An SEO copywriter writes copy that’s specially formatted and optimised to help websites climb search engine rankings but also engages, informs and persuades readers. SEO copywriters therefore blend creative and technical digital skills to create content that serves several purposes.
Their work increases a website’s search engine visibility in order to attract web traffic from high intent customers and drive conversions at each stage of the marketing funnel – from initial awareness of products and services to the purchasing phase.
This makes an SEO copywriter a valuable asset for any business that wants to grow online, so reading this blog will give you the lowdown on exactly what an SEO copywriter does and how they can help make your business more successful online.
Working with an SEO copywriting team such as our skilled content creators can ensure that you have the copy you need to boost your organic traffic and convert valuable customers. The first step to good content is finding out what your competitors are doing well, and what you could be doing better. Discover what you need to do to rank with our free content audit.
Once you’ve got the full picture of your website, writing content becomes much easier. So, what is SEO copywriting?
What’s the difference between SEO copywriting and traditional copywriting?
The main difference between SEO copywriting and traditional copywriting is that, although both disciplines aim to persuade and inform potential customers, the former is focused on search engine ranking factors, whereas the latter is aligned with other mediums like print.
The keyword research process is one of the most essential steps in SEO writing, and is the primary factor that sets SEO copywriting apart from traditional copywriting.
SEO copywriters must strike a delicate balance between creating copy that satisfies the needs, tastes and behaviours of their audience, whilst simultaneously formatting their text in a way that makes it as simple as possible for search engines to understand, analyse and rank.
One way in which this is done is through including relevant keywords in copy – in simple terms, these are the questions people type into search engines, a Google search for example, to find solutions that are as relevant as possible.
For example, a user might search the key phrase, ‘what is an SEO copywriter?’, so an SEO copywriter could then target a top ranking position for this key phrase by writing a webpage with that exact title, answering the question comprehensively by conducting keyword research in order to answer all associated FAQs.
SEO copy that contains key phrases and specific keywords will help search engine spiders determine the usefulness of your site during the crawling process, when your content is analysed, indexed and ranked according to algorithms.
Keyword stuffing should be avoided at all times – this is shoving as many keywords into your content as possible and it creates a poor reader experience that search engines penalise. It’s essential to find the right balance of keyword density in order to ensure that Google doesn’t think you’re trying to cheat the system by using your target keyword too often. Plus using a particular keyword too frequently will mean that the content doesn’t flow well for your human readers.
Essentials to keep in mind for keywords
User and Keyword Intent
When selecting your main keyword, and even your related keywords, it’s important to consider the user intent.
What if the user intent is not commercial or transactional? This could lead to empty traffic. Alternatively it could deliver important knowledge that can help put the visitor into the sales funnel and improve brand awareness.
Do we chase high keyword volumes?
It depends.
It’s important to select your keywords carefully, as targeting for a higher volume won’t automatically generate conversions. Sometimes, targeting for a long tail keyword with a lower search volume can be more powerful that targeting for high volume keywords as those searching will be more likely to convert.
Keyword Volumes and Difficulty
When choosing our keywords, it’s important to consider our current position alongside a keyword’s volume and difficulty.
Do we chase high keyword volumes if we have a low position? Or if keyword difficulty is high and all the big brands own the top 10? Or do we make that a longer term goal?
Competing for the same keywords as big name brands, particularly if your web page isn’t anywhere near the top 10 isn’t going to get you quick results.
In this instance, you’d be better to establish yourself with lower difficulty and volume keywords that have buying intent.
Similarly, look at keywords where you already hold a decent position, for example between 8 and 15. Then take the tips to make improvements to your existing content. This could make up those extra positions to unlock extra revenue?
Be Adaptable With Your Strategy
Adaptability is essential with your SEO strategy. What works for one web page and keyword, may not be the best course of action for another.
Take the time to work out what Google is going to smile favourably on. Google’s algorithm can weight different factors in different industries for different terms, so there’s no one key knockout blow to good SEO copywriting.
And remember, the art and skill is in identifying what Google has already rewarded with top 5 or top 10 positions, identifying their characteristics, and writing to establish THE best in class copy.
Why is SEO copywriting important?
SEO copywriting is important for businesses because it helps maximise your brand’s web visibility to consumers through a high search engine ranking. Without it, information on your excellent products and services isn’t served up to potential customers when they need it most because your content is buried in the depths of search engine results.
Furthermore, quality SEO copywriting also ensures that once a user lands on your site, they stick around to explore your offering, because it’s tailored towards generating leads and sales.
It includes attractive calls-to-action that drive customers towards a conversion, be it to subscribe to your newsletter, sign up for a free trial or purchase your products or services.
Since SEO focuses on organic (non-paid) methods, this makes SEO copywriting a cost- effective strategy for businesses of any size.
Once you’ve established a reputation for producing quality, search engine friendly content, you’ll earn the trust of the search engines and consumers alike. Consequently, you’ll maintain a strong ranking position, provided that you adapt content to satisfy search engine algorithms.
What does an SEO Copywriter write?
SEO copywriters create content that supports a company’s SEO strategy across a range of delivery platforms, including websites, blogs and social media.
The crucial consideration is that each piece of content they write is created to simultaneously satisfy their target and SEO requirements. Let’s take a look at some of the main types of content that an SEO copywriter produces and why they’re important:
Blog post
Search engines love blog content that’s relevant to your industry and audience, and provides useful information and practical solutions. Publish this regularly and you’ll establish yourself as an authoritative voice that people will turn to when they need help, which, in turn, helps you to build up your domain authority – once you’ve got this, maintaining a high ranking position will be easier.
Meta titles
The meta title is the heading for a web page that’s displayed in the search results. Google displays up to 70 characters (including spaces), so it should be concise, incorporate your target keywords and for maximum brand exposure, include your company name.
Meta descriptions
Accompanying a meta title is a meta description which summarises the content on a web page. It’s essentially a mini advertisement for your content and can often be the main motivating factor in convincing a user to click through. Google displays meta descriptions of up to 156 characters (including spaces) so they need to be clear, concise and catchy.
Alt text
Search engine spiders can’t understand images alone, so SEO copywriters use alt text (brief description of images) to explain what’s going on with the image. This is particularly important for search queries where the answers can be more accurately displayed as images, for example ‘what does a responsive web design look like?’.
However, images with alt text also add value when targeting consumers with high-quality, useful copy – exactly what the search engines want.
Social media posts
A skilled SEO copywriter will be able to produce social media content that’s expertly adapted to each particular platform and audience, which strikes those search engine ranking factors with perfect precision and amplifies messaging from content such as blogs and landing pages.
Product descriptions
Product descriptions are the icing on your SEO copywriting cake because they provide useful information about your goods and how they can benefit consumers’ lives. When a customer is at the end of the sales funnel where they’re almost ready to buy, a good product description can seal the deal.
Web pages
SEO brings traffic to your website and well-written web pages keep your visitors occupied and engaged, gradually leading them towards the checkout through carefully planned calls-to-action and emotionally engaging copywriting.
What skills does an SEO Copywriter have?
Although SEO copywriters are skilled in Search Engine Optimisation, that’s merely the tip of the iceberg. This technical knowledge of search engines is complemented by a wide spectrum of skills, including the following:
Writing
Search engines know the difference between good and bad writing, so SEO optimising a piece of text will only get you so far.
A great copywriter is skilled in grammar, punctuation and spelling, and capable of storytelling that immediately captures the attention of their audience and keeps them engaged as they move through the marketing funnel.
Research
Research is at the foundation of SEO copywriting – without it, writers are producing copy aimlessly, which dilutes its impact.
An SEO copywriter will research their target audience to uncover key data such as their likes and dislikes, internet behaviour patterns and the keywords and phrases most relevant to them, in order to create copy that captures attention and converts with ease.
They’ll also keep track of the ever-changing discipline that is SEO to ensure that the copy they write adheres to the relevant principles and is highly promoted time and time again.
Creativity
The internet is a crowded marketplace where most topics have been covered countless times by various brands. This means that SEO copywriters are often required to come up with new ways of writing about old topics.
They do this by identifying fresh angles and gaps in the content of their competitors, which they can fill with content that publicises and differentiates their brand’s offering.
Collaboration
SEO copywriters are usually part of a larger team that can include people such as SEO specialists, web designers and account managers, who they’ll need to collaborate and liaise with throughout the content creation process.
In addition, they’ll regularly update the client on the status of the project and take their feedback on board to ensure that the final product meets the brief and is fit for purpose.
Final thoughts
SEO is vital for making your online business successful, so if you’re not delving into this technical field, your competitors will rise above you and capture the customers that you need in order to thrive.
SEO copywriters blend creative and the technical aspects of writing to craft compelling copy that stands out in the fiercely competitive digital domain, attracts high intent visitors to your website and increases conversions.
So if you’re looking for a way to boost your business, bypass your rivals and maintain a healthy flow of traffic to your website that is easy to convert, an SEO copywriter could be exactly what your business needs.
Whether you’re looking for SEO copywriting tips, or someone to do the hard work and create SEO content for you, our team of writers can set you up for success!
