/cont/ - Content Strategy

i am struggling to keep our unique tone while trying to hit specific keyword targets in our long-form guides. lately it feels like every time i optimize a paragraph for search, the writing becomes stilted and robotic . the goal is to maintain an authoritative yet conversational vibe w/o making the content unreadable for humans. i find myself constantly second-guessing if i am over-optimizing or just being too lazy w/ my phrasing.
current workflow
i usually draft the entire piece based on a brief first, then go back and insert keywords during the editing phase. however, this often leads to awkwardly placed phrases that break the flow of the sentence . is anyone else using a different method to integrate these terms naturally? i used to think it was just abt density, but now i realize thats the only thing that matters a mistake. does anyone have tips for balancing technical requirements with high-quality copywriting?