The craft of SEO copywriting

SEO copywriting is the process of producing keyword-optimised content that’s designed to appeal to users and drive quality traffic. It’s a crucial element of any successful content marketing strategy. It means going beyond simply “writing content,” and appealing to the search queries of potential customers and prospects. SEO copywriting should be a balance of data insights (like keyword research) and fresh, friendly writing that’s concise and scannable. While copywriting has changed a lot over the years, particularly with the rise of AI tools, it remains one of the core content creation strategies that convince readers to take a specific action.

When it comes to SEO, there’s a range of content types that can be created. This includes landing pages, website copy, product descriptions, blog posts and brand messaging. If you’re a business that values the worth behind words, you’ll know that the content you create is only useful if readers can find it. That’s why you need to develop engaging and high-ranking content to reach your target audience.

When your content ranks highly in search engines, you’ll increase your brand awareness, and credibility, and boost conversions. It plays a massive role in a successful content marketing strategy. In short, you’ll be able to move your business goals forward. Strong copywriting is a combination of many factors, which I’ll discuss below:

Keyword optimisation

Keyword optimisation is an essential component of SEO copywriting. It’s about strategically using relevant keywords and phrases in your content to boost visibility. This aspect of SEO is important because it allows search engines to understand your content and its purpose, thereby increasing the chances of it appearing in the relevant search results.

To select the best keywords, you’ll need to identify your target audience, understand the type of information they’re looking for, and ensure it’s aligned with your content’s topic. Writing engaging and creative content that incorporates keywords in a logical way that satisfies readers and search engines is key.

It’s widely known that Google will penalise you if they find that you’re stuffing keywords into your content. Keyword stuffing hurts your SEO performance because it leads to poor-quality content. Broadly, you should aim for three to five keywords per page but choose one primary keyword as the main focus. Anything more than this could lead to a lack of meaningful content and keyword stuffing. The process of keyword research involves analysing keywords that people are searching for and creating content around the most relevant terms. It’s about understanding the traffic potential and targeting each keyword for maximum benefit.

For more information, have a read of HubSpot’s beginner’s guide on how to do keyword research.

User intent

When it comes to SEO copywriting, you need to create content with search intent in mind. This means understanding what your users want to discover when they type in a query in search engines. There are four types of intent, as outlined below:

·       Informational intent: When someone wants to learn something or understand an answer to their question. This type of content includes explainers, how-to guides, or research materials.

·       Transactional intent: These are the keywords that show when someone is ready to buy a company’s product or service.

·       Navigational intent: People with this intent want to visit a specific website, so they already know what they want to find and are using search engines to navigate to a specific page.

·       Commercial intent: When someone is looking to learn about a product or service before making a purchase. Users with commercial intent want to buy something, so keywords usually bring up reviews and articles comparing similar products.

Engaging headlines

Headlines are a crucial element for ranking in search engines. It is the first impression you make on a prospective reader. They’re vital for persuading your audience to read the rest of the page. Your headline needs to be clear and concise and include a primary keyword. It’s about setting the right expectations, building trust, and creating a seamless user experience. If you can craft a good headline that speaks to your audiences’ concerns and appeals to their search intent, then you’re on to a winner.

For the best results, create urgency in your headlines even if the piece of content isn’t time sensitive. Bring an element of curiosity and uniqueness. Think of headlines like: “Here are the top productivity hacks to get more work done in 2024.” In this way, you’re clearly articulating the main ideas of the post. It’s direct and intriguing and easily commands attention because it’s useful.

Your readers want content that solves a problem, so crafting a headline that offers a solution is paramount. Search engines favour authoritative, purpose-driven content that has a strong backlink profile, and they also prefer websites that are rich in information. Your headlines play a key role in building authority, so they should always be tailored to your target audience and underline the goal of the content.

Readability

The formatting and structure of your content have an impact on user experience and SEO. That’s why it’s important to organise your content so that it’s easier for both readers and search engines to navigate. For example, use engaging subheadings to break down the content into digestible sections, which sends clear signals to search engines about the content’s structure.

From numbered lists to bullet points, there’s a range of different ways to present information more concisely. When your content is easier to read, this increases the chances of it appearing as a featured snippet, which can lead to increased visibility and search ranking performance. Having strong formatting enriches the experience for the reader and contributes to people visiting your website for longer, and that has a positive impact on your SEO performance.

Internal and external linking

When you’ve written a piece of content that you’ve spent a great deal of time on, the natural desire is to ensure people stay on the page for as long as possible. Yes, dwell time is important, but using internal and external links is essential for adding more value to your audience’s understanding of the topic. Linking to other relevant pages internally can send traffic and authority around your website, creating a sense of cohesion between different pages. External links to reliable sources add credibility to your content, providing your readers with additional research and expertise. When used strategically, internal and external links can act as signposts, telling search engines how your content relates to other pages and which content is important. It can improve your online presence and increase trust with your readers.

Conclusion

SEO copywriting is a critical part of any digital marketing strategy. Ultimately, it’s a blend of creativity and science because the craft of writing requires finesse and style, with the help of data science to support the copy. Quality, keyword-driven content is essential for getting more eyes on your website. Want to find out more? Please get in touch via email to learn more about SEO copywriting.