What is SEO copywriting?
SEO copywriting combines the user-focused discipline of traditional copywriting with the techniques used to increase a website’s visibility on Google for relevant searches. In essence, effective SEO copywriting should sit within a website and not only tell users why they should invest in and trust an organisation, but also tell Google why this site should appear high up in search results.
SEO copywriting involves writing, optimising and structuring page and blog content, and internal linking to make navigation seamless for the user.
SEO content writing v SEO content marketing
When it comes to writing good quality content, it’s possible to make it appeal to Google, and achieve key marketing goals. So whilst there is a difference between SEO content writing and SEO content marketing, it is a subtle one, and the efficacy of both depend on determining the purpose of your content beforehand.
SEO content writing
This is the writing of static content that sits on the pages of your website, from the home page to case studies, to the paragraph above your contact information. The purpose of this content is to tell both your user and Google what it is that you do, and why you should be chosen above the competition: chosen by your user for the products or services you provide, and chosen by Google to prioritise in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
SEO content marketing
Web content marketing involves content that can be regularly updated, such as blog posts, that demonstrate your experience and expertise in your industry, and can be campaign-based to suit the needs of your business.
This content can also generate backlinks to your site, which signal to Google that what you have to say is relevant and helpful enough to be referenced by other, respected sites - so they should show others in the SERPs too
What’s the difference between website content and blogging?
We’re often asked this question, and the best way to think about it is that your website content is your static pages; it’s the overarching explanation of what you do, why you do it, and who you do it for. Blogging involves writing articles for your site that explore elements of what you do, proving that you’re authoritative on topics relevant to your business, which can be shared by you or by others to extend your reach.
The importance of SEO content
Without content, your website wouldn’t do its job at all; design can only get you so far. Here are just some of the benefits that well-planned, well-written content can have for your website, and therefore your business:
Improved rankings
When the time is taken to understand what terms your intended users are searching for, they can naturally be woven into page content to signal to Google that you should appear to them. This then pushes you up the results pages for those terms, making you more likely to be one of the first sites, if not THE first site, that your user sees and clicks on.
Improve conversions
As much as SEO content is designed for Google, equal weight needs to be given to how it serves the user. Any good SEO copywriter will seek to understand what questions the user wants answered before they commit to investing money, time, or handing over details like their email address.
The SEO content that they produce will then answer all of these questions whilst remaining true to the brand’s tone of voice, and demonstrating SEO best practice. An increase in conversions (that’s users doing what you want them to do, whether that be filling in a form or making an online purchase) should follow!
Answering search intent
This leads us nicely onto search intent - this is all about having a good grasp of the pain points of a user, and soothing them with genuinely helpful and relevant content. It’s understanding how searches are phrased, too, ‘learning the lingo’ as it were, and conducting thorough research into all kinds of relevant words and phrases.
Brand awareness
The more you pop up, the more you’ll stick in the minds of people who may one day need your products or services, even if they don’t right now - and that relies on quality content. Without this, you won’t get the high rankings, backlinks (more on those shortly), or recommendations that could otherwise get you noticed.
Increased authority
Talking about what you do gets you seen as an authority in your industry, particularly by publishing blogs and articles around relevant sub-topics; this in itself shows Google that you’re a safe pair of hands to direct users to. Being authoritative gives your domain authority too, which is a score that’s kind of a big deal in the world of SEO.
Backlinks
When an external domain links back to content on your domain, it’s known as a backlink, and if the site that links to your is a reputable one, it makes Google sit up, listen, and give your content some credence. Earning these backlinks is best done through genuinely helpful content that’s worth directing users to, and there are a few ways in which you can get that content out there; this is what our content and link building team work on for our clients at 427.
What are Google's guidelines?
E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, and it forms part of the Search Quality Rater Guidelines, used by Google’s ‘Quality Raters’.
These are real people evaluating the quality of results generated by the search engine.Quality Raters assist Google in measuring the success of algorithm updates, so whilst not a ranking factor, every part of E-E-A-T should ideally be demonstrated within each piece of content on your site.
Helpful content
Google prioritises content that is ‘person-focused’, which means that it has to be genuinely helpful to your users. Google’s Helpful Content system helps to identify pages that give users what they need quickly, adding up to a positive browsing experience.
Our content process
Our content team works with the vast majority of our clients, writing SEO content for their web pages, blogs, and backlinking efforts. Here’s what the process looks like:
Content plan
Our SEO experts will start by identifying the content opportunities for your site, and working with you to understand ways to fulfil them that will best serve your user as well as Google.
Content research
We’ll then begin digging deep into keyword research, search intent and competitor analysis, to further understand what the content needs to contain to have the chance to pip others to the top spots on the SERPs.
SEO content writing
Using the information that we’ve gleaned, we’ll write well-researched, pitch-perfect content that gets approved by you and edited if necessary to ensure it’s spot on before we publish it to your website.
Follow up checks and audits
We’re not ones to publish and run; we’ll be back to check on your content’s progress, not being afraid to revisit it for fine tuning if your business or the needs of your user change.
What do we create content for?
Our writers can turn their keyboards to pretty much any content that you’d find within a website, but in general, the pieces produced fit into the following categories:
Blogs
Blog writing produces articles that focus on specific elements of your business, supporting your reputation as a knowledgeable, authoritative and experienced industry professional.
Location pages
Want to show up to people looking for something specific in a certain area? Location pages are all about the places in which you operate.
Service pages
Singing the praises of your services, service pages explain everything about what you do, why you do it, and who you do it for.
Sector pages
If you know that you can help certain sectors, this is the place to appeal to them, addressing pain points that only they will recognise.
Case studies
Users want proof that you can do what you say you can, so case studies work really well to provide real life evidence of what you’re able to achieve. Our content writers can help with these!
Product descriptions
Your products might be good but they’ll be tricky to sell online without a description - we know how to put product descriptions together that get noticed by Google, too.
Do I need content writing services?
If you’ve got a website for your business and you’d quite like it to be successful, you’ll be needing your content to work hard for you. Whilst you can, of course, attempt writing your own content, the research, writing, analysis and ongoing tweaks can take up a lot of precious time, which is where web content writing experts can help.
What can 427 offer?
With years of experience under our belts, we’ve watched person-centred content gradually become the essential part of SEO success that it now is today. That’s why our talented in-house content writers are instrumental to our clients; working with our SEO specialists, they write content for a variety of purposes that strikes the perfect balance between informative, on-brand copy that’s memorable, and content that ticks all of Google’s boxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a say in the content you produce for me?
Of course! Your involvement in the SEO content writing we do for your brand is entirely up to you - you can choose to leave us to it, shoot ideas across now and again, or work closely each month to ensure you’re getting what you need.
How do you measure the success of content writing?
This varies, but generally it will be through marketing metrics such as organic traffic, conversions, SERP visibility, backlinks, referral traffic, and time spent on page.
How many blogs do I need each month?
As long as you’re producing some blogs, there’s no real wrong answer to this. Generally, we’d say that a doable amount is 3-4.
Why choose SEO content writers over ChatGPT
There’s no denying that ChatGPT is a clever bit of kit, but it’s no match for a trained and experienced SEO content writer, who can really get to know your business, your tone of voice, and your users, to ultimately write SEO-friendly content that will speak directly to your intended audience.
Do I have to upload the content that you write?
No, we can handle all that for you, provided you’re happy for us to do so and following approval from you. This means we can ensure the content is fully optimised for SEO on the page, too, so your website gets the most from it.
Can I meet your conten writers?
Absolutely, we’re just a video call away! It’s important for our team to build relationships with our clients so that content can be as accurate as possible.
Do I need to have existing content already?
No, we can spin up completely fresh pages for you, and even work with new businesses who need a whole new website’s worth of content written.
I have blog ideas but I just don’t have time to write them - can you help?
Of course! We’ll work with you on your ideas to make them SEO-ready, and then fashion them into blog posts.