Incorporating SEO into content design

There is a strange habit in marketing teams. They split content writing and SEO into two separate jobs. One person writes the content. Then another person comes in and adds SEO, like keywords, meta descriptions, maybe a few internal links. This usually happens at the end, like an extra step. Because of that, SEO feels added on instead of part of the writing. You can often see it in the final text.

This is not how good content gets made. It should be part of the brief, the outline, the structure, and the headline from the start. Done well, you barely notice it is there. Done badly, the article reads like it was written for a robot, because it was. Here is how to do it the first way.

Start with the search, not the topic

Often, the topic is chosen first, and only then does someone try to make it work for Google. The direction is already set, even if it doesn’t match what people are actually searching for.

If you are a financial company, you might think the topic is “financial planning services” or “investment advice”. But search data often shows something more specific. “How do I start investing with little money in the UK” might get far more searches than “financial planning services”, even though they relate to the same space.

You do not need expensive tools for this. Google’s search bar shows suggestions while you type. Also, have you noticed the People also ask section in Google search results? It is a goldmine of related questions people are actually searching for. If you spend around 20 minutes looking at this before you plan your article, your content will already be better than most of what is online.

One page, one search

A common mistake is trying to include five different keywords in one article because it feels more efficient. It isn’t. It is often the reason your page ends up ranking for nothing. Each page should focus on one main search idea. If “how to register a limited company” and “how to choose an accountant” are both useful topics, they should be two separate articles, not one. Google ranks pages, not paragraphs. If you try to target two different searches in one article, it usually won’t do well for either one.

There is room for related subtopics inside one article. That is what subheadings are for, but they should all support the main question. If a section feels like it belongs in a different article, it probably does. Remove it and use it as the starting point for a new post.

Write the title for a human first, Google second

Title tags are the blue clickable text in Google search results. They matter for two reasons: ranking and getting clicks. A common mistake is to force the keyword into the start and add extra words after it. “Tax advice for freelancers UK | Best tips 2026 | Brown & Co Accountants.” Google can read it, but it doesn’t feel natural to a person looking at search results.

A better version would be “Freelancer tax in the UK: a plain-English guide for 2026”. Same keyword, but it sounds like something a person wrote and it clearly tells the reader what they will get. Titles like this usually get a higher click-through rate.

Same for the meta description. This is the short text that appears under the title in Google, usually around 150 characters. It does not directly affect rankings, but it can decide whether someone clicks. Write it more like a simple advert that makes people want to open the page.

Headlines are part of the structure of a page

Subheadings (H2s and H3s) do three things at the same time. They break up the text, they help Google understand the page and they make it easier for people to scan. Headings should still make sense on their own. Imagine someone only reads your subheadings. Do they still understand what the article is about? If your headings are things like “What you need to know”, “Key points” and “Final thoughts”, then they don’t say much. The reader has no idea what the article is actually covering, and neither does Google.

Replace those with more specific ones like “When to switch from sole trader to limited company” and “The most common expenses for small financial firms”. Now both a reader and a search engine can understand what the page is about.

There should only be one H1 on a page, usually the article title. After that, use H2s for main sections and H3s for subsections.

Use the keyword like a person would

Back in the early days of SEO, SEO writers were told to repeat the target keyword every 100 words. That was bad advice in 2010 and it is even worse now. Google understands meaning, not just exact phrases.Use the keyword naturally. Put it once in the title, once in the first paragraph and maybe a couple of times in subheadings if it fits. After that, just write the article.

If you write about the topic properly, related words will appear naturally. Using similar words and variations also helps. Repeating the exact same phrase too many times just makes the content worse. A simple test is to read the article out loud. If a sentence feels awkward because the keyword is forced in, take it out. Google does not need it there and your reader does not either.

Internal links are important

Most writers see internal links as something they add at the end. A couple of “as we covered in our previous post” lines and that is it. That is a missed opportunity. Internal links do two things. They keep people on your site longer, which is good for Google. They also connect your pages, so one page can help another rank better.

Use clear link text. Not Click here or Read more. If you are linking to a page about brand identity, use the words brand identity in the link. That helps both people and Google understand it. In most articles, aim for three to five internal links. Link to your service pages when it makes sense and to related blog posts when it helps the reader. If a link feels forced, it probably is.

Length matters less than people say

There is no fixed word count like 2,000 words that you need to rank on Google. The right length depends on the question. What matters is that you fully answer the question, not how long the article is. Longer articles can rank better sometimes, but usually only because they explain more, not because they are longer. Adding extra words just to make it longer does not help and can make it worse.

Four things we do before hitting publish

A few small habits from our own writing process.

Outline before you write

Pick the keyword first, then plan the subheadings before you start writing. This is where most of the SEO work should happen. Once the structure is clear, focus on writing the content properly. Do not try to force keywords into every sentence. They should sit in the structure, not be repeated everywhere in the text.

Read the top three results before you start

Not to copy them, but to see what they are missing. Search your keyword on Google, open the top three results, and read them quickly. If all three cover the basics of financial services but none of them mention something more recent, like updated FCA rules or changes in lending criteria, that is your opportunity. Twenty minutes of checking what is already ranking can save you from writing something that already exists.

Update old posts before writing new ones

This is something most businesses skip, but it often brings results. A post that is a couple of years old and sitting around position 12 can often reach page one with just a bit of work. Update the examples, improve the headline and add a few internal links. The page already has some trust because it has been live for a while. New posts usually take months to rank. Updates can move much faster.

Write the introduction last

The first paragraph is usually the hardest because you do not fully know what you are going to say yet. It often works better to write the main part first, then go back and write the introduction after. The first version of your intro is also often the one you end up deleting.

Final thoughts on incorporating SEO into content design

SEO and content design are not separate jobs. They are the same work, just looked at in different ways. The writer cares about whether it reads clearly. SEO cares about whether people can find it. Our web design process builds SEO and content together from the start, so your pages are ready to work the moment they go live.