Copywriting is, at its core, the art of marketing copy. That is, marketing content that is designed to attract, persuade, and motivate customers into taking action – either immediately or later.
But what does that mean when applied to the SEO field? What is copywriting SEOF (Search Engine Optimization) for?
Copywriting for SEO is similar to its core function, but it also takes into account the mechanics of how Google and other search engines function. That is, it is not only about the content, but it is about the ability of the content to be “optimized” for the search engines so that it can appear in the rankings when someone is searching for products or services like those promoted by the campaign.
In this sense, copywriting for SEO is a combination of art and science. It is an art because the content must be compelling and relevant enough to attract a potential customer into performing a search. But it is also science because there are specific structural, technical, and algorithmic components that can be used to make the content appear more “organic” and authoritative in the search results.
Let’s take a look at each part of copywriting for SEO and how it fits within the broader scope of the entire discipline.
The Keywords
This is the most basic and fundamental element of any piece of content. The keywords are the words or phrases that you as the content provider want the search engines to associate with your content when it is rendered in search results. These words and phrases should be relevant to and appropriate for the type of content that you are trying to promote. For example, if you are writing a blog post trying to sell truck tires, you would not want to include the word “tires” in your keywords because that would make your post appear in searches when someone is looking for information on car repair or maintenance.
However, if you are writing a post on wine, you could include the word “wine” in your keywords because that is a type of alcoholic beverage that you will often see people searching for when they are online.
The H1, H2, And H3 Tags
The headline, or H1 tag, is the first line of text in a document that is displayed when someone opens it in a web browser. So, it is the first thing that will be read when a person visits your site. The H1 tag is also what appears in search results when someone types in a search term. In other words, if you want to be found when someone is searching for your service or product, you should write your headlines for SEO in such a way that they are relevant and compelling.
The H2 and H3 tags are additional lines of headlines that can appear below the H1 tag in a blog post or other types of content.
The Description
The description is the secondary headline that appears below the H1 tag in a blog post or other content when someone opens it in a web browser or clicks on a link to your site from another site. Again, the purpose of the description is to attract clicks to your site. That is, the better the description, the more clicks you will get.
Include keywords in the description but also try to include some personality. For example, if you are writing about a particular artist and you want to include their work in your article, but you also want to add something that will make them seem more human, you could include a short bio about them.
The Meta Description
The meta description is a short description that appears below a blog post’s content in a web browser. This is typically a few sentences long and is a brief overview of the blog post’s contents. It is also information that helps search engines understand what the content is about. In other words, the meta description is an “about” paragraph that appears when someone clicks on the link to your blog post in a search results page.
If you have more than one blog post on your site, you can use the meta description for each one to provide more details about what each article is about.
Content
The content of a blog post or other type of SEO-focused content is the bulk of the article or post. This is the body of the text that you want to attract, engage, and ultimately, direct people to your site. For SEO purposes, the content should be detailed yet concise.
Often, this is where you will want to insert keywords, but you should also add some personality and make the content more engaging.
Images & Graphic Design
Images and graphic design are another fundamental part of any blog post or other type of online content. When someone opens your content in a web browser, they usually see a visual stimulus that will draw their attention and make them want to keep reading.
This is where you can really add that human element. If someone is looking at a sea of dry goods online, they may be overwhelmed and turned off to the point of leaving the website. But if they are looking at an illustration of a mother with her newborn baby, they may feel that they have found the perfect gift for a newborn – and that is exactly what you want them to feel when they are on your site.
Links
Last but not least, we have links. Whenever you see a green link, that is usually a link that you can click on to go to a different website or blog post. When someone clicks on a link, they are directed to a new page that is often related to the topic of the link – however, it might not be exactly what the link was intended to point someone to.
If you have a blog or other type of online content that you think would be a good fit for Food Bloggers, you should include links to some of their work in your content. Of course, you should also include links to websites and other types of content that are related to your niche. But you should also try to include some less-related sites that you think would be valuable to read.
SEO is a constantly shifting field and the above list is only a small snapshot of what it takes to produce successful content for the search engines. But, hopefully, this information will help you get an idea of what goes into an effective SEO blog post or other content and how you could apply these elements to your work.