September 4, 2007 16:50
Category: Writing
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The other day as I sat for dinner with my friend in a restaurant, I suddenly became aware of exciting talks on SEO services emanating from the table next to ours. "SEO copywriting is a real trap," one guy was saying. "You never know what exactly to write."
I cocked my one ear to their talks while nibbling away at my favorite fish and crab fare spread on the table. My friend did complain at my slow offtake, but then carried on.
Half turning I caught a glimpse of the subjects of my interest. 3 of them, apparently in 20s and in SEO services for a while, were animatedly discussing the intricate points of SEO copywriting.
From their talks they did seem to be knowing the basics of SEO services - the importance of page design, that of keyword analyses, the inevitability of targeted contents and page optimization, and the necessity of link building.
That day however they had a problem. For the first time they encountered a situation where an important client disapproved the contents they wrote for his website.
They were flummoxed by their client's refusal because they didn't think SEO copywriting was anything more than what they all along thought it to be.
What Happened?
Their job was to do the website of their client, whose business was selling solar panels for harnessing solar energy. They completed the site design in record time, got it approved (the client was very happy with the design layout), and proceeded to write some of the regular stuffs like the 'About Us', 'Terms', Disclaimers', 'FAQ', etc. before starting the main page contents.
With a couple of years' experience in SEO copywriting, they breezed through the important content pages, optimizing each with 1 or 2 chosen keywords.
As the final touch-up, they checked that each page had the respective keyword at strategic places, the pages itself named after the keywords, the keyword density not overshooting the SEs' tolerance of 3-5%, the site map having links to all pages, and so on.
Wearing satisfaction of a job done well, they presented the fruit of their labor to the client hoping to produce the final invoice the moment he nodded his approval. However, to their utter surprise, the client refused the page contents. He felt there was lack of purpose in the contents and wanted them redone.
Contents For Machines, Not Humans
What the SEO guys did was to make the page contents congenial to search engine robots - the classic organic optimization technique. They did everything to make the robots happy, but in the process made the website owner unhappy.
The owner knew if the page contents didn't convey a sense of purpose to the human visitors, there was no chance of converting them into buyers.
Clearly a wide gulf existed between the 2 parties in the understanding of what would make the page contents fit and likeable for humans, not machines.
The Dilemma
It is no exaggeration that the SEO guys find themselves in a deep cleft. It may have never occurred to them that they need expert SEO copywriting service to cater to their clients' websites.
Often many website owners pay more attention to page design and even link building with little or no attention to content building.
The irony however is that even if they give priority to content building, the going is hardly smooth. Why?
The reason is relevant content writing is not something that can be produced just out of hat. It may be difficult for even a seasoned SEO copywriter to write on a highly technical subject such as the example above.
On the other hand a technical person who is well versed in say, solar energy may not be a good writer at all.
As a web marketer you may be lucky to get hold of a copywriter who happens to have good knowledge on solar energy. But if you've orders in hand for websites on say, treatment of acne and stock-broking on US bourses, would the same person be able to write contents for you? It's highly unlikely.
The Solution
In most cases therefore, the varying needs of SEO copywriting service can be served by versatile writers having some technical background. It's often said a technical mind usually has those probing eyes that pick out the essential points to make a sound writing that lends weight to the website.
It helps if the technical writer has good understanding of keyword optimization of web pages as well. This is the best possible solution in absence of chance availability of separate SEO copywriter for each of your projects.
And yes, you may find that the cost of good SEO copywriting with relevant technical inputs is way above what you've budgeted for, may be more than even the page designer.
That may as well be, because in the end it is the combination of depth, strength and relevance of contents in a website that successfully drives and converts the visitors.
