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I've been frustrated lately. It seems people just don't get it. There's lots
of talk about SEO copywriting these days, but hardly any of it is on target.
The majority of the conversations, posts and articles I've seen deal with
topics like keyword density, allowable limits, over optimization and such.
These people are making search engine copywriting all about the search
engines. They are forgetting the fact that SEO copywriting is still
copywriting.
(article continued below ...)
What that means - generally speaking - is you are still writing
promotional copy designed to cause a *person* to take a specific action.
Your target audience (your site visitors) should come first. The elements
designed to help the copy rank well absolutely come last.
What good is all the traffic in the world if your site copy doesn't
convert visitors into buyers? Not much. That's why - when writing SEO copy -
the human visitor comes first.
Unfortunately, SEO copywriting is getting a bad name because so much of
what is being cranked out is repetitious babble. Most of these pages would
never have made it on to a site, except for the fact that the site owner
wanted to rank highly for certain key terms.
So, in the interest of salvaging the good name of search engine
copywriting, before it's too late, let me offer some guidelines.
SEO Copy Is:
- first and foremost - written for the visitor.
- unique and
purposeful.
- natural-sounding - it flows.
SEO Copy Is Not:
- written exclusively with the engines in mind.
- mirrored, adjusted or
altered to create new pages by simply changing keyphrases.
- stiff, forced
or overly repetitive.
The Dos of SEO Copywriting
When writing SEO copy, you'll want to:
- understand who you are writing to.
- choose what the focus of the page
will be.
- create a plan outlining the message you want to convey.
- decide
how best to communicate that message to your particular target customers.
- choose which key phrases will be incorporated into the copy.
- make sure
those key phrases work well with the page and the planned copy.
- incorporate key phrases as you write (not after you write), so they flow naturally with
the planned message.
The Don'ts of SEO Copywriting
When writing SEO copy, you should never:
- create a plan based solely on how to rank high.
- replace *every*
instance of a generic term (car) with a keyphrase (red, convertible car).
- add pages of copy simply to appease the search engines.
- rely on useless
keyword density ratios and formulas.
- shove keyphrases in everywhere
possible. (No, it won't get you banned, but it will sound completely
ridiculous!)
SEO copywriting is not the process of writing exclusively for the search
engines. It is the process of writing copy to appeal to your visitors, while
including elements to help the search engines and your visitors understand
what the page is all about.
If you remember who truly makes or breaks your site's success (your
customers!) and focus on them, you're sure to create SEO copy that rings
true.
About the Author:
Karon Thackston is author of "The Step by Step Copywriting Course" at
http://www.copywritingcourse.com and How To Increase Keyword Saturation
(Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy). Discover the secrets to creating
SEO copy with a perfect balance between keywords and natural language.
http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword
March 2006
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