If you have carried out even the smallest amount of research into how to make your website stand out from the crowd in Google and other search engine return pages, you’ll probably be familiar with the term ‘SEO copywriting’ or ‘SEO writing’.
Internet search is dominated and powered by Google. Google leads where others follow and the search algorithm is constantly being updated and fine tuned. On-page content should contain certain elements which the Google search algorithm is searching for when a webpage or website is searched and indexed. These elements such items as at least one of each H1 to H6 headers.
Additionally, the on-page content should contain keywords and search phrases which your target audience are searching for. There are other parameters, but what you need to ensure is that the content on each and every one of the pages on your website is optimised for search.
However, SEO writing should never neglect the target audience. When a visitor lands on your website, it is because they have chosen to search a keyword which you have used in the text content on the page. Your page has come up in the search returns of Google, Bing or Yahoo for example. The search algorithm has loaded a snippet of your page’s text content along with a hyperlink to the relevant page.
The last thing you will want, after that visitor has landed on your page after clicking on the link, is for that visitor to leave almost as soon as they arrive.
SEO copywriting has to be a fine balancing act between delivering what the search algorithm requires and what the visitor wants to read. The text content has to be engaging, relevant and not lose its focus. The text should flow in as naturally as possible, it should deliver a message which is both relevant and authoritative yet remain interesting without trying to make a hard sell.
SEO writing should look natural and not be overstuffed with keywords and search terms and NEVER EVER should it appear clunky or padded out with irrelevant words.
Does your on-page content anticipate questions which a visitor might be searching answers to? Perhaps more importantly, does the content ANSWER those questions fully? Does your content deliver a message without being overbearing? Are you catering to your potential customer’s needs? And after all that, is the SEO writing engaging, interesting and informative, enough to keep the visitor on the page longer than a few seconds?
If you’re not then you are fighting a losing battle against your competitors. There was a time when you could get away with stuffing keywords and links on to web pages rammed with incoherent, uninteresting drivel and get away with it. Not anymore!
Google has evolved and now the driving force behind the search algorithm is high quality, relevant and authoritative content. Without it, your webpage and/or website will struggle to rank in any position in the top spots, regardless of what keywords and search terms consumers are using when they search online.
Your content needs to be a resource to which they can relate to. Your content needs to educate, enlighten and entertain them in a way which they do not realise they are being educated, enlightened or entertained.
What we are saying here is that your SEO copywriting has to satisfy two masters. Satisfying one exacting master is difficult enough – satisfying TWO exacting masters with completely differing demands can seem to be almost impossible.
One the one hand you need to satisfy the demands of the search algorithm (Google, Bing and Yahoo for example) in a way which helps your website compete with other sites for ranking. On the other hand, with so much choice for consumers and web surfers, your on-page SEO writing HAS to be a powerful relevant resource which your visitors will enjoy. The more they enjoy it, the longer they will stay on your website.
If you provide links to other pages on your website, such as product or services pages, then that will encourage them to find out more and, if you have got what they are looking for, turn a prospective customer to a paying customer.
Now, if you thought that was it, you are mistaken. Link building is n important element of driving traffic to a website and raising the ranking of a page, pages and/or keyword. If you aren’t building ‘linkable assets’ on your website then you are not creating SEO copywriting, and if you’re not doing that, then your website and individual web pages will NEVER compete with the completion’s websites.
If you are concerned about your pages not showing up in search engine returns, your conversion rate is low, then perhaps you might want to turn your attention to Ocere’s SEO copywriting services.
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