5 Keys to Copywriting for Site Visitors
and Search Engines
When it comes to writing your Web site copy,
you must balance the needs of your target
audience with search engine optimization.
Here are the 5 keys to help you succeed with
both site visitors and search engines.
1. Comprehension and Attention Span
Assume your site visitors must understand
the primary benefit you offer them in 30
seconds or they'll be gone. This most important
benefit must be in your headline.
A strong, enticing headline is the single
element of your Web copy you cannot live
without. Studies show the right headline
can increase response to an offer exponentially
- and, only one in five people get beyond
the headline to read the rest of the text.
2. Format and Layout
Short copy blocks will serve you well,
highlighted by bullet points, keyword-rich
links, and subheadlines.
Multiple, specific subheadlines create
immediate context when a visitor is exploring
your site. Make sure they can always see
at least one headline on the screen. Like
magazine index headlines, they are summaries
of what is to come.
3. Write for Your Readers
Readers of Web copy (in English) most often
start in the upper right hand corner, drop
their eyes toward the bottom of the page,
and then ascend to the upper left. The order
in which they read is:
a. Headline
b. Subheadlines
c. PS
d. Price (or order pg)
e. Actual Text
Which means, all of these elements must
be present.
Above all, write to the needs of your audience.
Put yourself in their place and ask: "What's
in this site for me?" That's what they
really want to know, regardless of whether
you are marketing or simply delivering information.
The next two elements are to do with writing
for the search engines.
4. Keyword-Rich Copy and Theme Indexing
Determine what keywords or keyphrase your
entire site is about - a keyphrase people
use often on the search engines. To pick
heavily searched, popular keyphrases, try
WordTracker: http://www.roibot.com/w.cgi?IM7470_wordtracker
Write your entire site around this keyphrase
for powerful 'theme indexing', a process
used by search engines to determine an entire
site's primary theme.
Theme indexing search engines include Altavista,
Google, Excite, Lycos and Webcrawler. Each
in their own unique way evaluates your site
using your page titles, meta keywords, the
description tag, page headlines, general
content and links. Which means,your keyphrase
must be present in each.
5. Word Placement on the Page
Search engines read from the top of the
page down in the HTML code, or roughly from
the upper left to the lower right of your
visible text. Therefore, it's in your best
interest to use a keyword-rich phrase in
the upper left corner of your Web page.
Use your primary keyphrase in the first
25 words on your page. Use keyword-rich
hyperlinks.
Seek a balance of 3-7% keyword-density.
Check this before you submit pages with
the free Keyword Density Analyzer: http://www.keyworddensity.com/.
Better yet, check your top competitors for
an exact read on what specific search engines
are really looking for.
Words power the Web. Following these 5
basic steps will help you use your Web words
to maximum advantage.
Copyright Scott T. Smith http://www.copywriting.net
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