It’s no secret that our Google buddies like to tinker with their search algorithm. Although this concept of continuous development is a source of joy for ordinary users, it may be a source of concern for SEOs and copywriters. After all, how are you meant to put up a successful plan if the laws of the game are continuously changing?
The good news is that the core laws of SEO copywriting aren’t going away anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong: being able to adapt is a vital talent. However, as crucial as adaptability is, you can rest (relatively) comfortable knowing that some aspects of SEO copywriting remain constant.
So, in this piece, I’ll provide you nine tried-and-true SEO copywriting methods to use on the material you want to rank, along with samples of outstanding work from the marketing community.
What Does SEO Copywriting Entail?
Copywriting for SEO is exactly what it sounds like. You’ve got the SEO portion (search engine optimization), and you’ve got the copywriting part (writing for marketing or advertising). While content might relate to an infographic that you include in a blog post or a video that you develop and optimize for YouTube SEO, copywriting refers to the words in the written sections of your content.
9 SEO Copywriting Strategies To Help You Rank Better On Google
With the nine SEO copywriting strategies we swear by, here’s how to produce content that ranks.
1. Recognize (and match) the keyword intent
For those who are unaware or need a reminder, here’s a basic rundown: The reason individuals search for the term you’re considering targeting is referred to as “keyword intent.” In general, there are three different forms of keyword intent:
- Informational: the user wants to learn more about a subject, a product, or an industry. “Valentine’s Day History,” for example.
- Users want to get to a certain website or web page, therefore navigation is important. “1800 flowers,” for example.
- Commercial: the user is looking to purchase a product or service. “Buy a bunch of flowers,” for example.
Google rewards marketers that closely match keyword intent since it is in Google’s best interest to provide top-notch search results to its consumers. You wouldn’t do well in organic search results if you attempted to target the term “history of Valentine’s Day” with the price page for your flower delivery business. Why? You wouldn’t be able to match keyword intent.
Effective SEO copywriting begins with an understanding of the significance of keyword intent, whether you’re creating content for your site, a blog post, or a product description. Consider what consumers are seeking for, and then try your best to provide it to them.
2. Get straight to the point
I’ll confess it: every now and then, I’ve been known to write a long introduction. As useful as it is for individuals writing term papers or Dickensian novels, we must remember the ultimate aim when it comes to SEO copywriting: to develop relevant content. After all, relevant material is what ranks first in Google’s organic results.
Though keyword intent is a big part of developing relevant content, it’s not the only thing to think about; you also need to show Google that your material is relevant. As I’ve seen firsthand, targeting your major keyword early in your writing is a great approach to demonstrate the relevance of your material.
3. Avoid keyword cramming at all costs.
To be clear, there’s a big difference between raising keyword density at the start of your next blog article and keyword stuffing, which is the technique of over-targeting your primary term in the hopes of improving organic search results. The former is a legitimate technique to show the relevancy of your information, whilst the latter is an out-of-date type of deception.
4. Speak the language of your audience
Keyword research tools are extremely useful. Tools like WordStream’s (which is free) can be lifesavers for content marketers and PPC specialists alike.
That said, there’s another fantastic tool—if you can call it that—that far too few internet marketers make use of. It’s free, easy to use, and very beneficial to anybody who works in SEO copywriting.
Assume you’re a marketer for an email marketing software firm, and you’ve been assigned the duty of creating a blog post about “does email marketing work.” Search for that query on Google, then scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a gold mine of information: a list of commonly searched questions related to your core term. The list goes on and on: “How successful is email marketing,” “Is email still relevant,” “email marketing analytics,” and so on.
The related searches area provides you with the ability to speak your audience’s language—to replicate the terms and phrases they use when looking for the solutions you’re attempting to provide—at no cost to you. If you include any of those ideas into your text, your SEO copywriting will skyrocket.
5. Look for the highlighted excerpt.
In August 2019, Rand Fishkin wrote on the SparkToro blog on how fewer than half of Google searches result in a click, whether paid or organic. The majority of the time, people exit the SERP without clicking any of the links.
Of course, there are other causes for this tendency, but for the sake of this blog post, I’m just interested in one: the highlighted snippet. Even if you don’t believe you know what the featured snippet is, you very definitely do—it’s a little box that sometimes displays at the top of the SERP and provides you with a short dose of extremely relevant information.
There’s no need to click on any links if you’re seeking for the etymology of “robot”—everything you need to know (assuming you’re looking for a fast, basic explanation) is present in the highlighted excerpt. Would some people read the whole Wikipedia article or scroll down the page looking for another source? Sure. However, the proof is in the pudding: many individuals are content to merely read the featured excerpt and go on with their day.
So, what does this imply for your SEO copywriting strategy? When the situation calls for it, go for the highlighted excerpt. If you’re answering a topic that can be addressed in a few lines—for example, what is the average Google Ads CTR—include those sentences somewhere in your text. You’ll have a higher chance of winning the featured snippet and satisfying your target audience if you do so. Even if just a few people click through, you’re improving your brand’s image.
6. Consider your headline carefully.
If there’s one SEO copywriting sin I’m guilty of—and there are a lot—my it’s inability to concentrate when crafting headlines. I have a habit of spending hours crafting a 2,000-word blog article and then 45 seconds producing a poor title. It’s like spending years designing the inside of a lovely house only to have a single entryway wide enough for dogs and cats.
Nobody will click through to your website if your title is bad. Don’t make the same mistake as me. Set aside a significant amount of time to come up with headlines. It may seem like a waste of time at first, but believe me when I say that as your organic CTR soars and your pageviews soar, you’ll be glad you did it.
7. Make your meta tags more effective.
As much as I encourage all you copywriters out there to be creative with your headlines, there’s one thing you should always keep in mind: if your headline (a.k.a. title tag) is longer than 60 characters, Google will most likely truncate it. Few things are more annoying than drafting a killer headline just to have it abbreviated on the SERP, speaking from experience. It’s not enough to be imaginative; you must also be succinct.
Your headline is important, but it’s not the only meta tag that needs to be tweaked: You must also be considerate in your description (the text that displays directly below your URL). I’m not going to tell you that everyone considers the description copy when picking which organic result to click; that would be ridiculous.
That said, some people will read your description and use it to determine whether or not they are interested in what you have to say. Furthermore, Google searches for signs of relevance there (i.e., keywords). As a result, it’s critical that you devote time to crafting intelligent descriptions—descriptions that tempt users to click while also persuading Google that your material is worthy of being ranked. Behold:
8. Concentrate on supplementary keywords.
Friends, say it with me: a single piece of content can rank for multiple keywords. Much of your content should, in theory, rank for multiple keywords. Many of you may already know this, but it’s a concept I didn’t get until I’d heard it several times. Just in case someone like me comes across this blog post (which is rather probable, if you ask me), I’ll reiterate: A single piece of content may rank for several keywords.
9. Don’t overlook the power of voice search.
Is the current hoopla around voice search a little exaggerated? Perhaps. I, for one, do not believe that optimizing for voice search should be your single most important SEO focus in 2020. In my perspective, things like keyword intent matching and winning the featured snippet are still significantly more important.
All of this is to say that you shouldn’t completely disregard voice search. Of course, estimates differ depending on who you ask, but it’s worth remembering that about two-thirds of adults aged 25 to 49 use voice-enabled gadgets at least once a day. I believe that the fact that voice search is growing more popular is good enough to add some fundamental methods into your SEO copywriting plan.
Consider optimizing part of your content for keywords that are based on questions. According to Google, 41% of individuals who use voice-activated speakers claim they speak to them as if they were human. As a result, many of their searches are phrased as questions rather than keywords. After all, a question is far more conversational than a list of keywords.
These pointers will help you master SEO copywriting.
As you can see, there are “laws” to SEO copywriting, but they don’t restrict your capacity to generate original and genuine material. In reality, that’s the kind of information that gets ranked (as long as it’s true and valuable). You’ll be on your way to increasing website traffic if you follow these SEO copywriting strategies!
