Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If you have a website built chances are you want it to perform to get the best bang your buck.
When putting together content for your website site think about what you're trying to sell and what you think your customers might be searching for? Junk filler content is exactly that.
Keywords
Probably the most crucial aspect of effective SEO copywriting is the density of your keywords. These are the keywords that you would expect people to type into Google when looking for the particular product or service you offer.
A paragraph should be written to incorporate these key words as early in the text as possible as search engines are more inclined to identify keywords that are placed near the top of a page.
Ideally, about 7% of your website copy should consist of your keywords. Never have more than 10% or search engines will punish your site for 'spamming' i.e. simply stuffing your copy with keywords.
Key Phrases
Search engine optimized copy is more likely to achieve good search engine ratings by creating key phrases than by single keywords. Key phrases are strings of words that people typically type into search engines.
A person searching for a ceramic mug or Ceramic Mugs is more likely to type Ceramic Mug i.e. two single key words then type “Ceramic Mug” with quotation marks to create a phrase; but you should cater for those who are savvy enough to specify the phrase.
Enter Ceramic Mugs into Google and it produces about 564,000 results.
However, “Ceramic Mugs” in quotation marks only returns 354,000 results, so by incorporating Ceramic Mugs into a proper sentence (without quotation marks) it is recognized by search engines as a genuine phrase.
The Bottom Line
If your website copy incorporates good SEO practice and is managed by a competent website designer, it will attract more visitors to your site and turn 'hits' into real business.
Ultimately, the golden rule for all website copy is that it must read well and that search engine optimization should not detract from the overall marketing message.
