Macros are simply sets of words and expressions used over and over in a particular context. For example, ‘here’ and ‘there’ are macros used in email marketing, and ‘today’ is a common abbreviation for ‘today’s meeting’ which is another example of a marketing macro.
What is a macro in copywriting, and how can you use it to your advantage? Let’s take a closer look.
The Importance Of Keywords In Search Engines
If your goal is to gain organic traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, and YouTube, you need to put keywords in your copy. But, you mustn’t just throw in a few keywords here and there – you need to build a solid foundation for your content with a keyword density that’s optimized for search. When using keywords, you’ve got to obey the golden rule – no overuse, and absolutely no underuse.
Too many keywords and you make yourself easy to find; not enough and you might as well not have bothered.
Keyword Research
Before you can begin using keywords you need to do some keyword research. There are a few tools you can use to find the keywords that are most important to your industry, and, within those tools, you can further research the frequency of those keywords and how competitive the market is for them.
For example, in the SEO (search engine optimization) field, you would enter your keywords into a tool like Keyword Tool by WordStream, enter your location, and click ‘go’. The tool will then pull up a list of keywords that are most relevant to your industry, as well as showing you how common they are in the search engine results.
This type of research is extremely important because it allows you to find the keywords that are most effective, and those that are most effective mean you will achieve your goal of appearing in the organic results of search engines. But, it’s important to note that simply having a presence in the search engine results doesn’t necessarily mean that you will achieve organic traffic.
Types Of Keywords
There are three types of keywords:
- Broad keywords – These are keywords that are quite popular but aren’t very specific. For example, ‘flower’ is a broad keyword that includes ‘roses’, ‘tulips’, and ‘daisies’, but it’s not particularly informative.
- Phrase keywords – These are keywords that are highly informative and specific at the same time. An example would be ‘SEO copywriting’, which is a phrase that includes ‘SEO’, ‘copywriting’, and ‘English’ but is still quite broad. In this case, if you’re looking for a specialist in SEO copywriting you might want to search for ‘SEO copywriter’ instead.
- Image keywords – These are keywords that describe an image rather than text on a page. If you have an image on your site that matches a particular keyword, the search engine will try to determine what that keyword is by looking at the image – you can use this to your advantage by using similar keywords when describing the image on your site.
Knowing the difference between broad keywords, phrase keywords, and image keywords can help you decide which type of keyword to use in your content.
How Do I Find Keywords?
The primary way to find keywords is through keyword research, which we’ve covered already. Another way is by using software like Google Keyword Planner.
You can also use tools like Wordcounter that allow you to search for the most popular keywords and phrases that are relevant to your niche, as well as show you how many times those keywords and phrases are searched for on Google.
In addition to finding keywords, it’s important to consider the competition for those keywords as well. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Wordcounter to research the competition for a particular keyword or phrase. By knowing the competition for a keyword, you will have a much better idea of how effective that keyword is in driving traffic to your site. If the competition is low, it means that either no one is searching for that keyword or phrase, or there’s not much competition for those seeking that particular product or service.
Now that you know what a macro is and the importance of keywords in search engines, let’s take a look at how you can use macros in your copywriting.
How Do I Use Macros In My Copy?
Macros can be used in a variety of ways to increase the effectiveness of your content, and here are a few examples:
- Headlines – Headlines are essential in capturing a reader’s attention, and using a tool like StoryMaker can be extremely helpful in creating compelling headlines. You can use your headline to introduce a new product, promote a special sale, announce a big milestone, or simply engage your readers. Don’t underestimate the power of a good headline.
- Feature headlines – These are the headlines that appear at the top of a feature article or slideshow. They are short and sweet, and can be used to draw a reader in to click through to the full article. At the very least, a feature headline will cause the reader to pause and consider the content that follows.
- Sections – Like a headline, a section can be used to grab a reader’s attention and direct them to the other parts of your content. After all, a compelling section is often all it takes to make or break a news article.
- Caption – A picture often needs no more than a good caption to make it special. Word counters can help you find the most popular captions and descriptive words for your images.
- Body copy – Your body copy is the copy that appears below the headline and before the caption. Similarly, the copy that appears below a picture can be considered the body copy for that particular piece of content.
As you can see, there are many ways in which you can use macros in your copywriting. Keep in mind the importance of keywords, and you’ll see how easy it is to become a thought leader in your industry.