How to Be an Amazing SEO Copywriter

You need to write for people. Each and every time that a search engine algorithm change comes along, there is only one assumption that is sure: It’s going to try to improve the way it connects people to information. So what does writing for people mean? How do people find information? If you’re structuring your content around questions, you will start to naturally write for people and appeal to the ways in which they search for information. If your article is still on the short side, read your article again, this time looking for any assumptions you might have made. Then you build the content from there. Am I creating content that has value? Are people sharing my content, and when they are, what are they saying about it? Think about what people are searching for, like “skills needed to be an SEO copywriter.” This is keyword-focused (SEO, copywriting) and friendly to search engines.

Search engines consist of computer algorithms that make decisions based on very black-and-white indicators.

Some of those indicators are secrets, but many of them are clear and right out in the open.

I invite you to read my step-by-step guide on SEO made simple to get a grip on the basics of how websites optimize for search engines.

Once you understand concepts like keyword positioning and meta tags, it’s time to sit down and write.

Content is the driver of SEO. It’s the material that a search engine uses to deliver relevant search results for consumers.

When someone searches for information related to your business, you want them to find you.

Luckily, you can hone your writing skills in the context of SEO so that your content strategy starts to pay off.

Once your skills are on point, you will naturally produce amazing SEO copy.

These are the following 10 skills you need to be an amazing SEO copywriter.

Skill #1: Be people-focused

First, you need to understand that writing for SEO is not a strategy. Search engines are not going to use your content to do anything actionable.

You need to write for people.

Search engines update their algorithms frequently. You can do your best to stay ahead of each change and try to anticipate them.

But you’ll probably go crazy.

Here’s a look at some of the major evolutions of Google’s search environment over the past 20 years.

That’s only the surface.

SEO is a long-term game.

Each and every time that a search engine algorithm change comes along, there is only one assumption that is sure: It’s going to try to improve the way it connects people to information.

The more appropriate the information is for people, the more it will turn up in the SERPs.

So what does writing for people mean?

Clear and precise information
Not too many tangents to lose or confuse readers
Actionable steps or insights
Recent examples and statistics

Tangents are bad for SEO. The crawlers are not yet sophisticated enough to understand how an anecdote or side story can build context and support an argument.

They might only see unrelated content and think that the article doesn’t have anything to do with the subject.

Your rankings will suffer.

The solution is actually rather easy.

How do people find information?

They ask questions!

A search-engine query is essentially a question (even if it’s not posed as one in the search).

If you’re structuring your content around questions, you will start to naturally write for people and appeal to the ways in which they search for information.

Another pro tip for great SEO results is to add an FAQ section to your site and use it as a place to link to your other articles.

Here’s an example of a swimming pool installation company’s FAQ.

It could be common questions about the industry, your products, or your company.

The folks at River Pools answer general questions about pools that people might be searching for. Once they’ve attracted visitors, they can convert the sale.

Questions are only going to become more and more important with the rise of voice search and intelligent assistants. People are using Siri on their iPhones and Alexa on their Amazon Echo devices.

According to Google, 41% of U.S. adults already perform a voice search at least once per day. Plus, voice search is growing rapidly as personal assistants get more accurate at finding information.

And when a personal assistant gives a search result, it does not return multiple results like on a traditional SERP. It gives only one result.

It’s either you or not you.

If your writing is structured around questions, it will be a lot easier for search engines to connect you to people who are asking those same questions.

Skill #2: Create value

No matter the subject matter that your content focuses on, it has to create value for the person who is reading it.

When someone adds your article to their bookmarks, it’s a form of invisible flattery.

You could even turn that fact into a content-marketing goal: “Readers should bookmark my article.”

Creating value could mean giving people step-by-step instructions, new statistics, or a new way to approach an old problem.

For a good example, check out my article on how to launch a killer influencer marketing campaign.

It outlines every step for succeeding at influencer marketing, and for those who don’t have time to read or need the information now, they can bookmark it and come back to it when they need it.

Bookmarking is a lot like linking. Writing that creates value will naturally be referenced and linked to from other websites.

You may be thinking, “I vaguely remember Google making a change so that backlinks are no longer a part of the algorithm.”

You’re right and wrong.

The practice of harvesting backlinks as a mass SEO practice has been punished by Google’s recent algorithm changes.

Websites that had built up thousands of backlinks from link farms and fake sites had to spend time and money getting rid of those links or else wallow in the third and fourth page of search results.

But links are still one of the primary ways that search algorithms determine your Domain Authority. And Domain Authority is important.

Your Domain Authority assesses your website as a whole and tries to determine if it is really an authority on the web or if it’s just an amateur blog.

Domain Authority is concerned with links, but not just quantity. The quality of links matters just as much — if not more. “Who is linking to you?” is the new “how many links are pointing to you?”

SEO experts MOZ have developed a very practical tool bar that lets you see the Domain and Page Authority for any website.

You can add the MOZ bar easily to your Chrome browser.

Go to the Chrome Web Store.

Search for “MOZ bar” in the search field.

Then click the Add to Chrome button.

The MOZ bar extension will be added and you will see the blue M button in the top right of your Chrome window.

The first time you use the MOZ bar, you will have to create an account.

Once your account is created, you can use the MOZ toolbar to see the Domain and Page Authority for any website. The Domain Authority is “DA.”

Established sites like The Wall Street Journal have a Domain Authority near 100.

Newer sites need to quickly establish themselves in order to be referenced rapidly in search results. As you can see, my Domain Authority is 82.

As a general rule, anything over 50 is pretty good.

If you’re struggling down in the 30s, you have to work on raising your score. Taking the time to boost your domain authority can give you a massive bump in the SERPs.

You can also use social shares as a metric for measuring your content-marketing success. How many times does an article get shared on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks?

Content that is not shared on social media is content that often will not perform well in search.

You need to create content that triggers people to click the share button. When it comes to shares, you can never have too many.

If someone reads your post and shrugs their shoulders, they will not share.

Chances are good that the article didn’t deliver something of value.

Human beings are programmed to share. We like to tell other people when we find something valuable, educational, or entertaining.

The nature of sharing plays in your favor, so if people are not sharing your content, you should reassess your approach to providing value.

Skill #3: Stay on top of trends

You could be creating some incredible content that definitely has value and is people-focused. However, if your topic is in too small a niche, people might not even search for it to begin with.