rewrite this title in spanish The Complete Guide to Writing Content That Ranks
rewrite SEO writing has evolved far beyond sprinkling keywords into blog posts. In today’s search-driven world, great SEO writing means creating content that search engines—and large language models like ChatGPT—can understand and that people actually want to read. Whether you’re a small business owner trying to compete with bigger brands or a marketer looking to increase organic traffic, mastering SEO writing is essential. In this guide, I’ll share not just the basics of SEO writing but also the strategies I’ve used with clients to help them attract the right audience, build authority, and turn website visitors into customers. What is SEO Writing? Before diving into the tactics to boost search engine optimization, it’s important to understand exactly what SEO writing means. This section will give you a simple definition and explain how search engine optimized writing blends search optimization with audience-focused content creation. SEO writing is any writing designed to capture the attention of search engines to promote increased reach and high ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). SEO writing targets search rankings directly. Although search engine appeal can seem difficult to understand, search engines typically focus on two things: keyword optimization and high-quality, people-first writing. To rank highly in search results, from Google search to Bing, focus your attention on incorporating keywords that will show up in search terms and creating high-quality content. Search engines are not people. Although people can appreciate a high-quality piece of content without a series of keywords embedded within, a search engine relies upon keywords to understand and subsequently promote your content. Generic content writing does not incorporate keywords, while search engine optimization content creation does. Why SEO Writing Matters for Your Business Source SEO writing isn’t just about ranking higher on Google. It truly is about building trust and driving results. Here, you’ll see why investing in SEO writing pays off in visibility, authority, and long-term business growth. SEO writing impacts… Visibility. Ranking high in search results means bringing in consistent organic traffic. SEO content writing is one of the best ways to increase visibility. Authority. Authority is vital for content writers, as it builds trust with your audience and impacts ranking factors. Good search engine optimization content ultimately builds brand credibility. Conversions. SEO writing attracts people with intent which, in turn, leads to more leads and higher sales. Long-term ROI. SEO writing continues delivering results long after a single campaign has run, unlike paid ads. Web content can be evergreen and continually refer back using internal links, making its long-term ROI very real. SEO writing matters for your business, because search engine results can drive or undermine your organic traffic. The Fundamentals of SEO Writing The basics of SEO writing form the foundation for everything else. By mastering keywords, structure, readability, and on-page optimization, you set your content up for search success. Keyword Research Basics Source Head terms and long-tail keywords can be easy to confuse; both are vital within content for users to effectively find your work. Head terms are broader, larger-reaching terms, while long-tail keywords are more specific and niche-focused. A combination of free and paid tools is considered ideal. Free tools can help with design, keyword research, and even optimization, while paid tools can further improve your scores on platforms like Google Search Console. Keyword selection can be arrived at through research alone, but make sure that research includes user intent; business goals are important, but user intent will effectively inform how you phrase your keywords and improve search engine results. Headings and Structure Headings are a vital part of both search engine results and structure, as they effectively get across content ideas while informing search engines about the content of a page and the audience most likely to benefit from it. H1 tags are the most important tags, while H2 show less important (but still valuable) ideas, and H3 tags rank lowest of all. All are a part of creating SEO-friendly content to help search engines organize your content, while improving the scannable nature of your content. In an ideal world, your search traffic would focus whole-heartedly on your work, but audience attention spans and the vast amount of competition make it necessary to create content that can quickly and easily be scanned for information. Headings create a structure that makes scanning easy and straightforward. Further Reading: The Real Role of SEO Keywords in Driving Business Growth On-Page Essentials Meta titles and descriptions are used to point search engines to relevant content. A meta title is a title used to quickly and effectively describe a piece of content, while descriptions offer a space to include more keywords to give greater detail about a page or post. Alt text is another place for your keywords to improve keyword density and help boost your place in search. When alt text is used properly and includes relevant keywords, an image search can also help bring your work up in SERPs. Finally, make the most of your content by utilizing both internal and external linking strategies. Internal links can help build trust and perpetuate traffic, while external linking can help establish authority. Is Your LinkedIn Not Delivering Results? Just released: my new book to help professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners maximize LinkedIn for real growth.With years of LinkedIn expertise, Maximizing LinkedIn for Business Growth offers actionable steps to build your brand, expand your network, and drive results. Start leveraging LinkedIn like never before—grab your copy now! Click the cover or button below to buy on Amazon. Further Reading: On-Page SEO: How to Best Optimize the 4 Main Factors to Increase Search Engine Rankings Readability and Flow Readability is also important for ranking highly in search results. Short paragraphs and concise sentences get your point across without sacrificing white space and readability. Active voice will always grab and hold attention more than passive. Passive voice is distant and cold, while active voice provides clarity and a more direct line to your audience. Jargon, too, alienates your audience, and should be avoided when possible. Writing for Search Intent and Humans Search engines may deliver the traffic, but humans decide whether to stay and engage. This section will help you align your content with different types of search intent while keeping it reader-friendly. The most common types of content include informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial intent. Intent matters because… Informational intent delivers information to audiences, and can include how-tos and narratives. Navigational intent includes content focused on delivering a specific page or area. This includes searches for local places, or even specific pages. Transactional intent is intent focused on making a purchase. Search engine optimization efforts for transactional intent will likely include reviews and comparisons. Commercial intent describes intent circling around identifying a specific product or service, or those that are beginning the purchasing process. Mapping blog posts to user intent means tailoring your keywords to match the spirit of search results if not the letter of those results. To map your blog posts, identify the type of intent present behind a search query, and place keywords within the post to match that intent. SEO writing does need to rank, but value is pivotal. Make sure that your SEO pieces are designed to both rank and solve common audience problems. Advanced SEO Writing Strategies Source Once you’ve nailed the fundamentals, it’s time to level up. These advanced techniques—like optimizing for snippets, FAQs, and semantic keywords—can give your content a competitive edge. Once you have a grasp on the basics, you can begin optimizing in more advanced and complicated avenues. Featured snippets and “people also ask” are two great ways to optimize content to show up in search results. Optimizing for these areas requires paying attention to search intent and meeting additional needs. Historical optimization is another great way to level up your optimization. Old content can be refreshed to rank highly by updating keywords and reviewing search intent. FAQs and schema markup can also be used to improve keyword density and show up in Google search results and other search pages. Identify other questions that can be answered and other problems that can be solved and include those in your content. Once a solid keyword strategy is in place, and you have a grasp of search algorithms and how to support organic search traffic, you can move on to incorporating latent semantic indexing keywords, or keywords that support the main keyword without merely providing a synonym. Think keywords like “organic traffic” and “research tools” for a main topic of “SEO content.” Content length and depth are also considerations to take into account. The length of your work and the depth it stretches to can inform search engines, as well. Rather than trying to always hit a certain word count, opt for high quality content–even if it means going over or under the “right” length. Further Reading: Mastering Organic SEO: Proven Strategies and Advanced Tips for Success The Future of SEO Writing in the Age of AI With AI summaries and algorithm updates changing how search works, SEO writing is evolving fast. Future-proof your content by focusing on human expertise and unique insights. As a quick Google search can attest, Google released an impactful Helpful Content Update to their search algorithms, which happened at around the same time AI overviews were introduced to search results. These overviews pull from multiple sources to answer questions, and inclusion in those answers can help increase exposure. Human expertise and credibility will provide a unique perspective that AI alone cannot offer. Infuse your content with humanity, and you will get a leg up on content that has been developed entirely with AI. AI-proof content includes content that uses stories, insights, and personal examples to humanize your work and connect with your audience. Further Reading: AI for SEO: 17 Actionable Tips to Rank Higher Common SEO Writing Mistakes to Avoid Source Even experienced writers fall into traps that can hurt rankings. I have identified the most common SEO writing mistakes and how to steer clear of them. They include: Keyword stuffing. Keyword density is important, but a high volume of keywords can actually detract from your rankings. Writing for algorithms instead of readers. Your audience should be your focal point. While algorithms matter, they change too often to make them your sole focus. Ignoring meta descriptions. Meta descriptions matter! Make the most of your meta descriptions by including your main keyword and identifying the purpose of the page in question. Forgetting CTAs and conversions. Calls to action and focused conversions will help drive your content and keep your audience engaged. Relying entirely on AI-generated content. AI content can be a useful jumping-off point, but should not be used to replace actual human writers. Whether you use AI for outlines, or as a basic framework within which to work, make sure that it is not the bulk of your work. Practical SEO Writing Checklist Source Sometimes you just need a quick guide to make sure nothing gets missed. Use this checklist to help you review your content before hitting publish to confirm it’s SEO-ready. Write one H1 with the target keyword. Your H1 is essentially your title and should be the main focus of any given piece. Use primary keywords in your intro and conclusion. Your intro and conclusion should introduce your point or purpose and wrap it up using your main keyword to provide structure and inform search. Place secondary keywords in H2/H3s. Secondary keywords act as a support for your main keyword, just as paragraphs act as a support for your overall piece of content. Optimize meta tags, alt text, and URLs. Optimizing these smaller aspects of your work ensures that Google and other search platforms can quickly and easily find you, categorize your work, and share it with your target audience. Add at least 2–3 internal links and 1–2 external links. Links help establish authority and build trust, so make sure to include them in your pieces. Ensure mobile readability and fast load speed. A vast number of your audience members will be searching on their phones. Make sure that your pages show up well on mobile. End with a strong CTA. Finally, give your audience something to do at the end of reading or visiting your site. A strong call to action encourages engagement and makes it more likely that your audience will complete a sale or come back for more. The right tools can save time and sharpen your SEO writing. From free keyword research resources to advanced optimization platforms, these are worth knowing about. Free tools: Google Trends, Search Console, AnswerThePublic. These can be used without an upfront investment and can help inform your SEO practices. Paid tools: SEMrush, Ahrefs, Clearscope, Surfer SEO. Each of these tools can help take your optimization one step further, with insights regarding length, peripheral keywords, and more. Writing helpers: Grammarly, Hemingway, Yoast. Each of these tools can help refine your writing and improve the flow of your work. Further Reading: The 16 Best Free SEO Tools You Need to Know in 2025 How Smart SEO Writing Grows Your Business SEO writing is not just a checklist—it’s a long-term strategy that can make your website your most powerful marketing asset. By focusing on user intent, optimizing your content for search engines, and layering in your expertise, you can consistently attract the right audience, establish authority, and drive real business results. If you commit to SEO writing as a core part of your content marketing strategy, you’ll find that it doesn’t just improve rankings—it transforms your website into a lead-generating machine. How are you getting started today? Actionable advice for your digital / content / influencer / social media marketing. Join 13,000+ smart professionals who subscribe to my regular updates. in spanish
rewrite this title in spanish How the TikTok algorithm ranks content in 2025 + tips for visibility
rewrite TL;DR Instead of chasing broad, unpredictable viral hits, prioritize content that resonates deeply within your niche community on TikTok. The algorithm favors content that aligns with specific groups (e.g., #BookTok, #SportsOnTikTok), amplifying visibility in these engaged audiences. The TikTok algorithm heavily weighs watch time, especially in the initial moments. Starting videos with a strong hook (a question, a preview of the payoff, or striking visuals) can boost retention and signal quality content worth recommending. The algorithm relies on video information like captions, hashtags, and sounds to categorize and recommend content. Optimizing for search with relevant keywords (via TikTok Creative Center) and using trending sounds can significantly increase your discoverability. Hey, can you just post a viral TikTok real quick? It’s a request too many social marketers have had to face. Fortunately, attitudes toward virality are shifting. Hoostsuite’s Social Trends 2025 Report identified micro-virality as an important trend in which brands focus on gaining visibility and traction within their core community. This aligns well with the TikTok algorithm, which is all about building communities of people clustered around shared interests and passions. When you understand both the TikTok algorithm and your own audience, you’re well set up to create content that resonates, gains traction, and leads to real business results. What is the TikTok algorithm? The TikTok algorithm is a proprietary ranking system that determines which TikTok videos to recommend to each user. No two TikTok users will see the same combination of TikTok videos on their For You Page—this feed is unique and highly personalized. In fact, the type of content you see on your FYP will evolve over time, as the algorithm catches on to your changes in your interests and viewing preferences. Here’s how TikTok itself defines the For You feed algorithm: “A stream of videos curated to your interests, making it easy to find content and creators you love … powered by a recommendation system that delivers content to each user that is likely to be of interest to that particular user.” How does the TikTok algorithm work in 2025? The main factors that influence the TikTok algorithm are user interactions, video information, and device and account settings. 1. User interactions Every action you take on TikTok provides the app with information about what kind of content you’re most interested in. Here are some of the user interactions that will impact what shows up on your For You feed: Videos you’ve liked or shared on the app Videos you’ve added to your favorites Videos you’ve marked as “Not Interested” Videos you’ve reported as inappropriate Interests you’ve expressed by interacting with organic content and ads Which accounts you follow Comments you’ve posted Creators or sounds you’ve chosen to hide How long you spend watching a video Content you create on your own account The positive signals tell the algorithm to serve more similar content, while the negative ones will prevent similar content from showing up in your feed. 2. Video information The TikTok algorithm also collects information about the videos you seek out through search and the overall types of videos you watch in general. Video information signals include: Captions Sounds Hashtags Effects Trending topics Video length 3. Device and account settings This doesn’t have as much influence as the user interaction and video information signals, but device and account settings still factor in. These are the settings TikTok uses to optimize performance. But because they’re based on one-time settings choices rather than active engagements, TikTok doesn’t deem them to be quite as relevant. Some of the device and account settings included in the TikTok algorithm are: Language preference Country setting (you may be more likely to see content from people in your own country, or videos that are particularly popular in your country) Device type Categories of interest you selected in your new user preferences If you’re not happy with the recommendations you’re getting, it’s possible to reset your own personal algorithm. Head to Settings and privacy, tap Content Preferences, then Refresh your For You feed. You’ll start with a fresh slate of popular new content. You can also train your algorithm with the Not interested feature. Press and hold a post or tap Share, then tap Not interested. You can also set up filter lists to remove content containing specific words and hashtags. 9 tips for getting picked up by the TikTok algorithm 1. Find your community Connecting with existing communities is important on every social network. But the way TikTok’s algorithm works, it’s even more important to engage with specific subcultures on this social media app than on, say, Facebook. On other platforms, people spend most of their time engaging with people they already know or accounts they already follow. On TikTok, though, users are engaging with content primarily through the For You feed – a feed full of fresh content from entertaining strangers. But those strangers can quickly gel into a community. In fact, TikTok users are four times more likely to say that TikTok is the best platform for being part of a community. And 72% of women on TikTok say it’s easy for new communities to connect and bond over shared life experiences on the platform. Here’s how TikTok itself describes its community culture: “Communities shape their own lingo, aesthetics, and styles that are distinctly unique to the platform, yet they remain inclusive, inviting everyone—brands included—to join in, explore, and co-create.” Tap into an existing community and you’ll likely find your content amplified to that audience. Fortunately, TikTok subcultures tend to congregate around hashtags Some of the fastest growing communities on TikTok include: #BookTok: This community of book lovers saw more than 1.2 million posts in the first ten months of 2024. Note that the more niche #Romantasy community saw a 300% increase in posts in 2024. #SportsOnTikTok: This hashtag saw a 350% increase in posts in 2024. Meanwhile, #WomenInSports saw a more than 2400% increase! #Science and #STEMTok: TikTok’s dedicated STEM feed, which became available to all users by default late in 2024, partly explains the 45% increase in posts to the #Science hashtag in 2024. Understanding your most valuable subculture can also help you plan your content creation that connects authentically with TikTokers, creating greater credibility, brand loyalty, and even more exposure. TikTok users want brands to take this approach: 76% say they like it when brands are a part of special interest groups on the platform. TikTok’s Audience Insights can help you find your subculture by identifying the interests and hashtags most relevant to your target audience. You can even find the “Bottom 10” interests for your audience so you can avoid cheating content in those categories. To access Audience Insights, open TikTok Ads Manager and hover over Analytics, then click Audience Insights. Note that you don’t have to be a TikTok advertiser to use this tool. To go more in-depth, check out our full guide to audience research. 2. Maximize the first moments TikTok moves fast. This is not the platform to add a wordy intro before you dive into the meat of your video. The hook needs to inspire viewers to stop scrolling. Remember: Watch time tells the TikTok algorithm that this is content worth sharing with other viewers. The first three seconds are critical. TikTok recommends starting off with a question that your video will answer, setting a timer or including the time in your title, or flashing ahead to a quick preview of the end result before walking viewers through a process. This video from the Met Museum walks users through getting to the Cloisters. But before diving into the step-by-step navigation, it leads with some gorgeous shots of the Cloisters themselves. Who wouldn’t want to go … and therefore watch the video to find out how to get there? 3. Optimize for search As important as hashtags are for your TikTok strategy, don’t forget about the importance of keywords. TikTok SEO is critical to teach the algorithm just what your content is about… and to allow interested TikTokers to find it, of course. Destination Madison created a TikTok series called Madison’s Iconic Eats, playing off pop-culture themes like set-jetting: “Social search and TikTok SEO is a huge focus for us,” says Sarah Warner, PR & communications manager at Destination Madison. “We want to anticipate what people are looking for and make sure that when they’re looking, they find us first. Doing so gives our content longevity and helps new people find us every day, even when we aren’t posting.” You could search for trending keywords that match with your content. Or, like Destination Madison, you could use trending topics and keywords to inspire your content. TikTok captions can be a maximum length of 4,000 characters, which means you’ve got plenty of room to work with. Start looking for trending keywords by region and industry in the TikTok Creative Center. (And if you’re stumped for what to write, try our social media caption generator.) Keep in mind that your caption is not the only place to include keywords. TikTok can also pick them up from your voiceover or text overlay. 4. Create high-quality content specifically for TikTok This should be an obvious one, right? Low-quality content is not going to find its way to the For You feed. But just in case you need proof, TikTok’s internal data shows that high-quality content creators get 67% more watch time per video view, three times as many views, and more than 40 times greater follower growth. And since TikTok is unlike other social platforms, high-quality content is TikTok-first content. In fact, 79% of TikTok users prefer brands that understand content creation specifically for TikTok. You don’t need any fancy equipment. In fact, TikTok research shows audiences prefer a “less-polished, authentic aesthetic.” What you do need is decent lighting, a good microphone if you’re going to record audio, and some quick edits and transitions to keep the visuals moving. Here are ways to embrace the TikTok-first aesthetic: Try different video lengths. Videos recorded in TikTok can be up to 10 minutes long, while uploaded videos can be up to 60 minutes long. TikTok says users spend half their time watching longer videos. But keep an eye on completion rate, an important signal to the algorithm. Experiment with aspect ratio. Yes, you can now upload horizontal videos to TikTok, and they’ll play in full screen mode on phones. These will also work well with TikTok’s improved desktop interface. We’re not suggesting you abandon vertical videos, but it’s worth testing both formats, especially for different lengths. Dive into editing. Play around with TikTok’s built-in features like effects and text treatments. According to TikTok: “These native features help keep your content feeling native to the platform which can also help get it on more For You pages!” Try different formats. 76% of TikTok users say they enjoy a mix of images and video on the platform. Carousels are great too, like this example from @chipotle: Showcase expertise: Specialized content that highlights unique knowledge and expertise elevantes the quality of your TikTok offering and connects to your niche. A couple of suggestions straight from TikTok are to solve a problem, share a hack, or teach something step by step. Add text to your video: Captions are in general a best practice for accessibility. Text like headlines and intro cards can also help draw viewers in and keep them engaged. And heads-up: More than 30% of TikTokers watch videos on mute and need captions for content. Leave them out and you’re missing out on a third of potential viewers. 5. Post at the right time for your audience Posting at the right time is important for all social media platforms, and that includes TikTok. (That’s why we made this handy cheat sheet of the best times to post on every social platform.) Engagement with your content is a key signal to the algorithm, and the best way to get engagement is to get in front of TikTokers when they’re actively using the app. Hootsuite’s research with Critical Truth shows that overall, the best time to post on TikTok for engagement is late night Saturday through just past midnight on Sunday. But for best results, you need to know the best time to post for your specific audience. And for best results with the TikTok algorithm, you need to post at the best time to extend reach, which is not always the same as the best time to maximize engagement. Fortunately, reach is a key goal available in Hootsuite’s Best Time To Publish feature. This handy tool provides custom recommendations based on your past performance and tailored to your unique audience and their activity patterns on TikTok. When planning your posting times, consider that the average brand posted 11.5 times on TikTok in Q4 2024. X is the only platform on which brands post more often. 6. Engage with other TikTok users Interacting with other TikTok users is a surefire way to build engagement… which in turn will tell the algorithm you’re an account worth putting on people’s FYP. Whether you’re an individual content creator or a brand, TikTok recommends a “react, respond, and remix strategy” for maximum engagement. React to trending content Respond to trending questions or prompts Remix trending ideas with creators Duets, Stitch, and video replies to comments are great ways to engage this strategy. Stitch is a tool that allows you to clip and integrate moments from other TikTokers’ content into your own. Duets, meanwhile, allow one user to record a “duet” with another user by commenting alongside the original creator’s video in real time. Video replies to comments let you create new video content based on comments or questions on your previous posts. The default settings on TikTok allow others to create Duets and Stitch videos using your content. If you want to change this for any particular video, tap the More options … icon on the video, tap Privacy settings, then toggle off Allow reuse of content. You can also turn off these features for your whole TikTok account, but that would limit the opportunities for other TikTok users to engage with your content, decreasing discovery potential. Finally, be sure to engage with your audience in the comments.76% of TikTok users say brands that post or reply to comments on TikTok feel like part of the community, and 68% of TikTok users say brands should use the comments section to better understand their audience. 7. Use the right hashtags As you’ve seen, hashtags are an important way to connect with communities and new audiences on TikTok. But don’t go overboard. TikTok recommends just two or three relevant hashtags per video. To find trending hashtags, head to the TikTok Creative Center. Click on the Analytics button next to any trending hashtag to see a full breakdown of its popularity, including audience demographic details and related interests. Source: TikTok Creative Center Keep your eyes peeled for hashtags related to challenges. These are a good way to come up with new ideas for content… and the algorithm will appreciate the participation, too. Plus, users want to get involved: 77% say they like it when brands create new challenges, trends, or memes. 8. Use trending sounds and music Like we’ve already said, participating in any kind of trend is a good bet when aiming for the For You feed. Sounds are a big part of TikTok culture, with audio clips that take on lives of their own. TikTok specifically says that using trending sounds or music can help make your videos more discoverable. Bonus: Videos with background music get an average 98% more views than those without. You can get a sense of the latest trending sounds just by keeping an eye on your For You feed. But to get more specific, you can find trending songs by region in the TikTok Creative Center. Just like for trending hashtags, you can find analytics data like audience demographics and related interests. Note that this section of the Creative Center only includes songs, not user-generated original sounds. For a deeper dive into TikTok trends to lean into, try using the TikTok Symphony Assistant. This platform-native AI tool can help you source trending sounds, music, and themes that fit your specific creative needs. 9. Be real – and have fun TikTok just isn’t the place for buttoned-up, overly polished content. The most popular content on TikTok is playful and unpredictable, so have some fun. Maybe some behind-the-scenes content After all, 77% of TikTok users say brand videos should offer a view into their (and their employees’) everyday lives. TikTok users want to see brands experiment and have fun on the platform: 79% say brands should experiment with different topics to see what suits them best on TikTok. And 40% say brands that show personality are more relevant. 14 things the TikTok algorithm will penalize When planning your content strategy, it’s just as important to understand what types of content the TikTok algorithm will not recommend. The following types of content are ineligible for recommendation in the For You Feed. They may also be harder to find in search. Content created by anyone under 16 years old Hate speech and hateful behavior Disordered eating and body image Dangerous activity/dangerous challenges Nudity and body exposure Sexually suggestive content Shocking and graphic content Misinformation False or unverified claims about civic and election integrity Fake engagement (such as “like-for-like”) Unoriginal content (such as content uploaded with a watermark or a simple GIF) Gambling Promoting tobacco or drugs, or showing excessive alcohol consumption Live content with the main goal of driving people off-platform. Content not suitable for young people may be restricted to audiences over 18. And content that violates the Community Guidelines will be removed altogether (and could result in a strike against your account). If you post content that falls into any of these categories, you’ll see that information in TikTok Analytics, where you can also file an appeal. Grow your TikTok presence alongside your other social channels using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts for the best times, engage your audience, and measure performance — all from one easy-to-use dashboard. Try it free today. in spanish