It's easy to completely sabotage your SEO copywriting service or any blog writing you're doing for your own website.
Let me tell you of the ways we can damage this stuff. But first:
Do copywriters even need to worry about SEO at all?
Do copywriters need SEO?
If you're writing web copy, yes. Definitely yes.
On the modern internet, SEO copywriting is all about creating content for two audiences at the same time:
Your readers
Google, Bing, and other search engines
You might write the best content in the world. If it doesn't get ranked by search engines though, it's not doing much for you.
Equally, maybe you've got “one secret SEO trick that's guaranteed to succeed” (tm). But if your content is uninformative or a spammy mess, your reader is going to click away fast.
Of course, you could simply pay for all your impressions via Google Ads. But even if you're writing landing pages for paid ads, I would argue there's no point in not using good SEO practices too.
That said, it's easy to let your desire for highly search-optimised content sabotage your SEO copywriting service or something you've written for your website.
How to completely sabotage your SEO copywriting service
Here is what you should do if you'd like to do some harm to the copy you're writing:
1) Choose the wrong keywords
Choosing the wrong keywords to focus on is the simplest way to waste your time and make sure your posts never get seen by anyone.
If you are writing something you want to write but your customers don't want to read, you're probably wasting your time.
For instance, I'd love everyone to search for my services looking for a “freelance copywriter”. They don't though. That's usually what people search for when they want a job as one.
Equally, it's often no good trying to compete for your most obvious “main” keyword. Competition to be the top-ranking “copywriting agency” in Bristol might be far too fierce to get into, for example.
Try to aim for something with a decent search volume but low competition (or KD, Keyword Difficulty). There are many free keyword planning tools out there. I like Moz.
2) Insist on keyword stuffing
The old SEO system used to be essentially “more keywords on page equals higher ranking”.
Back in the day, this could even work. Early Google and other more primitive search engines didn't have much else to go on.
Sure, the SEO copy that was produced was an unnatural, repetitive mess that no human eye could bear to scan. But as far as the engine was concerned? Magical stuff.
This has not been the case for well over a decade. These days, Google wants high-quality content. Content that is stuffed with keywords isn't it.
Choose keywords as above and then make sure they are mentioned naturally throughout content that has actual value to your audience.
3) Assume paid ad traffic will drive organic success
Attracting organic search traffic (the kind where people type a Google query and you naturally get found first) is hard.
On the other hand, getting paid traffic from something like Google Ads is easy. At least, it's an easy way of getting a visitor to arrive at your site.
Getting them to stay there and use your services is a different story though. If your content isn't engaging and valuable, they might not stay long.
Only good content will solve that problem. You could even use some of your advertising spend to direct traffic to your best content.
Don't assume that paid traffic can substitute for organic traffic either. Unless you're happy to pay for every single click and impression you get.
4) Forget about structure and planning
You have a matter of seconds to convince any reader that clicks on one of your web pages that they are in the right place.
There are some copywriting basics that you really want to aim for if you want to make this happen:
Have a structure – a tidy, sensible structure based around H2 and H3 headings makes your article easier to read.
Use shorter paragraphs – dense paragraphs of text discourage visitors from reading your great content. Use shorter sentences too. People online like to skim-read.
Reach a conclusion – don't leave your readers hanging. Make sure you tie up the lessons they need to learn in a nice clear bow.
5) Don't bother with content at all
Trying to get found on Google, Bing, and other search engines without high-quality content is going to be tricky.
These days, search engine algorithms are pretty good at identifying the user intent behind a search and whether or not it was satisfied.
This means you don't want to go too thin. Thin content is basically identical information spread out over multiple pages.
Plus, even if you want to sell, you still need informational pages. I wrote recently about how a major e-commerce website misconstrued the user intent of its informational content and deleted it all.
It didn't go well for them. Don't let that be you. Aim to provide interesting content that keeps your readers interested and actually provides the information they want.
What does SEO stand for in copywriting?
Search Engine Optimisation is often thought to be all about writing to please search engines.
Make no mistake, this is important. But whether your users derive actual value from your content is something Google can now measure.
On the plus side, this gives your human-focused content SEO value too.
If you think you are accidentally sabotaging your SEO copywriting service or your own work with any of the above, don't feel down.
It's easily done. Because the idea is pretty simple. But actually creating great copy isn't always as straightforward as we all might want it to be.
Want somebody to take care of your writing, saving you hours a week in the process?
Let's have a chat. The Maiden Standard has been providing friendly and helpful SEO copywriting services to Bristol businesses and those much further beyond for over ten years.
Tell me about your niche and your copy today. Fire me a quick email at benjamindmaiden@gmail.com to set up a Zoom chat or meet.