If you’ve decided to include web copy as part of your overall marketing strategy, you probably already understand at least the basics of using keywords in your online marketing copy. If you don’t, here’s a (very brief) primer: keywords help search engines rank your page.
A page with a high keyword density (i.e. lots of relevant keywords and phrases) may rank higher than one with a low keyword density. But there’s more to the equation than simply repeating keywords and phrases over and over. Take a look at these tips so you can optimize your web copy without getting labeled as spam by search engines.
Identify Keywords before You Write Your Copy
Before drafting your web copy, take time to do some keyword research. List words and phrases that directly describe your business, focusing on terms people are likely to search. For example, if you sell handcrafted toothbrush holders, that phrase should be a primary search term.
Secondary terms might include “handcrafted accessories,” “bathroom accessories,” “hand-made toothbrush holders,” and anything else a person might type in when trying to find your products.
As you build your keyword list, you might want to use Google’s free keyword search tool to determine how many people search for your keywords and how many pages include those words. This will give you an idea of your competition.
Don’t Stuff Your Copy with Keywords
As you write, your goal is to include your keywords and phrases as often as possible without making your copy unreadable.
- Too many keywords: “If you’re looking for handcrafted toothbrush holders, you can find your handcrafted toothbrush holders and other handmade accessories at the Handcrafted Toothbrush Holder Depot.”
- A better keyword balance: “If you’re looking for handcrafted toothbrush holders, you can find them—and other handmade accessories—at the Handcrafted Toothbrush Holder Depot.”
Remember that even if such keyword stuffing earns you a high page rank, the people who land on your page may be turned off (or just plain confused) by your copy. This could lead them to quickly navigate away from your page, without buying anything.
Headers & Links Matter in Web Copy
When optimizing your web copy, it’s important to know that not all copy is ranked equally. Keywords included in headers and links provide more of a punch than those in ordinary text. Take this as a lesson in organization: if you aren’t already breaking your marketing copy into sections that are directly relevant to what you’re selling, start doing so for optimization purposes.
A nice bonus? Readers tend to interpret headers differently from ordinary text, meaning that you can include keywords more frequently, without sounding mechanical, when you break a page into several sections than you could in a page of plain text.
Reread with an Eye for Keyword Opportunities!
Finally, when you edit drafts of your web copy, do so with a list of keywords at hand. Train yourself to see opportunities to include the words and phrases that will help get your page ranked higher—and watch the magic happen!
For more web copywriting tips, click here.
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