Steal my no-fuss SEO approach to web copy that Google loves
“I’m just not ranking on Google for the things I need to,” complained my client. Yes, they had the gorgeous new website but none of the traffic they craved — and needed — to achieve their business goals. A quick whizz through their website and the problems hit me in the face. They had copy (of course they had copy) but it was just not working hard enough. And it would be my job to sort this out, and give my client the understanding they need to continue.
Now I’m not saying that you’ll never rank on Google, if you don’t consider your SEO. But I am saying that you’re probably not optimising that channel for your business. You may get 2-3 clicks via Google - but you could get 20-30. And your words (and improving your words) are a big part of making this happen. So, in this blog post, I’m gonna dive into HOW you can approach any words you put on your website with 3 simple (fuss-free) steps.
My 3-step approach to Google-tasty SEO copy
Whether it’s a product page or about page (with entirely different goals) I use the same formula - D.I.S. Be Descriptive. But Intentional. And Always Strategic. And I have this pinned onto my wall and in front of my face whenever I work on ‘about’ copy that needs to rank on Google. Lemme explain…
01. Be Descriptive
The first rule of any well-ranking web copy is description. Lots of thorough, detailed description that gives a very clear picture of what this web page is about. Let’s take, for example, a bridal designer showcasing their wedding dress collection online. Here we want detailed product descriptions, so the reader can picture the wedding dress - even without all the stunning photos of it.
Descriptive copy is great for so many reasons. You’ll likely get lots of keywords in naturally (without even doing any keyword research) but you’ll also improve accessibility to your audience. From users with visual impairments to devices not loading images properly, descriptive copy should stand strongly hand-in-hand with your product images.
What about if you’re a service provider writing an ‘about page’ or a ‘services page’? Is this a different approach? Not really, while you aren’t describing something physical you are wanting to give your ideal client as much insight into you or your service as possible. And this in turn helps Google truly understand what it is you’re talking about. Let’s use the example of a coaching business. The business that describe succinctly who they work with, what they do and the value they offer is going to help Google put their web page (their copy) in front of the right people. It’s exactly the same methodology - just describing a service.
02. But Be Intentional
Please stay with because this is where I caveat everything I say above by saying intention matters. So while being descriptive is a great place to start writing your copy, you need to underpin it with intention (or in other words, ask yourself, what’s the purpose of this information?).
The problem is that when I say be descriptive, it’s easy to think of waffling on loads and loads to give as much detail as possible. And few of us enjoy reading stuff like that. Google knows this - its data doesn’t lie when people bounce off your suuuuuuper long about me page. However, being descriptive but intentional can give you the balance you need for SEO copy that is * chefs kiss *.
Let me elaborate. Being intentional makes you question the descriptive detail - and check in whether’ it’s important. Your ideal client wants to know lots of RELEVANT information, but doesn’t need to know that you studied for 27 years and your dog is called Bob and your mum is your best mate and you just love going to the beach. It’s not relevant to your client - and therefore Google won’t shove that type of copy in front of your ideal client.
Where descriptive copy falls down is when it becomes more of a vanity project (the focus shifts from your client to YOU). In the kindest way, it’s not about you in business. It never is. It’s about them - your client - and making them feel ace. So use the ‘intentional’ rule to edit down your copy. Making it better for your real humans (your ideal clients) makes the copy perform better on Google, because Google can see that they’re staying on the page, reading it, taking it and taking action. Clever, ey.
Tip: The ‘intentional’ part of writing SEO copy can often be the editing process. While you’ve written descriptive copy for your web page, now is your chance to go over it and be ruthless. Cut out what you don’t need. Move things around. And make sure everything on there is optimised for your Google seachin’ audience landing on your page.
03. And Always Strategic
Having a strategy is often touted as the key to keeping focused and making things happen. It’s true, yet starting your web copy and wondering how you can be more strategic when it comes SEO can often leave business owners - like you - feeling puzzled. Being strategic can actually feel quite vague; what does that actually mean?
Well, when I approach web copy, I see strategy as simply doing the key tasks that align you with your SEO goals. It’s putting your technical SEO hat on and approaching and organising your copy with a knowledge of what Google wants to see.
Start with these tasks:
Keyword research. Do this and apply your knowledge. Is there a word that keeps cropping up that you never thought of? Add it in! Is there a phrase people keep searching for? Add it in. Just remember to keep your copy natural and never ever keyword stuff (add in a keyword for the sake of it, just do it when it makes sense for your audience).
Create keyword-rich headings. And create headings in the first place! You write your copy you’re buzzing with it - but to your ideal client, it is looooong! A big piece of text with no breaks. And what’s more, keyword-rich headings will help Google understand what your page is about.
Ensure your primary keyword (that big word you want to target) is in your first 150 words.
Have a lovely and clear h1 tag (header 1 tag - as it tells Google what your page is about)
Include relevant alt tag to any accompanying images.
Remember your title tags and meta descriptions - they are a wonderful opportunity to get Google searchers clicking on your result.
Regularly review your copy to bring it up to date, letting Google know that you’re on it and your website users can rely on regularly updated web pages that run smoothly.
So that’s my 3 steps to your copy. But is that the end of the story? Afraid not! How your website performs on Google isn’t just about your copy — your existing copy — it’s about how easy your website is to use (user experience), too. This is why copy and design never work separately. They need each other.
Wireframing your web copy
I don’t write web copy. I create it! I’m not saying this to sound like some self-indulgent weirdo. What I mean is, that web copy is not just a writing task (yes, there is writing involved) but it has to work with your design to perform well. This is why I wireframe any web copy I write - so you can see how your design supports your copy, and vice versa. Learn more about wireframes here.
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