The 5-minute SEO trick every copywriter should know.
Here’s a scenario many copywriters will recognise.
Your client wants you to write an SEO article. They give you a target keyword, so you include it in the title tag, URL slug and H1, work it naturally into the opening paragraph and throughout the body copy, and include it where appropriate in your subheads. You write the meta description, add your links and call to action, and send it off to the client.
There’s only one problem.
It doesn’t rank very well, and even if it does, people arrive, take a quick look and move on without taking any action.
So, what went wrong?
It’s probably not the writing, because I’m sure you’re an exceptional copywriter. 😊
The problem may be that you’ve actually written the wrong page. The keyword may have been correct, but you misunderstood why someone was searching for it in the first place.
In the world of SEO, we call this search intent.
Put simply, search intent is what someone wants to achieve when they type something into Google. Do they want to learn something? Compare their options? Buy something? Find a particular website or local business?
As copywriters, we spend a lot of time thinking about the target market and the reasons people buy. Are they trying to save time? Make money? Avoid effort? Prevent stress? Gain peace of mind?
Search intent takes that thinking one step further.
What does this particular person want, right now?
If you can work that out before you start writing, you’ve got a much better chance of writing the page they actually want to read.
1. Understand the four types of search intent
SEO professionals generally divide search intent into four broad categories: informational, navigational, commercial and transactional. And while those categories are useful, they’re not always clear-cut as some keywords can have more than one type of intent. But in summary, here are definitions of the four types:
a) Informational intent means someone wants to learn something.
They might search:
What is SEO?
What does a copywriter do?
How does SEO work?
They’re looking for information, so write something that gives it to them.
b) Navigational intent means someone is trying to find a particular website or page.
They might search:
Australian School of Copywriting courses
On this occasion, they’re not necessarily asking Google to educate them about copywriting. The query indicates they may be trying to find a particular business, website or page they already know about.
c) Commercial intent means they’re researching their options before making a purchase.
Think:
Best copywriting courses Australia
Best SEO tools for small business
Top AI apps for copywriting
They’re interested, but they’re still researching or comparing their options.
d) Transactional intent means they want to take an action, such as buying, subscribing or signing up.
Think:
Book freelance copywriter Melbourne
Buy copywriting course online
Enrol in SEO course
These kinds of searches can indicate a stronger intention to take action.
Why does all this matter?
Because our copy needs to reflect what people are trying to achieve and, where relevant, where they are in the buying process.
There’s no point telling someone to enrol in an SEO copywriting course if they don’t yet know what copywriting, or even SEO, is, let alone why they need it. Equally, there’s no point outlining freelance copywriting rates if they haven’t even decided whether they want to become a copywriter.
2. Don’t assume the keyword tells you what they want
Two keywords can look very similar but have very different intent.
Someone searching best running shoes is likely to be comparing options. Compare that with a search such as buy Nike running shoes size 10. The inclusion of buy indicates a much stronger transactional intent. One is looking for information to help them compare their options; the other indicates a much stronger intention to buy.
That distinction should influence the copy you write, including the type of page you create, the headline you use, the information you prioritise, the order in which you present it and, importantly, the call to action.
Even changing the order of the words can change what the searcher wants. For example, take ingredients for cat food versus cat food ingredients. The first suggests somebody is looking for ideas about making cat food; the second can suggest someone wanting to know what’s in commercial cat food.
That’s why it pays to do a little detective work before you start writing, which is why all great copywriters are good detectives.
3. Use Google as your free creative brief
You might be asking, ‘How do you work out what somebody actually wants?’
The answer is at your fingertips.
As a famous Aussie politician once said to a journalist when asked what the current interest rates were, all you have to do is ‘Google it, mate.’
In other words, type the keyword into Google and have a good look at what comes up. Pay attention, because the results give you valuable clues about what Google believes will satisfy the intent behind that search.
Are the first-page results mostly how-to articles? Product pages? Service pages? Comparison articles? ‘Best of’ lists? Videos? Local businesses?
Then look at what else Google is showing you.
Is there a map? Shopping results? Videos? A featured snippet? ‘People also ask’ questions?
All of these things can give you more clues about the intent behind the search.
The next step is to analyse the top-ranking results. Look for common themes in the types and formats of content that are ranking. Then look more closely at the leading pages. How are they structured? What topics do they cover? What questions do they answer?
As copywriters, we’re used to working from a creative brief before we start writing. In a way, Google gives us another one because the search results give us valuable clues about what Google believes will satisfy the intent behind that particular search.
In other words, think of the search results page as a free creative brief.
If Google is serving up how-to articles and you’ve written a hard-selling service page, that’s a pretty good indication you’ve misread the search intent and may have written the wrong type of page.
Equally, if someone searches best accounting software for small business and the results are dominated by comparisons, then writing 2,000 words on The History of Xero Accounting Software probably isn’t going to cut it.
If the results are dominated by comparisons, that’s a strong indication people want help comparing their options, so give them the comparison.
4. Look at the language people use
The words people use can also give you clues.
Terms such as how and what often appear in informational searches, while words such as best can indicate commercial research and comparison. Words such as buy can be a signal of transactional intent. For example, phrases such as what’s the best and which should I buy can indicate that someone is comparing their options before making a decision.
But treat these words as clues rather than guarantees.
The wording of a keyword is useful, but it doesn’t necessarily tell you the whole story. That’s why it’s important to check the actual search results to see what Google is currently serving for that query.
For copywriters, this should be familiar territory. We’re in the business of word selection, so look at the words people are using, consider what they might tell you about intent, and then check those assumptions against the search results.
And while you’re analysing your keywords, don’t get distracted by search volume alone.
A keyword with thousands of searches may look attractive, but if those searches don’t align with what your client offers, what’s the point?
Look beyond search volume and consider search intent, keyword difficulty and the pages already ranking for the term. Search volume isn’t everything, and high-volume keywords won’t necessarily drive conversions.
Yes, the volume of searches matters, but so does the person behind the search and what they’re trying to find.
5. Match your copy to the job
Now it’s time to start writing.
You’ve done your research, identified what the searcher appears to be looking for and looked at the types of content Google is already ranking. You’re now in a much better position to write copy that matches that intent.
If they want instructions, start instructing.
If they want a comparison, start comparing.
If they’re looking for a local provider, make the relevant location and service information easy to find.
This is where good SEO and good copywriting come together.
One of the mistakes copywriters can make is becoming so focused on incorporating the keyword that the writing starts sounding forced.
Try not to shoehorn the same phrase into every second subheading, and don’t waste time and space doing a long run-up before you get to the useful information.
The headline should tell readers what the page is about and give them a reason to continue. In my courses, I spend nearly 40% of the course teaching students how to work out what the headline should be, because once you’ve done that, writing the rest of the copy gets a lot easier.
Your subheadings should then act as guide ropes, helping readers navigate the information that follows.
If you struggle to work out what your body copy should say, look at the relevant questions people are asking. Where appropriate, you can use those questions to help shape your subheadings and then answer them in the body copy.
Your body copy should flow naturally from one point to the next. Linking words such as because, for example, however, which means that and that’s why can help create that rhythm and keep the argument moving rather than making the page read like a collection of disconnected SEO points.
And above all, answer the question they came to have answered.
And don’t forget the call to action
Search intent should also influence what you ask the reader to do next.
Someone reading What does a copywriter do? may not be ready to book a $5,000 website project.
They might, however, read another article, download a useful checklist or sign up for a newsletter.
Someone searching freelance website copywriter Melbourne may be much closer to making an enquiry.
Someone searching hire copywriter Melbourne may want to see services, prices, examples of work or testimonials before getting in touch.
So don’t automatically slap BOOK A CALL NOW at the bottom of every SEO page and assume you’ve done your job. Think about what the searcher appears to be trying to achieve and what would make sense for them to do next.
Five things to remember before you write your next SEO page
- Start with intent, not just the keyword. Ask what the person typing those words into Google is actually trying to achieve.
- Use the search results as a creative brief. Look at what is already ranking, the types and formats of pages Google is showing, the questions being answered and the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) pages features surrounding them. They’re all clues about the intent behind the search.
- Match the format to the intent. If the results indicate people want a guide, write a guide. If they want a comparison, compare. If the query has strong transactional intent, make it easy for people to take the relevant action.
- Write for the person, not simply the keyword. Keywords matter, but your reader still needs a clear headline, useful information, natural language and copy that answers their question without making them work too hard for it.
- Make the call to action fit the moment. Don’t ask someone to leap five steps ahead. Give them a logical next action based on what they were searching for in the first place.
When someone types a keyword into Google, there’s something they want to find, learn, compare or do.
Your job as a copywriter is to understand what that is and make it as easy as possible for them to find what they need.
So, before you start your next SEO copywriting job, spend ten minutes looking at the search results.
Look at what ranks, the format, the language and the questions people are asking.
Then ask yourself:
- What does this person want?
- What kind of page will give it to them?
- What should they logically do next?
Then start writing.
Spend ten minutes working this out before you start and you could save yourself three hours writing copy for the wrong page.
Happy writing!
