provide an opportunity to get into search queries of the right people. It also makes Google notice that you’re providing answers for questions within the topic you’re trying to position yourself, which will surely boost your SEO rankings.

Create engaging, readable content

Creating huge walls of text, of just yapping about a subject is not good either. Keep a well defined structure for the content, with an introduction, a development of the subject and a conclusion. Always craft your ideas with the intent of bringing them into a close, and explore them by any platform you desire. These can be a well-informed article on how to do X thing (Such as this one :D). Or a article more focused on story-telling, sharing your experience on a subject or topic. Experiment with multiple ways of creating content, but always make sure to bring your ideas to a close, and keep them well develop.

A great exercise is asking yourself: “Would I have learned anything new if I didn’t knew anything and read this content?“. If the answer is yes, and you can further explore in what ways you feel engage, and keep finding ways to explore the creation of engaging content that not only performs well on SEO, but it’s fun to read.

Create well-condensed content first

Google loves long-form content. More so, content that proves that you are knowledgeable in the subject, and willing to share your experience. By providing your strongest, better packed content first, you ensure that search engines can get a deep understanding of the quality of the content you might be writting about. And so, get insights on what your site is about, the level of expertise shown in the content, and where do you fit in search queries.

There’s a reason why this is the third part of this section though, and that’s because you need to make sure you’re developing your ideas correctly, and making sure you’re talking directly to your audience. You need to avoid artificially bulking your content, or integrating words where they don’t belong, as this will only make the reader experience worst.

Create pages that empower your content

This is a pretty crucial part of the content strategy. You don’t want to aimlessly create content, instead, you need to control the users journey, and guide them to where you expect them to go.

To illustrate this point better, let me give you an example: If you have a website about Food and Vegetables, that has so much content, and so well done that you might be considered an expert in the subject, but you don’t have any actions or pages that you lead your users to once they’ve read the content, what’s gonna happen? They’re gonna jump out of the website, as they have nothing else to engage with. Finishing your content with a strong call to action, or giving them the opportunity to engage with your website more deeply, it’s gonna transform all of those inspired people to possible clients, or users.

Don’t be afraid of sharing your thoughts or ideas

I know that getting your content out there might feel a little bit daring, is there anyone that might want to read it? And as someone who has been blogging for over 7 years now, I can tell you: Yes. “And what should I write about?” Anything that makes you passionate enough to write from top to bottom all of your ideas and put them into words. Share that point of view, explain your train of thoughts!

You never know who might be reading your content, and how they might feel when they resonate with your ideas. The amount of collaboration opportunities that I’ve gotten just from my articles have been a blessing. Always experiment with the format in which you share your ideas until you find something you are comfortable and engaged doing. The best content, is the one that’s passionate, and developed in your own unique way.

Don’t use AI to create your content

Yes, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and many more AI tools are great. But these can never replace completely the power of your own creativity, personality, insights or little details that provide that extra edge to your content. It can be an excellent tool for proof reading your content, and making sure that it’s easy to read. But it cannot replace the ways in which you can create a connection by speaking directly to the reader. Think of it this way: If you used a prompt to create your content, why would a person be reading your article in the first place, if they can generate the same results? I am also creating an article on this, and how or if SEO and AI mix. So be sure to drop a follow on X if you want to see when it launches.

Content: The powerhouse of SEO

Congrats on getting so far. It’s good to know you’re so interested on SEO. Now that you have all the knowledge about content, and how to create highly engaging content, it’s time for your to put it to the test. Remember that amazing content can bring the eyes of the correct people in your direction, and generate intrigue and curiosity about your website or project. Keep on trying new stuff until you get something you like, and feel good writing.

So is that it? Am I now the king of SEO? Well, not quite. If you followed our last article, you know how important it is to structure your site with correct HTML, and now that you know how to also create content there is, as Apple says, one more thing.

In our next article, we’ll cover how to track, analyze, and improve your SEO performance over time.