Even though SEO and copywriting are two fairly different fields, in today’s digital marketing world they are very much dependent on each other.

If you have in-depth knowledge about SEO, you know the tricks how to bring a website at the first page in search engines. If you know well about copywriting, you can create better content for your website. But, if you can do both SEO and copywriting well, that’s when you really hit your stride.

Today, I will discover 9 effective SEO copywriting secrets to significantly boost your website’s ranking and ultimately that will drive more traffic to your website.

Let’s get started!

#1. Capture Attention with Catchy Headlines

Your articles may be valuable, but if the headlines aren’t compelling, then your click through rate (CTR) will be low.

Let’s have a look at a famous quote of David Ogilvy about headline:

On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.

Your headline is the first thing people will see in search engine result page. And, it’s your chance to grab the visitor’s attention and get them click by using catchy headlines.

Now, the question is how to craft a catchy headline?

Well, here I am going to explain how to create a compelling headline.

A great headline usually starts with numbers. A study discovered that, people prefer more the headlines start with numbers.

For example, ‘9 Effective SEO Copywriting Secrets That Will Drive More Traffic’ is more attractive and far better than a lame ‘SEO Copywriting Secrets for you’.

Furthermore, the inclusion of targeted keywords in the headline is also important as it helps people as well as search engines to understand what your content is about.

Having a catchy title means more clicks. The increased click through rate sends a signal to search engines that people like your content or article and as a result you web page will get the boost in ranking.

#2. Work on Your Meta Descriptions

Meta description is a summary of your web page, and it appears below the headline in  the search engine result page.

Meta descriptions help search engines and searchers to understand what your page is about. If the Meta description matches with the keywords people search for in search engines, then that particular page will come up at the top in the search engine result page.

For SEO purposes, the Meta descriptions should be no longer than 160 characters, and you should incorporate your targeted keywords into the Meta descriptions.

Remember, if you don’t add a Meta description of your own the search engine will automatically generate one for you, which may or may not be a good thing, and at the same time you losing a great opportunity for adding your targeted keywords.

#3. Focus on Content Length

Content length does matter when you talk about ranking. A study by serpIQ revealed that, top ranking pages for many keywords on Google have more than 2,000 words.

One of the common questions people (especially beginners to blogging) ask about content is: how many words should I write for each article?

I have been blogging for many years and from my personal experience what I found is that top quality content that is above 1500 words performs better and gets the rank quickly.

Once again, I am reminding here don’t just count the words; you also need to maintain the quality of your content.  

#4. Pay Attention to Long Tail Keywords

A long tail keyword generally will have four words or even more. When you write the content for your website, don’t just focus on short tail keywords and something that is common because certainly a thousand or more people have already created the content about this!

Even if you write a great article about a high competitive keyword, the chances of ranking for that keyword are very low.

Let me explain this with a real example. Let’s think you want to write an article about “seo tools”. If you check this in a keyword tool, you will see this term has a lot of searches and very high competition.

If instead of “seo tools” you choose to write about “best seo tools for 2016”, then there is less competition for you to get one of the top positions. Another biggest advantage of focusing on long tail keywords is people who find your website by searching long tail keywords is more likely to purchase your product or service.

#5. Place the Keywords in the Right Places

Keywords are simply the words your audience use when they’re searching on search engines about your topic. Using the targeted keywords in writing is important for better ranking. But, the most essential part is placing the keywords in the right places.

But, you’re probably wondering: So where should you use your keywords?

Well, here I’m going to make it easy for you.

• Include keywords in your title tag
• Place keywords in H1, H2 and H3 tags
• Mention a keyword in the first paragraph
• Create anchor text with keywords
• Use keywords in Meta title tag
• Add keywords to images

#6. Use LSI Keywords

LSI keywords are synonyms of your main keyword that helps to make your content free of over-optimization of keywords and look natural.

If you use the same keyword many times, search engines such as Google will penalize your website for high keyword density and over-optimization. Using LSI keywords is probably the best solution to that problem.

To generate the LSI keywords for your targeted keywords, you may use Übersuggest. This tool is free to use and generates tons of related words for your keywords. You just need to make sure that, you use these phrases or words in appropriate places throughout your entire article.

#7. Write Compelling Content

Attracting links from well-known websites is the number one thing you’re going after when it comes to SEO. You have to create compelling content in order to achieve this goal.

Search engines analyze the links coming to your site, and those links become votes toward your authority and credibility.

A link from Forbes will be worth more than one hundred links coming in from websites with no authority.

Keep in mind that, people will only link to you, if they get something special and useful out of it. Here are some tips for creating compelling content:

• Write how to post
• Create detailed post
• Prove your points by giving data
• Use simple words
• Care about the readers

#8. Add Images

The visual look of an article is almost as important as the article itself. By adding high-quality images, you can make the article appealing to the audience, and it keeps the interest flowing throughout the article. People respond better to Images than words.

Aside from the obvious aesthetics of adding images, they can also give you an extra SEO boost.

For instance, incorporating the keywords of an article into the file name is an excellent idea. Also, inserting keywords in the alt text is a best practice for both users and search engines.

#9. Incorporate Some Links

Page links tells search engines that you’re sociable and connected. Search engines like links because people can access somewhere else through your content. The links could be your own, or it could be from another site.

Internal links are most useful for spreading link juice and establishing site architecture. Internal links also improve the reading experience.

On the other hand, linking out to other sites is an indication that you value what other people create and Google will reward you for supporting their mission:

“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Final Thoughts,

I have discovered here top 9 SEO copywriting secrets that I use while writing any article. Now, it’s your turn to put these SEO copywriting tips in your practices for higher search engine rankings and to drive maximum traffic in your website.