SEO–7 Things You Should Know

March 3^rd 2011 Sally Ormond copywriter, copywriting tips, search engine optimisation, SEO copywriter, seo strategies, Website copywriting

Search engine optimisation – love it or hate it, it’s here to stay so you’d better get to grips with it.

Before you ask, no I wouldn’t call myself an SEO expert.

So why am I writing this post about it?

Well, I am a pretty good SEO Copywriter – what makes me so sure? Well my own site is on the front page of Google for the term copywriter which is very competitive (getting on for 7 million search results) as well as several of my other keywords. Plus a number of my clients are also enjoying front page rankings.

If you think writing SEO content is about throwing a load of keywords together, you’d be wrong. There’s a whole lot more to it than that.

To guide you through the mine field that is SEO, here are 7 things you should know about SEO content if yours is going to work:

1. The importance of content

Writing good content isn’t just about rankings.

Your content should always be written for your reader first and search spiders second. It must be interesting and relevant because you want people to link to you (a big part of any SEO strategy) - back links are vital for good rankings.

Your identified keywords will have to be in your content, but they must be used naturally. Cramming them in your copy will make it unreadable and spammy. Make it natural and read it out loud to make sure it flows - readability is everything.

2. Attention grabbing

Headlines are great for grabbing your readers’ attention. They must be relevant to your copy and journalistic in style – you need to grab their attention and make them want to know more. It’s also vital you get your primary keywords into them too.

3. A great bio

To make your articles, blogs and directory submissions work hard for you, make sure you add a good biography. Make it interesting and use your keywords.

4. META

META descriptions are often overlooked – they are the 150 characters used to describe your content. Include your keywords so your reader can instantly see whether your content is going to be relevant to them or not. It won’t directly influence your SEO but it will show readers that your site is very relevant to what they are looking for and therefore attract that all important click-through.

5. Layout

How your web copy, articles and blogs look is vital. Make sure there’s lots of white space so they are appealing to the eye and easier to read. Headings and sub headings can be used to direct the reader through your text. When using headings make sure you use the correct tags and in a hierarchical order. H1 tags are your main headings; your sub headings should be H2 etc. And of course, always use your keywords where possible within the headings.

6. Be original

Coming up with continuous and original copy isn’t easy and the temptation to recycle is great. But don’t – Google won’t like it so make sure all your content is original.

7. Pictures

Images are always a great way to enhance your copy so make sure they’re relevant to your content and make sure you utilise the ALT tag to make the most of their SEO potential.

Why do you need to know this?

Many people believe SEO is all down to keywords and content. In part it is, but your SEO strategy should encompass so much more. You have to think about readability, links, images as well as the navigability of your website (for humans and search engine spiders).

Thinking SEO copywriting is an expense you can do without is rather short-sighted. Investing in well written SEO copywriting is vital for the success of your online marketing.

Tags: copywriter, copywriting tips, search engine optimisation, SEO copywriter, seo strategies, Website copywriting

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