Yes! You are finally done with your search engine optimization (SEO) research and have a great list of keywords to use in your copy. You add all of your coding to your Website and write all of your online copy.
Then, you wait to see your site traffic increase…
and you wait…
and you wait.
When this happens, there may be several things wrong with your copy, but the first thing to ask is:
Is your copy stuffed with SEO keywords?
While it’s great to include your SEO keywords on all of your Web pages and optimize your site for the search engines, don’t get carried away.
It’s possible to use too many keywords and actually drive visitors, and site engines, away from your site!
To check to see if you have “stuffed” your pages with keywords, ask yourself these questions:
· Does your copy flow freely?
How does your copy sound when you read it aloud? Is it engaging, succinct and smooth, or are you constantly repeating your keywords?
If it sounds funny, you need to re-write it and focus on your key message rather than your keywords.
· Did you forget about your customers?
It can be exciting to add keywords to your site, but don’t forget that your main purpose is to engage your target market and provide benefits for them.
Read your copy as if you are a new, site visitor. What’s in it for you? Are you answering questions and providing solutions? If not, you need to focus on your customers – not your keywords!
· What’s the call-to-action?
On each page of your Website, you want to entice site visitors to take a single action. After writing about the benefits you provide in a user-friendly way (short paragraphs, headers, bullet points, etc.), it’s important to guide site visitors to take the next step in your sales process.
Do you want them to read another blog entry on your site, sign up for your newsletter or purchase your latest widget?
Tell customers exactly what you want them to do next. Make it simple and sweet.
By providing a call-to-action, you can focus your SEO copywriting on the right message. Plus, this allows you to track what’s working and what’s not in your sales process by monitoring the call-to-action clicks.
What’s Your SEO Problem?
If you have optimized your site for the search engines and are not seeing results, check your copy.
Have a member of your target audience read it and let you know if it sounds too repetitive, flows with a beneficial message and provides a specific, call-to-action.
Then, update your copy with your customers in mind. Focus on their needs and then add your SEO keywords in titles, sub-titles, links, and other, appropriate areas.
This way, you will give customers what they want and offer the search engines valuable information they can share with others.