SEO copywriting for websites is all about writing for spiders, right? Wrong. SEO copywriting's all about normal copywriting made spider-friendly. And, for those of you puzzling over the spider references - these are the search-engine spiders that crawl websites looking for clues about content.

With SEO copywriting, all the normal rules about copywriting still apply - researching your market and audience, identifying USPs, turning features into benefits. Obviously, your copywriting should also be clear, concise and pared to within an inch of its life. It should be friendly and personal; direct and emotional.

SEO copywriting - the difference

Where SEO copywriting differs is with your keywords. Read some online text, though, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it was written by spiders, never mind for them. The literary equivalent of Jordan's mammaries, this copy is about as natural as those Milton Keynes concrete cows.

So, how to avoid creating something as unnaturally repellent as Jordan's funbags and yet attractive to spiders? Well, the trick with SEO copywriting is all in the keyword density. Jordanesque writing has a density of 20% or more. (Jordan herself has a quite remarkable density.) Speaking of keyword density: I can just tell that my next assignment is sure to be SEO copywriting for Jordan's website. And that sentence just about sealed it.

Keyword density

The SEO experts tell us that the ideal copywriting keyword density is around 4%. But let's not be prescriptive or mathematical. This is English. A thing of beauty. Drop in your SEO keywords into your copywriting by all means, but play with the phrases, break them up, make them sound natural. Just as I've done in this paragraph.

Your keywords should appear at the start of your headline, in the first line of your paragraphs and in your subheadings. But watch out, Google is using specially bred and trained spiders these days to check not only for keyword stuffing, but also for over-formulated text.

SEO plagiarism

OK, what about borrowing someone else's words? After all, all the SEO copywriting you could ever need for your subject matter has already been done, somewhere. True. But borrowing it is called plagiarism. To all intents and purposes, it's illegal. It's also unethical, in a spammy sort of way. Bit like Jordan, really.

Incidentally, you should avoid any SEO agencies that offer to create mini-sites stuffed full of copywriting keywords that they direct towards your main site. This is spam on speed. Just like the faux-meaty stuff, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth and is just as unnatural.
Long-term harm

Since these sites are written in a hurry, there's also usually a fair amount of plagiarism involved. You'll probably reap immediate SEO benefits, but you'll suffer long term - by being struck off from Google, going to the High Court as the main protagonist in a plagiarism suit, spending 20 years in Wormwood Scrubs and having your children repossessed. It's your choice.

Moving on, you should also be cute with your SEO keywords: think about attacking niches, and consider avoiding overly competitive phrases. For example, in the world of copywriting itself, 'copywriting' attracts nearly 400 searches a day. However, 'SEO copywriting Chorley by a small, angry bald man' attracts none. So, who's the idiot here? Clearly, something in the middle is required. 'Website copywriter' or 'online copywriter', with around 100 searches a day, are good niche targets for your SEO copywriting.

Doubling-up

Catch-all keyphrases are another important SEO consideration. The phrases 'copywriting services' and 'freelance copywriting' obviously double-up quite nicely. Use them and you'll attract searches not only for the full phrase but also for 'copywriting'. Canny, eh?

Obviously, there's much more to SEO than copywriting. But content remains the mainstay of any site. You won't sell anything with design only, but you might with words alone.

If you want help with your SEO copywriting, why not get in touch? Just drop me an e-mail at nigel@mightier-than.com. If you're Jordan's web designer, I offer this apology: I feel very sorry for you.