When we search ‘types of SEO content’ in Google, AI Overviews provides us with a rather lengthy breakdown. The catch is, it’s breaking down SEO as a whole, which is something hundreds, if not thousands, of blogs have already endeavoured to divulge. The last thing you need is another blog regurgitating the same “SEO Content 101” tips, only adding to the confusion. At StudioHawk we strive to "deliver the best SEO simply", let's not overcomplicate it and dive straight in!
Understanding the Different Types of Content for SEO
If you’re reading this blog, there’s a good chance you’re already aware of what content for SEO is and why it’s so pivotal in fostering organic search results. If not, don’t worry—our Complete Guide to SEO Content will get you up to speed and ready to soar into the world of SEO-driven content. It’ll walk you through all the basics, from what SEO content is, why it matters, how to do it like a specialist, and a whole lot more.
When it comes to the types of content for SEO, let's take a more mainstream approach. I’ll journey into the different kinds of SEO content that work for various site types and pages, which is something that’s surprisingly overlooked. Below are the types of content for SEO that will be expanding on:
- Homepage Content
- Collection/Category Page Content
- Service Page Content
- Blog Posts
- FAQs
- Content for EEAT
Homepage Content
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the homepage, more often than not, holds the most authority and potential to rank highly out of any type of SEO content on your site. Although this isn’t always the frontrunner, the homepage rarely falls behind the leader, which is why getting the content right is crucial. Too much, and the homepage becomes bloated; too little, and you’re missing out on opportunities. Find that sweet spot, and the rewards will follow.
The task for the homepage is targeting keywords that aren’t going to clash with your service and/or collection pages. If your business is in the women’s clothing sector, implementing content with a specific collection in mind—blouses, for example—is going to damage the actual blouses collection. This is because the page with (typically) more authority is optimised for blouse-related terms. Which means if the homepage ranks higher for ‘women’s blouses’ instead of the actual blouses landing page, users may navigate to the homepage expecting blouses, but are instead met with an extra step to reach that collection. This could lead to users bouncing back to search engine result pages (SERPs) and navigating to competitor sites, which is what we don’t want to happen.
Try and strike a balance with your targeted keywords; scatter an array of collections and products throughout the homepage content to ensure the red dot in Google’s crawling scope doesn’t appear on your collections’ forehead.
As mentioned, balance is key, and maintaining this between too much and not enough content for the homepage is of the utmost importance. When there’s too much content on the homepage, it doesn’t get read. Conversely, by having too little, you end up failing in guiding the user through your site. Aim for bite-sized snippets of content that briefly explain certain services, collections, offers, and locations, all linking to relevant pages. The only lengthy part should be your introduction, which, in my opinion, should be the first words that users lay their eyes on—this will help them grasp exactly what your business is all about. This concise brand statement also serves as a segue into the ‘About Us’ page if people are interested in reading more.
Remember that reading is effort, so make sure that any effort users exert is worth their time.
Keep in mind that your homepage is likely going to serve as the landing page for all navigational keywords—terms that are directly linked to your brand name—as the homepage acts as the face of your business’s digital presence. Picture having someone blindfolded in the middle of your business; they’ve never seen anything related to what your business does, and the only context they have is the name. You take off their blindfold: what’s the first thing they see? Whatever it is you want them to see or understand about your business, you should use it as the blueprint when constructing or refreshing the homepage.
Blog Posts
Jumping from homepage content to blog content is a stark leap. Where content serves as a sort of navigational tool for the homepage, a traffic grab for blogs, and sometimes a way to convert users seeking answers into conversions.
The key to grasping blog posts is knowing that they’re almost always informational, targeting queries that ask a question or seek information by answering said questions or providing information.
Remember, your blogs need to be relevant to your industry. There’s no point writing about bikes if you’re a bedding business. For example, the keywords won’t make any sense, and Google values relevance and authority. When you stray too far off topic, the tech giant will see through the blog...
The list below outlines the types of SEO content for different kinds of blogs:
Guides / Tutorials
How-to guides and tutorials are fairly self-explanatory; their content covers steps, directions, guides, tutorials and instructions on virtually anything; how to draw a 3D car, a step-by-step guide on baking a cake, the ultimate guide to summer fashion. They essentially teach readers how to complete a specific task, solve problems, and help achieve that ‘nailed it’ moment. The best part? They work across any industry.
Industry-Specific Posts
Industry-specific content speaks directly to your target audience's needs, challenges, and interests in your particular niche. When focusing on a specific industry, you're not just talking the talk; you're building authority and relevance. For example, take the health and wellness space, posts like "How Yoga Benefits Mental Health" or "Best Supplements for Immune Support" will establish your site as an expert in that field. Google values authority. When you focus on your industry, you build topical authority that helps you rank higher for specific terms. Industry-specific posts align closely with your target audience’s search intent, which can lead to higher engagement and conversions.
Short Form
Short-form content typically refers to posts under 1,000 words, such as product descriptions, blog snippets, or news updates. While brief, this type of content can still be very effective for answering specific queries, delivering quick updates, or providing concise insights. Short-form content is easier to produce and can target long-tail keywords or specific user queries. It provides value in digestible formats, increasing the likelihood of user engagement and shares.
Long Form
Long-form content is often seen as the gold standard for types of content SEO. Posts typically ranging from 1,500 to 5,000 words or more allow you to deep dive into topics. Things like an "Ultimate Guide to Enterprise SEO" or "Complete Guide to Shopify SEO" are good examples of long-form SEO content. This type of content for SEO provides in-depth information, improving the chances of ranking for competitive keywords. Google rewards comprehensive content that answers a broad range of user questions and is more likely to include rich snippets or featured snippets in search results.
Collection/Category Page Content
For eCommerce sites, it can be argued that the correct implementation of ‘above and below the fold’ content brings with it the most comprehensive organic results.
When SEO specialists refer to above and below the fold content, we’re likening it to a newspaper; when folded in half, the fold in the paper refers to the range or list of products that make up a particular product collection on a website. Above the fold content refers to content above the product collections, and below the fold speaks to content at the bottom of the page, below the products, usually in the form of FAQs or short paragraphs highlighting unique selling points.
By including above and below the fold content on your site’s collection pages, you can target commercial and transactional keywords that reel in a top-of-the-funnel crowd. These keywords cast a wider net, drawing in searchers with broader intent, far from the laser-focused, bottom-of-the-funnel types.
Service Page Content
Service pages essentially act as collection pages, but for service-based websites. Service-based sites typically don’t offer an eCommerce aspect, and if they do, it’s usually in a smaller capacity. This means that service page content needs to be larger in volume to adequately outline what it is your business is offering.
Here are the key content elements for service pages:
H1 & Service Introduction
There is no exception to including a singular focal heading for service pages. This H1 tag should be concise, readable, and feature the primary keyword the service is looking to target.
Whilst not mandatory, a 50-100 word intro doesn’t hurt. Provide a succinct overview of the service and a quick call to action encouraging readers to make a booking, get a quote, or fill out a form. Bonus points for linking to two or three related services in that paragraph—it’s like connecting the dots for your readers!
What the Service Offers & Unique Selling Points
Outlining what your service offers and what makes it stand out from competitors is the secret sauce of service page content.
The length of these headings and subsequent paragraphs depends on the service that’s being offered. You want to give just the right amount of detail to keep your readers informed, without going overboard. Once you nail that balance between under- and over-explaining, you’re on the right track.
Now, this is where you can flex any USPs. If you manage to lay out some compelling reasons as to why people should choose your business over a competitor’s, it makes it all the more difficult for them to look the other way, especially if what you have to offer aligns with what the user has in mind.
Related Services
Providing links to other services, ideally of a similar nature or ones that people have requested or booked in conjunction with another service, not only increases that service page’s authority but also makes it easier for users and Google to understand the relationship between certain services and pages. It's like a matchmaking success story!
Location Pages
Location page content is hands-down the most effective way to rank for location-based search terms.
Touching on the business’s location and surrounding areas, services or products offered, and unique features of said location are the key components behind ranking for location-oriented keywords. Unlike service pages or long-form blogs, there doesn’t need to be a plethora of words to convey this, especially if your business has an array of different locations. Keep the user in mind. The majority of the time, all they want to know is the physical location, what the location offers/what’s different about it, if anything, and what it’s near or next to.
You wouldn’t be silly to suggest that location pages are only applicable for sites that offer services or products in more than one location, predominantly this is the case. There are, however, exceptions to this; if your business is strictly eCommerce, then your headquarters serve as a singular location, meaning you’re likely missing out on the opportunity to rank for pertinent product or collection searches with a location attached. This is where branching out location pages that simply highlight shipment or delivery to a specific area can make a world of difference. It adds layers to your site, making it multidimensional when in reality the business hasn’t changed.
FAQs
Be it a designated page providing an abundance of answers or several responses at the bottom of a service or collection page, FAQs are an excellent way to rank for informational long-tail keywords.
Designated FAQs Landing Page
Having a landing page strictly dedicated to answering frequent questions is amazing for user experience. Content on this page should be set up in a way that’s beneficial for the user above all else, as Google algorithm updates continue preaching, but targeting informational keywords certainly isn’t out of the picture.
This page is your golden ticket to answering all the burning questions customers, clients, or users ask most often. And this goes beyond the world of search engines; think phone calls, emails, face-to-face interactions, and conversations. What questions does our business get asked most? Once you’ve got that list, add the questions and answers to the designated FAQ page. Easy win.
After this, you can then branch out into the aforementioned informational keywords. Use Semrush or a similar tool to assist with this to obtain search volume. If you don’t have access to a fancy keyword tracking platform or tool, look at the questions you have, think about the business and put yourself in the user’s shoes. Ask yourself, ‘If I were a user, what words would I string together if I wanted to find information about x, y, z?” Boom. You’ve got some keywords.
FAQs on a Collection or Service Page
These types of FAQs are where you can start to target some long-tail informational keywords. Because a service or collection is quite specific, it enables you to hone in on a particular topic or theme as opposed to the business or industry as a whole. This approach can pay off big time, because while the broad business terms might get more search traffic, they’re also a lot harder to rank for.
EEAT Content
With more and more YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) businesses investing in SEO, quality EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) content is becoming more and more important to execute proficiently. In a nutshell, EEAT content is a framework used by Google to assess how reliable and helpful your site’s content is. Whilst EEAT isn’t a direct ranking factor, it can indirectly impact SEO via quality signals. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to leapfrog onto our blog that outlines what EEAT is.
EEAT content is applicable across a range of pages, but usually the ones that highlight the acronym’s expanded terms, such as home or about us pages, testimonials, case studies, and team pages. Showcasing elements like degrees, qualifications, awards, publications, and years of experience, to name a few, speaks directly to EEAT and is the best way to bolster it.
The best way to highlight EEAT is to think about what your site offers, if it requires a certain level of qualification, and if so, how do you best go about making this known, about us, team pages, etc.
What Type of Content is Best for SEO?
You’re probably sick of seeing this answer, but it depends. Generally speaking, if you’re a service-based business, comprehensively building out the services you offer will likely move the needle most, and the same goes for collection pages on eCommerce-based sites.
In a way, the different types of SEO content are all interwoven and symbiotic; FAQs often reside on both collection and service pages, blogs can always be crafted with a specific service or collection in mind, and EEAT content courses through your home and about us page. Even some service content can point users towards product collections and vice versa if a hybrid site has both service and eCommerce facets.
If you take one learning from this blog, let it be that it’s the notion that content, in any form, is critical in ascending the SERP ladder. Would you love to get content on your site but are concerned you don’t have the time, resources, or know-how? StudioHawk offers bespoke SEO content packages, and the best part is it’s only one click away.
