Content is king. It's been repeated ad nauseam so that nowadays, the majority of business owners realize the need for content; specifically, SEO copy.
Whether you write copy yourself, or outsource it to a freelance SEO writer, following are three things to keep in mind so that you not only get search engine optimized copy - but copy that sells.
1. Focus on Customers: Many business owners focus on traffic. This is understandable as more traffic ostensibly means more sales and leads. As a side point, this is something many with SEO copywriting skills fail to recognize, and why they don't get great results.
Remember, the focus should be on your return on investment (your ROI). Hence, you don't want visitors (ie, traffic); you want customers. If you understand this from the get-go, you will be able to attract the following . . .
2. Targeted Traffic: Targeted traffic may generate less traffic. But the payoff is more sales. And, this is exactly what SEO copywriting is all about.
To use a very simplistic example: right now, news about the death of Michael Jackson is all the rage. So, you think, I'll construct a website that comes up first in search results for "Michael Jackson," which will generate a ton of traffic.
If your business is selling Asian-inspired pottery, your chances of making any sales are between slim and none. This is because the traffic is not targeted traffic.
This brings us to the third key in writing SEO copy that sells . . .
3. Keyword Research: This is perhaps the single most important SEO copywriting skill you need to develop. Why is this? Because -- and read this over a few times to really let it sink in - choosing the right keywords is how you qualify your site's traffic.
Remember, you don't want visitors; you want customers. There are several elements that go into this beyond how popular a keyword is; like choosing "action-based" keywords and keyword phrases instead of simply popular ones. Following is an example.
Let's say that you ran a day spa in Miami. You've done your keyword research and see that "day spa Miami" is a popular keyword phrase.
Notice that this is a noun, ie, an object. You want prospects that will take action, hence, you need an action-based keyword phrase. Hence, a better keyword phrase might be "schedule massage Miami".
The rationale is, a person who types in the keyword phrase "schedule massage Miami" is more likely to be interested getting a massage - now - than the person who is simply investigating what's available (eg, types in "day spa Miami").
See the difference?
SEO copywriting is not hard, but it takes a keen sense of knowing what to look for, when and putting together an action plan that separates good SEO copywriters from less skilled ones.
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This SEO writing manual can be used as a step-by-step training guide by small and medium-sized businesses to save thousands on SEO content development and distribution.