1. Focus on 2 to 3 keywords per page
Any more than that and the keywords will lose their impact -- and search engines may penalize those pages for keyword stuffing (a spammy practice that wont get you very far).
2. Keywords placement
Keywords should be near the beginning of your titles. Search engines "read" from left to right, so to say, just like we do.
Also place your keywords at the beginning, middle and end of your page or post. This shows the search engines that you're not just stuffing all of your keywords in at the beginning.
3. Use bold, italics, or heading tags
Search engines will pick up on the emphasis and may give those words or phrases some extra priority. (Read more about using h tags and alt tags for SEO).
It can also create a secondary reading path to help people skim through your content.
4. Use synonyms
Its going to looks silly using the same keywords over and over " the copy just wont read smoothly. Become friends with your thesaurus. After all, not everyone is searching the same exact search phrase: one person's "garbage can" is another's "waste basket".
5. Write for your readers first
The content has to make sense, and it has to be congruent with what the person was searching for. If not, they wont stay and they certainly wont become your customer.
I would like to add one thing: Always remember; first place – the user, second place – SEO.
I absolutely agree, Kate. Even if your site ranks well in the SERPs, people aren’t going to stick around to read it if it’s sloppy and obviously written to please the search engines. Your visitors are there because they want to solve a problem. Help them with this and chances are good that you’ll succeed with your SEO.
Leah,
Thanks for the powerful, yet simple SEO copywriting tips!
I’m amazed at how many people just never follow the basics.
Great job!
Merrill
Thank you, Merrill.
There are so many skills to learn today that business owners just do have time to learn them all. And that’s ok. That’s what I’m here for 🙂
I’m hoping that this post, and others like it will help people realize how easy it is to get started and incorporate these techniques into their everyday, online writing. It just takes practice, and after a while it becomes a habit.
As managing editor for our SEO services, I find that writing for keywords rather than content is the worst trap you can fall into. Any consumer savvy enough to find your content online is smart enough to recognize a plug and/or spamming when they see it. I agree with Leah. Copywriting should be an extension of the services a company provides their customers. When creating content with that mind, the keywords will fall into place naturally for a good copywriter.
Thanks for your comments, Penny.
Yes! Always, always write for the readers. I think that we can expect great innovations from Google (and others) in the way websites are ranked. I really do believe that good writing and quality content will be rewarded, and the search engines will get much harder to game.
As for your second comment, funny enough I only had a typewriter and no computer until about 4 years ago. How quickly things change 🙂
Hey, Leah,
Strictly as an aside, I had to smile at your graphic. I guess vintage typewriters are cool in concept, but unlike computers, they don’t work without paper.
I really did enjoy your article. It’s nice to have a solid affirmation of my own opinions now and again.
Hi Leah, I always pick up a great tipe from your posts. Great stuff;)
How many times should the SEO keyword phrase be used on ONE page?
And does the 2-3 keyword phrase per page still apply in light of the recent Google algorithm changes? Merci beaucoup;