Understanding SEO Writing

If you are a business owner with a website, chances are that you have realized the importance of understanding SEO, or in its long form, Search Engine Optimization.  But what is SEO and why is it so important?

SEO refers to the tactics used by web developers and SEO writers to help ensure your website gets found online.  When your website is search engine optimized, you have a better chance of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) placing your website on the much coveted first few pages of their search engine results.

Being found online has become of utmost importance to business owners.  Few people use a telephone book anymore to find local businesses; most people prefer to be able to find a local business online, giving them the chance to shop around a bit before making that vital-to-your-business first inquiry phone call.  If your website is not looking its best or search engine optimized, you will have lost the sale to the next business on the search engine results page, or worse, will never be found at all.

The great thing about SEO is that for the most part it’s entirely free.  If a business owner is a bit of a wordsmith and willing and able to take the time to learn how to write SEO copy, there is no cost to you beyond that of the initial set-up and maintenance fee for running your website.  When your website is search engine optimized, the free “organic” or natural search traffic will help your potential customers find you when they type in the keywords or keyphrases with which your website has been enriched.

Keywords and keyphrases are the two most important components to SEO writing.  These are the words or phrases a potential customer will type into a search engine (like Google) when looking for your business.  For example, if you were looking for an electrician in Melbourne, FL, you would most likely type into the search bar “Melbourne electrician.”  The results that pop-up are found by the search engine through the free organic search using the keyphrase you entered.  If your website has been search engine optimized, it will contain multiple instances of the use of these keywords and keyphrases. 

In its most basic explanation, that’s what SEO is: ensuring that your website is designed and written using the keywords and keyphrases that potential clients will use to find your business.

Now, of course, the actual optimization of a website goes well beyond simply throwing in some words and phrases you think customers may use to find you.  First of all, it’s important to make sure that you research the best words for your particular business.  A great free tool to use for that is Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool.  You can type words and phrases into the tool and find out how many people are using those words and phrases in Google searches.

Once you determine which words are being used, you need to incorporate some of them into your website copy.  This is more particular than it may seem.  First of all, you need to make sure you use each keyword and keyword phrase often enough to be picked up by the search engine algorithms, but not so often that it sounds “spammy.”  You also need to make sure you use good grammar and natural sounding copy – real people will be reading your website.  If it sounds too much like a spam email, just a lot of keywords and keyphrases thrown together, your professional integrity may be questioned.

SEO writing is actually a much more technical thing than many people suspect.  Though it is certainly possible to optimize your own website, many businesses choose to hire a professional SEO writer or web development company.  Not only will choosing to hire SEO experts save you time, ultimately the cost of hiring professionals will pay itself when you see your website show up early in the search engine results pages. 

A website that is search engine optimized translates into top search engine results placement, which means more people will be able to find your business online.