Need an SEO copywriter?

Why SEO copywriting has its own unique starting point

Copywriting for SEO is far removed from writing an article for a magazine, say – which I still get asked to do in my capacity as a seasoned writer.

 

When you're writing with SEO purposes in mind, the intent behind the writing is completely different.

Ask me to create a 2,000 word article on the world of luxury fragrances for a glossy magazine, and I'm Ernest Hemingway with a picture to paint. The thesaurus is my friend.

 

My goal is to create an enticing piece of 'art' that will be as entertaining as possible.

When I am asked to write an SEO-rich blog post for a client, however, I begin with a very different goal in mind.

 

I start by asking 'What is the keyword that the client is trying to rank for with this post?' If you've ever used the WordPress plugin Yoast, they call this your 'focus keyphrase'.

It's a little different to your brand's keywords. Here's how:
Your brand's main keywords are in total sync with your business – they are forever entwined with the very fabric of what you do. There's a good chance they'll be all over your homepage and product pages.
 
You sell off-the-peg kitchen cabinets online? Then 'off the peg kitchen cabinets', 'kitchen cabinets', 'ready-made kitchen cabinets' and 'kitchen units online' will all be important keywords for you.

When you're writing blog posts with SEO in mind however, you're more likely to want to rank for something slightly different.

That's because blogs are a way to build up a body of helpful, relevant work – they're not really there to compete with your main pages. So your focus keyphrase might be, 'wooden kitchen doors Vs PVC' or 'how to hang a kitchen door'.

 

SEO content writers understand this.

Your main web page(s) are where you want to direct most visitors. The SEO optimized content on your blog pages, however, is designed to keep bringing in newcomers who have found you for something else. 

 

Basically, they found you because they were looking for something not covered on your home page or your SEO-optimised product/service pages.

I'll be honest – if you'd asked me a five or six years ago to write a blog for your website I'd have thrown in a few keywords, done a bit of creative writing and bingo. Job done.

 

Not any more.

 

Blog writing comes under the banner of SEO copywriting. If you hire me as your SEO content writer today, I'll approach it with the respect and care it deserves. High quality SEO content takes time – but the rewards can be well worth it.

Why great copy plays a part in search engine optimization

 

Google's goal for its SERPs (search engine results pages) is to provide internet users with exactly what they are looking for.

 

If you have a good SEO strategy and a good SEO content writer, you should be able to write the kind of article that your target audience is seeking – which is what Google and its complicated search engine algorithms want.

Quite simply, if you're able to create the very best web content (in Google's eyes), then all other things being equal (domain authority, site loading times etc.) you should rank very near the top spot – and scoop up lots of organic traffic.

It's never that simple, of course.

But there are a number of premium SEO content writing tools I use which enable me to understand what Google is looking for in order to boost your website's rankings potential.

 

These tools take time and effort to master – which is why not many SEO copywriters use them.
 
But the difference this tech can make is often significant.

Good SEO articles, therefore, need to be written with an appreciation of what Google wants, what a customer hopes to read (ensuring keywords sound natural) – and, ideally, enough creative writing 'pizzaz' to make it all entertaining.

 

My aim is to deliver on all three fronts.
 

Understanding the SEO content writing process

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​As mentioned, when writing a blog – or any web page where SEO is a priority, such as how to guides and long-form content  – you begin with intent.

 

What is the intent of this page? What keywords is it trying to rank for?

Once I know that, and presuming you're happy to pay a small premium for me to run your copy through the pro tools I use (which operate on a pay-per-use basis), I'll start writing content that is designed with a specific purpose in mind: to rank.

I can take care of keyword research (including long tail keywords), the title tag for the article, your meta description and more – whatever your SEO copywriting project needs. There are even crafty ways to insert groan-worthy keywords that you might want to rank for. For example, people are typing SEO copywriter UK into Google? Guess what – I just managed to cover that keyword here.

We'll also need to look at something called keyword intent. What is your customer looking for? If they want a plumber, the intent behind their search will be to find a 'plumber' – not 'plumbing'. It's also too easy to try and rank for search terms that don't reflect keyword intent.

A better example: you sell tyres and want to sell more of them online. Your homepage will likely be optimized for 'buy tyres online' – which reflects the search intent of your customers. Your homepage is less likely to be optimized for 'how to change a tyre'.

However, to snap up more traffic – and potential future customers – you might write a blog post about how to change a tyre. You'd optimize this post accordingly, reflecting the searcher's keyword intent.

 

Good SEO writing = no keyword stuffing required!

 

I don't do link building – that's the domain of your technical SEO person or your own outreach work. And I don't do keyword stuffing.

The keyword research tools I use are designed to show me the quantity of relevant keywords that are required. This enables me to create SEO content built with both Google search and user intent in mind.

The real skill I bring to the party when wearing my SEO copywriter hat is to combine many years of creating high quality content with the technical demands of SEO writing.

You want content that people will read – and which will give your next blog post, your homepage or any other key page the critical shot of SEO magic it needs.

 

Will good SEO mean your page will rank?

 

That's the $64,000 question. Put it this way: if you don't apply SEO copywriting best practices to your page, it almost certainly won't rank well – unless you're in an incredibly niche market with virtually no competition.
 
By which, I mean the search volume for your target keyword is very low.

What I can do as your freelance UK SEO copywriter is give your web content and content marketing material a fighting chance to rise up through the search results pages.
 
There are too many variables for SEO success to be pinned on copywriting alone. But by having a rock-solid content strategy and getting your SEO copywriting right, you boost your chances.

Note, however, that achieving a great organic ranking for some keywords/search terms is all but impossible – because the competition is just too great. Search engine optimisation will only get you so far.
 
Sometimes, you'd also need to hire your SEO copywriter to deliver four or five thousand carefully crafted words in order to try and outshine the competition. And this would need to be high quality content, too – not just AI-generated drivel.

And, sometimes, digging deep for this is just not the best use of your finances.

How SEO copywriting gives search engines what they want

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There are plenty of SEO copywriting strategies I've picked up over the few years, and for the right client with clear ambitions and the right budget, I can really go to town on optimizing content for search engines.

It's a process – and it's all about giving Google what it wants.

 

It's about creating high-quality, easily readable content with the right keyword density, good title tags, an appropriate number of paragraphs, strong subheads and headlines: the works.
 
Once you've got a good freelance SEO copywriter onside, you won't get copy-by-numbers – or something that was only written for Google search results.

 

You get amazing content that has been very carefully crafted to tick multiple boxes.

 

And your website traffic (via organic search) should steadily start to improve.

 

It's hard for anyone to guarantee more organic traffic through on-page SEO alone, especially if you're a tiny novice in a crowded sector.

 

But I'll work with you to help you generate valuable content that improves your chances considerably.

Why not get in touch to discuss how my SEO copywriting service can help your business? And if you'd like to know more about SEO, check out Neil Patel's thoughts on SEO copywriting – the guy's a legend.