The huge misconception about SEO copywriting is that it’s markedly different than conventional copywriting. That is, it’s *all* about the engines and driving traffic – and things like conversion, tone and feel and connecting with the customer don’t count. I really don’t know how that perception got started, but it drives me nuts.

The reality is: SEO copywriting does *exactly* what conventional copywriting does – persuade the reader so convincingly that she wants to buy what you’re selling (or download what you’re offering.)

However, SEO copywriting has an added bit of complexity, in that we know that people are *searching for information using particular keyphrase search queries.* In order to control your search rankings as much as you can – and for people to easily find a page during a keyphrase search – those keyphrases need to be on the page.

For instance, I work with a lot of catalog marketers. They produce beautiful print catalogs that are wonderfully written – but horrible for search engine positioning. Why? The person writing the copy wasn’t thinking “search engines” when she wrote it (and why would she?) So, even if the intent of the copy was to sell “leather bracelets” – she may not have included the word “leather bracelet” in the copy. I know – it seems like a no brainer to include the term. But it’s an issue with about 95 percent of the clients I work with.

A SEO copywriter would make sure that the term “leather bracelet” *was* in the copy – but also make sure that it’s not in the copy *so* much that it sounds like the example you provided in your article. She would conduct keyphrase research and make sure that the keyphrase was specific to the product (“men’s braided leather bracelet.”) She may also discover that “leather bracelet reviews” was a popular keyphrase, and suggest to the client (if it was applicable) that they build out a page profiling “leather bracelet reviews.” In this case, SEO copywriting helps companies find what people are interested in (say, reviews), and serve content that satisfies their needs.

So, SEO copywriting helps catalog companies be more visible during product searches – and then the well-written content sells the product (rather than forcing them to another site, which was the example you sited). Major publishers use SEO copywriting principals to help their articles get found more often (which increases their ability to sell ad space for more money.) B2B companies use SEO copywriting principals to come up during a vendor search and “soft sell” their services so people fill out a RFP. It’s everywhere you look if you know how to look for it. Unfortunately, it’s the crap sites that get the SEO copywriting press. And that’s sad.

Thanks for your great question. I’m enjoying your posts as well!