SEO Copy Writing Should Appeal to People
A seasoned SEO Copywriter’s work should first and foremost appeal to a user’s eyes – think readability. How easy is your copy to read on multiple devices, such as a Desktop, Mobile or Tablet? And does it take ‘accessibility’ into account? Next comes the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), especially if an SEO Copywriter hopes to rank their content prominently in Google. But the key to success may be an SEO Copywriter’s ability to appease one’s ears.
Putting SEO Copywriting and keywords aside for a moment, let’s consider what constitutes good website copy. It should be current, original, informative, authoritative, trustworthy (especially true for YMYL websites), and actionable.
Does Your SEO Copy Satisfy Your Audience and Google?
Ignoring one central area of the process can undermine your SEO Copywriting efforts, even if it has the above-mentioned traits except one: readability.
One of my biggest pet peeves in writing for the web is using industry and technical jargon or overly academic language. This can harm your efforts if your piece is intended for laypersons. Online copywriters often get caught in this trap. While you want everything spelled and phrased correctly, it doesn’t mean you should follow every rule that you follow when writing a university essay on War and Peace.
Write Primarily for Your Audience
Overly dry, academic or technical content may be written appropriately. It may also contain industry jargon and brilliant information, but it will fail you if it isn’t easily readable and understood by your target audience. It could even turn off your readers if it’s too technical, too dense and improperly formatted. They’ll feel alienated by the language and seek a competitor who offers similar products, services or content but speaks to them in their language.
Simply put, unreadable content will spike your bounce rate, lower dwell time and hurt your conversion rate. Not good.
This is where the “aural test” comes in handy. Reading your copy aloud to yourself or a friend gives you a stronger sense of how it sounds and, more importantly, how it may affect your web users. If it seems robotic and distant, that’s because it is. The best way to attract readers online is to speak in a way that connects with them.
For Whom are Your Words Meant?
Before you start writing, know who your audience is. It’s always a good idea to develop a persona or multiple personas if writing for more than one person.
Creating a persona gives you a good sense of who you’re writing for, why you’re writing for them, how best to convey the message and, when it matters, where they live. This is particularly important if optimizing your copy to be found locally, I.e., a neighbourhood, city, township, etc. This information will ensure your piece is findable via ‘local’ or ‘near me’ search queries.
Now That You Have Your Persona
Now that you know who you’re writing for, what will your SEO copy style and tone be? Consider what action, if any, you want your reader to take. Are you providing information on a product or service? Do you want your reader to complete a form, download a guide, or make a purchase? Answers to these questions will help determine how and what type of content you write. For example, which of the following is it?
- informational
- conversational
- transactional
- interactional
- professional
- promotional
- navigational
If your site asks the reader to interact or transact with your website, as with eCommerce, your copy may be more promotional. If so, don’t keep them guessing. Let your readers know what you want them to do. For interactional and transactional sites, consider using a Call To Action (CTA), a critical component of any transactional site’s success.
Keep your web copy relevant, natural, readable and scannable. In doing so, you’ll keep your readers on your site longer.
If you don’t trust my word, maybe Albert Einstein will do: “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.”
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