A lot of people wonder what the secret to writing great SEO copy is. The truth is, there’s no secret at all. And to show you just how simple it can be to write quality content for SEO, we’re walking you through it step by step. Here’s how to write copy for SEO:
Step 1. Do your research.
There was a time when SEO was all about stuffing as many keywords into your copy as possible. Thankfully, those times are gone. And in their place is a much more inspiring strategy: researching quality keywords that are relevant to your audience, and weaving them naturally into the fabric of your story. The truth is, most people can spot those awkwardly forced keywords in your copy. At best, they think it’s weird that your sentence doesn’t make sense, or that you’ve repeated the same exact phrase 6 times. At worst, they’ll mentally blacklist you for trying to manipulate their time. Neither one is a good outcome for you or your brand.
- Include your primary keyword in:
- Your meta title
- The first H1 or H2 header
- The first 200 words of copy
- Your meta description
- It is also a good practice to include it in your conclusion or call to action if you can do it naturally.
- After that, sprinkle variations on your primary keyword throughout your content in a way that feels natural to your writing style.
What To Avoid
If you have to create fancy, convoluted sentences to make a keyword work, you’re not serving yourself or your readers anymore. Copywriter SEO Toronto Canada price might be a popular search for SEO agencies in Toronto, but it doesn’t make good reading. And satisfying your readers is paramount to successful SEO writing.
Step 2. Spend time on your headlines.
We are an attention-deficit society. We’re so inundated with information. This means you have a very short amount of time to drown out the competition and get our eyes on your content. You’ve got to write a good headline to do that.
The New Strategy
Create a headline that’s clear, uses quality keywords, and makes your audience want to keep reading.
Instead of:
Advice On Maximizing Income and Minimizing Work
Try:
Who Else Wants To Work Less and Earn More?
What To Avoid
Use the language your audience uses, and don’t isolate them by trying to sound smart. Smart is getting reader buy-in, not throwing around fancy words nobody wants to read.
Step 3. Write for your readers.
This should really be in the #1 spot. So many copywriters lose sight of their goal by trying to hit all the points on their SEO checklist. In reality, writing quality copy that solves your readers’ problems would get you better results. It’s also easier.
The New Strategy
Think about what your readers need. If you don’t know, pay attention to social media. What kinds of conversations are happening amongst your target demographic? Now write copy that answers the questions they’re asking.
What To Avoid
Essentially, offer value to your readers more—much more—than you ask them to do something for you. If your copy bombards readers with promotional content, or ways they can support your business, you’re on the wrong track.
Step 4. Structure your work.
How many times do you read the online terms and conditions? Or look on the second page of Google? Not a lot, right? You’re not alone. So when it comes to your content, you need to structure it so it’s not a wall of words. If it is, nobody is going to read it.
The New Strategy
Take advantage of:
- Bullet points
- Numbered lists
- Headings and subheadings
- White space between ideas
- A quick conclusion
What To Avoid
A wall of words.
Step 5. Have good pictures.
Make your posts stand out with quality high-res images or videos. You can optimize these and use them as important SEO tools, as well as provide a little light relief to your readers, and help break up a wall of text.
The New Strategy
Choose glossy, crisp images to promote a professional image. Try to take your own photos if you’re confident you can do it—because people like a brand they can connect to. Hiring a professional photographer is a good, but costly idea if you can’t handle a camera or smartphone.
What To Avoid
Blurry, dark, or low-res images that are not optimized. They slow your website down, and believe us: you don’t want to keep your potential readers waiting.
Step 6. Edit, Edit, Edit.
Don’t write your blog just for the sake of having it, write copy that speaks to your audience, and edit it so it’s easy to understand.
The New Strategy
Have someone else take a look at your work. Use a free tool like Grammarly to check your work for blatant mistakes. And take a quick look at your word processor’s suggestions before you submit your content.
What To Avoid
Poorly edited copy sounds cheap and unprofessional. If you want to be seen as a subject matter expert, you need to edit like one.
Step 7. Use a meta title and meta description.
Your meta plays a pivotal role in getting eyes on your work. A meta title appears in search results to draw people in. A meta description appears under that title to seal the deal. Their job is to make potential readers want to click through to your content.
The New Strategy
Use high-quality keywords in your title and description. Make them simple and catchy. Keep your meta description limited to 300 characters.
What To Avoid
Forgetting to use metals. Google will randomly allocate snippets, which will not be as effective for your brand.
Step 8. Sharing is Caring.
Social media is the most powerful marketing tool most brands have now. To increase your brand’s reach, and promote your content, you need to make it shareable on social media platforms.
The New Strategy
Make your images and posts easily shareable on social media. Ensure that your web theme or site model lets readers pin images, and create visually appealing posts with clear icons for sharing across the platforms you use.
What To Avoid
Don’t think you can enable comments on your copy and leave it at that. Social media is king. Plus it’s free, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t leverage that marketing tool.
Step 9. The Call To Action
A call to action tells your reader what they should do next. If they are on the fence about buying in, this is the time to give them one last nudge. It’s also a straightforward way of asking for what you need.
The New Strategy
Create a sense of urgency or encourage engagement with a one-line CTA.
What To Avoid
Just don’t forget to use this nifty little strategy every time you post. Not leveraging a CTA’s power in your content strategy is a big mistake.
One Last Thing
Creating an attractive writing style for SEO is simple when you know how to write good copy—and now you do! Don’t forget to keep on top of your analytics to track your progress and measure your success as you go.
Ready to write killer SEO copy? Get in touch with us for a custom SEO strategy for success.