SEO Content Writing vs. SEO Copywriting: Is There a Difference?

Heather Lloyd-Martin is the pioneer of SEO copywriting.A 20-plus 12 months veteran within the house, she has helped numerous companies generate extra site visitors and gross sales with SEO-friendly content material.But the time period “SEO copywriting” is probably a little bit of a misnomer.Is it SEO content material writing? Is it copywriting? Is it each? If there may be a distinction, does it matter?These questions have popped up time and time once more inside the SEO group. The truth is, the distinction does matter – as these two kinds of writing can carry very totally different outcomes for companies.Let’s lastly put this query to relaxation and uncover when SEO specialists ought to flip to content material writing versus copywriting for his or her initiatives.Both Writing, Different OutcomesBoth SEO content material writing and copywriting need to do with the phrases on the web page, however they every serve their very own distinct objective.This distinction issues as a result of helps you establish which technique it is advisable make use of with a view to obtain the specified outcomes.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowConfusing the 2 – or ineffectively combining the 2 – will doubtless result in subpar outcomes. It’s price contemplating the distinction with a view to select the suitable technique (and author) on your mission.What’s the Difference Between Content Writing vs. Copywriting?With SEO content material writing, the first purpose is to generate natural site visitors through search engines like google.With copywriting, the first purpose is to transform site visitors into leads and gross sales.Are each content material writing and copywriting able to doing each? Absolutely. But the distinction actually comes right down to what you are attempting to do and which technique does it higher.Therefore, it’s greatest to think about the rapid and finish purpose of your mission, after which discover a author who is ready to obtain these objectives the perfect.Is There Such a Thing as ‘SEO Copywriting’?If SEO content material writing and copywriting are totally different, the place did “SEO copywriting” come from?My perception is that the time period “SEO copywriting” is a results of many SEO specialists complicated the 2 kinds of writing.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowThis is supported by the truth that once I casually surveyed a Facebook group of SEO specialists on what SEO copywriting is, I got here again with some very totally different solutions:Some SEO professionals stated the 2 kinds of writing are one and the identical.Others stated they had been totally different. Others stated there was an overlap.Overall, there was no consensus on what “SEO copywriting” is or whether or not it even exists.However, there’s little question that the time period “SEO copywriting” itself does exist and that customers are actively trying to find it on-line.But What About ‘SEO Copywriting’ Being a Highly Searchable Term?Since “SEO copywriting” is a time period that the business makes use of, it’s no surprise that it has change into a extremely searchable key phrase.SEMrush reveals “search engine marketing copywriting” as getting 880 searches per 30 days, barely forward of “search engine marketing content material writing” at 770 searches per 30 days.People are clearly utilizing this time period to search out content material service on-line. So, any sensible SEO content material author or SEO content material company could be savvy to focus on “search engine marketing copywriting” to draw extra site visitors to their web site.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowThe cycle continues.However, the search intent behind this key phrase is a bit muddled.Are individuals on the lookout for web site content material companies?Blog posts?A gross sales web page copywriter?Ad copy? It may be exhausting to inform.For occasion, as an SEO content material author myself, I usually get SEO companies inquiring about copywriting, Facebook advert copy, social media copy, gross sales pages, and so forth.While these initiatives do contain content material, they don’t essentially contain SEO. Rather, they require gross sales copy – one thing that will or might not be outdoors of an SEO content material author’s wheelhouse.While “SEO copywriting” is a time period within the SEO business’s vocabulary, it’s nonetheless necessary to make a distinction between SEO content material writing and copywriting. This is as a result of the strategy you select must be the perfect match for what you are attempting to perform together with your content material.And as soon as you recognize that, you possibly can rent the suitable kind of author to get the job completed.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowWhen to Hire an SEO Content WriterYou rent an SEO content material author while you need to entice extra natural site visitors to your web site by high-quality, keyword-optimized content material.This is a author that each understands SEO and is aware of easy methods to write content material that’s informative and compelling. However, they don’t essentially know easy methods to write for conversions.SEO content material serves a number of functions, together with:Increasing a web site’s key phrase rankings.Driving clicks from the SERPs.Attracting high-authority backlinks.Directing customers to different pages on the location.Converting web site guests into patrons, subscribers, or leads.Therefore, you need to rent an SEO content material author to put in writing your web site content material – primarily, webpages and weblog posts – if you wish to enhance natural site visitors.There are different residual advantages of hiring a nice SEO content material author.Great content material can drive social shares, maintain customers in your web site for longer, and enhance conversions. It can even aid you set up authority in your area of interest and drive consciousness of your model.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowTypes of SEO Content ProjectsSEO content material writers deal with particular kinds of content material initiatives – initiatives that usually have an finish purpose of accelerating natural site visitors. Sometimes, the purpose can also be to draw hyperlinks to your website.SEO content material writers usually deal with content material like:Every SEO content material author or company is a bit totally different. They might select to tackle extra content material writing initiatives like basic weblog publish writing (not for SEO), social media publish writing, ebooks, and even video script writing.The necessary factor to notice is that in case your rapid purpose is to extend natural site visitors, you’ll need to rent an SEO content material author.If your fundamental concern isn’t site visitors, however easy methods to convert that site visitors into gross sales and leads shortly, you then’ll need to rent a gross sales copywriter.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowWhen to Hire a CopywriterSurprise! There are literally many, many various kinds of copywriters, simply as there are various, many various kinds of copy initiatives.Think about all of the totally different platforms on the market that require copy; Google advertisements, Facebook advertisements, touchdown pages, social media posts, print advertisements, billboard advertisements, gross sales pages, product pages – the checklist goes on and on.You’ll need to rent a copywriter when your main purpose is to transform site visitors into gross sales or leads. This site visitors could also be natural, however it might even be social media site visitors, paid advert site visitors, direct site visitors, and so forth.Therefore, you’ll need to rent a copywriter who specializes within the actual kind of copy you want and is aware of easy methods to convert that particular kind of site visitors.For instance, a Facebook advert copywriter might not be a professional in writing print advert copy, or vice versa.The analysis, focusing on, writing, formatting, and launch course of may be utterly totally different for every kind of copy mission.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowTypes of Projects Copywriters Take OnWhen your focus isn’t SEO – however gross sales – you’ll need to rent a copywriter that’s an absolute professional on the particular kind of copy you want.This will likely be completely based mostly on the mission at hand.Some copy initiatives that copywriters usually deal with embody:Facebook advertisementsInstagram advertisementsSocial media postsEmail campaignsPrint advertising materialsVideo scriptsSales pagesNewspaper adsProduct descriptionsNon-SEO touchdown pagesBusiness names and taglinesWebsite copy (model messaging)Whitepapers or product demosCall-to-action buttonsOn-site navigation copyTypically, you’ll be capable to discover a expert copywriter by doing a Google search of the precise kind of copy you might be on the lookout for.However, some initiatives may be so area of interest that it may be exhausting to search out a copywriter that matches the invoice. In that case, you possibly can seek for a basic copywriter and ask within the are skilled in that kind of mission.Remember, the success of any advertising marketing campaign relies on a copywriter’s potential to put in writing changing gross sales copy. Their course of ought to contain conducting market analysis, writing copy that resonates with that viewers, and together with calls-to-action that entice customers to purchase.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowWords from a Sales CopywriterExpert gross sales copywriter Tori Reid chimes in to supply her tackle what’s the main distinction between SEO content material and gross sales copy – and why SEO professionals want to rent a author who’s expert in a single or the opposite:“In a nutshell, SEO content material is constructed to drive site visitors. SEO writers use Google’s key phrases that are constructed on viewership knowledge. Or, “who clicked to view/learn articles that used this phrase”.Sales copywriters, alternatively, are inclined to get their “key phrases”, phrases, and subjects instantly from the client’s and target market’s mouths to construct a checklist of “shopping for triggers” to make use of within the copy. We then plug these shopping for triggers into totally different formulation which can be constructed particularly to transform the viewers into a subscriber or a purchaser.Yes, SEO content material can get conversions (gross sales, opt-ins, and so forth.) however when evaluating it to copywriting, it’s not practically as constant and there’s a purpose for that.Look at it this fashion: somebody may doubtless hit a dwelling run with a tree department… however that doesn’t make the tree department a baseball bat. That baseball bat has one job. Help the batter hit the ball so far as doable. And as a result of that is the bat’s solely job – and solely focus – it’s gotten extremely good at it over time. No skilled participant would of their proper thoughts select a tree department over a baseball bat.SEO content material is “constructed” to drive site visitors. Sales copy is “constructed” to drive gross sales.So in order for you gross sales copy, no skilled of their proper thoughts would select an SEO content material author over somebody who’s spent years particularly finding out and refining the artwork of writing to promote.”AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowWhile SEO specialists and enterprise homeowners would like to get the perfect of each worlds – content material that’s made to draw natural site visitors and get a excessive conversion charge – the fact is that SEO content material is greatest at driving site visitors and gross sales copy is greatest at promoting.There may be an overlap, but it surely’s not often, if ever, 100%.Don’t Cram Your Copy Full of Keywords!SEO specialists that do attempt to get the perfect of each worlds usually attempt to optimize their gross sales copy with their goal key phrases.If your main purpose is to transform site visitors, don’t do that. It can considerably hinder conversions, as these key phrases can interrupt the pure circulate of the gross sales copy.At the identical time, your viewers could also be utilizing these phrases to look, but it surely doesn’t imply these phrases will set off them to purchase.Trust your gross sales copywriter to do what they do greatest – convert guests to patrons – and depart the key phrases out of it.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowHow to Find the Best SEO Content Writer for Your MissionSince you’re a fan of Search Engine Journal, it’s doubtless that one among your fundamental objectives is to enhance your web site SEO. Therefore, nearly all of the content material you create will doubtless be SEO content material within the type of webpages or weblog posts.Find a Writer Who Knows SEOIf that’s the case, you’ll need to discover a content material author who totally understands SEO and may write content material that’s of curiosity to your target market.Ask if Your Writer Understands Conversion CopywritingAdditionally, it’s most well-liked that this author at the very least is aware of the fundamentals of conversion copywriting to allow them to do their absolute best to transform that natural site visitors into subscribers, clients, and leads.They might not be a gross sales copy professional like a skilled copywriter could be, however they’ll nonetheless write content material that converts higher than 90% of the opposite keyword-stuffed SEO content material on the market.AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowAsk for Examples and Case ResearchBetrigger your purpose is to extend natural site visitors, you’ll need to discover a author who can present examples and confirmed case research that present that they know what they’re doing.Ask if they’ll present site visitors or key phrase rating stats, and even conversion stats if obtainable. There are tons of nice writers on the market, however not all of them know easy methods to write to draw natural site visitors.Reach Out to Your NetworkOne of the perfect methods to search out nice SEO content material writers is to succeed in out to your community and ask for a referral.These individuals will be capable to vouch for the author’s experience, doubtlessly saving you money and time versus hiring a random author you discover on-line.Need a author on your mission? Be certain to know the distinction between SEO content material writing and copywriting so that you select the perfect author for you.More Resources:AdvertisementContinue Reading BelowImage CreditsAll screenshots taken by writer, September 2019

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