SEO copywriting for your website is like salsa for your nachos.
It provides that all-important edge for the best possible results.
We’re talking copy that drives organic traffic to your website.
If you want more enquiries from your site, it’s an essential investment.
But SEO web copy is a complex beast. Tackle it the wrong way and you can do more damage than good.
Let’s simplify things to put you on the right track.
Discover 9 SEO copywriting tips for websites that’ll make search engines prioritise your content.
1. Create unique, well-written content
Google’s search algorithm uses more than 200 factors to rank websites (Backlinko).
The number one factor?
Quality content.
Search engines like Google lap up content that’s new, well-written and incredibly useful.
It does this by looking for content that answers readers’ questions with original insight.
Keep search engines happy by identifying key questions using Google’s related questions feature, popular forums like Reddit or a topic research tool such as Ubersuggests.
Make a list of the most common questions, see how SERP* competitors are answering them, then think about how you can address these topics in a superior way.
*Search Engine Results Page
2. Give your copywriter plenty of info
Working with an SEO expert copywriter? This tip is for you.
Give them as much useful insight and information about your business as possible, such as:
- Your ideal customers
- Your customers’ problems
- Competitor websites
- Industry terminology
And any other relevant data you can think of (like answers to past customer questionnaires). Need to brush up on your brief writing skills? Read this.
They’ll still do their own research, but it gives them a springboard to cook up killer keyword ideas. Which brings us nicely to our next tip.
3. Choose the right keywords
The perfect keyword is:
High volume (how many times a keyword has been entered into a search engine).
Low competition (how many times competitors have used it in their content).
Find relevant keywords with these traits and you have a better chance at ranking high in search engines and driving organic traffic to your website.
Easier said than done; SEO experts are constantly fighting for high volume, low competition keywords.
A way around this? Search for long-tail keywords. 69.7% of search queries contain four words or more keywords but not many businesses utilise them.
Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool can help you (or your SEO copywriter) find unique phrases using its related and questions filter. So can Ubersuggests, which gives you three free searches per day.
4. Avoid keyword stuffing
SEO web copy stuffed with keywords is painful to read. It’s also terrible for SEO. Why?
Over-optimisation runs the risk of hitting a Google penalty that could remove your page from SERPs.
Instead of shoving all your keywords into one web page, assign a primary keyword to each page.
Don’t repeat this keyword for another page or else your pages will be competing against one another. It also sends a muddled message to search engines about your content.
You can then use secondary keywords (such as synonyms and long-tail keyword variations) to accompany each unique main keyword.
This gives search engines more context around your content, helping them rank your web page.
5. Place keywords in the right place
This SEO copywriting tip for websites is something a lot of businesses forget to do.
Search engines will have a better time noticing your page when you send the right signals, like placing main keywords in your:
- page title
- one subheading (minimum)
- title tag
- meta description
- one image alt tag (minimum)
- first paragraph
- near the conclusion of the post
The best SEO website copywriting providers should know this. But you can quiz them to make sure!
Note: if putting your main keyword in all these elements doesn’t work for your website, no worries. Just try and hit as many as you can.
6. Prioritise readability
How users engage with your website is one of the most important SEO elements search engines use for ranking.
Search engine algorithms continually track website visitors’ behavior. If a visitor spends a good amount of time on your page, this will send positive signals to the search engine.
Easily scannable, compelling content is how you keep readers engaged and on your pages for longer. It’s as good for SEO as it is for the customer journey.
For better readability, use an app like Hemingway to shorten your sentences, write in the active voice and nail your word choice.
7. Structure your content
Search engines like Google use heading and subheading tags to analyse the text on a web page and understand what the page is about.
In other words, with heading tags, you’re signalling that this content is important. If the search engine agrees, it will make your page rank higher in SERPs.
Heading tags include:
H1 - title of the page
H2 - subheadings
H3 - subsections
H4 - lists or bullet points
If you can, include keywords in your heading tag content. Otherwise, search engines will find it difficult to understand what your page is about, lowering your rank.
8. Update your content
This SEO copywriting tip for websites also helps you send positive signals to search engines.
It’s simple: update your content!
Adding new information on a regular basis keeps on sending the message to search engines that you’re a valuable resource for customers.
Ideally, you want to cover hot news and trends. A perfect place for this is your website’s blog. Or you could create a landing page for a whitepaper that covers a new industry trend (learn more: 6 Steps to a Lucrative White Paper).
Use Google Trends to find out the latest industry news. This SEO copywriting tool is also helpful for keyword research. You can find long-tail keywords by looking at related queries.
9. Write at least 300 words per page
The more words you have on the page, the more likely it is to rank higher in search engines like Google.
By Google’s standards, even 300 words per page is pretty thin.
But (and this is a big but) this isn’t a green light to include fluff and filler just to lengthen your content. Because every word on your website needs to earn its keep.
Rather, ensure those 300+ words convey your services and answer your customer’s most important questions.
You can also use your website design to make it ‘less wordy’, spacing out sections using graphics, white space and/or carousels.
In some cases, 300 words may simply be too many for certain pages (like your home or contact page). And that’s okay - SEO shouldn’t come before what’s right for your audience and business.
You can compensate for a small word count by optimising your other web pages for SEO, such as your services or about page.
Increase organic traffic to your website
Follow these 9 SEO copywriting tips for websites to rank higher in search engines and sharpen your competitive edge.
To recap, our top SEO web copy advice includes:
- Create unique, well-written content
- Give your copywriter plenty of info
- Choose the right keywords
- Avoid keyword stuffing
- Place keywords in the right place
- Prioritise readability
- Structure your content
- Update your content
- Write at least 300 words per page
We’ve got plenty more website copywriting guidance for you to digest. Explore our blog, which features advice on website copywriting rates and examples of web copy we adore.
Enjoyed this? Then you'll love No More Lorem Ipsum - our newsletter for people who like the think before the ink. Sign up today.