The key to writing good online copy is to garner exposure, elicit interest, and improve sales conversion, and there are different SEO copywriting techniques that are targeted to help you attain each of these goals.
First and foremost, good keywords are essential. Good keywords are perhaps the most important factor in garnering exposure for your website and attaining the first goal mentioned above.
Any good SEO copywriter knows that your writing needs to contain about 2-3 instances of your main keywords or keyword phrases per page (more than that could be counter-productive, as it could be deemed keyword stuffing by Google and the other major search engines).
Naturally, the number of keyword instances must also be gauged based on the overall keyword density of the page itself, as proper keyword density must be maintained.
As far as determining which keywords to use, it’s crucial that they be relevant to the overall content and purpose of the website, as relevancy is one of the main factors search engines use when ranking websites.
Of course, this principle applies not only to the visible text on the website, but also to the Header Tags, Title Tags, Meta Tags, Alt Tags, and underlying HTML used to create the site.
The second fundamental principle of good copywriting addresses the other main factor used by search engines to rank websites -- trust.
A good copywriter understands how indispensable establishing trust is, and that one of the best ways (if not THE best way) to achieve a sufficient level of trust is through link building. A recent study found that 7 of the 10 most important ranking factors deal with links.
The more links to your site (backlinks) that appear on other websites, the more “votes” you have for your website, and the more exposure you’ll receive in search engine results.
The next important principle of good copywriting deals with attaining the second goal listed above, eliciting interest. Achieving sufficient online exposure is just the beginning. It’s imperative that you take advantage of that exposure by then eliciting enough interest that people actually take the time to click on your ads.
To do this, you have to consider your competition, as well as the pre-conceived expectations of your viewers. In other words, in your Adwords ad copy, email blasts, and links your content should be fresh, creative and different. They shouldn’t look just like your competitors’ content, but should stand out to anyone viewing a search results page with numerous related listings.
There are many techniques you can employ to make your copy stand out and elicit enough interest, but some of the most effective are as follows:
- Humor
- Call to Action/Incentive
- Enthusiasm
- Sense of Urgency
- Use of Popular, Relevant Keywords
- Plenty of Links
Of course, the last technique depends entirely on the nature and location of your ad copy. Obviously, you’re extremely limited in a Google PPC ad as compared to an email blast, blog post or article.
The last important principles of good copywriting to be discussed here are clarity and brevity, which often go hand-in-hand towards turning mere interest into action, whether that action involves obtaining a sale, a lead, or even just an inquiry for further information.
Once someone has found your website and has shown interest by going to it, your main focus needs to be on “closing the deal”. To do this, just as important as what you say is how and where you say it.
Keep things simple, clear and easy to understand and follow. Always emphasize current promotions, deadlines, and/or limited availability. It’s imperative as well that there be at least one call to action/incentive clearly visible on the page.
Generally, the most important information you want to convey needs to be the most visible, which entails one or more of the following:
- Above the fold
- Contained within links and/or buttons
- Within header, header tag and/or title tag
- In large prominent font
- Set apart from other text
Clearly, all of this information is by no means comprehensive, but it can provide copywriters with a strong foundation upon which they can build strong, effective online copy.
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