SEO copywriting advice for weary creatives

Veteran copywriters might consider creative SEO writing an oxymoron. I’ve heard this rant before.
As business has evolved, copywriters have been forced to adapt in many ways since the time of Mad Men-style creative work.

They’ve had to accept creative limitations imposed by corporate brand guidelines, structured banner ads and email marketing along with other intrusions on their creative sensibilities. This has often been met with much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Add to this the requirements of copywriting for SEO (search engine optimization) and you might start hearing declarations about the death of creativity.
But let’s not be hasty. SEO writing does not have to inhibit your Web content creativity.

What is SEO copywriting?

Let’s start with a definition from Wikipedia: “SEO copywriting is textual composition for web page marketing that emphasizes skillful manipulation of the page’s wording to place it among the first results of a user’s search list, while still producing readable and persuasive content.”

As a copywriter you should be relieved by the use of words like skillful wording, readable and persuasive. As a right-brainiac creative thinker you will need to exercise your left brain a little more as you work through the new rules of writing SEO content for the Web. But once you become familiar with them you will start to see opportunities to write creative, compelling and persuasive online copy that is also search optimized.

Those pesky SEO writing rules

SEO is critical to content marketing success. There is ample research to show that after email, search is the most common online activity. So yes, there are SEO rules you must follow in order for your content to be found.

Many creative people rebel at the idea of rules. A lot of breakthrough ideas come from bucking convention and breaking the rules, so creatives are naturally inclined to bristle at following them. Here is a short list of SEO copywriting rules they might find most constricting to the flow of creative juices:

Keyword density. Telling a writer which words to use is a little like telling Babe Ruth which baseball bat to take to the plate. Telling a writer how many times to place a word or phrase into content is like telling Babe Ruth how many swings to take.

Headlines. “Here is the key phrase you need in the headline. Keep it under 65 characters. Oh, and make it punchy.”

Subheads and heading tags. Similar to headline challenges, subheads also need to synchronize with keywords in the title tag. For SEO best practices there should be an H1 and an H2 heading on each page.

Linking. Incorporating links to other Web pages with keywords in the anchor text is one more SEO writing rule to tax the copywriter’s creativity.

This is not a comprehensive list, but you get the idea. There are numerous words and elements already established before the first word is written. Writing around these requirements can make for a challenging assignment. The good news for cranky copywriters is you can still produce search-optimized content that is creative. Really.

How to make SEO copy more creative

First, it’s important to remember that copywriting formulas are not new. There have been direct marketing best practices formulas used in advertising and sales letters for decades. There has always been room for creativity within them. The same holds true in copywriting for SEO. You just need to get comfortable with the context and the rules.
Within the context of SEO writing rules you can apply some of the time-honored creative approaches that will work in any platform – print or digital. Answer the applicable 5-Ws:

1. Who you are writing to? Who is your website visitor? Who are the decision makers?
2. What are they searching for? What question are they trying to answer? What must they know to make a decision?
3. When do they need an answer? When are they going to reach a decision?
4. Where are they? Where do they need to be to reach a decision? Where are you?
5. Why should they choose you over other options?

Another classic formula you can build into your SEO copy is the AIDA marketing model:

• Attention: attract attention and create awareness in your web visitor
• Interest: build interest by focusing on advantages and benefits
• Desire: convince your web visitor they want you to satisfy their need
• Action: tell them what to do with an effective call-to-action

5 Tips to jumpstart your SEO copywriting creative

1. Write the headline first. Your headline is the set-up for the entire page. It makes a promise and offers a preview for what the reader is expecting. Nail that down and the rest will flow much easier.
2. Write the subheads next. They provide an outline of idea chunks that flow from your headline. You’ve also cleared the hurdle of embedding major keywords, which will free you to think creatively about the rest of the content.
3. Brainstorm keyword variations. Think about different combinations of key phrases, and plural and past tenses that will lend variety to readability while still optimizing your Web content.
4. Group ideas into chunks. Readers and search engines scan online information in chunks, so use bullet and numbered lists and other formatting to enhance creative and search optimization.
5. Don’t let the rules distract you from applying the fundamentals of persuasive writing. Don’t forget what works.

Giving Despite Being Weary of Doing So

In Your Bible Read This Out Loud: Hebrews 6:12  

Memorize This Verse: Psalm 103:2 

Afterwards Talk About This:  The faith and patience spoken of in Hebrews 6:12 we need to inherit financial promises. 

Something To Do Before Next Time:  Make a list of the times God has blessed you financially.  

Written Diploma Work:  Write one side on why a person's financial harvest may be delayed. 

Meditate Word By Word On This Verse:  Psalm 25:13

This section about giving during the tough times will consider the need to keep on giving despite being weary. The vast majority of Christians who regularly give will experience times where they see no apparent harvest for the financial seeds they have sown. It is during these times that doubts come against faith, discouragement sets in and the temptation arises to stop giving altogether. If you are going a time where you are tempted to stop giving as you have sown much but not seen a harvest, then this chapter is for you draw encouragement from the scriptures that will be looked at. 

Primarily in a situation where someone has faithfully been giving but has yet to see a harvest, it must be emphasised they have a right to expect a harvest. It doesn't matter if a black man or a white man, a man or a woman, an American or an African has sown financial seed - God is no respecter of colour or gender or nationality anyone who sows shall reap. 

The laws of sowing and reaping are not like the laws of gambling where you may or may not see a return - anyone who has obeyed and believed God with their giving will receive from God. Consequently it is not a question of someone waiting years wondering if God has seen their giving and wondering if he will decide to send a financial harvest their way. It is not a case of if a harvest comes but when it comes - if you have been honouring God financially you can boldly and confidently expect a harvest.   

Moreover not only is it the case of when, not if, the harvest will come but another large factor to be considered is that the harvest will come in God's timing and nothing and nobody can speed up their harvests. No farmer would sow seed on Sunday and look for a harvest on Monday morning yet many Christians give in the offering plate on Sunday evening and expect a cheque in the post on Monday morning. 

Galatians 6:9 says, 'For at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up' and no amount of spiritual warfare, pleading and prophesying will speed up the harvest. Relax in the knowledge of God's wisdom and love and that he will release your harvest to you at the right time - surely he will not let you down. 

It has been argued previously that the timing, form, method and quantity of any harvest is solely in the determination of God and we simply cannot tell God when, where and how to bless us doing so could well lead us to miss out entirely on the blessing of God. 

 

In his infinite knowledge God will seek to bless us in the best way possible but this sometimes doesn't fit in with what we think he should be blessing us! Remember that the bible speaks of God holding the oceans in the palm of his hand - God is massive, awesome and Lord of all and this same God is not unaware of those who have been honouring him with their finances and those who haven't. 

The previous scripture from Galatians 6:9 leads onto a very serious point about giving when you still haven't seen a harvest namely, that we have the capacity to loose our harvest the scripture says 'We will reap a harvest if we do not give up'. Consequently the question arises - what is the evidence that someone has given up in their faith and has stopped believing God for a financial harvest? 

Surely one of the evidences is that they will stop giving financially because if you no longer believe that God is going to bless you financially, then you will have no desire or motivation to give financially. It is therefore tremendously important that you keep on giving despite being weary of doing so and despite not seeing a harvest keep your faith alive by choosing to keep on giving. 

 

Keep on praying and saying and believing that the harvest is coming keep on giving and don't become weary of doing so. The devil is out to devour your harvest - as you choose to keep on giving in the tough times you will shield your harvest and shut his mouth with it's doubts and discouragements. 

Sadly not only is there a tremendous need to carry on giving during the tough times but all too often Christians will give up and stop giving and stop believing about 5 minutes before their harvest is due - a good example of this is the story of the miraculous catch of fish in Luke 5:1-11. After toiling all night the disciples are tired and weary yet the voice of the master encourages them to put their nets out one more time even tough they are weary they obey the voice of the master and they receive a net breaking catch of fish. 

Perhaps you too have been toiling in the area of your finances and you have been giving until you have become weary of doing so - has not the voice the voice of the master also come to you, encouraging you to keep on giving? It could be that your harvest is only weeks, days or even hours away - perhaps you only have to give a couple more times and that will trigger God's flood of blessings into your life - DO NOT GIVE UP! - KEEP ON GIVING. 

Finally, a very good exercise to do when you have been giving for a long time without seeing a harvest is to put yourself in remembrance of your previous harvests and meditate on the goodness of God that you have already seen in your life. Psalm 103:2 says, 'Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits' unfortunately, so often we focus on the fact we have been waiting for a while for a harvest that we completely forget all the previous times God has blessed. 

If God has blessed you previously he will surely bless you in the future so let your previous blessings encourage you to persevere and keep on giving in order that you may experience even more. All Christians who give will go for periods where they see no apparent results but all the time they have been giving it could be the angels of God have been at work in the unseen spirit realm preparing a harvest for them which will be released in God's perfect timing.