SEO copywriting is the practice of producing high-quality online content that ranks highly on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) and drives traffic to their site. SEO copywriters use keywords throughout their work in order to target specific search queries that are relevant and useful to their audience.

It’s important to keep in mind that, although efforts have to be placed to cater to the search engine, the main goal of SEO copywriting is always to appeal to the user and solve a problem. They are the priority.

What’s the Difference Between SEO Writing and Traditional Copywriting?

There are different kinds of copywriters, although the two most common are traditional copywriters and those who use it as SEO, Search Engine Optimization. Traditional copywriters generally focus on the same three things: advertising, customer engagement, and promotional work. And the goal of any successful copywriter is always being able to identify what it is that their target audience likes, what they want, and what they need. So where do traditional copywriting end and SEO copywriting begin? 

When implementing SEO into copywriting, we use certain techniques and words to help our online content rank highly on search engines, such as Google. One practice is to place our targeted keywords in the headers and throughout the body of the whole copy. But the end goal is to eventually get the reader to complete a certain action, whether it be buying a product, subscribing to a newsletter, or anything that will benefit your business in some way.

SEO Copywriting Best Practice Tips: The Right Topic

The first step in writing a good copy is to find the right topic. Quality content that will attract an audience should supply a demand, such as providing answers to a question or problem that users are searching for. When you’re constructing your content, ask yourself what it is your target audience is searching for and wanting to learn about and what kind of content will resonate with that audience.

Keyword Research

Next up is conducting the keyword research, where you’ll be researching and determining the user’s intent. Keywords are words and phrases searched by people who wish to know more about a topic. One should think about which keywords the users use and which are related to your industry. Keep in mind that keyword optimization isn’t just cramming as many of the keywords into your content as you can. In fact, this is considered “keyword stuffing” and will actually lose you points on the SERP. These words should be naturally spaced out throughout the body and headers of the post. 

A longtail keyword is, at its essence, the same as a regular keyword, only it contains three or more words. The long-tail keyword usually contains a generic “head term” followed by a few more specific words. In the same sense as regular keywords, those head terms will have to pertain to your business, in order to establish authority.

For example, Truck Driver Academy offers services such as CDL training, so a blog post on “How to Prepare for the CDL Road Test” is a good example of a long-tail keyword to complement this topic. Using long-tail keywords for your blog post titles is beneficial because they ensure that your post hones into goals that are specific to the user.

An Appropriate Headline

A proper headline is important in SEO copywriting because a lackluster headline will result in a low click-through rate. Your content should have a headline that grabs the searcher’s attention and draws them to your website, where they then read your post. The headline should clearly state the goal and objective of the post because this will help readers and search engines understand what your post is about.

Pro Tip: Including numbers in headlines will perform better than those without. They are also more likely to be shared on social media outlets. A great example would be “7 CDL-Related Jobs That Aren’t Over-The-Road Trucking.” 

Guiding Search Engines With Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are the quick previews, or snippets, that appear below the URL on the SERP. SEO Copywriters use meta descriptions to let searchers (and the search engine itself) know what that content is about. Meta descriptions are extremely important (and should contain at least one keyword) because they are ultimately what the reader uses to decide whether or not they want to visit your website. The ideal length for a meta description should be between 150 and 160 characters.

Add Links Throughout Your Content

Internal and external links will be extremely helpful for your content piece. They’re a great way to tell Google that you’re connected and have a relationship with other websites and other forms of content. You should also make an effort to link to websites and pages that have high authority because Google will see this as you “networking” and even, in a way, linking together all of this wonderful world’s valuable and accessible information.

Adding links to your content will also help the reader better understand the topic. Linking a phrase or whole sentence to an external, authoritative source will allow readers to get more information on that subject. So, yay for the reader, and yay because Google will see that link as being related to the content that’s on your website. But make sure you’re also linking to different pages on your site in ways that will encourage conversions.

While all of these tips and tricks to add to your SEO copies will help you increase your rankings, the most influential thing you could possibly do is simple. Just solve your searcher’s intent. Give them the information they were looking for and Google will reward you.

Elena Goodson is an SEO content creator, social media manager, and stand-up comic in San Diego. In addition to running her own website, Slow Boat Library, she works for a digital marketing agency, New Dimension Marketing, and Research.

6 SEO Copywriting Tips to Increase Your Rankings

Understanding eCommerce | Digital Media Services to Grow Your Business