While I always advise webmasters to write website copy for their visitors first they must also write for the search engines so their web page or article will get found by the search engine spiders. For instance if you’ve invested hours into copywriting new web pages but no one can find them when they do a search on a specific keyword related to your niche, you’ll have wasted your time and effort.
How search engines find your content
Search engines use bots or spiders that crawl the internet looking for content related to the keywords a person enters in the search box. For instance if you enter the search phrase “camping equipment” in Google it will return the top 10 websites that mention that phrase. Therefore it’s imperative to strategically use keywords throughout your web copy.
How to Strategically Use Keywords to Your Benefit
1. Do keyword research
Before you even begin writing your first sentence create a list of keywords related to the topic you want to write about. The quickest and easiest tool to use is the Google keyword research tool. Simply enter your main keyword in the search box,select “exact” match types then click the search button. The software will display 50 rows of related keywords. At the bottom of this list you have the option to display 100 keywords.
2. Include keywords in your headline
Your headline is what visitors read first so it has to grab their attention. If you’re writing an article place your main keyword at the beginning. For example since this article is primarily about copywriting I placed “copywriting 101” at the beginning of the title. If creating a title for a web page use your main keyword in the H1 tag (title tag). This tells the search engines spiders that this phrase should receive more emphasis than the rest of the content.
Subheadlines are another great location to include keywords. They not only help break up your content but make your main points stand out.
3. Use keywords in your body copy
Only include keywords in your body copy if it reads naturally to you. If the same keyword appears too many times the content is weakened and your visitors will lose interest. Instead find similar keywords then weave them into your content. Aim for one keyword for every 100 words (1%).
4. Use keywords in your anchor text
Anchor text is hyperlinked text. Anchor text carries more weight in the search engines than regular links. For example if you want to link to a page on the topic of “website design” in your copy make the keyword phrase a live link. It will boost the link popularity of the web page about website design.
If you’re writing copy for an article you want published make sure you include anchor text in the resource box at the end of the article as well as your full website address. The page you’re linking to will receive 2 backlinks boosting its link popularity.
5. Other locations on your web page to strategically use keywords
These locations include the title meta tag, description meta tag, navigation links, file names, alt tags for image descriptions and internal links to other pages.
6. Keyword density
This refers to the number of keywords used within your content. Stuffing keywords into your copy for the sake of satisfying the search engines will only mess up the creative flow of your writing. When writing copy for a web page or article write as if you are talking to a person sitting opposite you. It should be written in a conversational style.
7. Read your copy out loud
It’s easier to pick up grammatical errors when you read your copy out loud. Alternatively read it aloud to another person. Often the other person will notice mistakes that you weren’t aware of.
Next time you sit down to do some copywriting for your website or online publication, write for your visitors first then for the search engines so you receive the benefits of both audiences.
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