While there are loads of factors that determine the effectiveness of SEO, none even begin to match good copy in significance and influence. Your written content is capable all by itself of making or breaking your SEO game.
This is why I think it’s so important to take SEO seriously whenever you write or hire someone to write copy for your site. Today, I would like to take a close look at five things that I (along with other professionals who specialize in SEO writing services) have found to be potential deal-breakers when building a solid overall SEO strategy. Which of these do you think your copy would benefit most from tweaking or including?
#1. Make Good Use of SEO Tools
Never assume you know what keywords are going to be most effective. The market shifts in its wants and needs, as does its collective focus in web searches. This is why it is so important to consult a keyword planner or other similar tool when deciding what basic keywords you should be incorporating into your copy. Still, as I’ve mentioned before, keywords alone will not guarantee you good SEO. So what other tools should you be using?
There are loads of resources out there to help you produce the best copy possible. The only warning I’ll give you here is that these tools are not polite. They can make it seem like your blog or webpage copy is less effective than it probably is.
Bear in mind also that these tools don’t accurately gauge the level of engagement you can expect from your audience – they catch perceived mistakes and help you improve on them. You know your audience.
You know your own voice. Use writing tools as guidelines and make changes as you see fit. It’s usually easy to tell which ones are good suggestions and which are just the result of nit-picky algorithms.
#2. Experiment with Headlines
There are also a number of tools out there that can help you generate good headlines. Swipe files like this one are a good place to start. Like with anything else, though, it’s not just a matter of picking one and running with it.
No matter how well you think you know your audience, what they respond to best may surprise you. This is why I say to experiment with your headlines. It will help you determine how best to communicate key ideas to your audience, and that accomplishes two things: It keeps them on your site longer, and it positions you as an authority. Both of these things are huge in the world of effective SEO.
A neat trick that can help you find your audience’s hotspot with headlines is to experiment with them over social media. When you discover a pattern, start using it on every page of your website or blog, and crunch the numbers. I’d wager that you’ll see at least some improvement, and that improvement will likely increase over time.
#3. Use Boldface and Italics (And Do It Responsibly)
If you want to communicate the importance of an idea or the tone of your voice when conveying that idea, bold type and italics are a huge help. The danger is in overusing them. Target key words and phrases that capture the spirit of your message and make them stand out.
When people see boldface and italics, their eyes gravitate to them, mostly because they break up the monotony. They also communicate “pay attention to this” in a subtle yet no less effective way.
Boldface is essential in titles, headlines, and segment headings. Italics should be used in the body of the text as a means of emphasizing important details or for showing a clear contrast between two ideas. Here are a couple examples:
“It is vital to have a well-constructed SEO strategy.”
“Although both are important, you should optimize your written copy for SEO before you worry about the number of pictures you have on your blog.”
If you look around this particular blog, you’ll find a slew of other examples, too.
#4. Write Short Paragraphs
Shorter paragraphs create the illusion of less text. They also make it easier for the eyes to fall on those bold and italicized words you’ve so dutifully singled out. Two to three sentences per paragraph should be more than sufficient.
If this flies in the face of what you were taught when you learned how to write an essay or term paper, it’s time to unlearn what you have learned. Content writing is supposed to be more conversational and, really, who talks like they write in a term paper? Think relatability here, not perfect grammar and structure.
Oh, and if you get negative comments about your sentence and paragraph structure, just keep in mind that they’re not coming from an important segment of your audience. The ones that matter are the ones who jibe with your message and don’t fail to hear it because you dangle the occasional participle or end a sentence with a preposition. There are far more important things to worry about.
Yes, that last sentence was written that way on purpose. If you continue reading, I’ve made my point.
#5. Write Lots of Content
As a quick final note, I’ll renew my encouragement to always deliver a steady flow of fresh, high-quality content to your audience. This will help you to maintain good SEO better than anything else, and it will ensure that you always have something fresh to share around social media.
Need help maintaining that flow? Consider spending a small amount of your marketing budget on good copywriting. The pros have the inside edge and can help you make even better SEO decisions than you would going it alone.