What Is SEO Copywriting?
Websites nowadays need to be not only informative but also search engine friendly in order to draw organic traffic. This task is called SEO copywriting. It means creating content optimised for both users and search engines. The goal is to write a text that ranks highly on the search engine results pages (SERPs) while providing valuable information to the reader.
SEO copywriting is a delicate balance between meeting the needs of both users and search engines. It’s about creating keyword-rich and informative content without sacrificing readability or sounding like a robot.
Many people may not be aware of the benefits of SEO copywriting. There are a lot of different advantages to doing SEO copywriting. Copywriting can help your website rank higher in search engine results pages. Additionally, it may increase the visibility of your website to potential clients. By doing this, you can gain the audience’s trust and credibility. Finally, it can assist you in increasing leads and sales.
Elements of SEO Copywriting
There are a few basic elements that all SEO copywriting must have in order to rank well with search engines. This includes the title, meta description, keywords, and content.
Title
Title is an essential element of SEO Copywriting. Since it is the most noticeable portion of your content, it must be able to capture both visitors’ and search engines’ attention. A good title should be detailed, engaging, and keyword-rich.
One of the first things a reader will see is the title, so it’s important to make sure it’s captivating and keyword-rich. A title that is too long or keyword-stuffed will turn off readers and search engines.
A good title should convey to the reader the topic of the article. It should be detailed without being too wordy.
Meta Description
The meta description is a brief text passage that shows up on search engine results pages under your title. It is an HTML tag that you may insert into a website post or page that allows you to describe the topic of your page.
One of the important elements of SEO copywriting is the meta description since it gives you the opportunity to draw readers’ and search engines’ attention. An excellent meta description needs to be intriguing, keyword-rich, and descriptive.
Keywords
Keywords are crucial in SEO copywriting as they will be the words that search engines use to index your content. It’s important to use relevant and specific keywords in your copy so that potential customers can easily find it.
A good keyword strategy should be based on research. You need to find out what keywords are being used by your target audience and then incorporate them into your copy.
Later in this blog, you will learn how to find keywords.
Content
The most essential part of SEO copywriting is content. It must be informative, well-written, and keyword-rich. The content must be able to hold the reader’s interest throughout, provide the information they seek, and sustain their interest.
It’s important to consider the demands of both readers and search engines while writing content. Both should be satisfied with the content.
Your writing should be clear and educational. It should be interesting and full of keywords.
Why Is SEO Copywriting Important?
Good SEO copywriting helps you achieve two main goals.
The first objective is to get your website to appear higher in search engine results pages. By incorporating keywords into your writing, you can achieve this. The use of too many keywords will make your post appear robotic and difficult to read, so be careful not to overdo it.
Making your website more visible to potential clients is the second objective. This is accomplished by producing informative, keyword-rich content. You will gain your audience’s trust and credibility by doing this.
Any website should strive to achieve both of these objectives. They are most important for companies that depend on their website for leads and sales.
7 Steps in Creating Effective Copywriting
From generating topic ideas to pre-publishing, we’ve got it all covered. Here are seven steps to creating effective SEO copywriting.
1. Jot Down Your Topic Ideas
To start, make a list of potential topics for your articles. These ideas have to be appropriate for your industry and search terms.
Before you start writing, making a list of your thoughts can help you stay on topic. Also, it can keep you from experiencing writer’s block. You need to know the niche or topic you want to target in order to come up with good terms for your article. Prior to writing, you must establish your objectives and goals.
Brainstorm
Brainstorming can help you generate a lot of ideas in a short amount of time. You can either brainstorm on your own or in a group.
Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes if you’re working alone, and then begin writing down any ideas that come to you. Grammar and spelling are not important at this stage.
When brainstorming in a group, ask each participant to generate three to five ideas and present them to the group. Discuss each suggestion after that to see if any stand out to you.
Draft your plan
It can be beneficial to organise your thoughts and ideas by creating a draft and outline of your plan. This will greatly simplify and speed up the writing process.
List your key points first, followed by the supporting details for each. Additionally, you are free to include any supporting data and information in your article.
Start putting your points in groups after you have them written down. You can use this to decide how your content will progress.
Do your research
After you understand what you want to write about, it’s time to do some research. Research will help you fill in any gaps in your knowledge and give you some great ideas for your article.
Also, when you are doing your research, make sure to take notes. This will help you keep track of all the different pieces of information that you find. You can use these notes to write your article.
2. Keyword Research
At this point, you should know the subject and market niche you want to focus on. The next stage is to conduct keyword research. Once you have a list of ideas, it’s time to look at your keyword options. Keywords are important for SEO copywriting because they help your website rank higher on search engine results pages.
There are several methods for conducting keyword research. The first method is to utilise a keyword research tool like KW Finder or Google AdWords Keyword Planner. With the help of these tools, you can find appropriate keywords for your articles.
Another method of keyword research is simply using Google search. Enter your topic first, then scroll through the results. Examine the article titles and meta descriptions that appear in the search results. This will give you an idea of the keywords your competitors are using.
It’s time to start incorporating your list of relevant keywords into your article once you have one.
Your plan could be ruined if you skip keyword research. Choosing the right keywords to target is one of the most critical factors of effective copywriting.
Target Long-Tail Keywords
A few things should be considered when conducting keyword research. Making sure you are focusing on long-tail keywords is the first step. Long-tail keywords tend to be less competitive and more specific. This implies that it will be simpler for you to rank.
Make sure your keywords are relevant to your content as well. For instance, your keywords should be associated with copywriting if you are writing a piece on the subject. Your keywords should be connected to SEO if you are writing about it.
The last thing to keep in mind is to make sure that you are using your keywords throughout your article. This includes using them in the title, the body of your article, and the keywords section of your website.
Look at related search terms
Google also provides a feature called “related search terms.” This is a great way to find keywords related to your topic.
Simply enter your topic into the Google search field and scroll towards the bottom part of the page to use this option. You’ll find a section labelled “related search terms” there.
You can use these keywords in your articles to help you rank for them in the search results.
3. Identify Search Intent
Search intent can be defined as the intention behind a particular search query. In other words, it is what the person is searching for something and looking to achieve. Serving the search intent can help you rank higher in the search results.
Understanding search intent is crucial since it will help you choose the right keywords to target.
There are three different types of search intent:
Informational
The person is looking for information about a topic. Some examples of informational searches include:
- How to do SEO copywriting
- What is SEO copywriting
- SEO copywriting guide
Keywords with informational intent usually have phrases such as “how-to,” “what is,” and “guide.” Those are your hints if you want to target informational keywords.
Transactional
The person is looking to buy something. An example of a transactional intent keyword is “buy SEO copywriting course.” The SERP of transactional intent looks different from informational. The results will usually show product listings and prices.
Keywords with transactional intent usually have words such as “buy,” “purchase,” and “order.”
Navigational
The person is trying to find a specific website. When you enter in a navigational keyword, the first result is typically the website that the person is looking for. “HubSpot blog” is an example of a navigational intent keyword.
4. Competitor Analysis
Analysing your competitor’s SEO strategy can give you insights into what keywords to target. You can look at a few things when you do a competitor analysis.
The first step is to visit the website of your competitor. Take a look at their website’s title tags and meta descriptions. You can see what keywords they are aiming for from this.
Examining their backlinks is another thing you can do. A backlink is a connection to your website made by another website. One of the ranking elements in Google’s algorithm is the number of backlinks. Therefore, if your competitor has more backlinks, they are probably going to appear higher in the search results.
Utilise a tool like Ahrefs to view the backlinks of your competitor’s website. Simply type in their URL and select “Backlinks” in the search bar.
Another benefit of analysing your competitor’s backlinks is that you can find link-building opportunities. A link-building opportunity is a website linking to your competitor but not to you. If you can get a link from that website, then it will help you improve your SEO.
5. Outline Your Article
Creating an outline for your article can help you stay on track and keep your article focused. When you create an outline, you will list down all the main points you want to include in your article.
Create your first draft
After you have created your outline, it’s time to start writing your first draft. Don’t worry about making it perfect.
In this phase, you are going to put all your ideas into action. Don’t worry about the accuracy and quality of your writing. You can fix those later. Just let your ideas flow and write down everything that you want to include in your article.
Edit and finalise your draft
After you have written your first draft, it’s time to edit and improve it. In this phase, you will enhance the quality of your writing and make sure that all the information in your article is accurate.
Here are a few things that you can do to edit and finalise your draft:
- Check for grammar and spelling errors
- Make sure that all the information in your article is accurate
- Improve the quality of your writing
- Add more examples and illustrations
If you’re writing an article about SEO copywriting, your outline might look like this:
- What is SEO copywriting
- The benefits of SEO copywriting
- How to do SEO copywriting
- SEO copywriting tips
When writing your content, having an outline will keep you on track. Additionally, it will make it simpler for you to organise your article logically. After you have edited and finalised your draft, you’re now ready for the next step.
6. Optimise Your Content
The next step after finishing your latest draft is to optimise your content for search engines. Keep in mind that the main objective of SEO is to increase your website’s ranking in the search results.
You can optimise your content by doing the following:
Persuasive Headlines/Title
A headline is the title of your article. The headline should be persuasive enough to make people want to click on it. Creating enticing headlines can help you improve your click-through rate.
Here are some pointers to remember in creating persuasive headlines:
- Incorporate data and numbers in your headlines.
- Make use of strong terms in your headings.
- Use inquiries as headlines.
Your title, for instance, might read as follows if you are writing an article about SEO copywriting:
“SEO Copywriting: The Most Comprehensive Guide”
or, if you are writing about on-page SEO, you can have a title like:
“What is On-Page SEO? A Helpful Guide for Beginners”
Titles can make a big impact on your page and CTR.
Compelling Meta Description
Your meta description is something you should also take into consideration. The meta description is the brief text passage that displays in the search results under your headline.
People should be persuaded to click on your article by the meta description. You can use the following tips to write an effective meta description:
- Use statistical facts in your meta descriptions
- Use strong words in your meta descriptions
- Use questions in your meta descriptions
For instance, your meta description might be something like this if you are creating a post about SEO copywriting:
“If you’re looking for guidance on how to improve the ranking of your website in the search results, check out our in-depth guide on SEO copywriting.”
Meta description can also improve your CTR and help Google tell what information you have on your page.
Visualisation
The visual aspect is equally crucial. Click-through rates for articles with graphics or videos are higher. You can add visual appeal to your content by using pictures, infographics, or videos.
You would want to include an image like this one if you are writing an article about SEO copywriting, for instance:
Call-to-Action
Lastly, the call-to-action on your page. After people have read your article, you want them to do something.
You can include a call-to-action at the end of your article or in the sidebar.
As an example, if you are creating an article about SEO copywriting, you might want to use a call to action like this:
“Check out our course on Udemy if you want to learn more about SEO copywriting.”
Enrolling in the course will give you access to exclusive tips and resources that will help you improve your website’s ranking in the search results.
Including a call-to-action can help you increase conversions and sales.
7. Pre-publishing
Before you hit the publish button, there are a few things that you should check. A few tips to ensure that your article is ready:
Review your Article
First, review your article. To find any mistakes, read the article aloud. You can also use a tool like Grammarly to help spot any grammatical mistakes.
Other tools like Hemingway can also help you make your article easier to read.
Ask for feedback
Lastly, have someone else read your article to catch any mistakes that you might have missed.
You can ask your colleagues or friends, or even hire a professional editor to help you.
Feedback can help you improve your article before you publish it.
SEO Copywriting FAQs
How do I become an SEO copywriter?
The ideal technique to become an SEO copywriter relies on your skills and experience, so there is no universally applicable solution to this issue. However, we advise starting by enrolling in a copywriting or SEO course, or even both. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you may begin honing your writing skills by producing blog entries or articles for your own website. You can also volunteer to write guest posts for other websites in your niche if you want to gain additional expertise.
Is SEO copywriting and Content writing the same?
No, SEO copywriting and content writing are not the same. Content writing is focused on creating informative and engaging content, while SEO copywriting is focused on optimizing your content for the search engines.
How long is an SEO copy?
The length of your SEO copy will rely on your goals and the subject matter you are writing about, thus there is no precise answer to this question. Though generally speaking, we advise keeping your SEO copy under 1000 words.