8 Secrets of “BA” SEO Copywriting

When it comes to SEO copywriting, there are writers and then there are BA copywriters.

We in Houston all know who they are. We’ve Facebooked, Google+’d, and LinkedIn them. We subscribe to their newsletters and hang on every word of their Tweets. We emulate their style with our own unique spin and study their tactics ad nauseam.

In other words, we can’t get enough.

And often ask ourselves why we aren’t FB-ed, Google’d, Linked, and retweeted with such devotion.

In the world of search engine marketing and optimization, copywriting centers on giving our clients the best. We want to see them social media-ed to death. Our highest priorities are brand consistency, first page ranking in the search engines, and lots of traffic. But our most important concern is SALES.

8 Practices of “BA” SEO Copywriters

Folks say that imitation is the highest complement and study is a worthwhile pursuit.

While we are left wondering how to scale the mountain from adoring fan into a copywriter worthy of idolization, remember, all those “BA-es” had to start somewhere, too.

And they started just like the rest of us.

After much analysis, there are only a handful of tactics “BA” SEO copywriters consistently employ. These exalted writers

1. Use keyword rich anchor text, but only where it will enhance reader experience. The search engine algorithms are picky about keywords lining to other pages, so be 100% certain that your keyword links are relevant and provides additional information.
2. Write for the audience, not the search engines. Nothing is more frustrating to a reader than over optimized webpages. A reader knows what the page is supposed to be about; they don’t need your keywords stressing the topic every other word.
3. Make sure they know what you’re talking about. Many of us that have chosen copywriting as a profession don’t have the luxury of writing about subjects we know. Make sure that you have done your homework (er, research).
4. Carefully plan they layout. People don’t read information on the web the same way as they do a paper, book, or magazine. They tend to scan. Make your copy scannable by breaking up the text with lists and headers, using illustrations or pictures, and keeping paragraphs short. Also make sure you use short sentences to convey your message in as few words as possible. Remember the K.I.S.S. principle when planning the layout of your content.
5. Choose keywords wisely. You don’t need to use all the keywords that are relevant to your site. Generally one to three keywords or keyword phrases are sufficient. A bonus is that fewer keywords help you narrow the topic scope. If you have topic with many facets, you can break it down into a series of blogs or articles.
6. Think about titles. What you call your article, blog, or sales page must make it irresistible to casual surfers, but also hook readers who know what they need. Be very careful about link baiting the title. Catchy titles work for blogs, but should be carefully considered when copywriting articles and sales pages.
7. Don’t forget a call to action. This is a no brainer for sales pages, but is often overlooked in articles and blogs. After all, it’s a trade. You are giving readers information in exchange for some action.
8. Edit their copy for grammatical, punctuation and coding errors before posting or loading a page. Nothing is more frustrating than an incorrect “email us” link or phone number. Or the distractions spelling, grammatical, punctuation, and the coding “?” or “Œ” errors. For Pete’s sake, preview how your copy looks before publishing.

So by now you’ve figured out “BA”.

Are you a “BA” copywriter?

If not, you can always give me a call at Houston’s Directory One.