A guide to SEO copywriting

There is no mystery to producing good copy for the web. All you need is an understanding of your audience, a reasonable vocabulary to communicate, and an ability to write in a way to entice your readers to explore your site further. Of these, the last can sometimes be the most challenging, more so because a web copy has to be written for humans and search engines.

Effective SEO copywriting is important for companies because it increases their visibility with the search engines and the customers, thereby increasing both traffic and conversions.

Keep your copy simple

The first rule is to write short, simple sentences that effectively communicate your message. If you use industry jargon and language quirks that are unique to your style, chances are your visitors will not understand what you are trying to convey. So clear the clutter in your mind and concentrate on getting the message across.

It goes without saying that you must keep the readers needs in mind. Most users will scan the page and look for keywords and will only stop to read if they find something that strikes them. So keep your sentences short and simple but do not compromise on the content.

Write short paragraphs with headlines and sub-headlines using appropriate keywords. You can also use bullet points, bold and italicized text for emphasis. Doing so will make it easier for the reader to spot key points.

If writing copy is not your area of expertise, you can hire professional content writing companies to create content for your website.  Content is important both for SEO and visitor acknowledgement. The more copy your site has (though within reasonable limits) and the better it is, the more likely you are to achieve a better search engine ranking and improved conversion rates with visitors.

Specify the call to action

A good SEO copy should always have a call to action. For this, just think ‘what is it that I want my visitors to do?’ A call to action can be to fill in a contact form, sign up for a newsletter, buy a product, what ever it is, you need to convey that in a way that will leave the readers in no doubt to what they should do and how they stand to gain from performing the particular action.

Write for human audience and search engines

SEO copywriting is the art of writing text such that it reads well for your audience and at the same time fulfils the needs of the various search engines. If your site text is missing keywords, or the terms commonly searched-upon by users in the search engines, you won’t get the rankings you want. However, if you stuff your text with keywords and forget about your customers’ needs, you’ll be considered a spammer and be ignored both by the audience and the engines.

It is important that you know your keywords before you start writing the copy. This way you would be able to weave in the keywords/phrases seamlessly into the text. If you go back and try to stuff keywords into already written text, it will sound awkward and forced, causing it to lose all readability.

Maintain the right keyword density through out the page

Most SEOs typically recommend using one to three keywords per page. It is believed that search engines generally give more weight to the first 200 words within a page. It is therefore important to use keywords appropriately near the top and then distribute them proportionally throughout the page.

Remember to use keywords in your headlines. Most search engines deem a headline to be one of the most important sections of the copy. Including text in your headline will give it additional weight.

Use the upside triangle format

When constructing an SEO copy, keep the image of an upside triangle in mind. The base should represent your most important message and also your keywords, while the tip should include the least important information. Using this method is important because the readers will know what to expect in the rest of the page and whether the information is relevant to what they are looking for. Also, putting your keywords within the first 200 words of your text will increase your chances of attracting the attention of both the visitors and the search engines.

Ideal size of a web page

Though there is no magical formula for writing a perfect SEO copy, most experts recommend that ideally a web page should have around 250 to 500 words each, with one to four targeted search terms strategically placed within the text. The more keywords you try to stuff on a page the more you risk your page sounding awkward and unnatural.

Update your web pages with fresh content

One thing which is common between search engines and humans is that both love content, especially when it is updated and relevant. Adding fresh content to your site on regular basis is one of the best methods for solidifying your presence on the Internet and keeping your customers returning time and again.

Adding SEO content is a consistent activity. If you don’t have the time or an inhouse content writer to create SEO content on regular basis, you can hire content writing companies in Delhi to create professional content for your website and other marketing activities.