A Copywriter’s Guide to SEO Basics

So you’re interested in being a copywriter? A master of digital media? You’re going to want to make sure you’ve got an understanding of SEO in digital marketing and a handle on your keyword strategy. These things are important to keep in mind on your path to success. We’re here to guide you through the basic processes. 

1. Think Carefully About Keywords

Imagine you’re trying to ask someone a question about something but you aren’t exactly sure what that something is … you just know how to talk around what that something is. That part of talking around it is like the keyword strategy to optimize SEO in digital marketing. It means that when someone is Googling something, but they’ve only got those keywords for what they want, Google is going to bring up results that include those keywords.

When someone is searching for something online, they’re usually searching for one of three things. Something informational, because they want to learn more about something; something navigational, because they want to go to a specific place (either virtually or physically); or something commercial, because they want a product or service. 

Once you’ve got your keywords picked out, make sure they aren’t the majority of the words in your writing. Your keyword strategy is learning how to craft your writing in a way that you can easily fit in your keywords but not overuse them. Overusing them is like putting way too many different things on your baked potato. You’d be drowning out the goodness of the potato! But having just the right amount of toppings on your baked potato is winning with your digital media. 

2. Grab Readers’ Attention (and Keep It)

If there’s one thing we learned about writing in English class, it’s that we always need a hook at the beginning to get the reader to want to read more. We need that bait on the line to be able to catch that fish.

The first thing you need to think about when trying to figure out a good way to catch the attention of your reader is first thinking about who your intended audience is. If you’re writing a piece on how to make the most of college, you’re going to want to think about the language used by 18–22 year olds and not someone older than 30. You want to write in a way that conforms to the reading standards and levels your intended audience is at.

You can lose the attention of your reader, though, if your writing is too wordy or hard to understand. We expect our digital media to be easy to consume, not akin to opening up Moby Dick. It’s the same with your keyword strategy (or baked potato) — you want your reader to enjoy reading what you’re giving them, not suffer through it.

3. Make It Sparkle

How does Tamatoa, the giant crab in Moana, lure fish to be his dinner? Because he’s so shiny! People are also attracted to shiny things, but we’ve also got the capacity to recognize the trick he’s pulling. We wouldn’t fall for his trick. We’d like to think so, anyway.

The sparkly parts of your writing piece are the title and subtitles. You want to make sure they’re catchy and fun. Your title is the first thing your reader is going to see of your writing, so you’ve got to make sure you put some quality time into it. That’s where you’re either getting ready to reel in a big catch or you’ve gotta rethink your strategy.

If it was Percy Jackson is Accused of Stealing Something Important instead of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan wouldn’t have seen as much success. His title gives us a taste of the adventure in the book. It makes us want to go on and read it. 

Let Us Guide You Down the Path to Success

If you’re looking for a good place to use your copywriting experience, Bullseye could be the place for you. We’d teach you all about SEO in digital marketing, how to get digital media to work best for you and give you a plethora of tips to level up your keyword strategy. Reach out today if you’re interested in learning more.