SEO copywriting is a bit of a balancing act. Assuming you do it effectively, it must combine creativity, marketing savvy and search engine algorithm compliance, and in just the right concentrations. As the founder of Coalition Technologies, a major Los Angeles Magento SEO agency, I work with an entire team of highly qualified SEO copywriters, each of whom is carefully assessed and meticulously selected. SEO copywriting is different, and it’s not enough to simply be “a good writer.” It’s not journalism. It’s not creative writing. It’s not web development. It’s a craft unto itself, though it encompasses all of the aforementioned skills. If you’re struggling with your own SEO copywriting abilities or are looking to brush up, here are some valuable tips to consider:
SEO Copywriting – The Basics
- Always write naturally. I can’t stress this enough. I cringe when I see a copywriter stuffing keywords into an article, as though they’re trying to hammer a puzzle piece where it just doesn’t fit. For example, let’s say that you’re selling cat food, and your keyword is “gourmet cat food for sale.” Now let’s say you have a narrative that reads, “Our gourmet cat food for sale costs only $4.99 per bag.” Does that sound like a natural sentence to you? Me neither. Readers can see right through it, and it makes a very poor impression.
- But don’t underestimate the importance of keyword usage. You DO want to incorporate targeted keywords into your content, but the trick is to do it without compromising the flow of your narrative. When you start writing, you should already know what your target keywords are and work to include these words multiple times throughout the article. There are no steadfast rules about it, but in general, you should include your primary keyword in the first paragraph, and try not to overdo it. If you have a 500-word article, and your primary keyword is used 19 times, the search engines might devalue your web page due to keyword stuffing.
- Learn to sell. SEO copywriting isn’t just about keywords. If you’re selling a product, providing a service, or even trying to educate people about global warming, you need to be persuasive. Include calls to action in your narrative (if you don’t know what I mean, this sentence is in fact a call to action).
- SEO copywriting is about more than just articles. Some SEO copywriters will make the mistake of producing a page of content and then assuming that the work is done. But with SEO writing, a lot of the real work happens behind the scenes. You’re going to need a title tag and a meta description, which introduce readers to the content while also incorporating your keywords. WordPress makes it easy to include these attributes; if you use WordPress, just download a plugin like All In One SEO Pack or Yoast.
- Take it easy on the anchor text. In algorithms past, anchor text was a very big deal. SEO copywriters would dedicate valuable time to highlighting their target keywords, and then linking them to important landing pages (such as the homepage). For instance, if you were offering services as a criminal defense lawyer, you might highlight the words “criminal defense lawyer” in your text and create a link back to your homepage. There is still a precedent for doing this, but I would advise you to do it sparingly. Today, too much keyword anchor text can actually hurt you in the SEO game.
Coalition Technologies – A Los Angeles Magento SEO Agency
Copywriting is an important part of the SEO process, but it’s not the only part. We also must consider the importance of quality link building, targeted web development and search engine marketing. Do you use—or are you thinking of using—Magento for your website? If so, I would encourage you to check out Coalition Technologies, a Los Angeles Magento SEO agency. We handle all aspects of SEO, and we’re a preferred Magento partner. We’ve worked with some of the biggest power players in the business world, but we love working with small businesses as well. Give us a call at 1-888-800-9101.