When Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is mentioned, a few obvious things immediately pop into your mind, such as: Google rankings, link building, and conversion rates. One element that is often forgotten is copywriting – when building an authoritative site, you will want to optimize your copywriting content. It is very effective in getting Google’s attention, but you should also optimize for your human readers as well.
Some writers write first and then optimize later, while others optimize as they go. Here are four SEO copywriting tips that have made many client websites successful.
1.Title – Use the keyword you are targeting in the title of your content. The closer to the beginning of the title the better, but the main key here is that they appear somewhere. It is recommended that the title and the title tag are variations of each other and never the same.
2.Meta Description – The meta description is the snippet that human readers see underneath your Google result, below the title. This description can determine whether a person clicks through or not. If your page, post, or article pops up for their query, the meta description with a properly placed keywords could seal the deal for a lucrative click through. Keep meta descriptions under 165 characters so the full description is visible in the search result.
3.Keyword Frequency (not to be confused with keyword density) – is the number of times your keywords appear on the page. Keyword density is the ratio of keywords to the rest of the words on the page. Use your keywords often, but only when appropriate. One of the many skills of an SEO copywriter is knowing HOW to write for keywords, while keeping a natural flow of language. If your keyword frequency is crossing the line into spam-hood, your keyword density will be ~ 5%. Don’t mindlessly repeat keywords just to optimize. This will only achieve the opposite results.
4.Page Links – Search engines always want to know who you are “connected to,” which pages, websites, and content you are associating yourself with. If you are fraternizing with a less than reputable website, Google will know. For SEO purposes, linking to other pages matters. So be careful who you link with.
These SEO copywriting tips are generally considered current best practices. Focus on balancing these rules with your content, and you will please both the search engine spiders and the humans that read it.
b2cmarketinginsider.com
Author: Ben Finklea, CEO of Volacci, a search marketing firm.
PJL 1st October 2010
