SEO-copywriting

SEO and Copywriting are like a marriage made in heaven.

SEO wants to please search engines and follow the latest trends. It is responsible for attracting search engine crawlers in order to move up in the rankings on sites like Google. In order to do this, SEO relies on trusted techniques, research, keywords and the manipulation.

Copywriting on the other hand, wants to get information across and motivate actions. It wants to stand out from the crowd, convey a message or a story and tempt readers to either find out more or click on through. It wants to be original and creative but also knows the value of strong technique.

Together these two powerhouses have a complicated relationship but it seems that when they both work together in synergy, magic can surely happen.

This magic of course is driving sales, boosting traffic, increasing leads and ultimately getting a strong return on your investment.

Balancing the relationship between SEO and Copywriting can take some trial and error as each have specific needs, wants and desires however, here are some of the main strategies when it comes to developing copy that is SEO friendly.

Headings, Titles and Subheadings

In the land of copywriting, headings are commonly referred to as the most important element. This is because if the heading can grab your readers attention they are going to click through and keep reading.

When it comes to writing your heading, think of at least 1-2 keywords that your article conveys and then be sure to include those in the heading. For example, on an article about the many dangers of drinking and driving, you would definitely want to include both “drinking” and “driving” in your heading to some capacity.

Once you have selected your keywords for your heading you can then begin crafting something catchy, motivating and alluring. Using the same example, your heading may be- “The Hidden Dangers of Drinking and Driving” or “The Real Reason Why You Should Never Drink and Drive.”

This is how SEO and good copywriting can work together to create a heading that grabs not only the attention of your readers but also the attention of search ranking engines.

Your Story and Message

What story or message are you really trying to convey?

When it comes to writing your copy you definitely want to think about your audience and what message you are trying to get across. Take a moment to think about your intention and what your customers may need or want.

Once you have shelled out the main message behind your content you can start filling in the blanks and constructing your message.

When it comes to creating your message, Copywriting definitely gets to take the lead here. In fact, a good message should always be constructed around good copywriting skills rather than SEO.

It is only once you have finished writing that you can start to edit in at least 1 or 2 of your keywords or include the title of your post into your message.

For example- “…..therefore, the real reason you never want to drink and drive is family…”

Formatting and Presentation 

The way you present your content matters more than ever as studies have proven that consumers want to be able to quickly and easily scroll through lists, see content fast and read small paragraphs.

Especially now with the increasing emergence of smartphone browsing, consumers want to be able to take in all the information they are looking for in a matter of minutes.

This means that your copy needs to contain:

  • Short paragraphs
  • Bulleted or Numbered Lists
  • Subheadings or Segments
  • Infographics or Imagery
  • Mobile friendly pages

When you tailor your content to be consumer friendly, your search ranking will follow organically.

Topics, Keywords, Metadata

Let us be clear, keywords do matter however search engines like Google have really aligned their algorithm based on consumer response rather than keywords.

This means that you should focus on tailoring your content to consumers before you think about your precious keywords.

To give you a rough guide, your keywords should be in your heading and then perhaps in your opening and closing paragraph, but aside from that the focus should really be on the topic you are writing about.

If you over-stuff your content with keywords you could definitely be black-listed by Google, so focus on your message first.

After taking the time to write a detailed post you should also be sure to include your meta description. If anything, this is probably more crucial than using keywords.

Meta descriptions are really how you help Google and other search engines understand what your article is about and how your keywords relate to what you are saying.

Call to Actions and Social Sharing

The end goal of most copywriting is to create a CTA that motivates readers to take an action, whether it be making a sale, entering and email or sharing on social media.

Your CTA’s really need to resonate with your readers on a deeper level and definitely don’t need to contain keywords or other SEO factors.

In fact, it would be more beneficial for you to encourage your readers to share your content as part of your SEO strategy, as sites like Google definitely favour social network statistics.

Conclusion

SEO and Copywriting definitely work hand in hand. Without each other no one would ever find your website or know what you stand for or what you can offer them.

Using these suggestions however, you can turn your site into a power house of information and sales.