Writing for Search Engine Optimization
Copy is KING! At the end of the day, everyone is looking for something online and copy is king. In order to write effectively for both the user and the search engine follow the rules...
Creating smart copy will bring desired results
“Smart” copy should attract the attention of your target
customers while at the same time feeding the necessary
information to the robots and crawlers of the search engines. By
using our methodology, you can optimize your pages and achieve
higher rankings within the results of search engines.
You know your products and services better than anyone, so now
it’s time to effectively relay that information to the search
engines and your audience through a strategic copywriting plan.
Building the optimized Web page
Before you begin writing, or recruit a vendor to do the
writing for you, you should have a clear understanding of what
the goals of your page(s) are. Filling up a Web site with pages
just for the sake of having more pages will, in the long run, do
more harm then good. Make sure you know what you want to achieve
with each message you publish. The message could be strictly
informative with links to research and/or white papers, or it
could be a strong call to action with a link to a shopping cart
or survey. Either way, the message should be clear and concise.
Use the 30 second rule. You should be able to pitch your message
in under 30 seconds to anyone before writing a single word. If
you can’t, you should hold off on any attempts at copy creation
and rethink your strategy for the page(s).
Rules to live by when writing for SEO
Start with an outline and organize your information logically. Your content should flow easily and most certainly have all the key messages listed at the beginning of your copy. Crawlers will put the most emphasis on the first 250 words. It’s okay and even recommended to be repetitive in the supporting copy that will follow.
Identify your keywords
Just as your message should be clear, the keywords within that message should be well thought out and used throughout the page content (read about the do’s and don’ts of keyword saturation). These words should be chosen before copywriting begins.
Write naturally
Because you’re the expert on your products and services, you should write as if you’re educating someone for the first time on your message. Don’t be overwhelmed by the rules of creating copy for SEO. You can clean up the copy during your final edits.
Consider your word count
You want to keep your reader interested without feeding them too much information on each page. If there is more detail, great! That’s an excellent opportunity to create an additional page with more detail that should be linked from the page you’re creating. Linking is good for your page(s).
Keep the copy relevant
Be sure to stay on message. All too often subject matter experts try to share too much information all at once. You run the risk of losing your reader if you veer off into too much detail and in too many directions. Copy should be in small consumable chunks for the reader. Keep it simple and again, create new pages with links if you’ve got a lot of information to share.
The double L’s – Lists and Links
- Lists like this one are a great place to add keywords and links. Bulleted items are generally short and provide an ideal location for reusing key words.
- Linking to other sites is a must when writing for SEO. Most search engines use the number of links to and from of your site when determining rank.
- Links from highly-ranked sites back to your site are even more beneficial in optimizing your page(s). It’s all in the company you keep. The higher ranked they are, the higher ranked you will become.
- When creating links, use your keywords as often as possible and avoid using generic words like “click here.”
Your developer is your friend
Make sure your Web developer is aware of your goals, messages and keywords. He or she will be responsible for the placement of all the tags for your page (Meta, H1, alt, robot etc.), and may be able to make recommendations to help tweak the content and reformat some of the page for better results.
Basic smarts for smarter pages
Remember, before you begin writing for Search Engine
Optimization, you need think smart and be ready to write smart.
Preparation is equally, if not more, important to the content
itself. The trick is to not only meet the needs of your
audience, but to know what the search engines are looking for
and to optimize your page(s) accordingly. But of course, be sure
not to compromise your message in the process.
Smart copy will deliver winning results!
For additional information and useful tools, visit the below Web sites:
Google
Check keyword placement by
using the Google Toolbar
Competitors
More on page
ranking
Tips
from for your Developer
Yahoo
SEO resources
SEO ranking tool
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