Copywriting for websites is so critical for SEO (search engine optimization) and your customer experience – so it’s time to pay attention to how to write copy for SEO in 2020.
With the right web copy, your site will naturally attract prospects over time. Your business will rank higher in search engines (like Google), and the traffic on your website is more likely to convert into leads (and ultimately sales once you get a chance to talk to them, right?).
If you decide to ignore the importance of website copywriting, you’re going to start losing out on traffic that is going to head right over to your competitors instead.
But if you pay attention now, we’re going to teach you how to write great content that pulls in the right people – and gain an important edge over your competitors in the eyes of your prospects.
You can learn how to write copy for SEO (search engines will love it) and your prospects will thank you for it!
How to write copy for SEO in 2020
1) Before you start writing your web copy, let’s set up a clear structure for SEO success.
You want to begin by thinking through where people are at in their search journey and create your content around the keywords they’re likely searching. Different page types are more likely to correlate with specific search intent.
I’ll cover this in-depth in another article, but here’s the general outline of the two most popular search intents and the correlating content types you want to create:
- Discovery / Starter Searches: Perfect for blog and “how to” content.
People are just getting started and have a ton of questions you can answer.
(Note: This article you’re currently reading falls into this category) - General Product/Service Searches: Ideal for most of the general pages that will end up in your main menu.
People are searching for things like “marketing company in Ohio”, or “SEO services near me”, which means you want them to find your core pages that could turn them into leads.
2) Make sure to use a relevant keyword in the page title.
There are two main reasons:
- You make a great first-impression with Google. As they’re scanning your site, and the page you’re working on specifically, they’ll be checking your page title as the main indicator of what’s being talked about on the page. So, help Google out! They’ll appreciate it, and reward you 🙂
Use this page as an example! I want to rank for “How to write copy for SEO in 2020” and “Copywriting for Websites”, so I’m using them both in the title of this article. - Searchers will resonate. Your page title (SEO techies call it your H1 tag) shows up as the headline and blue link in search engines. It’s what gets the most attention in search results, and the thing that gets clicked.
Any words that match their search will be bolded, so the more you can match a specific keyword phrase, the more likely you’ll get a click.
3) Use your target keyword(s) in the first sentence of the page you’re trying to optimize.
Then, reiterate the keyword a few more times in the rest of your website content (but don’t overdue it – Google doesn’t like keyword stuffing).
Check out the first sentence on this post. Actually, you don’t need to, because you know I’m an experienced SEO copywriter at this point 🙂
Of course I’ve used “copywriting for websites” and “how to write copy for SEO in 2020” a few times, including the first sentence. I practice what I preach, people! 🙂
4) Don’t JUST use your target words – diversify your web copy, my friend!
Using common alternatives of your target keyword in your web page content sends strong signals to search engines that your web content is well-rounded. You want to be seen as an authority here, and creative SEO copywriting plays a huge part to the search giants.
Again – I want you to see this in action, and you can use this post as a guide. I’ve used variations like SEO copywriter, SEO copywriting, web copy, website content, writing your copy… you get the idea.
5) Local Businesses should include location words with their main keywords to boost their chances of ranking in a local area.
Don’t overthink it; you’re just helping Google connect the dots between your business, your keywords, and your location – giving your copy a local SEO boost.
For instance, let’s say you run a bakery and your store is in Ashland, Ohio. You’d want to use “Bakery in Ashland, Ohio” or “Ashland Ohio Bakery” in your home page title.
If you’re a national business like us, but still get some business from locals, you can still use location-based keywords in your website copywriting.
Personal example: BrandLumo is a marketing company in Ashland, Ohio. Even though we do business all over the country, we’ll still tag on “Ashland, Ohio” in some places so search engines know for sure to rank us high in our local area.
6) Link to other pages on your website that are related to the topic on the page you’re trying to optimize.
*Pro tip: Use keywords in your links to boost the SEO power to that page.*
Another personal example: because you’re reading this post about how to write copy for SEO, I can safely assume that you’re looking for help with search engine optimization, and might find other resources about SEO really helpful right about now.
Since I’m generally a helpful person, I’m going to link another resource for you that’ll help your SEO copywriting efforts (check out the free SEO Checklist you can download right now). Notice how the link text was a keyword? Oh yeah!
7) Don’t lose site of your user experience.
Seriously – don’t sweat too hard if you can’t get your specific target keywords into your title tag or other places in your copy. The important thing is that your users have a great experience with your brand, so never sacrifice their experience just to get more keywords in your SEO copy.
Be real. Be genuine. Take it from an SEO expert.
Next steps / SEO Copywriting Resources
Download the free, on-page search engine optimization checklist
Congrats – you’ve stuck through until this point, and you now know how to write copy for search engine optimization, 2020 style!
Now’s the time to put everything you’ve learned into action – but don’t go it alone.
For more SEO tips, download our SEO Checklist. It’s free, and it covers other ways you on-page SEO can be improved to give your rankings a boost.
Get Personalized Guidance
We’ve developed a free “30-minute SEO Copywriting Tune-Up” which we’ll conduct over Zoom with you and your company’s website copywriter.
Here’s what we accomplish together in this fast-paced, no-nonsense session:
- SEO Weak Spots: A few significant mistakes can tank your rankings. But most problems can be quickly and easily corrected – so long as you’re aware of what critical errors not to make.We’ll scan your website and look for potential weak spots that could be sending you into an SEO graveyard, then give you exact instructions on how to climb back outta the hole.
- Your “Money” Keywords: There are keywords you think you want to rank for, then there are words that will send you traffic and make you money.We’ve helped clients uncover the keywords their customers are actually using with a simple keyword research strategy. We’ll show you our process for identifying the hot terms that’ll send clicks.
- Competitive Recon: You’re all too familiar with that pesky competitor who always shows up in search, and is likely eating up the clicks.We’ll do the dirty work to figure out the strategies that are working for them – and how you can capitalize on their efforts. Even if we can’t rank higher just yet, you’ll know how to get more clicks from your listing.
The 30-Minute SEO Copywriting Tune-Up is run by our top SEO expert, Andrew Eades (hey, that’s me), who has spent the last decade helping companies improve their rankings.
Please note: This is NOT a thinly disguised sales presentation. It’s the best SEO wisdom I can provide about your SEO situation in a 30-minute window.
There is no charge for this call, but please note that the call is strictly limited to 30 minutes.
Here’s a link to our Calendly to schedule your SEO Tune-Up: https://calendly.com/brandlumo/30-minute-seo-tune-up
After you schedule your call, you will receive a pre-consultation questionnaire that will prepare us both to get you the maximum value in the shortest amount of time.
See you on top!
