SEO (Search engine optimization) is the practice of tweaking a website’s content to increase its rankings on search engines like Google and Bing.
Often, inbound marketing specialists are responsible for creating compelling copy to attract, engage, and inspire customers through all the buyer’s journey stages – from awareness to consideration to purchase.
While SEO (Search engine optimization) tactics may not be new, the way content is delivered and the ‘voice’ of the copywriter can vary from one industry to another. That’s why it’s important to have an understanding of the digital marketing space.
Why Are Marketers Embracing the Role of the Copywriter In Today’s World?
In today’s digital world, consumers have more choice than ever before. Thanks to the invention of the internet, consumers can quickly compare prices, reviews, and discover the best product for their needs. As a result, consumers have less patience for poor quality content when compared to content that is well-written, engaging, and informative.
According to HubSpot Blogs’ research, consumers actually spend more time reading copy than they do watching video content. So, creating high-quality content that consumers can easily understand and engage with is a must.
In addition to compelling copy, marketers and SEO specialists must keep up with the latest trends in digital marketing. To stay competitive and make the right impression on consumers, marketers need to innovate and evolve with the times. For instance, did you know that today, consumers often compare prices and feature comparisons rather than focusing on only one aspect of a product (like cheaper bottles of spirit or free shipping coupons)?
To ensure that your content is not only highly relevant but also easily accessible, you must understand the ‘voice’ of the digital consumer. To do this, create an SEO strategy that incorporates the five key components of SEO copywriting:
1. Keyword Research
If you want your content to reach your target audience, you must conduct extensive keyword research. Using tools like Google Keyword Planner, you can enter your product or service keywords and get a complete list of all the phrases, keywords, and phrases that people are currently searching for.
This list will help you determine what topics to cover in your content and which words and phrases to use.
2. Competitor Analysis
Once you have a basic idea of what your target audience is searching for, you can analyze your competition. Using free tools like Google Trends, you can easily get a snapshot of what other brands, products, and blogs are currently popular.
With a little bit of research, you’ll learn a lot about your competitors. You can see how they are performing, what type of content they are producing, and find out whether or not they are currently engaged with any of your target audiences.
3. Article Ideas
Now that you have a better understanding of your target audience, it’s time to brainstorm. You have a lot of experience as a marketer and know what types of content your clients love to read. So, take that knowledge and use it to come up with a list of article ideas – topics that you know your target audience will love to read about.
Whether you’re a marketing consultant, blogger, or content creator, when you run a blog or marketing site, you’ll eventually need to come up with content to post regularly. So, start your brainstorming session by jotting down all the ideas that come to mind. Once you have a longer list, you can begin to narrow it down to a manageable number.
4. SEO-Friendly Web Design
Once you have your list of article ideas, it’s time to pass them by a professional web designer who knows how to make a blog look great. A blog that looks great and is functional is more likely to gain traction with the audience, which, in turn, may lead to more conversions.
Although the designer may get paid upfront for their work, if you implement their suggestions and the blog continues to grow, they’ll eventually demand their share of the pie. The key is to satisfy both your needs: a great looking blog that is optimized for search engines so that you can rank highly and enjoy faster growth.
5. On-Page SEO
On-page SEO covers all the content, both written and visual, on your website. This includes titles, descriptions, heading tags, keyword stuffing, and more. You can also examine your competitors’ sites to see how they implement on-page SEO.
Your website’s content plays a crucial role in its success. To optimize your content for the search engines, you must consider both what the search engines want and what the human reader wants. While the search engines want relevant, specific, and intelligent content, the human reader wants to be engaged, informed, and intrigued.
With the right balance of content types and features, you’ll be able to pull in the most eyeballs and, ultimately, sales.
Get Inspired
Keep in mind that this is only the beginning of your SEO journey. While you’re working on your keyphrase research and competitor analysis, you must stay motivated by continually learning and evolving. With each phase of SEO, you’ll discover new tricks, tactics, and tools to further optimize content. So, don’t get discouraged if your initial results aren’t spectacular. As you continue to improve your keyword analysis and implement the techniques discussed here, you’ll see positive results soon enough.