Sagefrog’s Field Guide for Successful SEO Copywriting
Mark Schmukler, MBA, IE, CPIM
CEO and Co-founder of Sagefrog Marketing Group, an award-winning, full-service, B2B marketing firm in Philadelphia, Princeton, Boston & DC. Branding Made Simple? author and speaker. 25,000+ followers.
Search Engine Optimization is an incredibly effective marketing tool. While it can quickly become a complex and technical practice, the more holistic approach to SEO implementation through organic copywriting is often an afterthought. Yes, copywriters are often given specific research-based keywords to implement throughout a blog post or webpage. But, writers can take greater responsibility for executing successful SEO through these easy-to-leverage tips that can be applied to new content and to revitalize existing content.
Our Top 10 Tips for Successful SEO Copywriting
1. Include Effective (Not Necessarily Top) Keywords in Meta Descriptions, Meta Titles, Title Tags, and H Tags
Longtail keywords, usually short phrases over three words long, drive the most traffic for B2B content. Head (one word to short phrase) or chunky, also known as medium-tail, terms (three to four words) may be challenging to rank for but not impossible.
Concise meta descriptions and titles also help with click-through rates as people will click on the terms they’ve searched for if it’s of value, and this includes SERPs and social media posts
2. Be Purposeful with Page Structure
Structuring a page to follow a hierarchal structure that utilizes H1s, H2s, and H3s (and so on), helps Google more effectively crawl your webpage and use your copy for search results. When the copy is on a webpage with no particular order, Google won’t read your page as effectively as it should, and neither will the actual readers. Following a traditional page structure that includes a title, headings, and so on will ensure that Google and human readers can better understand your webpage and read it more efficiently.
3. Write Striking yet Calculated Meta Descriptions
Aim for a meta description length of 155-160 characters (measured by pixels) containing one or two keywords. Avoid symbols and non-alphanumeric characters.
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Meta descriptions are valuable devices for driving organic and social media traffic. We tend to forget that sites like Facebook and LinkedIn display meta texts when someone shares the link to your site or page, so even though this isn’t “traditional SEO” keep this in mind when writing your meta descriptions and titles, as they drive traffic to your page.
Avoid duplicate meta descriptions avoid copying and pasting copy from the body as meta descriptions, as this will make Google more likely to rewrite your words.
4. Keep Visitors on Your Page
Google notices when people click on your page from a SERP and then click away abruptly, raising your “bounce rate.” While keyword-driven SEO is important, none of those technical efforts will be meaningful without well-written and enticing copy that engages with the visitor by being relevant to or answering their search query.
5. Write Descriptive Anchor Texts
Use compelling and descriptive anchor text. No click here or learn more, and never use the URL. Keep it short and concise.
Appealing anchor text drives organic traffic to your website, so being mindful of this when writing calls to action or linking to other content is vital for executing an effective SEO copywriting strategy.
Marketing Communications Consultant | Content Writer/Copywriter and Communications Strategist
9 个月Extremely useful guide. Thank you, Mark!
Writer + Educator
9 个月This is a great guide, and having undergone so much training in SEO, I understand how important it is to business.
Founder & CEO at DigitalProblemSolution | Entrepreneur | Maximizing Businesses ROI up to 10x with Strategic Online Visibility | Empowering Brands to Elevate Marketing Success
9 个月I'm excited to learn more about your top 10 tips for successful SEO copywriting. It's such an important skill in today's digital marketing landscape.