SEO Copywriting
SEO Copywriting
It’s Complicated!
SEO copywriting is a complex skill and a very important one if you want to gain more than your fair share of online traffic.
SEO copywriting will often be categorized under “On Page SEO”, but it really deserves to be recognized as a far more complicated field than is usually acknowledged.
Done well . . .
- It is compelling and builds a desire to read more.
- It identifies and solves problems that need to be solved.
- SEO copywriting entertains and delights.
- It adds value to the people that read it.
- SEO copywriting helps a company achieve its business objectives.
- It increases the authority of a business.
Google Sayeth: Create Value For Your Readers
When done well SEO copywriting uses the language your target audience uses to search and socialize. Therefore, Google sees your content as the most relevant option and presents your content at the top of the search results.
If this aspect of SEO is not business building then nothing is.
Google absolutely encourages this approach because it makes their algorithm work better and therefore Google’s search results are better. A business that operates in this manner is rewarded and businesses that do not are not rewarded (penalized).
Search Engine Traffic Is the Most Valuable
Targeted traffic from search engines enables your website to be a business-building machine. It all boils down to the intent of your visitors. The frame of mind of your prospect is fundamental to business success (fundamental to a sale for example). Let’s compare this with social media traffic and think about which would you prefer? Would you prefer a visitor with a mindset associated with the activity of searching for your specific product or service and with a clear objective to continue searching until he finds it or a person more with a mindset of socializing on Facebook? A strong position in the social media arena is valuable but a strong position in search is even more valuable.
Searchers are the most motivated people who hit a website.
This is an important point.
You can build a great high-trust website with a great look and feel, super navigation and architecture. Any competent website designer can do this. However, if you don’t create great content with superior SEO copywriting then your investment in your website can be lost.
Effective SEO copywriting maximizes the benefits and the capability of your website. It works with Google to tell searchers all about your problem-solving high-quality content.
You don’t necessarily have to fully optimize your on-page copy upfront. But you do have to begin with the end in mind from a keyword standpoint.
Get Google to Love Your Website!
If you create value then people will link to your content creating even more traffic. If you create value people will stay on your site longer and return to your site for more. Plus Google will love your site.
Get Google to love you for longtail (specific) keywords. For example, if you are a real estate attorney would you want to be found for “attorney” (good luck) or “real estate attorney Woodstock, Vermont”?
The later is by far the preferred if you are a real estate attorney in Woodstock, Vermont.
Develop Keyword-Based Content
Select specific keywords that support the development of valuable content that becomes a foundational element of what your business is about.
Create content that . . .
- Satisfies the preliminary needs of your site visitor
- Acts as the first step in your sales or action cycle
- Prompts people to link to it
Many SEO professionals presume SEO copy writing is nothing more complicated than writing text with keywords, and completely overlook the various subtle nuances involved. SEO copywriting is a surprisingly difficult, subtle, and challenging area for a professional copywriter or SEO expert to engage in.
SEO copywriting needs to be considered as a separate aspect of good SEO. It should not be lumped together with On-Page SEO. It deserves to be recognized as an important part of the SEO challenge and if not done well can undermine your website marketing efforts.
If you work with an SEO Professional or a Business Copywriter that understands your market and your business and knows how to ensure that your website copy is search engine optimized then consider yourself very lucky – very lucky indeed!
About Gary Horsman