Copywriting: Key to Search
Engine Visibility and Conversions
High rankings in search engines
can bring you lots of targeted traffic, but will you be ready
to convert those leads when they get there? Only if you use skillful,
strategic copywriting combined with search engine optimization
techniques when designing your Web pages.
Hooking Visitors
The home page is your most important page because that's where
most visitors start. The purpose of your home page is to get your
visitors' attention by allowing them to find essential information
quickly and easily. This means benefit-rich text that can solve
problems - copy written from the visitor's viewpoint rather than
your own.
 Visitors
are usually looking for information with short attention spans.
They're thinking "What's in it for me?" and aren't
interested in sales copy or company profiles. They may want to
know more about the company later, but the first order of business
is to find information that answers their query.
To design a good home page, focus on the key benefits of your
products and services. Every time you get into the details or features,
make it a hyperlink to a new page around that topic. For instance,
a search engine marketing firm might list the benefit below on
its home page.
"If you need higher rankings in the major search engines,
we specialize in search engine optimization and copywriting techniques
that result in better positioning and increased conversions for
your business. Click here to learn more about how we can help you
improve visibility and profits."
The "click here" statement should be a hyperlink taking
your visitor to an inner page focused on describing your products
and services in more detail. From there, and also from your home
page, they should be able to click to an "order" or "e-quote" page.
You can conveniently offer a link back to the home page, as good
Web site navigation is essential for keeping visitors on your site.
Researching Keywords
Before any copywriting or search engine optimization tasks can
begin, it's necessary to conduct thorough keyword research to identify
the strategic keyword phrases that lead to better positioning and
visitor conversions.
Your keyword phrases are used both in visible Web copy (headers
and body text) and non-visible HTML code (title tag, meta description
tag). It is the selection of the right keyword phrases, coupled
with skillful copywriting in using these terms, that makes your
site relevant for both search engines and visitors, so choose your
words carefully.
Brainstorm to create a list of keywords describing your offerings.
Identify search terms that potential customers might use in a search
query to find you. Get feedback from multiple sources (customers,
suppliers, brand managers, sales people, etc.). Check your Web
logs for clues.
Enter these keywords into a keyword suggestion tool like WordTracker.
This Web-based tool provides ideas for expanding your keywords
by identifying popular keywords within a keyword database. It reveals
the number of users searching for specific keywords on major search
engines within the last 24 hours, indicating how popular these
keywords are with competitors.
Select search terms that aren't overused but remain fairly popular.
Look for uncommon combinations. Expand your list to include plurals
and misspellings.
Select several of your most relevant terms (high WordTracker scores)
for use on each Web page as appropriate. You can use the same terms
on different pages if they match the copy on the page.
Copywriting for Conversions
To write copy from a customer viewpoint, use your search terms
strategically to emphasize benefits. You'll also want to use teaser
copy and hyperlinks for easy readability. This keeps your copy
short so visitors remain focused, yet longer copy is just a click
away.
Use several strategic keyword phrases to write the copy for each
page. Search engines work with text, not graphics, so ensure that
your home page includes at least 200 to 250 words. Repeat your
keyword phrases at least three times, possibly more if copy is
longer. Use keywords in headlines and sub-heads. If it helps readability,
bold a few keywords to stand out. Create a new page for each topic.
Ensure that the content on every page includes strategic keywords
accurately describing your offerings. Keywords in meta tags should
match content on the page. If you use graphics, place keywords
in your alt tags to accurately describe your images.
Quick Check List
Brainstorm your benefits, then prioritize and present benefits
in terms of problem solving.
Brainstorm for features, but use mainly to support benefits on
inner pages.
Grab attention with a compelling headline emphasizing benefits.
Use power words and active voice (See "Words That Sell" by
Richard Bayan).
Differentiate yourself from competitors.
Use testimonials.
Establish credibility (awards, customer list).
Close with call-to-action, ask for the business, be precise with
desired action.
Ensure your order form is flawless.
Offer something of value to spur a response (optional).
Use "About Us" section for company description and accomplishments.
Use "Contact Us" for accessibility and customer service.
Optimizing for Better Positioning
Once your visible copy is written, it's easy to create the meta
tags that help boost search engine rankings. The most important
tags are the Title Tag and Meta Description Tag. Others are optional.
Title Tag - Write an HTML title tag for each page. This should
be the first tag on the page in the Head section. Use compelling
words to draw visitors to your site. Use questions if possible.
Start with important keywords first. Begin with a capital letter
and use sentence case for readability. Good title tags read like
a one-line ad that solves a problem and shows urgency. Don't use
your keyword phrase more than once in a title tag.
Meta Description Tag - This HTML tag is important because it's
often used by search engines as your site description in search
results. It's also used by search spiders to summarize Web sites
when indexing. Make your description compelling and relevant to
attract potential customers. Copy should contain several strategic
keywords from the page. Place essential copy in the first 150 characters
as copy is sometimes limited (150-400 characters).
Meta Keywords Tag - Most search engines have stopped supporting
the meta keywords tag but Inktomi and Teoma still use it, so it
can't hurt if you have the time. This tag should contain your most
important keywords for each page, up to 1,000 characters including
spaces. Place your most important keywords first, with or without
commas.
Alt or Image Tag - The alternative text attribute tag requires
text to be placed in the tag within quotation marks. Some search
engines index alt tags, so it never hurts to describe your images
with a keyword message.
Beyond Copywriting
Good navigation links to inner pages allow the engines to index
deep into your site. Quality, incoming links to your site will
boost link popularity.
Once you've focused on the above, the crawler search engines will
find and rank your site. You can submit manually from the "add
URL" link, or invest in paid inclusion for faster indexing
and more frequent refresh. At the same time, customers searching
your keywords will find what they're looking for, making favorable
decisions due to smart copy.
About The Author
Paul J. Bruemmer paul2@web-ignite.com is the CEO of Web Ignite,
a search engine marketing company founded in 1995. Web-Ignite earned
a top grade in the Buyers' Guide to Search Engine Optimization
Firms and has helped promote over 15,000 Web sites. Client testimonials
report traffic increases of 150 to 500 percent. Bruemmer's articles
have appeared on ClickZ and other publications
Alternatively, if you want to discuss your
objectives with us, we are happy to develop a search engine placement
strategy that suits your individual needs.
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