At Markitors, our SEO content writing toolkit includes resources from all corners of the web. The SEO content team utilizes specialized tools throughout the creation process, from keyword research to image selection.
Check out some of the everyday content writing tools for SEO we use to drive results for other small businesses!
Table of Contents
What’s in Markitors’ Toolkit for SEO Content Writing?
Keyword research
Content creation all starts with some strategic keyword research and savvy topic selection. Anticipating what users will click on and read is the first step. Next comes identifying keywords that match that same search intent and will drive significant traffic to the page.
If you’re not a mind-reader, no worries. In fact, we aren’t either, so we use a collection of different SEO tools to help us know what users actually are searching.
1. Ahrefs
We do the bulk of our keyword research heavy lifting on Ahrefs. This amazing tool allows us to look at competitors, successful content for specific topics, and how clients are ranking for keywords. Of course, its main benefit is the insight it gives into each keyword we choose, including estimated monthly search volume, difficulty in ranking on the first page of SERPs, and approximate cost-per-click with a paid ad alternative to organic search.
2. Google Trends
Straight from the big man himself, this free nifty Google tool shows a number of things for higher volume keywords.
- Trends in search volume over time.
- Popularity by geographic location.
- Related topics and queries.
The perk with Google Trends is that the data is easily visualized and breaks down information by more precise location and time than Ahrefs does.
Not sure when to start pushing out SEO content around a seasonal item like pumpkin spice? Google may have the answer. Interest peaks every single year right at the start of August, according to past data.
3. Google Search
Of course, if you’re interested in what people are searching, it makes sense to go straight to the source. Google does a great job in revealing the thoughts of users through a few ways.
- “People also ask”
- “Search suggestions”
- “Related searches”
By doing keyword and topic research this way, you can easily see what people are interested in seeing based off what’s already performing well.
Looking to write about pumpkin spice? It’s time to sprinkle some diy pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin spice season, and possibly some pumpkin spice spam into your content strategy.
4. Reddit and Quora
Community forums are a goldmine for user intent, often covering any topic under the sun. You can easily hack into more niche topic ideas that people are asking. The best part? Because users have turned to forums to answer a question, it may be safe to assume they weren’t able to easily find an answer elsewhere on the web. This is your opportunity to become the expert on your own site.
Content writing tools
With keywords identified and a rough outline hashed out according to user intent, you’re ready for the writing. Here are a few of the tools we like to use to make our writing polished and ready for publication.
1. Grammarly
While the autocorrect on a word processor like Google Docs may catch an odd slip up here and there, the Grammarly browser extension ensures that all your internet writing is error free and grammatically correct. Although the free version allows some common errors to spill through, Premium provides much better peace of mind. Especially when you’re pumping out a variety of content all day, having this friendly little editing tool helps catch the little things.
2. Hemingway App
Because internet writing requires broad accessibility and a lower reading level, there are several content writing tools for SEO you can use. The average reader on the web is at about a middle school level of reading, so simplifying content to be more easily digestible can be tricky. The Hemingway App dives into the nitty gritty to help you simplify writing, so that you can better reach a larger audience.
3. Yoast Readability Plugin
Similar to the Hemingway App, the Yoast WordPress plugin gauges a page’s readability to ensure you’re not going wild with inconceivable notions too arduous to comprehend. As you’re writing, Yoast gives a broken down checklist of where you can improve.
As a rule of thumb, we like to shoot for the green light on Yoast to make sure it’s at a good reading level. This plugin is convenient, because we use it together with its SEO function (more on that later).
4. Copyhackers
Unlike the other content writing tools for SEO mentioned, Copyhackers is a blog to look up writing tips and tricks. This site has great information on the copywriting process and how to generally write top-notch information that will drive leads.
If you’re ever feeling a bland CTA coming on, Copyhackers can provide a boost of inspiration!
SEO reference
On-page SEO is another vital piece to the SEO content puzzle. Without ensuring that the right words are in the right places, your beautifully written piece may never see the light of day (or SERPs).
1. Yoast SEO Plugin
As mentioned earlier, the Yoast SEO plugin is a super helpful content writing tool for WordPress. It acts as a checklist for both pages and posts, so that you have some basic SEO safeguards in place before you publish.
Don’t forget to check for the green light before calling it done! As you become an expert SEO, you’ll find Yoast changing green without even thinking about it. 😉
2. Ahrefs Blog
In addition to serving as our primary keyword research tool at Markitors, Ahrefs also provides insight into SEO best practice. There are tons of tutorials, tricks, and videos on the Ahrefs blog that go far beyond the beginning level. If you’re just starting out, the information may be a bit dense, but it’s a great place to go once you’re comfortable around Ahrefs and ready to step up your game.
3. Backlinko
Similar to Ahrefs, Backlinko is an SEO blog with comprehensive guides and information. The blog itself is written by an expert SEO, and usually covers a variety of different tools in the industry.
Stock images
Using images for commercial use can get sticky if you don’t use the correct licensing permissions. That’s why we stick to images that we do not need to ask permission or provide credit for. Basically, it saves a lot of sweat.
Free stock images
Anything on these free stock image sites below are fair game! If you’re searching for an ultra-specific topic, there will probably be a lot of scrolling involved, however. If the quality or content isn’t there, then it’s probably time to move on to a paid stock image option.
Paid subscription
When all else fails, we like to use a paid subscription site like Shutterstock to find the specific stock image we need.
Graphic design
Once you have your image, you’re ready for the best part of the whole process: graphic design. Depending on the piece of content and client, you may not need to add anything to the image at all. However, sprinkling a little bit of design adds branding and can also spruce up a drab looking page.
In addition, these graphic design tools are great platforms to create infographics to increase user engagement.
And there you have it! That’s how the Markitors’ SEO content team rolls.
