What SEO basics should every content writer know before they start?

Short list I give new writers: - Know what the searcher actually wants. Google the keyword first and look at what ranks; if it's all how-to guides, don't write an opinion piece. - Answer the question early. Nobody scrolls past three paragraphs of intro. - One H1, then H2s that read like a table of contents. - Use the keyword where it fits naturally, plus the related terms people would expect. Never force it. - Link to a couple of related pages on the same site. - Write a title and meta description a person would want to click. - Say something the top results don't. Rewording page one is how you end up on page three. Everything else, schema, site speed and so on, is usually the dev's job, not the writer's.