The 2 Most Common Mistakes When Writing With Keywords
by Karon Thackston C 2006, All Rights Reserved
It really gets my blood pressure up. SEO copywriting has begun to get a poor
reputation all due to carelessness. How so? Because too many people claim to
know what they are doing. In reality, they simply shove keywords into copy
without any concern for how the copy flows. Copy that sounds mechanical or stiff
is a sure sign that an amateur writer has had his/her hands in things.
When you write SEO copy, you should take the time to find out what works and
what doesn't. There are 2 mistakes almost every amateur search engine copywriter
makes. Let's take a look at each one.
#1 - The List
Let's say you visit the home page of a website that sells beauty supplies. As
you read the copy, you keep coming across a string of items: hair salon
supplies, hair salon equipment and professional manicure tables. The copy
reads something like this:
The Best Selection of Hair Salon Supplies, Hair Salon Equipment and Professional
Manicure Tables on the Internet
When you're shopping for hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment and
professional manicure tables, you need a vendor who offers great selection as
well as great service. Because buying hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment
and professional manicure tables can be an expensive venture, you also want a
company that delivers the lowest price.
Trust ABC Beauty Supply to bring you the widest selection of hair salon
supplies, hair salon equipment and professional manicure tables in stock every
day. Orders are shipped within 24 hours and - for all hair salon supplies, hair
salon equipment and professional manicure tables orders over $100 - shipping is
absolutely free!
Do you see how that flows (or doesn't flow) when you use all your keyphrases in
a row every single time? One time, sure. That's fine. Even twice, depending on
the length of your copy. But to put all your keyphrases in a list and use them
every time you have the smallest opportunity is just far too repetitive. What do
you do instead?
Discuss each one in its own section. Talk about the various types of hair salon
supplies. Review the reasons your hair salon equipment is better than that sold
by others. Or even list the features and benefits of the line of manicure tables
you offer.
#2 - Substituting Keywords for Generic Terms
This technique (just like the one above) is perfectly fine IF you use it in
moderation. However, to replace every instance of a generic term with a
keyphrase will cause your copy to sound downright silly. Let's have a look at an
example from a Web design site.
New Orleans Web Design
Our New Orleans Web design firm offers a high level of creativity to businesses
located in the general area. Our New Orleans Web design styles are never made
from templates. Each New Orleans Web design is a custom creation just for your
site.
If you walked into a Web design company's office and the employees began to talk
like that copy is written, you'd most likely think they were on drugs! So why in
the world would you write your site copy that way? The reason is because most
amateurs mistakenly think they can't write for both the search engines and the
site visitors. I'm delighted to say they are wrong! You can most certainly write
for both with great success.
Try this:
Progressive, creative, upbeat. Those are phrases that best describe many online
businesses based in New Orleans. Web design for your organization should match
your style. Never created from templates, the site designs you'll receive will
be truly reflective of your corporate personality. Because we work exclusively
with companies located in or near New Orleans, Web designs retain that Big Easy
feel.
Did you see it? The phrase was broken up using punctuation. That won't hurt your
rankings one bit, but it will make your copy sound a LOT better.
These are not all the mistakes. I wish they were! But most of the mistakes made
by amateur writers can be fixed using one simple test. Read it out loud. If the
copy sounds ridiculous to you when you read it out loud, it is going to sound
equally ridiculous to a site visitor.
Take your time. Learn the ins and outs of SEO copywriting before you begin to
create the text for your (or your clients') pages. Then you can rest assured
that your copy will convert better while it contributes to your high rankings.
Karon Thackston
Marketing Words, Inc.: http://www.marketingwords.com
Copywriting Course: http://www.copywritingcourse.com
Contact WingsDove for affordable and effective small business web design and
web site optimization.
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