Google Docs is one of the most widely used writing tools. Writers love Google Docs for its easy cloud storage and collaboration capabilities. Still, many writers have no idea that they could optimize their content for SEO with Google Docs! In this article, we’ll show you how.

Why Is SEO Important?

SEO means Search Engine Optimization. It is the process of creating content in ways that will make it easily visible to users when they enter certain queries on search engines. There is a lot of competition online, as many people are consuming digital content now more than ever before.

As a writer, if you want your work to be seen by the audience you intended it for, you must practice SEO.

Getting Started With SEO Add-Ons in Google Docs

Now that you know the importance of SEO, let’s look at how Google Docs can help you create SEO content. Google Docs has a variety of add-ons you can use for SEO, and we'll show you how to easily access them.

1. Access Add-Ons in Google Docs

Open a blank Google Docs page and click Blank to start writing a new document.

Google Docs start page

When you open the blank Google Docs page, you probably hardly notice the Add-Ons tab in the menu bar. It is in between the Tools and Help tab, but most writers don’t explore it because they don’t know what it is used for.

Add-Ons work like browser extensions, so you can use them to expand Google Docs features to suit your needs.

2. Get Add-Ons

In the drop-down menu, select Get Add-Ons. You will be redirected to the Google Marketplace where you can install SEO extensions.

Google Docs Add-Ons dropdown menu

3. Search for SEO Add-Ons

In the search box on Google Marketplace, enter "SEO". The platform will bring up a list of add-ons that are designed to help with SEO.

Google Marketplace showing SEO add-ons available for installation

4. Installing Add-Ons

To install an add-on, all you have to do is click the add-on, then hit the blue Install button.

Google Marketplace dashboard showing an add-on about to be installed

You will have to grant permissions to the app using your Gmail account.

A page showing an add-on asking for install permission

Once the add-on is installed, you’ll find it under the Add-ons tab on the main menu bar. From there, you can just click on any add-on, click Show, and the dashboard will pop up on the side of your Google Docs page.

What Are the Best SEO Add-Ons for Google Docs?

Now, it may be tricky to decide which SEO add-on to choose. On the other hand, trial and error will cost you precious time that you could spend productively, writing.

To make things easy for you, here are our two top picks for the best SEO add-ons in Google Docs.

1. GDoc SEO Assistant

Google Doc SEO Assistant dashboard

GDoc SEO Assistant is Google Docs’ tool for SEO. Most of the other add-ons are designed by third-party companies and featured on the marketplace, but this SEO Assistant is from Google itself. Like many of Google’s solutions, the GDoc SEO Assistant is functional and free. Let’s take a look at how it works.

How it Works: The GDoc SEO Assistant grades your text by SEO best practices and gives you an SEO score. It also does a simple analysis and gives SEO suggestions to optimize your content titles, keywords, formatting, and readability.

Related: Free Tools to Get The Best Keywords for Your Site

The add-on supplies related keywords based on your target keyphrase so that you can include those in your text to improve your SEO score. The related keywords are not always accurate, but it’s still a useful feature for determining what direction your writing should take.

You can also find information on search volume, competition ranks, and periodic trends of the target keyphrase.

To prevent keyword stuffing, the GDocs SEO Assistant scores your content for SQ Density. If your text repeats the focus keyword too many times, search engines could flag your content as spam, which means they could demote your content ranking, or even remove it totally.

GDocs SEO Assistant showing SEO analysis

Aim for an SEO score of at least 70 percent before publishing your content. If you get a score below 50 percent, that means more SEO optimization is necessary. You can improve your score by tweaking your content according to the Assistant’s suggestions.

Who It’s For: Bloggers, freelance writers, and small business owners who need basic SEO guidance.

Download: GDoc SEO Assistant (Free)

2. Semrush SEO Writing Assistant

Semrush SEO Assistant dashboard

How it Works: The Semrush SEO Writing Assistant (SWA) does a more in-depth job of content optimization than the GDoc SEO add-on. Like the GDoc SEO Assistant, it grades your text for an SEO score based on the tone, originality, and readability.

SWA also supplies optimization suggestions for title, headings, formatting, and keyword density. It suggests related keywords based on the focus keywords that you provide, and it allows you to indicate the specific location of your target audience so that you can get accurate keyword suggestions.

You can also choose whether your target audience views content largely on mobile or desktop.

The paid version of the SWA add-on does competitor content analysis, which gives you access to the reach and ranking of your competition and allows you to create better content than them.

The SWA Guru version grades your content for originality with a plagiarism checker. You can create content with a consistent brand tone with its ‘Tone of Voice’ feature, which lets you perfect your delivery across several content pieces.

Semrush SEO Assistant dashboard showing SEO analysis

It can also check the quality of your inbound and outbound links for their relevance to your content, which is another way that it helps your content to rank well on search engines.

This add-on is free, but advanced features are only available on the paid version. Semrush charges $119 monthly for the Pro plan, $229 for the Guru plan, and $449 for the Business plan.

Who It’s For: Freelancers, startups, and content marketers. The paid version is great for marketing agencies, e-commerce platforms, and businesses with established web presence who are willing to invest in in-depth SEO

Download: Semrush SEO Writing Assistant (Free, subscription available)

Write the Right Content With Google Docs

There’s a lot of competition for content online, so it is important to optimize your content so that it gets seen by your target audience. That way, you can improve website traffic and achieve your online business goals.