How I Did Proper SEO Without SEO Tools — Top Notch Hack For Writers

The first hack got me over 7 thousand views

Do you know that you don’t need a paid SEO tool to give your article a subtle SEO mark?

Do you also know that you don’t need to attend the “University of Youtube” to know enough SEO to make your articles rank on Google’s first page?

I know you must think this is bull shit, right?

Oh, no! This guy is just spitting crap. Maybe this is another piece of junk on Medium.

Don’t get me wrong just yet. I’m only just starting.

Before you continue reading this informative article,

NB: The nuggets I am about to give are ideas I have tried myself, and they worked for me. Not like magic, but close to magic. If you utilize them well, then you will see results.

Meanwhile, since you have read this article to this point, I assume that you know what SEO is, or you at least want to know about it.

For the sake of those who don’t know anything about SEO, here is a brief overview.

SEO 101

What is SEO(Search engine optimization)?

Simply put, SEO is the process of improving your article, content, or website for proper visibility by many other people.

For those of you who already know what it is and don’t have enough dough to purchase an SEO tool, then get your googles fixed, get your pen-raised, and make sure your books are open because I’m about to show you a trick I tried out in my viral articles.

A few months ago, I got my first major win on Medium. I made a few bucks, capable of purchasing a few items. An amount so armful that I wanted to keep writing more such articles.

During this time, I discovered that I collectively got over a sum total of over seven thousand views from two articles.

I was surprised. But soon enough, I realized that the sudden rise in my views is a result of a recent blog post gig I just got.

Once I got that gig, I started to understand more and more about SEO. Soon enough, I realized some things that the editor always wanted in my articles once I submitted a draft.

I’m not saying they are magic spells, but try one or more of these things, and be sure to have your articles skyrocket like never before, with more claps, more reviews, and most importantly, more reads.

1. Headline

Oh! Are you thinking of something else?

Yes, it’s that simple. Prompts as simple as your article headline should be taken with high importance.

If you have been writing on Medium for a while, you will agree that it doesn’t have to be catchy or compelling.

Just like me, you must have seen articles here on Medium on Medium with a boring headline having close to 7k claps and multiple engagements. Most of them are results of standard search engine optimization.

To help spice your article, you need to think hard but not too clever (Click baits). Just make sure you are creative and intuitive about every word.

• It might be a question.
• It might be a command phrase.
• It might be a fact.

Make sure to rearrange it well such that it ranks well on Google. How will you know this?

Copy your proposed headline and paste it on the Google search tab. Make sure to check the results that pop up after you hit search.

That will give you a sense of the amount of traffic that might be passing through your article once it is published.

Then, to properly polish your headline, make sure to tweak it with some of the headlines that pop out on Google’s first page.

Here is an example of one of my viral articles.

Although the sentence in the search bar was what I had in mind when I wanted to write the article, the headline I created with it was what made it rank well on Google’s first page and other search engines like DuckDuckGo. Hence, after having a certain inspiration or thought in your mind about a particular topic, For purposeful ranking, go on search engines like Google and DuckDuckGo to further research ways of tweaking the headline.

2. Keyword

When I started writing myself, I didn’t know anything as such.

Why the heck do I need a keyword when I already have a headline?

Well, here is the reason.

• So that your articles will rank properly on any search engine.
• So that your article won’t be a closed vacuum to the world.

Apart from ranking or scoring well in SEO, keywords are a perfect way to help train your writing concentration.

Consider this topic: The best shoes for plantar fasciitis in 2022.

Google this topic to find out more;

Scrolling through the first page of the search engine, you will discover that, there are several other articles with headlines close to the one in the search bar.

Therefore, through those headlines, look for the common words and create a keyword.

Now consider this as the keyword: Best shoes for plantar fasciitis.

Also, just like the headline, search for this too;

The keyword should have a higher search result compared to the headline. Hence it will make the article skyrocket once there is any question relating to your headline.

To use your keywords out rightly, these are the things you should do.

• Make sure you mention it in your first paragraph.
• Make sure you cite it in some of the sub-headlines.
• Make sure you cite it in the body.
• Make sure you mention it in the conclusion of the article.

In total, a two thousand word article should contain 13 keywords. Through this, your article is sealed and on its way to Google’s hotlist.

Finally, cross-check the extent of your keyword usage when writing on Medium. Press Control + F, and then type in the keyword.

For example, for this article, my keyword is SEO. After using the Control + F command on the edits page, it showed me that I had used the word “SEO” in twelve points.

In conclusion, when creating your headlines, be sure to study your audience and know what they want. Your articles might rank well on search engines but still make little to no money on Medium. Hence create a balance between SEO visibility/Medium earning in your headlines and articles in total.

If you read this article up until this point. Then you are a wonderful individual. I wish you a Happy Writing Time on Medium.