As we already determined on our previous SEMrush Twitter Chat, SEO does not compete with any marketing activities, rather it complements them. Content marketing is a part of the process, and it's probably one of the most important parts.
Last week we were discovering SEO copywriting tips on our chat with Stephen Kenwright, Head of Search at Branded3.
The key question we are facing: does SEO copywriting differ from other types of copywriting? And if you are a good writer, does it automatically make you great SEO copywriter? What are the best practices of SEO content writing and how if it different from other types of copy? Let's find out!
A1: There is no such thing as "SEO copywriting" in the age of semantic understanding. There's just good copywriting. #SEMrushchat
— Samuel Scott (@samueljscott) March 4, 2015
In talking about content marketing and SEO, we are faced with a chicken-and-egg question. Which comes first – a list of keywords that need to be interlaced into text, or a great article that solves users’ problems?
A2. KW research that includes audience analysis. The people will tell you what they need from content. Then write. #semrushchat— Matthew Young (@MatthewAYoung) March 4, 2015
If you're looking how to create high quality content for SEO, keeping the following in mind is a must. A great article based on a set of keywords that reflect your audience’s wants and needs is the answer. First step – “figure out user intent a need behind the search”- Samuel Scott @samueljscott.
A2: What's trending? What do people want to know? Craft content to help. Keep keywords in mind. SEO that content. #semrushchat— Devin (@DevDawg) March 4, 2015
Your next step should be keyword research. Perform it wisely – you don’t have to put every related keyword in the article. A balance between head and long-tail keywords is essential. While head keywords tell us the main idea of the story, long-tail ones fill it in with details and context. “Include keywords that make sense and flow well” -Devin @DevDawg.
A2 don't go for any keywords that can fit to the niche, use the ones that will make you reach your goals #semrushchat— Mike Blazer (@MikeBlazerX) March 4, 2015
While performing keyword research, don’t forget that there are a lot of fields to explore.
A2) Do Key Phrase Research and competitive analysis. Then look for semantically related key phrases and use them in your copy #semrushchat— Writing For SEO (@writingforseo) March 4, 2015
After your piece is written, it’s time to optimize it. It’s really, really difficult to write something when all you can think about is stringing together keywords. It’s better to do the opposite. Keep your keywords in mind, but don’t allow them to dictate what you do. They should come to the stage in the end.
A2: this is where the REAL creativity lives! Edit and edit again so your keywords can naturally live in your content copy! #semrushchat— Peter Starr Northrop (@SEMStarr) March 4, 2015
And of course, from the beginning of your keyword search until the final edit, remember that, first and foremost, you write for people. They are your actual readers, not machines.
Q2: it’s more than just pushing keywords into sentences; it’s about your audience, listening 2 them then making adjustments #semrushchat— Gabriella Sannino (@SEOcopy) March 4, 2015
If you went into marketing because you thought it doesn't involve a lot of numbers, or if you became a writer because you are allergic to technical issues, you are in the wrong field. I do like Dan Shaffer’s (@ShafferDan) advice: “Know HTML!”. But if you think this is too much, at least learn some basics.
A3) If copywriters are not SEOs, make sure that they have an optimization checklist to follow #semrushchat— Adam Dince (@AdamDince) March 4, 2015
This is just a drop of water in the ocean of SEO. Do you want to know what a real-deal checklist looks like? Pradeep Kumar (@SPradeepKr) shared with everybody his own handwritten checklist: “Even though these tips are basic, there's a lot of them...here is my handwritten notes.”
When applying all these techniques and choosing keywords, keep in mind that everything should be balanced.
A3 #1 rule do not overoptimize! #semrushchat— Mike Blazer (@MikeBlazerX) March 4, 2015
Giving credit to your source and to the people you have mentioned is always a good idea.
A3 cont. It's OK to link out to other sites. Always credit your sources, you won't lose authority for that #semrushchat— Stephen Kenwright (@stekenwright) March 4, 2015
Think about your article’s structure – well structured text is not only easy to read for users, but also for machines.
A3 cont. Break up copy with subheadings (and images). Make it easy to skim read. Use a CTA at the end, even ‘read more’ #semrushchat— Stephen Kenwright (@stekenwright) March 4, 2015
I never get tired of repeating that the most important thing to keep in mind is your reader. Don’t overthink; keep your ideas clean and don’t deviate from the topic just to include a few more related keywords.Writers should remain writers first and foremost: “Train writers to be SEOs, not the other way around!” Peter Starr Northrop @SEMStarr.
A3: Ask the copy writer if they would want to read this content or is it just to trick the serps? If they say no, start over #semrushchat— Devin (@DevDawg) March 4, 2015
Measuring results is a pain in the neck for most marketers. If you are one of them, let’s try to heal your pain.
First of all, every journey needs a map; and in your case, role of the guideline will be a reasonable KPI (key performance indicator).
A4) Choose the right KPIs - positions, traffic (branded and unbranded), sales, leads etc. Set up and Analytics tool #semrushchat— Writing For SEO (@writingforseo) March 4, 2015
A4) track from content to goals. Google Analytics is good for that #semrushchat— Tony McCreath (@TonyMcCreath) March 4, 2015
Google Analytics is good for that - Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools are very useful for every level of your research. You can use Google Webmaster Tools for tracking changes in rank for particular keywords.
A4. Use Webmaster Tools to figure out what you’re ranking on. The more generic terms, the better your content. #semrushchat— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) March 4, 2015
Dan Smith @itsdansmith otherwise recommends “staying away from rankings - instead, look at the impact content has on organic traffic or conversions.”The ThinkSEM team suggests concentrating on the same metrics.
A4: Once "ranked" are people clicking (& staying)? Are they CONVERTING??? Are they sharing? Are they linking TO the content? #semrushchat— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) March 4, 2015
It's very important to keep an eye on bounce rate.
Stephen Kenwright @stekenwright A4 cont. Again, keep an eye on Bounce Rate. If it’s going down then the signs are good that rankings should improve
Generally speaking, every metric that is connected to behavioral patterns should be the center of your attention.
A4 @semrush Google, social &content marketing nalytics Behavior pattern from the content. Have your analytics setup beforehand #semrushchat— Suneel Thomas (@TechAchari) March 4, 2015
If you want to find out more, this article is for you: "How To Track The ROI Of Your Web Content".
What are some common SEO-related problems and mistakes copywriters face? The most common source of SEO trouble for people who deal with words – not understanding how keywords work.
A5: Not doing enough keyword research, thus not ranking for what they want to in the SERPs. #semrushchat— Kerstin Stokes (@ironicsunpunch) March 4, 2015
As we mentioned before, you should do your keyword research first: “It helps your brain to include the keyword naturally as you go - and it increases your SEO” Tracey Wallace @TraceWall. And don’t overuse keywords when optimizing content!
A5: Not understanding how keywords work! So many put too much! So many ignore it! --keep your keywords specific but PRESENT #semrushchat— Peter Starr Northrop (@SEMStarr) March 4, 2015
Other basic SEO issues are also often ignored.
A5: From earlier: copywriters w/o a handle on SEO tweaking titles + meta description for length + content. Need a foundation. #semrushchat— Kathleen Garvin (@KGarvSEO) March 4, 2015
Very often the “glamor” of the text and the title should become the highest priority. A catchy title and a hot topic are must-haves, but they shouldn’t be out of sync with SEO.
A5. Picking the flashy or clever headline over the straightforward to the point keyword oriented one. #semrushchat— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) March 4, 2015
Keep a balance and don’t go to extremes. Meaning comes first, so don’t become “so obsessed with Google that you think less about the users who will consume the material” - Samuel Scott @samueljscott.
Thinking that once an article is live it’s the end of the story = fail. There's always time to make changes that will help your content rise in SERPs.
A5 after pages started to rank, and you fail to come back and tune-up your copy to achieve maximum relevancy to keywords #semrushchat— Mike Blazer (@MikeBlazerX) March 4, 2015
To avoid these problems, make sure your SEO and writing team cooperate. Knowing the basics is good; applying them – very good. But the SEO work should be done by SEO people.
A5) I think the biggest problem copywriters have is that they're expected to be expert SEOs. #semrushchat— Adam Dince (@AdamDince) March 4, 2015
If you want to dive into this topic, you'll love this article What Exactly Does Google Consider High Quality Marketing Content? from blog.hubspot.com.
Tool time! Let’s take a look on a toolkit that will alleviate the suffering of dealing with SEO. First and foremost, your common sense is most important. No tool in the world will do your job and make a better decision than you can.
A7: IMO the BEST tool for copywrting is your brain! Good copy requires a thoughtful/strategic approach that can't be automated #SEMrushchat— Andrew Dennis (@AndrewDennis33) March 4, 2015
A7. Google Trends, Google Autocomplete, Google Webmaster Tools, SEOMoz, SEMRush. :) #semrushchat— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) March 4, 2015
A7: Keyword Planner, Moz Bar, Google Analytics, BuzzSumo @semrush #semrushchat— Ryan Johnson (@rsj8000) March 4, 2015
A7: @Conductor @BuzzSumo @semrush http://t.co/SSrTdzLLKu, Google AdWords, & synonym finders #semrushchat— Joe Rega (@JoeRega) March 4, 2015
A7: wordpress plugins, Keyword.io, Google Trends and remembering to write to educate, not to rank. #semrushchat— Tracey Wallace (@TraceWall) March 4, 2015
A7) The best tool is a great copywriter! #semrushchat— Adam Dince (@AdamDince) March 4, 2015
Ok, this is it for today! We hope you enjoyed it!
Guess you know very well where and when we are going to meet next time - Wednesday at 11 a.m. (EST). Use #SEMrushchat to join!
