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It really makes my heart beat faster. SEO copywriting is getting a bad name because people aren't being careful. How so? Because there are too many people who say they know what they're doing. In reality, all they do is stuff keywords into the copy without caring about how it flows. Copy that sounds stiff or mechanical is a sure sign that it was written by a beginner.
You should take the time to find out what works and what doesn't when you write SEO copy. Most beginning search engine copywriters make the same two mistakes. Let's look at each of them.
"#1" - "The List"
Let's say you go to a website that sells beauty supplies and go to the home page. As you read the copy, you keep coming across the same things: hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment, and professional manicure tables. Something like this is written in the copy:
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The best selection of hair salon equipment, supplies, and
On the Internet, you can find professional manicure tables.
When you're looking for hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment, and professional manicure tables, you need a seller with a wide selection and good service. Because buying hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment, and professional manicure tables can be expensive, you also want a company that gives you the best deal.
You can count on ABC Beauty Supply to always have the largest stock of hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment, and professional manicure tables. Orders are sent out within 24 hours, and shipping is free on all orders of $100 or more for hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment, and professional manicure tables.
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Do you see how it flows (or doesn't flow) when you use all your keyphrases in a row every time? One time, sure. That's alright. Depending on how long your copy is, even twice. But putting all of your keyphrases on a list and using them whenever you get the chance is way too repetitive. Instead, what do you do?
Talk about each of them in their own section. Talk about the different kinds of supplies a hair salon needs. Review the reasons why the equipment you sell for your hair salon is better than what other people sell. Or, you could write down what your line of manicure tables has to offer and why it's good.
#2: Using keywords in place of general terms
This method, like the one above, is fine as long as you don't use it too much. But if you use a keyphrase every time you use a general term, your copy will sound downright silly. Let's look at an example from a site about Web design.
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Web Design in New Orleans
Our Web design company in New Orleans has a lot of creative ideas for businesses in the area. We never use templates to make our New Orleans Web design styles. Each Web design in New Orleans is made just for your site.
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If you walked into the office of a Web design company and the workers started talking like that, you'd probably think they were on drugs. So why on earth would you write the copy for your website that way? Most beginners think wrongly that they can't write for both search engines and site visitors at the same time. I'm happy to say that they're wrong! You can almost certainly write very well for both.
Here's what:
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Modern, creative, and happy. These are the words that best describe many New Orleans-based online businesses. Your organization's website should reflect your style. The site designs you get won't be made from templates, so they will really show who your company is. We only work with companies in or near New Orleans, so our Web designs still have that "Big Easy" feel.
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Did you see it? Punctuation was used to break up the phrase. That won't hurt your rankings at all, but it will make your copy sound A LOT better.
Not every mistake is on this list. I want them to be! But one simple test can fix most of the mistakes made by beginning writers. Read it to yourself. When you read the copy out loud, if it sounds silly to you, it will sound silly to a site visitor as well.
Take your time. Before you start writing text for your pages or the pages of your clients, you should learn the ins and outs of SEO copywriting. Then you can be sure that your copy will sell more and help you get higher rankings.
