SEO | MEDIUM
How Do I Optimize My Medium Article to Get More Views
How I optimize my Medium articles with rich SEO content that is infused with minimal keywords, synonyms, and keyword-related words is not always straightforward.
Am I a search engine optimization (SEO) expert? No, I do not claim to be. Do I know how to optimize an article so that it can be found through an organic [FREE] searches? Yes, you bet I do.
I get paid big money from two of California’s hottest traffic attorneys to create SEO-infused articles that draw potential clients. This is known as business ghost writing or copywriting.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as an SEO expert. Those who claim to be and offer to optimize your website for search engines for the low, low, one-time price of $900 are out of their flipping minds.
Well, actually, you are if you pay them. I use the FREE Yoast plugin for SEO on my WordPress sites.
Those who work for Google have no idea what Bing or Yahoo! use for algorithms and vice versa. What’s more, the algorithms for all major search engines change frequently.
According to Search Engine Land’s article, 3 Things to Do after a Major Google Algorithm Change, Google algorithms change 50 or 60 times yearly.
How could anyone possibly be an expert?
How Do I Optimize My Medium Article
When writing for your own site, you need to be seen by the search engines. This strategy is also valid for Medium writers if you want more views.
In fact, it is much easier on Medium because it already has a high domain authority (95 out of 100 on MOZ).
It might take years to get your website an average score of 50–60 or an excellent score of 80 and above. What’s more, you will need 900 to 1000 quality backlinks.
Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). A Domain Authority score ranges from one to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a greater ability to rank.
Domain Authority is calculated by evaluating linking root domains, number of total links, MozRank, MozTrust, etc. — into a single DA score. This score can then be used when comparing websites or tracking the ‘ranking strength’ of a website over time. — Moz.
However, when writing on Medium, you already have a platform with a high domain authority and backlinks. But there are still a few things to do to optimize your Medium article for SEO.
Image from Similarweb. Shows the percentage of traffic from LinkedIn and Twitter (X) to Medium. Many X members and readers are still Medium members. Try including #Medium and #MediumArticle.
Structuring Your Medium Article with SEO Settings
On Medium, there is a section for SEO that most writers do not even know exists, and only a few actually use.
When you see Medium writers with tens of thousands of views, chances are they are using that section to their advantage.
Of course, you do not get paid for views, but when you get that many visits and write quality content, you will get reads because some of them will be Medium members.
Plus, some will join Medium just because they like your writing, but don’t count on many of your friends and relatives doing that.
However, your best option is to promote your Medium article on as many social media accounts as possible.
Optimize My Medium Article
Your title should be 40–50 characters. SEO Titles on Medium with over 60 characters will get truncated or cut off. Use a five to seven-word title and expand in your subtitle.
Before you publish your Medium story, click on the three dots at the top, and then go to more settings, then SEO settings. If you already know your keyword, ensure it is in the title, the subtitle, one subheading, the alt text of one image, and the SEO Description, for a total of once every 100 words.
Make sure it is natural, and don’t force it.
Your SEO Description to optimize your Medium article is similar to your Meta Description Tag on your website.
It is kind of like a Twitter-sized “trailer” or preview of your article. Try to encapsulate or summarize your article with between 150 to 160 characters. On Medium, the ideal is about 155 characters.
If you do not write an SEO Description, Medium will choose it for you, and it may not contain your keyword. It might not even reflect your article’s content because it will be automated.
When I started on Medium, I didn’t know you could set your SEO Description. I had been writing content for entire websites for nearly a decade. I always write the SEO Title, Meta Tag, primary keyword, and a half-dozen alternate keywords and tags.
I typically use my subtitle as my SEO Description and use my long-tail keyword in it.
“Focusing on long-tail keywords is a great SEO tactic. Long-tail keywords are keywords or keyphrases that are more specific — and usually longer — than more commonly used keywords. Long-tail keywords get less search traffic, but will usually have a higher conversion value, as they are more specific. They allow you to gradually get more traffic to your site and be found by new and motivated audiences.” — Yoast.
A long-tail keyword is usually three or four words that you think people will search to find something on Google. For this article, my keyword string is “optimize my Medium article.”
My SEO Description is 161 characters, “How I optimize my Medium articles with rich SEO content that is infused with minimal keywords, synonyms, and keyword-related words is not always straightforward.”
If you want to find out how many characters your SEO Description is, highlight it, click Review on your Word Doc toolbar, and then Word Count, Characters with spaces. It is about the same for Google Docs: click tools, then word count and characters.
Final Thoughts
I typically choose my long-tail keyword before I start writing my article to create the titles and subtitles and add in the keywords naturally as I go.
Then, before I publish it, I go to SEO settings and make sure everything is set.
Keep in mind; it is a pain in the butt if you have to go back and change the title.
There is no guarantee that getting more views will increase your readers or income, but there is a much better chance when your article is optimized for organic search.
Other Articles by the Author
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Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Also, a Top Writer in Bitcoin, Business, Investing, Nutrition, Travel, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, and Short Story.
