Most business owners know the importance of SEO (search engine optimisation) when it comes to website traffic and if you don’t, check out this great article – How can SEO improve your small business.
What many business owners don’t realise, however, is that SEO should also be a key consideration when writing your website copy. What’s the point of crafting copy for your website, whether it be your home page, service pages, sales pages, or blog posts, and then not having it work for you 100% because it’s not SEO’d.
What is SEO copywriting
Let’s start at the beginning and look at what SEO copywriting is. SEO all starts with your keywords (you’ve probably heard me say this a time or two if you’ve been following me for a while). And it’s true.
From the start, SEO copywriting is about:
- having a focus keyword for your copy
- synonyms and variations to use throughout your copy
Whatever you do don’t just keyword stuff.
Even though I say your copy has one focus, that piece of copy can still go on to rank for hundreds or thousands of keywords. At the end of the day, that’s what we want. But by having a focus, it helps you stop competing against yourself. And allows you to spread your ideal keywords across your website so you have a well-ranking and strong site as a whole and not just one page that ranks well.
SEO copywriting also includes how your copy is formatted to help Google read through your page.
Using headers – H1s, H2s, H3s, etc. helps Google crawl your webpage and know what your page is about and what’s important from most to least.
Not all copywriters know search engine optimisation. Some will know the basics, some may work with an SEO expert, and others know nothing. So, it’s always worth asking the question. And how they determine what keywords to focus on as this is part of your SEO foundations, so you want to ensure it’s on point.
If you’re already working with an SEO expert on your website, ask them to provide the data to your copywriter if they don’t offer copywriting services too (not all do). Or have them liaise with your copywriter.
Our top 6 SEO copywriting tips?
Keywords
As I said above, ensure you’ve got your keywords and synonyms or keyword variations to work with.
Keywords are an essential part of SEO copywriting. They’ll help SERPs (search engine results page) understand your content and attract the right readers, and by the right readers, I mean readers who are looking for information on your specific topic.
When choosing keywords, it is important to select ones that are relevant to your topic and not too competitive. You can use keyword research tools to find the right keywords for your content.
Once you have selected your keywords, you should integrate them into your content in a way that sounds natural and is enjoyable to read. With the right keywords, you can help ensure that your content is informative and engaging.
Formatting
One of the most important aspects of SEO copywriting is formatting. By correctly formatting your web page, it helps Google to crawl your page can be easily indexed.
Headings and subheadings help break up your copy to make it more scannable, and lists and bullet points can easily highlight essential information.
Also, it’s essential that SEO copy is written in plain language that users can easily understand. By following these simple formatting tips, you can improve both the readability and the SEO-friendliness of your web page.
Internal links
Internal links are an area of SEO copywriting or search engine optimisation that’s often overlooked.
What are internal links, I hear, you ask? They’re links that point from one page on your website to another page on your website. Helping website visitors navigate your site and find the information they’re looking for.
Internal links also help search engines index your site and understand the structure of your content.
When used correctly, internal links are one component of many that can help improve your website’s SEO.
Outbound links and backlinks
Outbound links are links that point from your website to another website.
By providing links to relevant and authoritative websites, you can help your visitors find the information they need. And back up that you’re knowledgeable and an expert in your area of expertise.
Backlinks are the opposite of outbound links – when a link from another website points to yours. And backlinks are ultimately what you want, especially if they’re coming from a website with a high Google Authority, as you’ll get some SEO goodness out of it too.
Either way, you can use inbound and outbound links to open up the lines of communication and reach out and let the other website owner know that you’ve given them a backlink or thank them if it’s the other way around.
It might also provide another opportunity for you to cross-promote or collaborate on a piece of content.
Humans first
Always remember to write for humans first and Google second. We’re notorious skimmers when we’re reading, so formatting also comes into play. Bullet points are your friend here.
Call to actions
Don’t forget call to actions (CTAs) are essential in copywriting. Always consider what actions you want your audience to take after reading your content. Whether it’s:
- signing up for a newsletter
- booking a discovery call
- buying your thing
- following your brand on social media
Be sure to include that CTA. And don’t just place them at the end either. You may be getting a return visitor who is ready to book/buy now. So, please don’t make them scroll to the end to complete that process.
What is content writing, and why is it important to SEO?
SEO content writing is a wonderful opportunity to open you up to new audiences. By writing interesting and engaging content, you can attract more readers to your blog, where they’ll hopefully move around your website further and learn about the services you offer, sign up for your newsletter or lead magnet.
Content writing can help you build a solid reputation as a thought leader in your industry.
How to increase your reach through SEO copywriting
Using search engine optimisation (SEO) copywriting that is both informative and focused on the right keywords is what you want for your content to rank highly in search results.
You may have heard me say – it all starts with your keywords. While many factors contribute to your website ranking well, using relevant keywords is one of the most important. As a result, SEO copywriters must be able to identify and use keywords effectively.
In addition to using keywords strategically, SEO copywriters also need to write in a way that is easy for people to read and understand. After all, SEO copywriting aims to please search engines but, first and foremost, to provide value for readers.
So, keep these two objectives in mind when you’re writing SEO copy, and you’ll be able to create content that will help you increase your reach and attract more visitors to your site.
Is your website copywriting SEO optimised?
That’s the million-dollar question, and if you’re not sure, reach out. We’re always happy to undertake an SEO Audit that will give you the answers you’re after and then some.
