The purpose of web content is two fold: it has to appeal to the human audience and it also has to keep the search engines happy. The problem is that humans and search engines don’t really communicate in the same language and herein lies the paradox. Stuff the web content with too many keywords and you’ll bounce off the human audience; leave out the keywords and it is highly unlikely that people will find your web page to read anyway.
A professional SEO copywriter would be able to maintain the delicate balance between the two – however if you wish to write your own web content, here are some guidelines that could be of help.
Write for the human audience: Yes, a balance has to be maintained between search engines and humans, but the fact is that it is ultimately the humans who will perform the call to action and lead to conversions. So writing web content for humans should be a priority.
Identify what your reader requires: Before writing the web copy, you must first know your target audience, identify what they could want and then resolve their issues through your web content.
Insert the keywords: As said above, the first priority should be to write an informative, engaging web copy with a strong message. Once you achieve this, then only insert the keywords. However ensure that you don’t overstuff the web copy with too many keywords as this could make it chunky and awkward, and put off your readers.
Consult SEO experts: If you are not aware of the SEO practices for web content, you could do well to consult SEO experts to know the keywords, the density required, their placement in the text etc. so that the web content can keep the search engines happy. Alternatively, you’ll find a range of articles on the subject on the Internet.
Avoid blackhat SEO practices: Overstuffing the web copy with keywords, duplicate content, cloaked content, are all examples of blackhat SEO practices that you should avoid. Aside from the risk of your website being blacklisted, you also face the danger of putting off your audience. It goes without saying that any such practice will negatively impact your image and also adversely affect your conversion rates.