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Search-engine optimized (SEO) copywriting is the combination of two practices: SEO writing and copywriting. Let’s look at what each of these is all about. Next, we’ll talk about what happens when you combine them.
About SEO writing
First, SEO writing is the practice of choosing a select group of keywords or phrases and placing them in strategic spots on your website for the purpose of gaining a higher ranking in search-engine results.
On its own, good SEO is mainly about keeping robot search-engine crawlers happy.
You do that by making it easy for them to determine what your website is about and whether your content matches the keywords that people might use to get there. Bad SEO doesn’t just doom you to a poor ranking. It’s also an invitation to bad karma.
There’s an entire industry out there devoted exclusively to showing businesses how to make better use of SEO and organic keyword selection. I’m not about to compete with those pros, so I’ll keep this section brief.
As someone who works both as a copywriter and who crafts writing for the web, I’ll say this: SEO is important for every business. You need to learn more about it. But remember: it’s also only one part of the solution to obtaining and maintaining an audience of readers online.
About copywriting
Copywriting is the act of writing text that is used for the purposes of selling a product, service or idea.
Good copywriting converts readers into buyers. Lousy copywriting doesn’t.
Search-engine optimized (SEO) copywriting fuses these two practices into one. But be forewarned if you’re shopping for writing help: not all copywriters are good at SEO writing.
When it’s done well, it draws on good SEO practices that keep the robots happy. And it draws on good copywriting skills and time-honoured principles creating captivating content that keep humans happy.
What does SEO copywriting and happiness have to do with it?
Happy robots help give you a good ranking on Google, Bing, Yahoo and DuckDuckGo. Happy humans are going to be more open to what you have to say and are more likely to tell others, too.
These outcomes are a foundation. On this, you can build a loyal audience online and positions you to convert traffic into sales. That’s not to say this is easy to do. But like most things in life, getting the fundamentals right first is a very good determinant of your success.
“It don’t mean a thing if it ‘aint got that SEO swing”
As Brian Clark of Copyblogger points out in his excellent book, How to create compelling content that ranks well in search engines, “” compared with most Internet traffic, searchers are the most motivated people who hit a website. This is important.”
Great content can’t win an audience if the audience can’t find it. And a website found via searching isn’t going to be all that helpful—or visited ever again—if the content isn’t any good.
So it’s worth taking the time to learn more about how SEO copywriting works and to learn the difference between creating engaging content that people can easily find versus hacked-together keyword stuffing.
Here are some resources that I highly recommend for additional reading:
The 5 Essential Elements of Search Engine Keyword Research
SEO Moz Search Ranking Factors
Everything Marketers Need to Know About Google’s Panda Updates
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