HOW TO CREATE COMPELLING CONTENT THAT RANKS WELL IN SEARCH ENGINES

Photo Credit - Hyperphentechnologies

Once upon a time, there was something called SEO copy-writing. These SEO copywriters seemed to have magical word skills that allowed them to place just the right keywords in just the right places and amounts, and even in the densities that were just right for miraculous top rankings. And that’s all you needed . . . or at least that’s what was advertised. There’s no doubt that the location and frequency of keywords is still critical. Search engines work by keying in on the word patterns people are looking for and returning relevant content. But that’s not all there is to it.

Here’s the deal . . . much of what determines the ranking position of any particular page is due to what happens off the page, in the form of links from other sites. Getting those links naturally has become the hardest part of SEO, which is why we've seen the mainstream emergence of social media marketing as a way to attract links with compelling content.  That’s why a good SEO copywriter is also a writer who has a knack for tuning in to the needs and desires of the target audience. And because links are so important, those needs and desires have to be nailed well before that content will show up prominently in the search engines. The same emotional forces that prompt people to buy can also cause other people to link from blogs, and bookmark, vote, and re-tweet from social media platforms. The context is different, as are the nuances, but it’s still a matter of providing compelling benefits in the form of 

content. “Ask yourself what creates value for your users,” sayeth Google. Their brainy engineers continue to diligently create smarter search algorithms, while people powered social media sharing delivers links and traffic as a reward for compelling content.

To sum it up: A good copywriter needs to have a flair for writing content that’s inviting to share and to link to. He/She needs to have top-notch skills to optimize the page, so search engines know what it’s about and who might want to read it. And he/she needs to know how to write copy that converts readers to buyers. That copywriter will become a vital (and well compensated) member of any serious marketing effort. So, if it’s all about what happens off the page, does the “SEO” in SEO copywriting still matter?
Absolutely, and here’s why.

Search is still the biggest game in town

“Pick your survey, search remains one of the top activities on the Internet and has been for over a decade,” says search industry legend Danny Sullivan in a recent conversation. Danny pointed me to one such survey that shows search is the most common online activity after email, and that fact cuts across generations. “People make billions of unique searches each month,” says SEO guru Aaron Wall via email. “And unlike Facebook fluttering, those people are in focus mode.” In other words, compared with most Internet traffic, searchers are the most motivated people who hit a website. This is important. If they’re looking for a product or service, there’s a good chance they’re looking to buy it. If they’re searching for information and your site provides it, you’ve got a great chance of converting that drive-by traffic into long-term attention with your content. And of course if you’re a professional web writer, whether freelance or with an agency, this discussion is purely academic. Go ahead and tell your client not to care about Google traffic, and let me know how that goes.

So, search traffic is clearly important, as long as it’s targeted search traffic. Before we look at the elements of modern practice of search engine optimization, however, let’s make sure we understand how search engines work.

How do search engines work?

Search engines have become an indispensable aspect of modern life. But most of us don’t have a clue about how they actually work. I'm just guessing you don’t want to dive into complex mathematical algorithms. That’s OK. You just need a high-level understanding of the basics. So let’s look at the three major components that power search engines, and the general approach to “spoon feeding” them so they understand our content and rank us the way we want.

1. Crawling

You've likely heard of search engine “spiders” that crawl around the web looking for content. These are actually bits of computer code that find information on a web page, “read” it, and then tirelessly continue along their journey by following links from your page to other pages. The spider periodically returns looking for changes to the original page, which means there are always opportunities to modify the way a search engine sees and evaluates your content down the road. If for any reason the spider can’t see your content, or doesn't understand what it’s about, your page can’t be indexed and ranked. 

2. Indexing

The spider is not just casually browsing content, it’s storing it in a giant database. This is called indexing. The spider’s goal is to save every bit of content it crawls for the future benefit of searchers. It’s also gauging how relevant that content is to the words that searchers use when they want to find an answer to something.

3. Ranking 

The final critical aspect of search technology is the way the engine decides to deliver the most relevant results to searchers. This is accomplished by jealously-guarded algorithmic functions. That’s a fancy way of saying that search software follows a complex set of rules. These are the ground rules for a duel between your content and other content that might satisfy a searcher’s keyword query. Why you have to spoon feed search engines? 

Search engines have come a long way since the early days of the web, but they’re not as sophisticated as you might think. It’s not that search engines are dumb; it’s more like they’re bright little toddlers who need information delivered to them in a way that works for them. Think of it this way. You wouldn't set a bone-in ribeye and steak knife in front of a 4-year-old and expect him to have at it. You’d present the food in easily chewable bite-sized chunks with appropriate utensils.

Likewise, you might write an article about “green widgets” using metaphors, entertaining analogies, and smart synonyms. You know you’re writing about green widgets, and most reasonably intelligent people know it too. But if you don’t use the words “green widgets” in certain locations and frequencies along with other SEO copywriting best practices, both you and the search engines are out of luck. The toddler goes hungry and you’re frustrated and likely dealing with a mess. That’s not to say you want to serve up keyword stuffed crap with less appeal than mashed beets. That would be a really bad idea. On the contrary, you must create that rib-eye-steak content that engages people first and foremost, while also spoon-feeding search engines what they need. The end goal is always to let other people find you with the language they use when searching.