SEO VS Readable Copy – There Shouldn't be a VS!

It shouldn’t be a dilemma. Writing for your visitors, supplying them with easy to read copy that convinces them support you or buy your product is just as important as generating keyword rich text to help you climb in the search engine rankings. What you have to learn is how to combine good, accessible copy with keyword optimization geared towards reaching high search engine rankings.

Readability and ability to engage and convince the consumer added to search engine optimization equals complete online success, so obviously you should do apply both concepts to your copy; not so hard a thing to do when you realize that true SEO and letting a person having what they need aren’t exactly mutually exclusive. This is because search engines need text that tells them what the post, page or article is about, with words that will be searched by regular readers. These are the words the readers use for queris, and are words they know and understand.

The web readers of today are very impatient and will leave your site within a few seconds if they don’t immediately grasp what it is about. The headline, the title and the first couple of paragraphs must be completely focused on the main message: “We have what you need!”

Interwoven in that message is the one to the search engines: Here, this is what this page is about, and these are the keyword phrases your human users are likely to search for.

The top things to remember when writing web content are these:

• Avoid clichés and worn out ways to hook attention.
• Use bulleted lists to add white space and help people’s eyes focus.
• Don’t stuff too much copy on a page, or too many keywords in your content.
• State benefits first and foremost. Then let the customer know what else they get if they buy now – the sense of urgency is what you want to instill.
• Use headings and sub headings to break up the page – again, white space!
• Make your site laid out for easy navigation and then test how people are using your site to see if you can make it even better.
• Use online tools for keyword research, as well as brainstorming.
• Make sure you have good “About Us” and FAQ pages – these can become highly searched in their own right.
• Be fairly informal for general topics, and more professional only when you are addressing a professional group. Remember who your target demographic is and what you can do to interest and attract them.

If you follow these rules, you should have readable, SEO friendly copy!