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How to entice visitors to your site by creating effective copy that also appeals to the search engines
I've been frustrated lately. 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.
What that means is that generally you are still writing copy designed to cause someone to take a specific action, be it register for a newsletter or buy one of your products. Your target visitors should come first when it comes to writing copy .
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. 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.
Effective Search Engine Copywriting involves:
- copy that is first and foremost written for the visitor and not the search Engines.
- unique and purposeful
- naturally sounding and flowing copy
Search Engine Optimization Copywriting doesn't involve:
- written exclusively with the engines in mind.
- mirrored, adjusted or altered to create new pages by simply changing keyphrases.
- stiff, forced or overly repetitive.
Effective SEO Copywriting Guidelines:
Generally speaking when your writing website copy you need to bare these factors in mind;
- 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 keyphrases will be incorporated into the copy.
- make sure those keyphrases work well with the page and the planned copy.
- incorporate keyphrases as you write (not after you write), so they flow naturally with the planned message.
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.
Other Search Engine Marketing Articles that might be of interest:
+ The ideal website for search engine marketing success!
+ Google continues to dominate the UK search engine marketplace
+ How search engine optimization fits into the rest of your online business.
+ The challenge of getting a listing on Google.
+ Validating your website for better Search Engine Optimization
+ Developing quality content is the key factor in search marketing success.
+ The Key to Successful Search Engine Marketing - Use both Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click Advertising.
+ Paid Directory Submissions - Top 10 Tips
+ Googles cache and other useful research tools
+ Selecting the right search engine marketing and optimization services company
+ Search Engine Marketing Services : The Business Case
+ SEO Quick Start - 3 things you can do to improve search engine rankings immediately
+ Google Page Rank Explained
+ Directory Submission Checklist
+ Protecting your Search Engine Rankings for the future
+ Is your website doomed for failure before you've built it?
+ Getting one way inbound links. 5 Major strategies.
+ Creating a solid base for your search engine marketing
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