Copywriting, Keyword Density, & Content

Traditionally, content is anything that is on a web page. That can be text, pictures, Flash movies, embedded content, music, links, documents, et cetera. Each of those things can be optimized using keywords in order to bring people (customers) to your site via search engines. Search activities have surpassed e-mailing as the #1 activity conducted online.

But, as I mentioned in an earlier post, while you're writing your content to get better rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs), ultimately, you're still writing for customers. The balancing act that has to be achieved here is to write content with enough relevant keyword density to rank well in search engines for relevant searches, but also - and more importantly - make users want to use your site and ultimately buy something from you. It doesn't matter what you're selling - your services as a landscaper to designer handbags - the goal is to make money with your web site.

That can't be done unless people can find you, and the fastest way to do that, as you have probably surmised if you've found this blog, is through SERPs. How do you accomplish this balancing act of writing content that brings in the search engine spiders and ranks you well in SERPs for your keywords and writing content that users won't find "spammy"?

It's actually easier than you think. And I am going to reveal that secret to you now:

Sit down at your keyboard and start typing about your products or services.

(It's really that simple.)

No, really. Think about it this way: nobody knows your business, customers, products, services, employees, and all the rest better than you or someone who works with you or your company closely do. So, in the beginning, just write. Write about each of your products or services. Write about your business. Write about your policies and prices.

Just write.

Once you've written about every aspect of your business that you can think of, look back to your list of keywords, and count how many of those keywords automatically appear in the text. Lots, huh?

Now, just start replacing generic words with keywords. When describing a product, instead of saying "It's made of 100% recycled materials," say, "This custom, tattoo-themed handbag is made of 100%$ recycled materials." Instead of saying "we provide a full range of products and services for the sawmill industries," make a list of all the products and services you provide, and then add a few short lines or a paragraph describing each product and its functions.

Then, go back and replace generics with specifics again.

It's easy to get complacent about writing about your products or services. You know them so well, that it can be easy to overlook details. but try to think about your product from the standpoint of someone who has heard of the product but knows very little about it. Describe it in as much detail as possible. The keywords will come with this writing.

In our next installment, we'll talk about page heirarchies and structures. Sound boring? Trust me: it isn't.