How to Make Your Web Copy Search-Friendly

By Tricia Harte

Did you know that 68% of online experiences start with the search engine? Search engine optimization (SEO) is at the core of every effective digital marketing strategy, however, many businesses struggle to hone their on-site optimizations.

One of the biggest areas for improvement is often a website’s content. Without careful attention to what a page says, and how that information is relayed, on-site optimization efforts can fall short.

What’s the Goal of Your Web Copy?

Every website has the overarching goal of reaching a target audience. Whether you run an ecommerce website, a blog, or gallery, success on the internet only comes with digital visibility.

To cut through the noise, your website’s page copy needs do more than compliment your goods and services. Your on-site copy needs to be formatted in such a way that search engines can crawl and accurately interpret what each page is about.

When done effectively, web copy not only attracts visitors to your website and keeps them engaged. The ultimate goal is to have those visitors take some form of action; whether it be signing up for your email newsletter or making a purchase.

What is SEO-Friendly Website Copy?

In the world of search, related websites compete for top visibility for targeted keywords and user queries in search engine results pages (SERPS). The higher the ranking in SERPs, the more potential customers see your website, and the better it is for business

Search-optimized web copy embeds high-value keywords and key phrases that people would likely use to search for that information. When creating new pages designed to target specific keywords, you need to start from scratch writing for SEO. That means creating types of content that answer user queries and are rich with those targeted keywords.

Crafting web content that uses the right keywords can get you noticed by your target audience by boosting your appearance in the SERPs. This, in turn, helps your business attract the right customers, build customer loyalty, and eventually lead to business growth.

Aside from keywords, SEO website copy heavily considers search engines’ preferences.

At the end of the day, you’re trying to rank in organic search. Businesses must adopt the best practices that give the search engine what it wants, while simultaneously providing relevant content to target customers.

With that said, let’s take a look at some clear benefits of writing your web copy with SEO in mind.

3 Benefits of SEO Web Copy

There are various reasons why businesses need to do more than just create web copy, but create copy that caters to search engine algorithms. It’s 2021, if search engines don’t like you, or can’t find keyword-rich value in your website, then you might as well not exist.

Here are 3 benefits of SEO copywriting:

1. SEO-friendly web copy improves your search rankings

Being first in the search engine doesn’t just feel good, it makes your website more visible.

Visibility is one of the most important factors when it comes to a successful business. In fact, there are about 3.5 billion Google searches each day with over 40,000 queries processed on Google every day on average.

However, increasing your website’s search rankings doesn’t just happen overnight. If you expect to connect with your target audience, it’s imperative that you focus on improving search results consistently overtime. This is where optimizing web copy for search comes into play.

2. SEO-friendly web copy establishes digital authority

With online competition rising, establishing digital authority is more important than ever before.

This competition for customers and eyes makes SEO copywriting is so critical. It plays an important factor when it comes to increasing your online presence, establishing your business as a leader, and increasing your trust factor. People trust the websites that Google shows them first and foremost in search engine results pages.

Ultimately, SEO copy isn’t just about stuffing your content with keywords. It’s about providing relevant information that sets you apart from the competition and provides something useful to your audience.

Knowing the type of information your audience is searching is the first step of the process. Understanding audience intent allows you to create web copy that delivers that information while simultaneously establishing your brand as an authoritative and trustworthy source.

At Digital Third Coast, we can help you build authority and impress Google through great content and earned media.

3. Effective website copy drives traffic

Driving traffic to your website is essential if you expect your business to grow. Thankfully, SEO copywriting does this in a variety of ways. For instance, keywords help users find your content and explore your website.

Backlinks are another opportunity to drive traffic in your direction. The more backlinks you can earn through other publications, the wider your audience will become. Alongside this, Google prioritizes sites that have quality backlinks.

4 Tips to Make Your Copy More Search-Friendly

No one wants their SEO copywriting efforts to go unnoticed. If you want to incorporate SEO copywriting that not only supports your digital marketing efforts but truly makes an impact, consider implementing the following tips for writing SEO friendly search copy.

Find the Right Keywords

Before you begin to write copy, it’s essential that you identify the right keywords. Essentially, how well you target your keywords will determine your ability to connect with those who are interested in your product or service.

This means you should refrain from guessing which keywords will work the best. Instead, businesses should do their research and use online software tools that can help them identify the appropriate keywords to strengthen their copy. Keyword software can provide recommendations based on your page’s intent, help you identify keywords that will drive relevant traffic, provide competitive analysis, and ultimately help you strengthen your SEO efforts.

If you don’t plan to use keyword research software, be prepared to put on your research cap. Here are a few strategies to follow when developing your own research.

Come Up With Seed Keywords: This will be the foundation of your keyword research process. This also helps you define your niche and think about competitors.
Check On Your Competitors: It’s important to see which competitors are already ranking high for your seed keywords. This will give you a good idea of which “seeds” are performing well and to see where you fit in. Start by searching for one of your seed keywords and see who’s on the front page of the SERP.
Study Your Niche: This will allow you to understand more about your prospective customers and help you refine your keywords for better results.

Find the Questions That People are Asking

What better way to develop an effective copy than to answer the questions people are asking? Businesses will need to spend time scouring the internet to identify what their target audience is asking online.

Remember, the search engine is designed to deliver relevant responses to peoples’ queries. If you do not position yourself as an authority by providing relevant answers to these questions through your copy, you will have a hard time attracting the right audience.

As a starting point, you can visit forums such as Quora and Reddit to pay attention to conversations that are happening online.

Gather Original Data

If you truly want to engage readers, then gather original data to help reinforce the ideas presented in your web copy. The truth is, people love facts, and it will be a lot easier to convert visitors into customers when you can add some validity to what you’re saying.

Not only that, but original data can do an excellent job earning you quality backlinks, which can really boost your rank in the search engine. So how do you gather original data?

Set up surveys and ask customers about their lifestyle and preferences.
Examine your sales data to identify patterns.
Ask customers to share success stories about how your products or services have helped them.

Optimize Your Header, Meta Title, and Meta Description

Your header, meta title, and meta description are one of the most important factors in your copy. These three elements have the largest impact, primarily because it is the first thing that users will see. If it isn’t eye-catching or doesn’t appear relevant, users won’t even bother looking at your copy.

Not forgetting to mention that these 3 elements play a huge role in how Google ranks your content. With that said, here are some tips to help you make better headers, meta titles, and meta descriptions.

Header

Headers should motivate users to visit your website.
Be sure to include actionable words such as “enhance” and “learn”.
Include numbers when appropriate, such as “Top 5 Ways to Improve Your SEO Efforts with Digital Third Coast”.

Meta Title

Always include your target keyword.
Keep it short. Your meta title should be between 50-60 characters long.
Articulate a message that matches content and search intent.

Meta Description

Include target keywords.
Incorporate your CTA
Keep your meta description short and concise. It should be between 140-160 characters in length.
Uniquely describe the web page

So what is SEO-friendly content writing? SEO web copy is crucial to your SEO efforts and your company. Without optimizing your web copy for the search engine, you won’t be able to attract the right customers, increase your visitors, or grow your business.

But effective web copy optimized for the search engine enables you to attract your target audience at minimal cost, improves your digital marketing efforts, and gives you a competitive edge.