Are You Writing Enough Relevant Copy to Get Search Engine Attention?

Ranking on the search engines is a subjective goal—rank where? Of course, most businesses want to appear high up in the SERPs (search engine results pages). They want to be a hit that gets noticed when users type in keywords, a search term, or a long-tail key phrase in the search toolbar.

That said, are you writing enough relevant copy to be discovered on search engines? Here are some tips to get search engine attention—and maintain your copy’s relevance to your audience as well.

Make the copy relevant to users and optimized for search

Let’s unpack the term “relevant” first. Relevant to whom and what?

Relevance in online copy means that it is accurate, clearly written, comprehensive and, above all, answers the search query. The copy is written with a user-first approach.

The search engines will consider the online content relevant because it supports the blog or website page topic, makes sense for the search terms used (keywords are related to user intent), and provides value to your users. It must also be original and aligned with your brand or business. Because of these criteria, your online copy also provides value to the engines that serve up websites to searchers online . . . and earns coveted digital authority.

Don’t forget, however, that web crawlers are busy seeking out content that meets the search queries. So writing strong title tags and meta descriptions aligned with search terms and keywords is an essential piece of the “found you online” puzzle.

Copy word count for search engine optimization

In addition to writing marketing copy that is relevant to the search queries and your buyers, the copy needs to be long enough to be deemed relevant by Google and other engines. But by “long enough”, we don’t mean blathering on endlessly and without purpose about your blog topic or the subject matter on the website page.

It’s about being long enough to deliver what users are looking for and giving them what they need to complete their actions on that page (download here, buy now, contact us), with quality that speaks volumes over time as your pages are served by search engines. The objective is to hold their interest and move users along the buyer’s journey with the goal of converting them into YOUR buyers.

There’s no real optimal length for blog or website copy. It should be as long as it needs to be to make your point, inform your readers, and provide information that search engines will deem “authoritative.” That means your content is considered trustworthy because it’s a good match for the search terms, meets users’ goals, and of course—since we’re talking SEO—has relevant keywords incorporated (not stuffed) where it makes sense to do so.

Maybe your blog post needs 500 words, maybe it needs 1200. The website page will benefit from at least 300 words and can go as long as it needs to provide high-quality, well-written copy (with quality backlinks) that answers the search query. But it’s always quality over quantity. Don’t dilute your message in a sea of verbiage!

How to get search engine attention for your blog or website copy

Give them what they want.

Relevant online copy also means addressing user intent. Are they seeking product information, a tutorial, or clarity about your services? Is the page transactional (like a landing page for a digital marketing campaign), or is it informational, like a long-form blog article or juicy website page?

If it’s a blog article on your website, are there natural hyperlinks to other areas of your site? If it’s a guest blog for a third party, does it link back to your website or other online assets?

Let’s review. Your copy merits search engine attention when it is:

• informative
• answers the search query
• contains appropriate keywords
• provides users with value
• includes appropriate links
• is unique
• positions you and/or your business as a subject matter authority

Contact our digital marketing agency for next steps

Short answer—engage a digital marketing agency like Rapunzel Creative to help build your business—and your online presence. Working with an award-winning digital marketing firm provides you with expert SEO services (including competitive keyword research and analysis, website optimization, and high-quality SEO copywriting).

The Rapunzel Creative team can help keep your website updated and optimized, provide fresh content that signals it’s a worthwhile stop on the information highway for organic search, and will improve conversions through various marketing tactics. We’ll help you reach your target audience with copy that engages, informs, and ties into your social media content calendar as well. (Yes, we manage social media for our clients, too.)

Let us know how we can help you get the attention your business deserves from Google and other search engines. Contact us to set up a marketing consultation here.