When it comes to achieving high search engine rankings, good SEO copywriting can make all the difference.
Copywriting is an essential part of search engine optimization, and with careful planning and strategic use, you can leverage a variety of copywriting techniques to raise your website’s search rankings. SEO copywriting is the term used to describe this process.
In this article, we’re going to focus on a few copywriting tips that can make your content search-engine friendly. So, let’s start with the basics.
1. Write with user’s search intent
If you’re trying to use SEO copywriting to improve your search rankings, you must position your content to match the keywords people often use when they are searching for the type of products or services that you offer.
Search intent is basically the term used to describe the user’s reason for entering a search query. Navigational, informational, transactional, and commercial are the four broad categories into which it can be divided.
For instance, a person’s search intent is more transactional when they are looking for a product to buy. Giving them information would not be as beneficial. White papers, case studies, product and feature comparisons, and other similar bottom-of-the-funnel content are what they would rather see.
On the other hand, someone looking for information will have an informational search intent and will favor content like how-to guides, blog posts, and others like it.
As a content writer, it is your responsibility to know who your target audience is, what they want, what their search intent is, and how you can fulfill that intent by giving them precisely what they need.
This process entails, among other things, selecting the appropriate keywords, tone, and style, as well as structuring your content. Some keywords have an informational intent, whereas others have a transactional intent.
2. Write for passage ranking
Google unveiled a method for ranking specific passages on a web page in October 2020 and later updated its algorithm in February 2021.
And from all indications, Google can rank a brief passage or section of a lengthy article for essential search queries. This is known as passage ranking, but site links might or might not be included in this. Although Google stated that this change is more of an internal update and content creators do not need to take any special measures to account for passage ranking.
3. Keyword optimization
One of the most basic methods of improving your SERP ranking is to strategically include crucial keyword phrases in your content. This entails including the main, primary keyword phrase in the web page’s title, subheadings (H2, H3), and other strategically placed areas, such as the first 100 words of the page.
Having a keyword list to consult while writing the content makes the process of keyword optimization much simpler. That keyword list should not only have the primary and secondary keywords that you need to target on a page, but it should also have the monthly search volume for each keyword as well as the level of competition you may face for each keyword.
With the aid of this data, you can choose the best keywords to use, which keywords to avoid, and which keywords to give priority to.
Semantically related keywords, or LSI keywords, should be used in your content in addition to the primary keyword.
LSI keywords help Google comprehend the context of an article and position it for relevant search queries, improving search visibility, ranking, and organic traffic.
4. Write thoroughly about the subject
The quality of your writing and the depth to which you go into a subject can directly affect a page’s position in search results.
The goal should be to go into as much depth as you can with the subject matter you are writing about. This tip complements the “skyscraper technique,” which we will discuss shortly.
While the skyscraper strategy expands upon the material that is already present on the pages of your competitors, this tip focuses more on delving into the subject in depth in order to give readers a complete understanding of the subject rather than merely trying to use keywords to outdo your rivals.
Consider your readers’ needs and interests as you write by asking yourself what they would like to know and what else they should know to fully comprehend the subject.
5. The skyscraper technique
Search engine rankings depend on your page as well as the other pages in the Google search results. For instance, even if your page is well optimized, it might not be able to outrank one of your competitors’ pages in the Google search results if the content on your page isn’t as rich as theirs.
The skyscraper method works well for creating content that outperforms the pages of competing websites. This technique follows the principle of selecting high-ranking competitor content, identifying its flaws, and developing a superior piece of content without those flaws.
6. Enhanced readability
It goes without saying that increasing the readability of your content should be one of your main priorities. Although a lot depends on how your website is designed, there are some simple copywriting tricks you can use to increase content readability, which can directly impact user experience and search rankings. Consider the following:
- Avoid using complex words that make it hard for readers to comprehend your content. It doesn’t make you look smart, it just makes you lose readers halfway through.
- Use familiar words that your audience will understand.
- Shorten your sentences.
- Make your paragraphs shorter.
- To keep things interesting, use bullet points and subheadings.
- Internal links that are contextually relevant
7. Include relevant internal links
Internal links are essential for improving web page search rankings. SEO copywriters must include as many contextually relevant internal links as possible in their content.
It may be necessary to steer the content in a slightly different direction in order to create an opportunity to add an internal link, but it is always worthwhile.
8. Take featured snippets into account
You can make your content more appealing to potential featured snippets in the same way that you can with passage ranking.
It’s important to know that passage ranking and featured snippets are not the same. Featured snippets are focused on providing concise, self-contained answers that do not necessitate an in-depth explanation.
You can increase the likelihood of snippets of your content ranking in Google’s featured snippets by including more FAQs in your content or simply answering potential frequently asked questions in a concise manner.
Smart copywriters are using this seemingly little tip to rank their pages for significant queries and drive organic traffic.
Conclusion
From the fundamentals of optimizing your web page for important keywords to the mid-level practice of creating opportunities for potential featured snippets, copywriters have a lot of opportunities to improve their web page’s search rankings and make it more Google-friendly. And at BranBloc, we seize every opportunity to help our clients rank. And if you’re looking for SEO services or just need content that’s good for search engines and people, we’ve got you covered!
