The basic copy writing mantra is to come up with a headline that will grab the attention of the reader and entice them to read the first line of your search engine optimization copywriting article.Include your keyword or phrase within the title as your anchor text and this satisfies SEO requirements.Article writing is a key internet marketing tool and you must get your search engine optimization copy writing strategy right. In this piece we are going to look at the steps in preparing an article for use with your SEO campaign and look at some of the tools and techniques available to maximize search engine impact as well as deliver interesting content for human readers. By following this step by step guide you will improve your search engine optimization copy writing.
The first point to remember is, "Who are you writing for?" ultimately, human readers will determine whether your SEO campaign is a success simply because they spend the money on your site and not a web crawler. Whenever you prepare content, human readers should have priority over the content and not the search engines; on the other hand, search engines will determine how many human readers are going to actually land on the content so we have a chicken and egg situation.
The answer is simple; cater for both human readers and the search engines by striking a balance between interesting content relevant for users while also achieving the aim of promoting search engine rankings for the web site and content.
By following this step by step guide you will improve your search engine optimization copy writing.Step One. Headlines are there to get someone to read the first line of your article and more!
If you are targeting "London hotel" as a key phrase, look at how this can be incorporated into an attention grabbing headline: "London hotel deliver best deal for tourists!", "The cheapest London hotel reviewed", "Best London hotel for business users"
Step Two. Generate interest with the first sentence of your search engine optimization copy writing article
You've gained a user's attention with your search engine optimisation copywriting headline, and now you have to suck the user into the body of your piece by activating their desire.
You can do this by a variety of methods such as promising to save money by following the article's advice or solving a problem the target audience is likely to have. At the same time, ensure you use the search engine optimization copy writing keyword within the first sentence to satisfy SEO requirements.
Using our example of "London hotel", we can create an opening line such as:
"How does a London hotel generate the highest levels of repeat business when the rest of the sector is experiencing difficulties?"
"We reviewed the cheapest London hotel for tourists and had a fantastic surprise in store; "cheap" can mean high quality and hard to beat value when stretching your holiday budget and here's how you do it."
Step Three. Use your headers to give structure for improved SEO copy writing
Using headers and sub-headers will give your search engine optimization copy writing structure and allow your users to focus on the relevant content for them.
Users scan internet content and tend not to read it from start to finish so use headers as mini-headlines which make your key information stand out at a glance to a human reader. Look at this article and the use of sub-headers to split up the piece and highlight key points.
Use the keyword or phrase in the sub-header as well as when you come to upload the content to your site, you can use the h1,h2 and h3 tags to further underline the importance of your keyword to the search engines.
Step Four. Review your search engine optimization copy writing for human users
You've finished your SEO copy writing article and now you are ready - almost!
Read it through and edit it; best advice is to leave the article alone for a day and return to the piece and read it through. The reason for this is as a writer, you will be too wrapped up in what the content has to say and not the actual English language such as the grammar and typos. Seeing the piece with fresh eyes will allow your mind to concentrate firstly on the standard of English (or other language) and secondly, you can assess whether the piece actually makes sense and runs together as a fluid piece of writing.
Specifically, look out for jarring use of keywords and phrases where the writer has inserted keywords in places which make the search engine optimization copy writing appear disjointed and written by a ten year old. Keyword stuffing is not good practice and will deter human readers from following through on your advice or call to action.
How long should a search engine optimization copy writing piece be?
The answer is "How long is a piece of string!", however between 500 and 1,000 words is probably ideal depending on the subject matter and the purpose of the search engine optimization copy writing in respect of human readers; sales copy should be short and snappy while instructional or technical pieces will be discursive and lengthier.
Step Five - Review your SEO copy writing for search engines
Finally, review your search engine optimization copy writing for keyword density and use of anchor text and tags where appropriate.
Do not overdo the keyword insertion; too much and the search engines will recognize you as keyword stuffing and discount you in the rankings while too little and you may be deemed as not relevant enough to warrant high rank. Typically, keyword density between 2% and 4% is recommended - but more importantly you should use synonyms and variations of the keyword as the search engines are becoming quite savvy and assess your 'theme' words as well. The best policy is to write an article organically then integrate the words appropriately.
This post provided by Anton Stoutjesdik who is an MBA lecturer, professional SEO copywriter and the director at New Frontier Ltd, a multi lingual SEO copy writing agency, helping website owners generator better business leads. For more tips and advice visit our website for a free 30 minute copy writing consultation.
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