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Like most of us, I'm still learning about how to write effective SEO copy (although there are lots of writers who wouldn't be so upfront about their learning process - it isn't necessarily always 'cool' to say you're not an expert). This is what I've learned so far:

It's all about key words. That's the reason why a helium marketplace assignment often has guidelines attached to it which say things like 'the phrases search engine optimisation and key words should feature prominently in the copy'. Generally speaking the more frequently certain key phrases feature in the body of the article, the more likely it is that the article will appear in a relevant search engine search. And it is generally agreed that if you position your key words near the beginning of an article this has to be a 'good thing'. So folks. How do you write effective SEO copy? (Note the repetition here...)

When thinking about writing effective SEO copy the best place to start is to actually put yourself in the shoes of the user who might be searching for an article on the subject in question. So, for example - say you're a person who owns a company or works for a charity and you want to put a piece of writing together that is going to show in the top results of a Google (or other search engine) search. So if writing about 'how to write effective SEO copy' don't choose a title for the article which has little connection with these words. A bad example would be: 'how to position your article in the market'. Not only is this a boring title, but a search engine would probably focus on the word 'market' positioning and 'article' in this instance, rather than the words you really want it to focus on: namely - 'effective SEO copy'.

Confused? Yes it does seem quite complicated sometimes. Not least because information about the workings of search engines and their algorithms aren't freely available to the general public, so there is an element of mystery about it all. Wikepedia has this to say on SEO as a marketing strategy:

'SEO may generate a return on investment. However, search engines are not paid for organic search traffic, their algorithms change, and there are no guarantees of continued referrals. Due to this lack of guarantees and certainty, a business that relies heavily on search engine traffic can suffer major losses if the search engines stop sending visitors'. (Wikipedia, February, 2008)

If you ask me, we're back to that old chestnut - writing quality content.

Learn more about this author, Frances Laing.
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