We often hear the terms “copywriting” and “SEO content” used interchangeably or even mashed up into the term “SEO copywriting.”
If you’re confused, you’re not alone. We’ll explore similarities and differences and how they complement each other. Because no matter how you say it, both copywriting and SEO content are critical to your digital marketing strategy.
Using the Best Tool for the Task
Writing is writing, right? As long as it’s tailored to my audience, I’ll get good results, won’t I?
Well, yes and…possibly.
Good writing can grab a person’s attention and may compel them to take action. But understanding how they work helps you get the best results from your content.
It may be helpful to think of SEO content writing and copywriting like kitchen knives. If you use your butter knife to slice a baguette and a large, serrated blade to spread cheese, you’ll get a result. But by using the knife best suited for each task, you’ll work more efficiently and serve up a plate that looks more appetizing.
Just as each knife is better suited to a specific culinary task, copywriting and SEO content writing have their own specialized uses.
SEO Content Helps People Find Your Business
SEO content is an effective tool when you want to:
- Drive organic, qualified leads to your website
- Boost your website’s search result ranking
- Establish your business as an authority within your niche
- Keep users on your site with compelling links to product, service, or blog pages
How do you use SEO content? Create website copy that utilizes long- and medium-tail keywords. These keywords help boost your business’ site in the search result rankings. SEO content should appear throughout your site, including your home page copy, landing pages, and blog posts.
It’s crucial to use the same keywords people use to search for your product. However, your SEO content (including ad copy) should not be a big, awkward blob of keywords carelessly thrown together. Hire a writer specializing in creating on-page SEO content so your pages are easy to find and engaging enough to entice the reader to your website.
Copywriting Connects and Builds Your Brand’s Message
What does copywriting accomplish that SEO content doesn’t?
Good copywriting connects your brand with your audience by speaking their language without resorting to slang or jargon. It shows customers that your product or service is the best option to solve their problem. When customers feel that you relate to their pain and are eager to help them solve their problem, they’ll be ready to:
- Get out their wallets
- Trust you with their contact information for follow up communication
For customers, knowing that they have a problem to solve involves logic. Choosing to do business with a company involves emotion (though the customer may believe they’re using logic). Building your brand’s message—and customers’ trust—starts with choosing a consistent tone that demonstrates your sincerity and authenticity.
Do You Know Your Brand’s Tone?
Does your marketing and/or communications team use a style guide? If so, you have a guideline for creating advertising, social media, and website content that communicates your message using your brand’s tone.
If you don’t have a style guide, now is a great time to build one. Some things to consider as you’re establishing your brand’s messaging style and tone are:
- Who you are trying to reach and how they communicate
- How formal, relaxed, irreverent, authoritative, or enthusiastic you want to be
- Whether you want to sound like a hard-core grammar nerd or bend the rules a bit to suit your message
- Your brand’s vocabulary, including keywords. What words or phrases are encouraged vs. those that are not allowed?
If your audience is mainly Fortune 500 executives, your tone will be substantially more formal than it will be if you’re talking to Gen Z social media influencers. Research your audience and see what resonates with them so you can develop a voice that they’ll listen to.
Once you’ve created a brand tone—and your style guide—your creative team can craft content using a consistent voice across all of your audience touchpoints.
How a Strong Brand Affects SEO Performance
Sure, some businesses have become viral sensations, seemingly overnight, but they are the exception, not the rule. If you want potential customers to find your business, you’ll need to build a strong brand. Building your brand through consistent tone and messaging across all of your communications ultimately impacts your SEO performance.
Even if your audience isn’t familiar enough with your brand to search for you by name, a strong identity can improve your keyword rankings, site authority, and confidence. All of which will move your brand higher up in the search engine results.
How a Strong Brand Affects Conversions
A strong brand gives your company a personality that customers can relate to. When your brand is relatable, people are far more likely to trust your company. And when they trust you, they’re willing to give your company their personal information and spend their hard-earned money with you.
How Copywriting and SEO Content Differ—and Why it Matters
SEO content’s primary function is to attract the attention of search engine algorithms and establish your existence to the customer. Copywriting humanizes your brand and establishes your company’s relationship with the customer.
You can infuse copywriting with keywords, and your SEO content can (and should) reflect your brand’s tone. However, understanding how they function differently helps you use your marketing and advertising budget more effectively.
If your company hasn’t developed a style guide or you need help finding the right tone for your brand, consider calling in some experienced professionals. They can help research your audience—and your competition—to help you establish a voice that is unique to your business and resonates with your customers.