Every Website Needs Good SEO Copywriting

Copywriting & Copy-editing for websites requires a different approach to help with visitor conversion

As all SEO experts know, the best-performing SEO efforts start with great content or copywriting. The kind of content that is made of words as opposed to pretty pictures.

Website copywriting needs to get good results for search engines
as well as for website visitors

Here at Integris Marketing we have developed a set of guidelines that have given our clients good results for search engines as well as reader interest and all important buyer “Call-To-Action”. Conceived and designed on solid SEO principles, we also take advantage of the way people scan and absorb information. The result is that we end up with content that gets the attention of search engines, but also quickly provides the information people want or helps them take some desired action (think sales!).

So for our Do-It-Yourself Copywriters out there, here are Integris Marketing’s…

Top 10 Website Copywriting Tips

1. Simplify! This is true for print and web but we feel it is of utmost importance for the online reader. The goal is to allow the reader to get to the information they need quickly without having to really think about it.
2. Use the Right Structure: Make the main point at the beginning or top of the page. As the page descends add additional info broken up by sub-heads to deliver additional support information. This allows readers to scan and read more when presented with a topic or point of interest.
3. Don’t Scream, Yell or use Hyperbole: Internet users are getting more and more sophisticated. As a result they are very sensitive to overt and pressured sales overtures as well as excessive use of adjectives. Say it fast and say it straight… Be Factual, Clear, and Concise (and yes you can keep the message in your own voice and style).
4. Support Reader Scanning: Use simple Headlines and Sub-heads in your text with key ideas and keywords. Our general guideline is to use sub-heads often. We use them every paragraph or two. We try to never go beyond three paragraphs without introducing a sub-header for our web copywriting.
5. Keep Sentences Short: This is a hard one for me. But it is what we suggest. It’s just part of our sound-byte culture I guess. Enough said.
6. Bold or Highlight Important Words or Phrases: The goal is to catch the scanning eye. Search Engines seem to like Bold Text for copywriting SEO ranking. Do what works for your needs and audience.
7. Say it Plain: Don’t get too fancy with geek talk. And don’t use language that is too difficult to read or understand. Tailor the use of language so it works for the intended reader; veterinarian, plumber or bride-to-be. Get clear on your reader and their needs! Who knows, do this right and you may well become a copywriter guru of some fame (or notoriety).
8. Use Bullet Points (Or Numbered Lists): What’s easier to scan that a headline or a sub-head? A Bullet List! As long as they aren’t too long. We like to work in groups of 3’s when we can. We never ever go beyond 7. That’s when the dreaded eyes-glazed-over syndrome begins to set in… and that’s definitely a bad thing. Only use more than 7 bullet points for Corporate Annual Reports or college text books where people are used to that sort of thing, and as likely as not, are using them as sleep-aids already.
9. Use an Active Voice and Active Verbs: Make your writing something people can engage with mentally, and if for sales, take some action!
10. Use Links in your Text: People see links as resources. The reason they are reading is to get information they can use. If you have links then people can get more deeply connected to the information you are presenting (assuming you don’t send them away to other sites too often). Here’s a link to: Why we decided to use WordPress to build this website >

Well there you have it. And just remember this is a process. Don’t toss out everything you have written on your website. As you move forward, just keep this in mind and you will keep more people interested in what you are saying (and keep the search engines coming back for more).

Tags: Copywriting for websites, How to write for websites, SEO, SEO copywriting, SEO optimization, Website Copywriting

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 4:15 pm and is filed under SEO, Website Copywriting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.