Your Copywriter Just Isn't Getting the SEO Writing Thang
By Heather Lloyd-Martin - September 20, 2001

~~~Writing for the Search Engines~~~

From: Kathy Palmacci

Heather,

I'm currently working as the web specialist for a small company which offers multiple services in the credit card services arena. Currently, I'm being provided with content for the sites for the company that I'm to put up as is. I've noticed that frequently the keywords to describe the company are used sparingly, especially on the homepages. I include these words in my Meta tags. I have also requested longer copy as the current copy is quite brief (i.e. around 100 words). The longer copy has resulted in a more scattered direction, and lead to optimizing for a few keywords more difficult. The keywords that can be optimized frequently are highly competitive like credit and debit card. Do you have any suggestions? I have only been working with the company for a few months, and do not really know the ins and outs. As such, I do not feel qualified to edit or rewrite the copy. Is there something I could do to increase our rankings with our current copy? Should I request another rewrite?

Kathy Palmacci
Web Specialist
T.K. Keith Co.


~~~Heather's Response~~~

Hi, Kathy,

Oh, no. What a weird situation you're in. OK, here's my take.

Outside of the SEO stuff, I have grave misgivings about the copywriter you're using. Your sentence, "the longer copy has resulted in a more scattered direction," was the big tip-off for me. Longer copy should never mean scattered copy. No matter how long or short the copy requirements are, your copywriter should be able to fulfill that obligation and provide tight, focused copy. All the time, every time. Period. I don't know if he's throwing words on a page because he doesn't know what to say, or if he doesn't have the information he needs (which is his responsibility to get). Either way, I would HIGHLY recommend that you outsource this particular SEO writing gig to someone who's done it before and has killer references.

::OK, I'm off my soapbox now::

Now, let's say that your copywriter is fantastic, but he just isn't getting the SEO writing thang. That's OK - and it happens. I've realized that although I think SEO writing is a piece of cake, other folks don't find it quite as easy. So, here are my recommendations for transforming a non-SEO writer into a search engine-writing expert!

1. Remember, SEO writing does take *some* training. Although many people hone their craft simply by reading Rank Write, others need a bit more personalized attention. If you have a strong in-house marketing staff and you want them to do the SEO writing, hire an established SEO writer for an in-house training session. Yes, that costs money. But it also means that after the training, your staff can do all the writing themselves - and have it shine the first time. If you let them flounder without training, the bad results will be your fault.

As a side note, I've noticed while I've conducted SEO writing trainings that it's not just SEO writing that people have questions about - it's the whole online writing thing in general. Requesting a small "online writing 101" component for the training can bring everyone up to speed on usability, paragraph structure and what works on the Web.

2. Once everyone is trained, they can start writing away, but they should always have a mentor handy. SEO writing isn't rocket science. But it is a different way of writing than people are used to. After all, we writers like our creative freedom, and *needing* to include two to three keyphrases around three to five times each can be a bit overwhelming at first.

The mentor can easily be a member of your marketing staff that really "got it" after the training. Or, the SEO writing workshop leader may make herself available to check work for a month and make suggestions. Either way, give your writers as many resources as you can to make their writing a success!

3. If someone just isn't getting it, don't immediately launch him on your most important project. Again, learning this craft takes time. That doesn't mean your writer will never, ever "get it." But if you set him loose when he's not feeling confident, it will show in the final copy. When in doubt, outsource - and see if your writer can work closely with the outsourced writer. You'll get the results you want, and your writer will get a tad more training.

Before I close, there was another thing that caught my eye. If you are optimizing for highly competitive keyphrases, you may be shooting yourself in the foot before your writer even touches the copy. I know I say this constantly, but you MUST research your keyphrases, and find the real phrases people actually type into a search engine to find products or services like yours. If the top phrases are too competitive to optimize for effectively, you can still choose related phrases and create a creative optimization plan. Just make sure that these phrases are tight and wired before your writer gets the keyphrase list.

Thanks for your post (and good luck!). Keep those SEO writing questions a-comin'!

Heather


~~~Jill's unsolicited 2 cents~~~

Most of you already know this, but for those few that may have been living under a rock for awhile, the best place to do your keyphrase research, in my opinion, is WordTracker. You can find them through our affiliate link or their regular link. (Feel free to use either link. I highly recommend WT whether or not I get a commission...they're *that* good!)

- Jill

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