And grow your online audience

This article is going to help you create awesome written content on your website that will grab the attention of your readers and keep them wanting more.

This is what you want, isn’t it?

I know it is.

Follow the techniques in this guide and your online audience will grow. This document applies to any written content on your website, the main pages and any blog posts you may publish.

So just to be sure we are on the same page:

“COPY” REFERS TO THE WORDS ON YOUR WEBSITE

SEO, or search engine optimisation, is about making your website the best it can be so that it attracts the attention it deserves from the right people who find your website via the major search engines…you know, Google!

Copywriters, of course, existed before the internet. SEO copywriting is about making sure your written content plays its part in promoting your organisation online.

What does SEO copywriting mean for you?

Your copy will serve two masters – Google and your audience
Your copy will engage your audience so they want to find out more about you and what you do
Your copy will set you up as an expert in your sector
Your copy will help you rank higher in Google
Your copy will send people to your website when they see it on Google and social media

Where shall we start?

Interesting & Helpful Content

To say the obvious, the content on your website needs to be of interest to the people you want as customers. It may also be helpful depending on the context. Being both interesting and helpful would be wonderful wouldn’t it?

And look at this:

THE LONGER A PERSON SPENDS READING YOUR WEB PAGE THE MORE IMPORTANT IT IS TO GOOGLE.

Isn’t that motivation enough to take SEO copywriting serious?

Laser Focused Keywords

Many people believe that a keyword has to be a singular word. Wrong! It can be a phrase too. For instance “decking” is a singular keyword but “how to build a timber decking” is a keyword too. “Keyword” is just shorthand for a singular word or a phrase.

Selecting your keywords is another skill to acquire in the battle to win at marketing online and would make this guide as long as Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

In a nutshell:

You must use keywords that are relevant and provide proof of your knowledge.

PROOF TERMS ARE WORDS/PHRASES THAT MUST BE USED WHEN DISCUSSING A PARTICULAR SUBJECT.

For instance if I was writing about the “Penguin update” the proof terms would be words like “Google”, “algorithm” and “Penguin”.

RELEVANT KEYWORDS ARE EVIDENCE YOU ARE PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE.

So, relevant keywords in an article about the “Penguin update” would be terms such as “rankings”, “SEO”, and “SERPS”.

And don’t even consider keyword stuffing!

If you haven’t heard of keyword stuffing, it is a technique whereby you use your keywords lots of times in your text and your web designer also uses them all over the place in the code behind the scenes. If you can’t use your keywords naturally in your copy then don’t use them.

Now you need to pay attention:

Grab that Headline

The headline or the title of your page or blog post article is of great importance when it comes to SEO copywriting.

Again, remember that successful SEO copywriting will serve two masters – the search engine and your audience.

Headline grabbing tips:

Google displays only between 50 and 60 characters of your headline/title (that includes punctuation and spaces)
Include your primary keyword at the front of your headline/title (the left hand side in the English language)
Place your brand at the end of the headline/title
Does your headline/title just ask to be clicked?
Consider the emotional response needed to get your headline/title clicked in Google

Listen though:

YOUR HEADLINE MUST STILL MAKE SENSE AND BE RELEVANT TO THE CONTENT.

Do you want some free help with your blog post headlines?

Well, just search in Google for “headline generator”. Some of the suggestions will give you a giggle I’m sure. But some will make the grade.

A Simple, Seductive Structure

So you have your headline/title.

Now what’s next?

Can you remember being at school and learning about writing stories?

You might recall the simple formula for your story of:

Beginning
Middle
End

It is also a tried and tested method of structuring your written content on your website.

Below is a simplified, sample structure to get you started, using these story telling principles:

HEADLINE/TITLE (H1 or Heading 1)

Beginning – grab the attention and keep them engaged

Middle

Sub-Heading (H2 or Heading 2)

End – Conclusion and call to action

Using headings and sub-headings will help your visitor read your content easily and as a bonus they will also help Google grasp the main themes of longer pages or posts that you write.

Your home page or any landing pages, may prove an exception to structuring your content like this as the visual appeal of your site may be affected.

Ideally, include your keyword in the sub-heading.

I think we are at the end of this beginner’s guide to SEO copywriting….

Oh Wait! I Almost Forgot!

THE BUCKET BRIGADE – PHRASES THAT KEEP YOU READING ON

The bucket brigade is a copywriting technique that uses phrases to keep your reader going down the page. These phrases are used as links between sections of your text and are employed to keep the content flowing.

Remember – the longer a person stays on your web pages the better for you.

I’ve used them in this document and they have kept you reading to the end. Here are a few examples:

What does this mean for you?
Here’s the deal:
It gets better:
Want to know the best part?
Think about it:
First of all,
But that’s not all, far from it.

You might like to write yourself a big list of bucket brigade phrases to use in your next online document.

Conclusion

What should I do now?

You might find it helpful to read 5 Steps to Finding Powerful Keywords.

And if you need some help with anything on your website please get in touch.

How to Write a Blog Post Like a Pro