Top tips for producing SEO-friendly copy
One of the questions that I’m asked most frequently by new clients is ‘Do you offer SEO copywriting?’ or ‘Can you do my keyword research for me?’ The answers to both of those questions is yes, but SEO isn’t just about researching your keywords thoroughly and using them in the right places. There really is a lot more to it.
Creating high quality, original, engaging copy that is regularly published is vital for SEO and leads to a lower bounce rate and better rankings for your site overall. Holistic SEO is all about creating a fantastic user experience, which is after all what Google is most concerned with, and the strength of your copy is always going to be at the heart of that.
Avoid keyword ‘stuffing’
I’ve seen some truly dreadful copy out there that claims to be written to produce great SEO results. This kind of copy tends to repeat information over and over to make sure those all important keywords are in the limelight. This is called ‘keyword stuffing’ and the result of this is that it often makes for an extremely dull, unengaging read. Google really isn’t a fan of ‘keyword stuffing’ and this kind of copy will actually mean that you’re likely to rank even lower in search engine results. Google has introduced a number of algorithm updates over the years, such as Google Panda and Google Hummingbird, to actually filter out sites with poor, low quality content. The Google Hummingbird algorithm places a greater emphasis on natural language queries, considering context and meaning over individual keywords.
Do your research
Of course keywords are still important when writing copy for SEO and it’s extremely important that you’ve researched your keywords thoroughly before starting to write. In addition make sure you’ve thought about your audience and the questions they’re likely to be asking, as well as investigating the kinds of keywords your competition are using. Think about what it is that makes your business unique, consider your core values, strengths and USP. Make use of tools such as Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends to see which words and phrases are becoming increasingly popular.
It is always a good idea to Google your chosen key phrase and check the first two pages of search results. Would your site stand out amongst them? Where do you see your site fitting between the search results? The page title is the most important part of the page in terms of SEO and remember to place key phrases at the beginning of the page and in any subheadings. Keywords and synonyms should be ‘sprinkled’ throughout the text – don’t overdo it though or Google will punish you! Probably the most important tip I can give here is to always choose your keywords based on your audience’s vocabulary.
Become a topic authority
If SEO isn’t all about keywords, what kinds of things do you need to be taking into account when producing copy that’s going to help with your rankings? Firstly, you need to ensure that you are a topic authority in your chosen field of expertise. Sites that are regularly publishing high quality, engaging, in depth content in their sector are perceived to have more topic authority and provide a better overall user experience, which of course Google likes. Think carefully about what you’re writing. What are you doing to make sure people talk about you? Is your news newsworthy? You should write because people want to know what you have to say. If they don’t want to know, you’re doing something wrong.
Think about the length of the content that you’re producing. Search engines like longer form content and sites with this kind of content do tend to rank more highly. Of course, producing longer content does mean increased investment and time but it’s worth investing in this area if you want to achieve better results for SEO. It is also worth remembering that well written blog posts and content are more likely to be shared on social media and gain more engagement from readers. The structure of you text is also important, not just for your readers but also for Google, so make sure you are using your keywords in the correct places.
Three key elements
There is a lot to take on board when writing with SEO in mind but there are three main elements that are key. Firstly, your copy should be readable. It should be easy to read with a clear structure and message. It should also be findable. You need to ensure you have done your keyword research correctly and are using those keywords often enough and in the right places. Finally, your copy should also be original. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be brand new content, but it should add or give a different perspective on an existing topic.
Ultimately, the most important thing when writing with SEO in mind, is that you are producing copy for your business that is well researched, innovative, and engaging and that reader experience is at the heart of everything you produce. Producing quality content should always be your first concern and this should never be sacrificed in order to fill the text with keywords to try and gain a higher ranking for your site.
Collaborate with a professional
There are so many elements involved when producing SEO-friendly copy that it can be quite overwhelming for business owners to know where to start. As SEO copywriting trends and techniques are constantly changing and evolving, many companies now turn to a professional copywriter for help when producing the copy for their websites and blog posts. If you’d like a hand with preparing some high-quality copy that is also SEO friendly, just drop me an email or check out my Services page.
