SEO Copywriting for Dummies

If you’re a business owner with a website, you’ve probably heard by now about SEO copywriting services and how much they can help your business. But what exactly is SEO copywriting, and how do you go about implementing it in your site?

Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the process of including optimized keywords in your site’s plain text in order to boost your rank with Google and the other major search engines. Effective SEO copywriting leads to higher placement in organic search engine results, the naturally generated results (not the pay-per-click ads) that appear in the middle of the search engine screen. These organic results are more often than not the first place internet users look when trying to find a service or product. But the question remains, how do you create SEO content that will lead to the most organic search hits? Here are some tips to keep in mind:

If you want to be your own SEO copywriter…
Try going to Google AdWords and searching for keywords that are similar to the most relevant words you can think of on your own. Google’s keyword tool includes stats for how often different keywords are searched. Pick words and phrases that get hits in the thousands, not the millions, and that are specific to both your expertise and your location. Why? Because “baseball” might get millions of hits per week, but a search for “baseball” isn’t likely to bring a potential customer to your baseball card shop in Milwaukee. Once you’ve researched all the best keywords for your site, integrate them as seamlessly as possible into text content on your site (Check out our article on using Google's keyword tool for more great tips).

Bear in mind search engine crawlers can currently only look through text, and they give added weight to titles and headers, so be sure to place your keywords in titles, links, articles, blogs, updates, and whatever other text you can imagine.

If you’re not so sure of your research and writing skills…
Turn to the assistance of a SEO copywriter. SEO copywriting services abound, and can be very effective in helping your site rise to the top of the search engines while simultaneously improving the quality and usefulness of your site itself. But be careful when making your selection. Some SEO copywriters promise huge results in record time for rock-bottom prices. Be aware that true quality costs, and that these bargain SEO copywriters may be using article spinning software to slightly alter content from other sites and pass it off as original. Getting caught with such content on your site can get you banned from Google, a punishment which could very well ruin your business.

When hiring an SEO copywriter, look for someone who has verifiable experience in your field and who is willing to take the time to talk to you about your unique marketing needs. Spending a little extra on quality SEO copywriting is a worthwhile investment, because a great copywriter’s work will improve both your image and your visibility, two essentials of any healthy business.

This article was written by Angela Guess, Content Strategist at Star Content, LLC. All rights reserved © Star Content 2010.