SEO copywriting is precisely what it sounds like. You have the SEO part: optimizing for search engines, and the copywriting part: writing for marketing or advertising. SEO copywriting is essentially the development of SEO content—but unlike a content, which might refer to an infographic that you include in a blog post or a video that you make and optimize for YouTube SEO, copywriting refers to the actual words in your content.
9 SEO copywriting strategies for improved rankings
Here are the nine SEO copywriting principles we swear by for generating content that ranks.
1. Recognize (and match) keyword intent
“Term intent” refers to why individuals search for the keyword you’re considering targeting. In general, there are three basic categories of keyword intent:
1. Informational: the user wishes to learn more about a certain topic, product, or industry. “Valentine’s Day History,” for example.
2. Users desire to go to a certain website or web page. “1800 flowers,” for example.
3. Commercial: the user wishes to purchase a product or service. “Buy a bunch of flowers,” for example.
Effective SEO copywriting begins with understanding the importance of keyword intent, whether you’re creating content for your site, a blog post, or a product description. Consider what consumers seek, and then do your best to provide it.
2. Let’s get to the point.
After all, the relevant information is what Google places at the top of the organic search results.
Though developing relevant content is mostly about matching keyword intent, there are other issues; you must also demonstrate to Google that your material is relevant. Targeting your major keyword early in your writing is an excellent strategy to demonstrate the relevance of your material.
3. Avoid keyword stuffing.
To be clear, there is a significant difference between raising keyword density at the start of your next blog article and indulging in keyword stuffing—overly targeting your core term to increase organic search results. The former is a legitimate technique to establish the relevancy of your information, while the latter is an old-fashioned type of cheating.
Another reason we advise against keyword stuffing because it creates a terrible user experience. Nobody wants to read anything that is written to satisfy an algorithm. Nobody will remain on your website for long if you use keyword stuffing.
4. Speak the language of your audience
Keyword research tools are really useful. Whether you’re a content marketer or a PPC professional, free tools like WordStream may be lifesavers.
That being said, there’s another incredible tool—if you can call it that—that far too few internet marketers make use of. It’s free, simple to use, and extremely beneficial to anyone in the SEO copywriting industry.
The related searches allow you to speak your audience’s language—replicating the terms and phrases they use when looking for the answers you’re attempting to provide—at no cost to you. Incorporate some of these ideas into your material, and your SEO copywriting will improve dramatically.
5. Look for the highlighted snippet.
Even if you don’t believe you’ve heard of the featured snippet, you most likely have—it’s a little box that occasionally displays at the top of the SERP and provides a short dose of extremely relevant information.
You must aim for the featured snippet when suitable. If you’re answering a topic that You can answer in a few phrases, such as “what is the typical Google Ads CTR?” make sure the few sentences are included in your content. This increases your chances of winning the featured snippet and pleasing your target audience. You are improving your brand’s image even if some visitors need to click through.
6. Consider your headline carefully.
People will only click through to your website if your title is good. Be not like me. Set aside a significant amount of time to brainstorm headlines. It may appear a waste of effort at first, but trust me, when your organic CTR skyrockets and pageviews skyrocket, you’ll be glad you did it.
A high CTR results in a better organic ranking, and a better organic ranking results in more clicks. Headline copywriting is quite effective.
7. Improve your meta tags.
As much as we encourage all you copywriters out there to be creative with your headlines, there is one practical consideration you should keep in mind. If your headline (a.k.a. title tag) is longer than 60 characters, Google will likely truncate it. I think a few things are more aggravating than drafting a killer headline to have it abbreviated on the SERP. More than being inventive is required; you must also be succinct.
Your title is important, but there are other meta tags that have to be optimized: You should also be careful with your description (the text that displays directly below your URL).
That said, some will read your description and decide whether or not they want to hear what you have to say. Furthermore, Google checks there for markers of relevancy (i.e., keywords).
As a result, you must take the time to craft intelligent descriptions that encourage visitors to click while also convincing Google that your material is worthy of ranking.
8. Concentrate on supplementary keywords
Friends, say it with me: a single piece of content may rank for several keywords. Ideally, a large portion of your content will rank for several keywords.
Of course, the ever-reliable related searches area is at the bottom of that SERP. You’ll notice the advice “seo for beginners,” among other inquiries.
Using a single piece of content to target numerous related keywords helps you to reach a bigger (but still relevant) audience.
You may uncover all the auxiliary keywords you need to prosper by using Google’s recommended queries and WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool.
9. Pay attention to voice search.
Is the continuous hoopla around voice search a little exaggerated? Perhaps. We, for one, do not believe that optimizing for voice search should be your single most important SEO goal in 2020. In our perspective, matching keyword intent and winning the highlighted snippet are significantly more pressing.
This is not to say that you should entirely disregard voice search. Estimates vary depending on who you ask, but it’s worth noting that nearly two-thirds of adults aged 25 to 49 use voice-enabled gadgets at least once daily. The fact that voice search is growing more popular justifies implementing some fundamental SEO methods.