Content writing · 29 Sep 2018 · 2 min read

Writing SEO copy that doesn't repel prospective customers

Words carry real weight in how both people and search engines respond to a website. Well-written SEO copy gets through to search engines while still building an emotional connection with readers. Weak targeting keeps traffic from finding a site at all, and content that doesn’t resonate with readers once they arrive won’t convert into business either way.

Getting this right means balancing persuasive writing with the keywords that make content findable — tip the balance too far either way, and you either fail to rank or actively repel the readers you do reach. Here’s how to strike that balance.

Solve the reader’s problem first

Once a visitor lands on a page, they’re looking for a solution to a specific problem. Whatever the tone — persuasive, informative, casual — the content has to actually solve that problem, or nothing else about it matters.

Write something original

Original, compelling writing gives a reader something worth taking away. If a piece of content genuinely does that, the SEO copy behind it is doing its job.

Fit keywords without distorting the content

Good content earns inbound links, and inbound links raise rankings. Scannable headlines and subheadings help, but keywords have to fit naturally — copy that understands SEO can work them in without reading like it was built around them.

Make it easy to scan

Plain language, used well, is what makes content actually get read. Headlines do a lot of that work — they’re what a reader sees first, and they decide whether the rest of the page gets read at all.

Write with relevance

Readers respond to content that feels genuine and relevant to them, and to a business that follows through on what it promises. Trust built that way is what turns a reader into a customer.

Conclusion

Whether the goal is engagement or traffic, well-written, persuasive content gives readers a real reason to stay. The job of SEO copy is to bring readers in and keep them there — not to write them off with content built for a search engine instead of a person.