SEO Copywriting – How to Create Content That’s Well-Optimized for Search Engines and Focused on Your Audience?

Do you run a blog on your website and want to learn in simple terms how to rank higher in search results? If you’re just starting your journey with content marketing and want to grasp the basics of writing in line with SEO principles, this article is for you. Check out 10 tips on how to write SEO-friendly content and attract more users to your site!

Table of Contents:

1. SEO Copywriting – What Is It and How Does It Differ from Writing Other Types of Content?

2. Can an SEO Article and a Regular Blog Post Be the Same Thing?

3. SEO Copywriting: 10 Rules for Writing SEO-Friendly Content

4. “Smart” Content Creation
   

SEO Copywriting – What Is It and How Does It Differ from Writing Other Types of Content Marketing?

SEO copywriting involves creating content to promote your website and ideally securing a spot in the top 10 search results in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages, which display results after a user enters a query into a search engine). To achieve this, SEO-focused texts should include keywords and related phrases used in appropriate proportions. This significantly increases the chances that the content will meet the audience's expectations and convince Google’s algorithms that the website is valuable and aligned with the needs of search engine users.

In contrast, many journalistic, scientific, or popular science articles are not written with the primary goal of achieving high rankings in search results. Their authors aim to present a topic accurately and substantively, based on their expertise, without necessarily considering whether the content includes keywords that internet users frequently enter into Google and other search engines. As a result, reaching a broad audience can be more challenging. 

Can SEO Text and a Regular Article Be the Same?

Yes! This should actually be the goal, so your website gains authority, trust from Google algorithms, and credibility with readers. Content that ranks well should deliver knowledge, be engaging, and simultaneously include the right number of keywords to help achieve high SERP rankings. It’s crucial to make the content feel natural and not written solely for search engines. Following this simple principle will help you create content that people want to read: “Write for humans, not algorithms.” Virtually any text, even academic writing, can be crafted with SEO principles in mind to increase its chances of ranking high on search engines.

SEO copywriting: 10 Rules for Keyword Research and Writing SEO Content

1. Research Keywords, Analyze, and Draw Conclusions with SEO Copywriting Tools

Before you start writing, understand that to rank high in search results, you must address the real needs of internet users. Understand their interests in your niche and the topics related to your site. Without knowing the keywords they type into search engines and the frequency of these queries, you can’t reach them effectively. Various professional (but paid) tools like Ahrefs or Senuto allow for in-depth keyword analysis to help you write content that ranks. You can also use free online resources, which, while not ideal, may suffice initially.

One of the simplest and free SEO tools for keyword research is to use Google’s autocomplete feature. Open an incognito browser, type in your topic, and observe the suggested search terms that Google provides. A slightly more professional approach is to use Google Keyword Planner (https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/), which provides relevant keywords, related terms, average monthly search volume forecasts, and competition levels. This tool is free to use if you set up a Google Ads account.

For example, if you run a sports shoe store and want to create guides on running, entering the keyword “how to start running” into the planner will show its popularity and seasonal trends. 

The tool will also suggest related keywords you can use as secondary phrases or main keywords for future articles.

Google Trends (https://trends.google.com/trends/) can also provide valuable insights, such as how keyword popularity fluctuates over time.

Pay attention to the intent behind a keyword. For instance, the phrase “high-heeled shoes” might be popular among users, but it may not be suitable for a blog post, as people searching for it likely want to buy shoes rather than read about them.

2. Position Yourself as an Expert

SEO content published on your site must be substantive, comprehensive, original, and trustworthy. Simply stuffing it with keywords won’t guarantee high search rankings. First, visitors who find low-value content are likely to leave quickly. Second, Google might detect poor-quality content and treat it as an attempt to manipulate its algorithm, hindering your ranking efforts.

When writing SEO content, aim for helpful content. Google evaluates a site’s content to ensure it genuinely addresses users' needs and is helpful. Poor-quality or spammy content can significantly lower your site's ranking and a lower conversion rate.

Google’s E-E-A-T metric (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust) plays a significant role in determining which pages rank higher. If your content reflects experience and expertise in the subject matter, algorithms are more likely to treat you as an authority and deem your content trustworthy. For example, if you’re reviewing hiking boots, your hands-on experience with the product enhances credibility. Similarly, expertise in accounting matters adds weight to your advice on tax filings.

Focus on quality and authenticity. If your article aims to assist readers but merely promotes your products without addressing their concerns, you won't convince readers or algorithms of your expertise. E-E-A-T is especially vital for blogs covering medical, financial, legal, or safety topics, as these (YMYL – Your Money, Your Life) directly influence readers' lives and critical decisions.

Avoid arbitrary text length. Research your competitors' SEO articles on similar topics to determine an average word count. Be concise and relevant; padding content unnecessarily reduces its quality and reader appeal. Above all, make the content substantive.

3. Ensure Linguistic Accuracy

Articles riddled with errors won’t be credible to readers or Google algorithms. Tools like LanguageTool can help verify your seo writing and identify spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors, along with suggestions for improvement.

4. Adapt the Tone to Your Audience

While providing reliable information and demonstrating expertise in your content strategy, avoid overly technical language unless essential. Simplify professional terms for general readers and clarify complex concepts. 

Use simple syntax—short, straightforward sentences that enhance readability and avoid overwhelming readers.

Consider your target audience. For example, when writing content that's intended to reach mature consumers, using youthful slang would be counterproductive, and organic traffic would be unlikely.

5. Update and Optimize Existing Content

Updating previously published high-quality content is essential for better SEO. If your site lacks fresh articles or contains outdated information, Google’s algorithms may overlook it, diminishing your site’s authority and search rankings. Periodically refresh SEO content and review your on-page SEO to meet evolving user needs and expectations. Consider adding new keywords or expanding specific sections. For YMYL content, include the update date for credibility.

6. Craft an Effective Title for Search Intent

We can distinguish between two types of titles: the <title> (meta title) title tag and H1 (editorial title). The former is crucial for SEO because it serves as a ranking factor. It contains the most important information about the content of a given webpage. This title is visible both to Google’s algorithms and to internet users, as it appears below the search bar where queries are entered.

A good <title> includes the target keyword you want to prioritize in your SEO text and clearly states what the article is about. Pay close attention to its length. To ensure it displays fully in the SERP, it should be no more than about 600 pixels. If you're unsure whether you've exceeded this limit, use free tools like "To The Web," which measure meta descriptions' length. You can add numbers, emojis, arrows, and other graphic elements to make your <title> stand out from others and grab attention, particularly among younger audiences. However, remember that not all emojis may be displayed correctly in the SERP.

The second title, the article header (H1), doesn’t need to match the <title>. Its primary role is to grab the reader’s attention and encourage them to explore the content. Length isn’t a factor here, so there are no restrictions. This gives you the chance to make the H1 a more elaborate version of the <title>. Like the <title>, it should include the keyword you’re aiming to rank for in search results.

7. Subheadings and Paragraphs Best Practices

The clarity of your text and the organization of its content can determine whether a reader stays on your site or opts for a competitor, even if your article is highly valuable. By dividing your content into subheadings, such as H2, H3, H4, and so on, you make it easier for readers to digest the information as they go through your article. Keep in mind that many people read on their phones, which makes it especially important to avoid long, uninterrupted blocks of text.

The structure of your headings is critical. Follow the principle that an H2 heading should include topics that are dependent on the main keyword. For example, if your article is about the disease diabetes, H2 headings could address queries like “diabetes – causes,” “diabetes – symptoms,” or “diabetes – treatment.” The next level heading (if needed), H3, should elaborate on H2, while H4 should expand on H3, and so forth.

8. Add a Table of Contents

Imagine that you come across an elaborate article that contains what you want to know. It raises a lot of issues that are of great interest, but unnecessary to you. If you saw a table of contents right below the headline and, with its help, could quickly jump to the passage that answers your question, you would surely be grateful that the author saved you the time of reading. You can generate a table of contents based on the mid-headings. Creating it is also important for the reason that it provides an additional place where the main phrases contained in H1, H2, H3 headings, etc., appear. In addition, the table of contents, by displaying links in it that lead to specific paragraphs, allows users to quickly navigate to a particular section of the page directly from the search results.

Example:

Thanks to the linked table of contents, a user who wants to know the symptoms of a discharged car battery is automatically taken to the answer to his question after clicking on the link.

9. Internal Linking Tips and Best Practices

Already have a lot of other articles on your site? See if the next SEO text you write is somehow related to them. If so, link it to them. For example, in your diet content, you can add links from the names of specific products you discuss in other texts. Internal links are a key part of your on-page seo optimizations, helping your audience navigate your domain and make it easy for yourself too. If a topic interests them and they want to learn more, they will click a link, and go to the next article, from which they can move on to the next, and so on. The longer they stay on your site, the more they do on it, the better. Remember that good internal linking helps your positioning in search results. With it, you create paths that make it easier for Google's robots to move around your site and index its pages faster. You also show that you are an authority in a particular field and have accumulated many answers to issues of interest to readers.

Remember that moderation is important in linking - too many links in the text will negatively affect the user's perception of the site and may discourage them from further content consumption. Be guided by the principle that linking actually supports the viewer and helps search engines.

10. Learn from Competitors if you want to rank

What your competitors are writing about can be a great source of inspiration in creating new content or optimizing the ones already on your site. Check out how your competitors implemented a particular topic, how long they wrote the text, and draw conclusions. Since it allowed them to achieve high search engine results, why not follow the path they took?

“Smart” content creation

Extremely useful tools to create content that ranks and matches advanced SEO techniques and SEO principles are content intelligence programs, such as Contadu or Semrush. Based on the texts that rank best in SERPs, they give SEO copywriting tips for creating content that's designed to rank on a given topic. They suggest, among other things:

• how to construct a good article title - what the main phrase should contain in it,

• how to create appropriate meta descriptions: <title> and <meta description>,

• what dependent phrases are worth using in H2, H3, H4 headings, etc. (this is also valuable information on what topics are worth covering in the article),

• how many times a given phrase is good to use in the text,

• what user questions are worth answering in the text.

Content written with the support of content intelligence definitely has a better chance of achieving good search results, and should form a central part of your SEO strategy.