Leverage Website Copywriting to Boost SEO and Inbound Leads

When it comes to marketing your website, think of it like a sports game where the goal is to catch and keep attention. Your best defense is good SEO, which helps you stay ahead of the competition. 

Your best offense? That's creating helpful, educational content that answers your customers' biggest questions and shows you know your stuff.

You might already know that your website needs lots of content. Videos and photos grab attention, but the words you write play a big role in improving your spot in search results. Even B2B content marketing for niche products requires a healthy amount of copywriting and blogging effort. 

Whether you're selling directly to other businesses or to everyday customers, your strategy should include both smart blogging and SEO.

Your approach should feel like a team effort. Use SEO to protect your leads and keep competitors out. Use informative content to tackle customer problems and build trust in your expertise.

So, how do you balance these two? In this article, we break down tips on using SEO and educational content to make your website a go-to resource.

Website Copywriting Tips -- How to Rank Your Page in Google

Anyone with a keyboard and a website can publish content. However, to reach the modern B2C or B2B buyer persona, you should write in a certain way.

You may ask – how do you make your website rank higher in search engines? Good SEO content writing is one of the only ways for your website or blog to rank near the top of Google (or Bing or Yahoo!).

Here are three quick ways to get started:

1. Keywords

The easiest way to reach your target audience through Google is to include relevant keywords in your writing. Research keywords with your customers in mind – how would they describe a problem or product to a search engine?

Each website page and blog post should have a primary keyword in its

• Title 
• Section headers (at least the first one)
• First 100-150 words of your page
• Elsewhere in the body copy (sparingly)
• URL
• Image alt text
• Meta description

If those last two flew over your head, read this article about back-end website SEO. It’s best also to include secondary keywords throughout your article. 

For example, if your primary keyword is “what is precision machining,” you may also want to rank for:

• High-precision CNC machining
• Precision machining shop
• Precision machining technology
• Aerospace machining
• Medical device machining
  
  

2. Length

The length of your webpage plays a significant role in whether or not it ranks.

Opinions vary around the web, but we recommend most pages contain at least 400-600 words.

“Long-form” blog posts are also increasingly popular with B2B content marketers because of changes in Google’s ranking algorithm. Long-form content means a blog post or resource page over 1,500 words.

In the end, the amount of copy you write should match the page’s intent. Don’t throw 750 words of useless fluff on your Contact Us page just because you think it’ll fool Google.

3. Providing Value

Another factor in how to write for search engines is value. This one’s a little trickier to quantify and directly correlates with writing for humans, too.

Are you helping readers solve a problem, keeping them on your website longer? 

Are you including helpful links to other, related articles – written by you and by (gasp) third-party sources?

By providing helpful info, and leaving the sales pitch on the bench – you’ll keep readers on the page longer and visit other pages on your site. “Average time on page” and “bounce rate” are two of Google's most important ranking factors.

In short, just be a good teammate, which ties in beautifully with writing for humans:

Boost Your Site's Appeal: Key Strategies for Readable Web Content

Readability means your content can engage prospects and keep them on your website longer. CoSchedule says it best when comparing writing for Google vs. writing for humans.

Even if you get ranked at the top, at the end of the day, Google doesn’t pay you, nor do they subscribe to your website.

Simply put, if you speak conversationally with your readers, they will stay and become customers someday. They'll leave if you write pushy, sales-y content or talk about your brand.

We’ll cover the basics of readability in our following content writing tips:

Headline

The need to marry Google and human needs is never more evident than in page titles.

In addition to your keyword, include at least one of these when writing a webpage or blog post title:

• Numbers
• Questions
• Power words

These are how you turn boring headlines …

• “Potential Defects in Circuit Board Design”
• “The Benefits of Made-in-USA Furniture”
• “Tricks for Medical SEO on a Website”

… into attention-grabbing headlines:

• “99% of Circuit Board Design Guides Fail to Mention This Defect”
• “Is Made-in-USA Furniture Making a Comeback?”
• “Become a Medical SEO Magician With This Simple Trick”

Clarity

It’s always best to assume your reader is a total beginner on the subject matter.

Use terms your audience will understand. Avoid industry jargon that makes perfect sense but confuses your buyer.

Are you writing to a healthcare persona with Ph.D.-level education? Or are you writing to tow truck fleet owners who are more on the blue-collar side? Your writing should be conversational while appealing to your buyer persona based on their background.

You must also strive for clarity from a formatting standpoint. 

• Use bolded font to emphasize important points
• Use bullet points instead of writing out a long, boring list in a sentence
• Break up your copy with other stuff (subheadlines for new sections, charts, images, etc.)

Length

Website copy length isn’t just an SEO concern. Your buyer persona directly impacts how long your content should be.

Consider writing shorter content if your persona is an engineer or a super-busy exec who jumps on and off Google quickly to find answers. If your persona enjoys sitting down and reading more in-depth materials (highly technical blog posts, whitepapers, etc.), write longer content.

As for individual paragraphs and sentences, keep ‘em short. Some nice rules of thumb:

• Sentences: < 25 words
• Paragraphs: 1-4 sentences 

When your sentences and paragraphs get to the point, keeping readers on the page longer and visiting other pages on your site is more effortless.

You want to keep readers interested long enough that they visit more pages on your site or even click a call to action. 

A call to action is when you ask for the visitor’s contact info in exchange for a:

• Newsletter subscription
• E-book or whitepaper download
• Free consultation
• Anything else your person would find valuable

Just like this one:

There’s no magic number for how many words you should write. Write enough copy to solve the reader’s problem or curiosity and gently hint at the next steps they should take on their buyer’s journey.

Strength

Writing with strong (but not foul) language can transform a boring niche topic into something worth reading about.

Using active voice is one way to write with power. Check out these two examples:

• “It is recommended that you request materials commonly used in pipe manufacturing, or lead times may be increased.” (wimpy)
• “When RFQ’ing a pipe manufacturer, request commonly used materials, or your lead times will suffer.” (strong)

The first example is wimpy; the second is strong. Wimpy writing conveys a lack of confidence.

You should also take cues from your headline and use as many power words as possible.

• “She had a lot of energy” vs. “She bounced around the office like a pinball”
• “The industry was ahead of the times” vs. “The industry crashed the tech boom party early”
• “Lunch smelled really quite good” vs. “Lunch smelled drool-worthy”
  
  

Ready to Get Real With Content Marketing Writing?

Effective website copywriting is key to boosting your SEO and drawing in more leads. It's not just about filling pages; it’s about crafting valuable content that speaks to your audience and lifts your online profile. 

Whether you’re tackling SEO basics or engaging readers with captivating content, every bit of your effort counts towards your digital success.

Remember, your content is your voice online. Make it clear, make it lively, and let it transform your site into a go-to resource that attracts and keeps customers.

Transform Your Content Game By Partnering

Improving your website's copy doesn't need to be overwhelming. You can build on your own skills or team up with experts—either way, the results will boost your visibility and engagement. 

Whether you're looking to improve your own skills in SEO and content marketing or prefer the support of a professional content marketing agency, contact Protocol80 today to explore how we can elevate your content strategy to the next level.

(Editor's Note: This article was originally published in March 2021 and was recently updated.)