SEO Copywriting: 17 Powerful Secrets (Updated for 2018)
Knowing SEO is fantastic.
Understanding Copywriting is excellent.
However, When you're able to do BOTH?
That is When you can slap an "S" on your chest...
...since You'll be unstoppable.
And Now I have something that will make you feel as though you have SEO superpowers:
17 Insanely actionable SEO copywriting tips which you could use at the moment.
Notice: This post was first printed in 2015. I recently gave it a much needed upgrade. I also added a bunch of new tips I learned. Enjoy!
Look:
Most People think SEO copywriting is all about placing words.
But In my experience, the STRUCTURE of the content is equally as important as the writing itself.
And What better place to find demonstrated content structures than Udemy?
(In Case you are unfamiliar with Udemy, it is a MASSIVE directory of online courses)
Here is How it is possible to use Udemy to make your next piece of articles 2-3x more compelling:
First, Head to Udemy and enter a key word.
For Example, let us say you were writing a blog post about photography. You'd search for "photography":
Udemy Will show you all their favorite photography courses:
Next, Decide on a course with a lot of reviews.
Here's one:
Once You select a course, have a peek at how a lot of individuals have already registered in it.
As You're able to view, over 70,000 people have registered in this photography class:
Do You see how huge this is?
You're Looking at content which 70,000 people have shelled out cold hard cash to get access to.
That Means you do not need to rely in your Spidey sense. You KNOW there is going to be need for your own content.
Thousands Of people have already voted...using their pockets.
Now:
Once You have found a favorite course, scroll down to the "Curriculum" section.
That's Where you will get the proven arrangement you may use for your next blog article, video or infographic:
Obviously, You don't need to tear off the teacher's course. But You are able to use bits and pieces of the program for your outline:
Now Which you have your outline, it is almost time to put pencil.
Before You do, be certain to read another technique in my list...
When Someone lands on your site from a search engine, two things can occur:
They Either leave right away...
...or They stick around.
And When folks stick on your webpage such as superglue, Google thinks:
"This Is a fantastic page. Let us give it a rankings boost."
But When folks leave your website like a sinking boat...
That's When Google drops you like a rock.
The bottom line?
If You need higher rankings, you have to keep people on your site.
How? Bucket Brigades.
Bucket Brigades are phrases and words which keep people on your page.
For Case in point:
You May notice that I tend to use short sentences that end in a colon, like this:
That is a Bucket Brigade.
However, Exactly what are Bucket Brigades, exactly?
Bucket Brigades are a classic school copywriting tactic that were initially designed to keep people reading sales letters.
I've Adapted Bucket Brigades for SEO content and the results are, well, mad.
In Fact, here's Backlinko's average time on webpage:
Yes, That's 4 minutes.
A Great chunk of that above-average Time on Page is due to the fact that I scatter Bucket Brigades into each post.
Now It is time for me to explain to you how you can utilize Bucket Brigades to enhance your Time Page:
First, Find an area on your content where someone's likely to hit their browser's "back" button...
...and Add a Bucket Brigade.
Start Together with your intro.
Here is An instance where I utilized two Bucket Brigades in my intro:
(By The way, the Time On Page for this post is over 5 minutes):
You Also wish to utilize Bucket Brigades at the middle of your content.
Bottom Line: whenever you have a section where someone can get tired and leave, put in a Bucket Brigade.
You Can create your own Bucket Brigades...or you'll be able to use these tried-and-true Bucket Brigade classics:
And -- bada bing, bada boom -- you're set.
Here is The bargain:
Sure, Social sharing buttons allow you to get more stocks...
...however In most cases, they're not enough.
Instead, I recommend tapping into a copywriter's best buddy:
A Call to actions.
Let Me explain.
A Few months back I printed "17 Insanely Actionable List Building Strategies That Will Generate More Clients Today":
To Maximize the number of shares this article got, I added a "click to tweet" button underneath each item on the list:
To My post has over 2900 tweets...
...and A fantastic chunk of these 2900 tweets came from my "click to converse" buttons:
Here is How it is possible to do the same thing:
First, Locate a super actionable tip or plan from your post.
Next, Head to ClickToTweet.com. Click on "fundamental connection":
Turn Your actionable tip to a tweet:
Turn Your actionable tip into a tweet:
Grab The connection...
...and Pop the link in your post.
You Can use buttons just like I did. But plain-text links also work good:
Whether You use a button or a plain link, certainly add one "click To tweet" call to action on your next article.
After You have included several Bucket Brigades, proceed onto technique #3...
Now's Super-smart Google doesn't care how many times you cram a keyword into your article.
Instead, It pays close attention to Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) key words. (LSI Keywords are a fancy way of saying: "synonyms and closely related words")
And These LSI keywords help Google know what your webpage is all about.
For Example, let's say that you write an article optimized around the keyword "cars".
How Does Google know if your page is about:
- Cars the Automobile
- Cars the film
- The 1970s rock band (with horrible hair)
- The Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs)
The Reply? LSI keywords.
For Example, when Google sees a page with LSI key words like this...
...they Know the page is all about the cars you drive.
But If Google sees a webpage such as this...
...that they Know it's about Cars the movie.
So How can you add more LSI key words into your content?
I'll explain with an example:
Let's Say your key word was "playstation RPGs".
First, Search for this key word in Google:
Then, Scan the page for bold phrases and words that are not the key words you just typed in.
Here Are several examples out of Google's first page:
Watch How Google bolds words such as "Final Fantasy VIII" and "PS1"?
This Means that Google believes those terms VERY similar to the keyword you just searched for.
(In Other words, LSI keywords)
Finally, Scatter these bold terms to your content...
...and You are prepared for trick #4.
Bold promise? Definitely.
But Stay with me.
What's The big secret I am talking about?
Produce Your own keywords.
I will explain.
If You hunt for your brand in Google, you likely rank #1.
You May not have thought about it, but your brand is a keyword...
...a Keyword which you automatically rank #1 for.
However, why stop there?
You Can create boatloads of additional organic traffic when you also brand your strategies and techniques.
For Example:
You've Probably learned about The Skyscraper Technique, my 3-step formula for gaining more organic visitors to your website.
Since I branded my approach "The Skyscraper Technique" I finally have a pipeline of extra visitors coming to my site everyday.
In Fact, based on Google Search Console, the key word "Skyscraper Technique" gets 1,093 searches each month:
Since I rank #1 for that keyword (and look in the answer box) , I receive the lion's share of those 1,103 clicks:
Bottom Line?
Whenever You build a unique strategy, tactic, or technique...
...make Sure you slap a branded title on it.
When You do, you are going to find a lot of additional organic search traffic.