Contributed post.
Because organic search is typically one of the top traffic sources for B2B websites, driving organic visits is often the ultimate goal of marketing and copywriting agencies. SEO writing is a powerful tactic for gaining a wider audience and ranking among Google’s top search results.
Smart SEO strategies used in blog posts and the proper implementation of both off-page and on-page SEO are the true formula for success.
Search engine optimized copywriting not only ensures a great user experience, but it is also important to stand out among competitors. What are the essential rules for SEO copywriting today? Here’s an examination of six key rules to ensure SEO writing success.
What Is an SEO Copywriter?
An SEO content writer is a trained professional/specialist who is well-versed in all aspects of SEO and how content can be crafted to achieve search engine rank. They have in-depth knowledge of Google’s ranking criteria and SEO best practices. They also know both on-page and off-page SEO and can create articles and blog posts accordingly.
A copywriter must write in a simple yet sophisticated fashion to attract a wide audience. The information should be presented clearly, and keywords must be used naturally and strategically throughout an article or blog post. Copywriters can be hired as solo individuals, as part of B2B content marketing services, or they can be hired through copywriting agencies.
Top Rules Every Copywriter Should Follow
Here’s a look at the essential rules that SEO copywriting must follow for true success:
Write Readable Content
While it’s true that knowing the target audience and writing dedicated articles is crucial, it is also essential to write readable content. This means that the article or blog post a writer develops should not sound robotic or spun.
Instead, it should be simple and engaging so a wide audience can appreciate the posts. It should avoid common copywriting mistakes as well as keyword stuffing. Another important practice is to add links to authoritative sources. This increases credibility and helps your article or post rank higher.
Pick the Correct Keywords
Keyword research and selecting the right keywords to embed in your content are crucial. A good copywriter knows how to select main keywords and separate long-tail keywords. Target keywords often have a lot of competition. Therefore, in some cases, opting for words with lower search volume may be a wise choice. Assessment of what keywords to pick will ultimately decide the ranking on Google.
- Make use of alternative keywords to match up with the main keywords.
- Keywords should be specific so the search engine can deduce the subject and purpose of the article.
- Semantic indexing and companion keyword knowledge can be of great help in picking the right keywords.
Follow Google’s Algorithm
Understanding the ranking factors in Google’s algorithm is critical to drive organic traffic to any website. Globally, Google accounts for nearly 92% of all web searches, so competitors generally follow its lead. Since Google regularly keeps experimenting with its search engine algorithm, a copywriter must stay updated.
High-quality, relevant, informative content ranks higher than average copy. A writer needs to produce content that can attract Google’s attention.
Write Unique and Long Blog Posts
Google’s Panda 4.1 algorithm update generally ranks longer blog posts and articles more highly. Shorter articles usually get less traction. Web pages with at least 1,000 words with high-quality information are better than shorter ones with complex sentence structures. Longer articles also allow the incorporation of lists, tables, and bullet points to create variety.
- Unique content stands out among other blog posts and articles.
- Content that’s too similar to other websites is likely to get marked as spam or rank poorly.
- Plagiarism checker tools should be used to check for plagiarism to avoid penalization.
- Content should sound natural, original, and be highly informative.
- Use videos and images to enhance the reading experience.
- Break up text with elements like images, subheads, bullets, and pull quotes to create better flow and aid reading.
Link to Informative Content
Using links to show where you picked up facts, statistics, or information is common practice. It’s important to link to websites that are known for high-quality information and accuracy. Linking to spam web pages and sketchy information will make you seem less credible.
It’s a good idea to link to the top or popular websites, including original research sources and widely read publications. That tells Google you’ve done your homework. Readers will also have confidence that your information is valuable and useful.
Add Subheadings and Meta Information
Meta tags and meta descriptions allow search engines to pick text that will be displayed with search results. These allow the reader to get a snippet of what an article is really about.
A title tag that will be shown as the page’s heading is also essential. This should be between 50 and 80 characters long, with 65 characters being ideal. A meta description should be around 140 characters long.
Make sure to also use numerous subheadings, and include keywords to make them prominent. The text should be easy to read and navigate to keep your audience engaged.
Endnote
A proper SEO writing strategy is crucial to rank well. It also helps attract a large audience from organic search that is likely to engage if they find value in your content. An increased number of readers who visit your pages for high-quality content and readability will help your site rank higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Hiring a good SEO copywriter or working with an agency is a wise move if you don’t have that kind of resource in-house.
The post What Are the Essential Rules for SEO Copywriting? appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog | Webbiquity.