Which is better SEO or copywriting?

Bijgewerkt: 28 July 2023

Content marketing is one of the best ways to reach leads. It is also easy to involve them in your business and convert them into customers. Two important parts of content marketing are SEO and copywriting.

These two can overlap. For example, when it comes to SEO copywriting. But you also have SEO content writing. Actually, there are several terms, and this can be confusing. That’s why I explain the differences between SEO and copywriting, and which of the two is better.

SEO is an umbrella name

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is an umbrella name for several child elements. SEO consists of three pillars:

• Content
• Technology
• Back links

Not every pillar has the same weighting factor. Content outweighs technology. But technology outweighs backlinks.

Let me explain it simply. Without content your website would be empty. You need content to show something to the public. Only when you have good content can Google link you to certain search results. So content is the most important part of SEO.

Users should have a good experience on your website. That is why technical optimization of your site is important. But content always comes before technology. When the content on a web page matches a query very well, but the technique is poor, Google will still rank this web page higher.

Backlinks are recommendations from other websites. Search engines track backlinks to determine the relationship between two websites. A recommendation helps build authority. But because link building (= collecting backlinks) is widely abused, it is not the most important ranking factor.

The difference between copywriting and SEO writing

Content is therefore the most important pillar of SEO. Content marketing means different techniques. It’s not just about content on your website, but also content for social media, emails, video content, white papers and e-books. Podcasts, case studies and webinars also fall under content marketing.

With content marketing you can use copywriting or SEO writing. SEO content writing and copywriting are often confused. The differences can be large or very small. This is because there are many overlaps. I am going to explain to you the difference between copywriting and SEO writing.

What is SEO Content?

Nothing is as mysterious as SEO content. For one, SEO content is telling a good story. The other focuses on keywords. The biggest mistake many writers make is focusing only on search engines. Black hat SEO techniques quickly emerge, such as spamming with keywords.

Good SEO content is written for the user. The content is informative, understandable and helpful. Furthermore, the content is written in such a way that it is easy to find in search engines.

SEO content adds value to the reader. The main difference between SEO content and regular content is that you take search queries and search intent into account. When you look at SEO content, it is meant to teach or help users. But also to increase the position in the ranking. As a result, this content is better found by users.

What is Copywriting?

Copywriting is very different from SEO content. It has a different purpose. Copywriting tells a story. It is intended to connect readers with a brand. Usually copywriting is used for drafting advertising texts.

You also have SEO copywriting

Basically, SEO copywriting should attract and sell leads. But you also have SEO copywriting. This is a mix of SEO content and copywriting. The intention is to attract organic traffic through SEO copywriting and convert users into customers.

Which is better, SEO or copywriting?

When you have to choose between SEO or copywriting, SEO offers more results. SEO is the cheapest and has a high ROI.

Because SEO contains several components, it is important to make a choice. Content is the best investment you can make. For every dollar you spend on content, you earn about 35 dollar. And that’s quite a lot.

Most companies hire a copywriter. They think a copywriter can help them increase organic visibility. This is a common mistake. A regular copywriter can hardly realize this.

If you want to be found in search engines, you need an SEO copywriter. Not someone who writes ad-copy or copy for sales pages.

When do you hire an SEO copywriter?

An SEO copywriter has several tasks. This consists of writing different types of SEO content. You can think of blogs, how-to articles, wiki articles, but also a homepage or a product page.

SEO content consists of SEO-friendly web pages. These web pages attract traffic from search engines. But they are also conversion pages. In addition, you can think of link building content, or perhaps guest blogs for SEO.

When organic traffic is your primary goal, you need an SEO copywriter. This is what you can expect:

• Improve your website’s keyword ranking
• More clicks to your website
• Build authority
• Directing users to other web pages within your website
• Convert unique visitors into leads, customers or subscribers

Writing the Key Components of SEO

It is important to know how SEO writing works. It is not the same as writing a book or advertising copy. In SEO writing, the goal is to improve organic search results. In addition, the text must be appealing enough to convert readers into paying customers.

Below you will find the main key components of SEO writing. I always apply these components when I write SEO texts for clients.

Understand the target audience

It all starts with understanding the target audience. You cannot write SEO content without knowing who it is intended for. That is why I always do research into the target group and try to gain insight into their needs and wishes.

A keyword research

The second key component is conducting keyword research. What keywords do people use in search engines? It is not only about finding the most popular search terms, but also about the search intent of the target group.

I research words related to your product or service. A search term can determine the content of your web pages.

Writing for people

It is not easy to write good SEO content. The content should be aimed at people, not search engines. That is a mistake that many writers make: they are too busy with search engine optimization. This gives the content an impersonal and artificial character.

Search engines are smart enough to figure out if content is written for humans or search engines. On the other hand, you have to send a signal to search engines about the topics you write about.

I have now written more than 50,000 texts for the internet. Because of this, I am well able to create the best SEO content. My content is crawlable, relevant and meets user intent. That’s how I do it for content I create for clients.

Tell your brand story

SEO copywriting goes much further than good visibility in search engines. It is also telling a brand story. This builds a bond between your brand and the audience. This makes you distinctive in a market that is probably overcrowded.

The conclusion is that there are differences between SEO and copywriting. When you want to build authority and attract new audiences, hiring an SEO copywriter is the best choice.

Contact me

Looking for an SEO copywriting service or content marketing support? Please get in touch for more information.

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