Search Engine Copywriting

Do you think there's high-tech wizardry involved in getting your website to the top of the search engine results? Think again. It takes a copywriter - an SEO copywriter to be exact.

You're probably thinking, "SEO copywriter? What the heck is that?" It's a writer who understands search engine optimization (SEO) and can work with the rest of your web team to help your website get search engine traffic from qualified customers who have taken the time to search for your products and services.

If you want your website to show up on search engines (and doesn't everyone?) it's important to use an experienced SEO copywriter — you need someone who understands that website copy doesn't just need to be clear and compelling, it needs to be written in a way that attracts search engines, too.

An SEO Copywriter Helps:

Attract more qualified web traffic from search engines by working with your web team on a coordinated search engine optimization plan.

Convert web visitors into customers once they find your site.

Kickstart your website and make it work harder for your business.

Search Engine Copywriting - It's All About Balance

Writing copy optimized for search engines can be tricky. You want a website with enough of the right keywords to attract the search engines. But you don't want copy with so many keywords that it then sounds silly to the people who read it. Effective search engine copywriting is a delicate balance between satisfying your website's human visitors and the search engine spiders. (Take a look at some SEO copywriting samples that satisfy both audiences.)

Does this concept of search engine copywriting sound confusing? You're not alone. Most people think there's some magic in the HTML code that makes a website rank higher with search engines. They don't realize that it's the words on the page — written with carefully chosen keywords in mind — that attract search engine traffic. You're welcome to contact me with questions about SEO copywriting and how it can benefit your business.

I offer the writing background to ensure your copy sounds right, and the web background to make sure that your website is built for search engine optimization. (Not to mention the marketing background to work with you on other ways to attract website traffic, like writing and placing articles and email newsletters.) There's no sense writing optimized web copy for a page that search engines can't find. I can make recommendations and work closely with your web team to ensure that your site follows proper search engine optimization guidelines gets noticed, not penalized.

Key Components of Copywriting for Effective Search Engine Optimization

When you work with an experienced search engine copywriter, you'll see that it's a holistic process. Writing, web design, web page construction, and linking all work hand-in-hand to give you the best search engine optimization results possible. You have to consider all the variables that affect your search engine rank.

Key word and key phrase research - which terms are most likely to be used in search engines to find your products? Is there a lot of competition for those search terms?
Competitive search engine results research - are your competitors getting better search engine results than you? Research can show why their pages are ranking higher, and what it will take to optimize your own pages so the search engines will rank them higher.
Copywriting for search engine optimization - after the research is done, it's time to write your website copy using the chosen key words and key phrases -- judiciously. As I say in this DM News article in which I was quoted, “Good Web writing is a balance between satisfying the spiders and the humans. But it’s the humans who buy your products and services.”

Search Engine Optimization Copywriting Samples

Carlin & Kienitz Elder Law - this Maine law firm specializing in elder law achieved top rankings for its key search phrases.

Athena IT Solutions - this Boston-area consulting firm attracts traffic with its selection of data warehouse articles and other business intelligence information.

Minerva Solutions - this website helps businesses find an SEO copywriter, freelance marketing writer, or marketing communications consultant near Boston.

Site Design and Construction, Linking, and Directory Submission for Improved Search Engine Optimization

Your website manager and SEO professional need to work in partnership with your SEO copywriter to ensure that all parts of the search engine optimization process are complete. With my background in both writing and website creation, I can either work with your team or, in some cases, even help fix your pages myself to ensure that all the parts of search engine optimization are working well together. In addition to writing, the other parts of search engine optimization include:

Website page design - is your home page made up of an elegant image that reinforces your company's visual identity? It might look nice, but it's probably not the best design for search engine optimization. By combining your beautiful graphics with the right text you can attract more search engine traffic.

Web page construction - how a page is put together can influence how well it does in search engines. Using keywords judiciously in your tags and avoiding frame-based websites are two ways your construction helps with search engine optimization.
Inbound links - search engines love to see links to your website. Not just any links, but links from highly-ranked websites with related content. A campaign to request relevant links is an important part of search engine optimization.
Directory submissions - submitting your website to relevant directories is key. If you're a widget manufacturer, getting a link on a directory of the major widget manufacturer sites helps the search engine spiders find your site, and it's a quality inbound link. But submitting your site to thousands of search engines is NOT helpful, despite what the unsolicited messages in your email box tell you.

Search Engine Copywriting Consultation

Want to learn more? Send me an email if you're interested in a free consultation on copywriting for search engine optimization, and the other components that add up to successful web marketing campaign.

Do-it-Yourself Search Engine Copywriting

If you're interested in in learning about search engine optimization copywriting, I recommend The Nitty-gritty of Writing for the Search Engines by well-known SEO expert Jill Whalen. For only $49, you will learn how and where to place your most important keyword phrases within the visible text copy of your Web pages.

Learn more about The Nitty-gritty of Writing for the Search Engines