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Are you struggling to bring in a steady stream of high-converting organic traffic?
Truth is:
Without SEO copywriting, you're going to fail in two ways...
- Your content won't rank for quality keywords
- Your content won't turn visitors into buyers
That's why SEO copywriting is one of the most impactful things you can learn today for your business.
In this post, I'm going to walk through some of the best examples of SEO copywriting on the web, show you direct comparisons of copy performance in A/B tests, and give you 15 actionable takeaways you can use right now to boost rankings, increase engagement, and convert more readers into buyers.
Since this is a very comprehensive guide, I've included a table of contents below:
Table of Contents
Let's get started...
What is SEO Copywriting?
Copywriting in SEO is the art and science of striking a balance between content that persuades and content Google can find/understand.
You’ll rarely see spammy titles and descriptions in Google results anymore. For example, you're way less likely to get a title that says 'Removal Service Boston Removal Service Florida Removal Service' than you are a genuinely compelling and readable title like 'Find the cheapest Boston removal services'.
On one side, there's on-page SEO - the part of SEO that's relevant here: the practice of understanding which signals the Google algorithm uses, and helping it rank your content for the right keywords:
(Source)
On the flip side, there's copywriting.
Copywriting has been around for centuries, and has been refined by advertising greats like David Ogilvy and John Caples, as well as living legends like Gary Bencivenga.
Put simply:
SEO copywriting is writing to persuade, convert, and sell.
Good copy gets clicks, shares, and opens. Bad copywriting gets swept under the rug:
(Source)
Now we've got our definitions out of the way, let's break down what you'll learn in this article:
- Effective copywriting to get attention, clicks, and conversions
- The on-page optimization Google actually cares about
- How to strike a balance and write for humans and Google
Why should you care?
Let's look a little deeper...
Why is SEO Copywriting Important?
When done right, SEO copywriting provides value in two core areas:
- Boost rankings for the right terms:
- Get readers to take action:
To be clear, you're using the terms your buyer is searching for (SEO), hooking them with the perfect content (copywriting), and getting results ($$$).
Compared to things like link building, SEO audits and content promotion (which require a lot of resources to execute) SEO copywriting is a high-leverage strategy.
(i.e. changing just a few words on a page can have a HUGE impact on your traffic and conversions.)
This simple diagram from Neville Medhora sums it perfectly:
Putting the right keywords in the right places in your content can have a direct impact on rankings and website traffic...
While changing just a few words on a page can have a HUGE impact on your conversions.
Here are a few examples of small copy changes having a big impact on the bottom line:
Moz boosted organic traffic by 32% with a few SEO copywriting tweaks
This example from Moz is the result of three minor SEO copywriting tweaks applied across their top ranking content.