SEO Copywriting: The Complete Guide For Writing Content In 2022

SEO Copywriting: Your Guide To Effective Content

Whether you plan on launching a new website or want to drive more traffic to an existing one, an important area to focus on to improve your rankings is SEO copywriting. 

That said, getting greater online visibility can be more difficult than it looks. Fortunately, we’re here to help! If better content is your focus in 2022, here’s your complete guide to SEO copywriting that will give you all the insight you need to thrive!

What Is SEO Copywriting?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) copywriting is the practice of producing content that is optimised for search engines like Google. One of the most common misconceptions among business owners is that great writing will be enough to draw in high traffic. 

Unfortunately, no matter how appealing your information may be, this alone won’t get the job done. 

Why? 

Google crawls web pages and indexes them using a specific algorithm. While great content is absolutely a key aspect of ranking and growing your business, you have to meet a specific set of criteria to rank higher on Google’s search results. 

We’ll dive deeper into these requirements later in this guide. 

Content versus copy: Is there a difference?

When researching, you may see the terms “copy” and “content” used interchangeably. But is there a difference? There is!

Copy is content written with the goal of creating awareness or spurring action in readers who are learning more about a new brand. Think ad campaigns. 

Meanwhile, content typically refers to information designed to educate readers about a certain topic and can extend beyond the written word (take videos or podcasts, for example). 

But in SEO copywriting, copy holds a different meaning. SEO copy is done to help you organically market your business (through natural Google search results rankings) and to encourage others to share the information as your traffic grows. 

Put simply, SEO copywriting is content writing, but with a greater focus on ranking and marketing.

What Is An SEO Copywriter?

An SEO copywriter is someone who is knowledgeable about content creation as well as SEO and can seamlessly blend the two to produce posts that attract the right audience and rank on Google. 

Because SEO is a vital aspect of your digital marketing strategy, you’ll need an SEO copywriter who understands best practices in both areas for the best results. 

Why Is SEO Important?

Consider the last time you used Google to look for information or a product or service.  

Chances are you only clicked through the first few entries on the first page of the search results to find what you were looking for. 

SEO content is important because it helps you connect with the individuals who are using specific search terms. When you correctly incorporate these terms into your posts with the goal of ranking on the first page, you can become visible to those who search using those terms. 

Without the proper optimisation, the pages that you’re working tirelessly to produce won’t rank, nor will you be able to tap into the organic traffic Google has to offer. 

What Are The Elements Of Effective SEO Copywriting?

As we mentioned previously, there are many aspects to develop information that’s both appealing and optimised for Google. Let’s walk through these key elements and learn how you can produce better posts for your audience. 

Headlines

The headline of your content is the hook. It’s what encourages the reader to click and probe further. 

Developing headlines that will rank and draw attention begins with: 

• Putting your target keyword at the front of the headline
• Following popular formats and using attention-grabbing buzzwords (without resorting to clickbait titles)
• Describing exactly what your readers will gain from the post

Writing high-quality headlines takes practice. You can start by using a high-quality tool like the free headline analyzer offered by CoSchedule. 

Valuable and original content

When you write content for your business, your main goal should be to provide the most value possible for your readers. 

But what does it mean to create valuable and original work? 

A few questions to ask yourself when creating or reviewing include: 

1. Is this content providing my readers with the information they’re looking for? 
2. Is it well-researched and knowledgeable? 
3. Is it actionable? Can readers seamlessly apply the information they learn here to the real world? 
4. Is it formatted in a way that encourages the reader to stay on my site? Is it easy to navigate and scan so they can find the information they need?
5. Does my information offer greater value than other authoritative sources on the web?
6. Is it written in a way that my readers can understand?

Even though you’re writing with the intent of ranking, it’s important to remember that real people will be reading it as well. Make sure that the finished product is informative, actionable, and digestible before you publish. 

Keywords 

The right keywords can determine the success of your content marketing strategy. However, you must balance optimisation with high-quality information to get the best results. 

You can accomplish this by inserting the keyword into your content a sufficient number of times without saturating it. But how exactly do you know what the right amount is? 

Another great free tool for SEO copywriting is Yoast’s real-time content analysis tool. This tool is designed to help you analyse your use of the focus keyword within your writing and understand what changes you should make to rank more effectively on Google. 

Although it won’t provide you with comprehensive optimisation support, it can give you a better idea of what you’ll need to do to write more effectively now and in the future. 

Domain authority

Incorporating keywords into your writing is easy. Conducting keyword research to discover what you should be ranking for? That’s a bit more difficult. 

What many businesses may not realise is that your ability to rank for certain keywords depends upon your domain authority (DA). When conducting keyword research on major platforms like Moz or Ahrefs, you’ll notice that there’s something known as the keyword difficulty score. 

Keyword difficulty summarises how hard it can be to rank for a certain keyword, often with the domain authority being a central player in this score. The higher the keyword difficulty score, the more domain authority you’ll need to gain visibility. 

This brings us to our next topic: short versus long tail keywords. 

Short vs long tail keywords

Short tail keywords generally consist of one or two words. These are much harder to rank for as there are often quite a few high-authority websites already ranking with these terms, and you’ll likely only focus on these once you’ve become more established as a business. 

Long tail phrases, on the other hand, are hyper focused and easier to rank for. These will typically have three to five words or more and are far friendlier for businesses with lower DA. Regardless of the industry you operate in, there are always plenty of long-tail ideas you can use to build out your content strategy. 

When you’re looking for keywords to incorporate into your post, seek out those with a lower keyword difficulty score and place a greater emphasis on long tail options. Once you have a higher DA, you can use shorter suggestions in your SEO copywriting. 

Meta descriptions

The meta description is the summary of a page’s information that you find below the headline on Google’s search results pages. This meta description should be optimised and written in such a way that encourages users to click on your page. 

As with headlines, writing high-quality meta descriptions is something that you’ll get better at with time. However, you should optimise this summary to include your main keyword (as well as secondary, if possible) and limit its length to between 150 and 160 characters (not words). 

Boost Your Content Marketing Strategy Today for 50% Off

The guide above provides a clear overview of how to produce high-quality posts that rank on Google. However, developing the skills you need to successfully tackle these elements can be difficult. That’s where we come in!

If you need high-quality SEO content but can’t or don’t want to write it yourself, Copywriting Crew is dedicated to helping you improve your content marketing strategy with our done-for-you content and SEO copywriting services. 

For a limited time, you can get a 50% discount on your first blog post article by visiting our special offer page here. Simply place your order and then answer a short questionnaire and our SEO copywriters will go to work to create an original and exceptional blog post article for you.