Earlier this year, we published a blog post covering 5 essential SEO copywriting tips.
It goes without saying that a lot has changed since then, not just in the real world but also in the digital landscape. Google is implementing a major algorithm change this month with the rollout of a core update and it is imperative that businesses keep their SEO knowledge up to date in these tumultuous times.
With 78% of marketers saying that they take a strategic approach to content marketing, it is simply not enough to do — businesses must win.
Think about it — what’s the point in investing all that resource into creating an amazing piece of content only for it to plummet into the bottomless pit of the search engine results pages (SERPs)? So, how can a website’s content not only rank, but also beat out the competition in order to convert leads?
Target keywords your competitors aren’t
One of the most effective ways of achieving this is through long-tail keyword targeting. It is much easier to rank on more specific search queries as there is far less competition. Despite less overall traffic per query, long-tail keywords account for 70% of search queries and effective keyword research and targeting can yield great results.
In addition to winning on the SERPs, users searching long-tail queries are more likely to convert compared to higher traffic keywords.
Don’t overload your content with keywords
While it is clear that every business should include keyword-targeted copywriting as a fundamental part of its SEO strategy. It is also important to consider how frequently the search term appears within the content — also known as keyword density. There is a difficult balance to strike here, too much keyword density and the content could be seen as keyword stuffing — an outdating practise which will potentially have your website penalised for spam. Too little, the search engine crawlers may not rank your site against the long-tail keywords you were hoping to target in the first place.
In order to achieve the right balance for your content, we recommend using a free keyword density checker such as the following:
Be intentional with how you place keywords
While the optimal keyword density is argued, there is no doubt that it is an essential part of the ranking algorithms. Equally as important, however, is where those keywords are located within the content’s structure. Generally, keywords should be found in the following prominent areas:
Higher priority:
- Title tag (at the beginning of the title)
- Body (higher in the page content)
- Meta description
Lower priority:
- Headings (H1, H2, etc)
- URL (slug)
- Image alt tags
Prioritise keyword intent over density
Finally, understanding and matching keyword intent is fundamental to your SEO strategy’s success. Google’s main purpose is to serve results which provide value to the user. Nail this crucial element of the copywriting process and you’ll be rewarded in the SERPs. We’ve said this before but to effectively match keyword intent keep your content:
- Informational
- Navigational
- Transactional (Commercial).
Hopefully, this article will provide you with a process to follow as you create content for your website. If you have any questions regarding SEO best practices please don’t hesitate to reach out.