Writing
for Search Engine Placement
A critical
ingredient in search engine optimization is SEO copywriting
-- writing & editing the website copy for the search
engines. SEO copywriting should not be confused with marketing
copywriting, but the two skills will be creatively interwoven
in a successful, well-placed web site.
Of course,
website copy must first be written for the human visitor
– the content must be what people want or need and
be presented in a way that effectively communicates what
needed information and stimulates them to act –
usually to buy your product or service. After the marketing
copy is crafted, the SEO copywriter edits
for the search engines ensuring that keywords are placed
effectively within the content of the page.
Skilled
SEO copywriting should be unobtrusive.
Most website visitors have a fairly high tolerance for
the repetition of keyword phrases. Fortunately search
engines also prefer a fairly low density of keywords,
so a natural approach to strategic keyword placement is
best.
SEO Copywriting
– The Process
- Keyword
Research & Analysis - If the initial research
has not been done on keywords, it must be done before
editing the copy for the search engines. The best time
to research and analyze keywords is before the website
is built, but search queries change over time and the
research should be updated when editing content for
the search engines.
- Current
Search Engine Placement - If the site is already
indexed, the placement of the page to be edited should
be checked. If the site is doing well for one or two
variations of the target keyword and less well for a
third variation, the copywriter will edit accordingly.
- Keywords
in Headings and Sub Headings – Many writers
these days fail to use sub headings, but search engines
use them to determine the topics covered by a page.
Think of them as your content outline. Use h1, h2 and
h3 tags logically. With the advent of CSS websites don’t
need heading tags to determine how to display the font
size of headings, but search engines still count them.
- Title
and Meta Description – this is another
area where your marketing and SEO copywriting should
be a concerted effort. Copy must include the targeted
keywords and appeal strongly to the human. Your title
will appear Search engines will also occasionally display
your meta description so a well written tag is important.
- SEO
& Bulleted Keywords - Lists like this increase
the readability of a page and search engine spiders
love them.
SEO
Copywriting Resources – Do it Yourself or Hiring
If
you are hiring, here are two excellent resources to
help you choose an SEO copywriter:
If you
want to learn more about SEO copywriting yourself,
you might want to subscribe to this copywriting
newsletter. It’s not strictly about SEO copywriting,
but it is does provide great tips to help you mesh your
sales copy with SEO copywriting methods.
To talk with an
SEO Copywriter,
call: 347-NOW-4SEO
(669-4736) or
for
an appointment.
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