Using content as a marketing tool has changed the way businesses find, connect with, and close sales with their prospects.
There are two critical aspects of content marketing: copywriting and search engine optimization (SEO).
In certain cases, marketers may use both as part of a single content strategy without making a distinction between the two.
Being able to tell the distinction between copywriting and SEO writing is critical for any marketer who wants to see their efforts pay off.
Here, we’ll go through each one and how to use it in your business approach.
Content Marketing’s Underlying Principles
We must first have a comprehensive grasp of content marketing in order to distinguish between those two.
The goal of content marketing is to attract, engage, and convert leads through the creation and distribution of information.
Emails, web pages, blog posts, videos, press releases, social media postings, and any other messages you include in your marketing campaign may all be used to provide content. All content is composed of words that must be created in a specific way to accomplish a specific aim.
This is when things can get a little muddled. All of these marketing assets need to be created, but not all of them should be written in the same manner.
Think of it as having a real-life discussion. Regardless of whether you’re telling the same tale to your mother or your closest friend, the manner you tell the storey will likely alter depending on who it is.
Although the end aim is the same with content marketing, you’re delivering information in a new context or driving conversions using a different means.
An In-depth Examination Of Copywriting
What is SEO Writing? The Complete Guide to Writing for Search
Copywriting is a marketing tactic that aims to persuade potential consumers to buy a product or service by presenting them with compelling reasons to do so. Consequently, this type of writing is generally referred to as persuasive writing.
When it comes to copywriting, there are a variety of ways to approach it, depending on the nature of your business and product.
The majority of copywriters’ time is spent working on projects like:
- Direct mail through email.
- Websites.
- A/B testing.
- Advertising in print.
- Scripts for audio and visual media.
Copywriting Elements
- Aiming for a certain audience
In the field of copywriting, you write for a certain audience. As a result, the copy must address a specific problem or pain point in the target audience and pitch the brand as a solution.
Copywriters need to know the minds of the people they are writing for in order to write effectively. Using this talent will assist the copywriter to get the proper message through to their audience.
Developing buyer personas is the first step in creating content that is personalised to individual customers. If you can identify certain demographic groups within your target audience, your copy will be more successful.
Your text will get lost in the shuffle if you don’t know who you’re trying to reach before you start writing.
- The Ability To Elicit An Emotional Response
Another important aspect of copywriting is its capacity to elicit an emotional response from the reader.
To do this, copywriters learn to master the art and ability to utilise words that evoke the appropriate emotional reaction. When it comes to user or reader experience, they might also eliminate certain terms.
This is especially true when it comes to copywriting for mediums such as email subject lines or article headlines that have a limited word count.
Because of this, copywriting is an essential marketing talent. Copy that gets results takes a significant amount of time and work on the part of the writer.
What Is SEO Writing All About?
SEO is one of the most mysterious fields in marketing, and it’s not hard to see why. When it comes to SEO, the goal is to have your content or websites appear high in search results on search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Opera Mini.
Writing for SEO involves incorporating keywords and keyphrases into a piece of online content. SEO is used by copywriters and marketers to improve their website’s organic search engine ranks and exposure.
Optimising content for search engines means using high-quality writing and specific keywords.
So, what exactly is SEO writing?
It is a form of writing where the aim is on providing content that is both search engine and user friendly.
Many content authors make the error of prioritising SEO at the expense of the end-user experience. These are unethical methods of SEO that won’t get you anywhere.
The following are examples of unethical SEO tactics:
- Stuffing keywords.
- Cloaking.
- Buying links from other websites.
A white hat, as the name suggests SEO (the good type) is all about producing content with the end-user in mind.
It is the primary goal of SEO writing to provide content that is both instructive and search engine friendly.
Writing For SEO Requires A Few Key Elements
SEO writing is very different from writing a novel in every way. There are certain characteristics that must be included for this type of writing in order to score well in search results.
- Keyword Research
An SEO writer does keyword research by looking at what people are searching for while looking for your product or service. In the case of long-tail keywords, the content you develop is often guided by these words (or phrases).
You’ll employ these keywords to address queries your viewers have since SEO writing is all about generating helpful content that answers a query. Additionally, they may be used to produce instructional materials such as how-to instructions and the like.
- Write For The Audience First
Many inexperienced SEO writers make the blunder of writing first and foremost for search engines.
If you want to have your content crawled, it’s crucial to make it easy for search engines to find. If you want your content to be found by people, not search engines, you need to write it for humans.
The fact that Google’s algorithms rank content depending on the purpose of the user is another reason why SEO writing must be focused on the reader.
Many backlinks (if the content is strong) and social media shares may be gained by writing for your audience. Both qualities assist your content rise in the search rankings, making it easier for people to find it.
- Be On The Lookout For Algorithmic Shifts
The best strategies to write for SEO are always evolving as well, due to the constant tweaking of search engine algorithms. As a result, SEO writers must keep their knowledge current at all times.
A few of the most important ideas in SEO writing may be summarised as follows. It’s a huge subject that would require a lot more room to cover it all.
How Long Does It Take To Get Results From SEO Writing?
Many industry studies, as well as a number of our own, indicate that content maturation takes, at the very least, a hundred days.
To be considered “mature,” in this context, means that Google hasn’t yet made a final decision on where to place your website in its search results. To get to the top of the search engine rankings, you’ll have a lot of ups and downs within the first 100 days.
At some point, Google will decide whether or not your material is worth keeping on top of the search engine results page (SERP). If your material is still at the top of search results after around 100 days, it is likely to remain there.
Make no decisions or set any goals based only on how well your site performs in the short term. Make a long-term investment in SEO and content marketing if you want your results to add up.
SEO Writing and Copy Writing One Similarity
Although copywriting and SEO writing are two distinct fields, there is a lot of overlap between the two. While both demand extensive writing skills, they have one similar goal—to propel your business ahead.
Both copywriting and SEO writing are aimed at attracting, enticing, and converting potential customers.
However, their approaches to achieving that objective are divergent.
Let’s take a closer look at those distinctions.
The Biggest Distinctions Between SEO writing and Copywriting
To better understand the distinctions between copywriting and SEO writing, let’s take a closer look. As a marketer, you may use this information to determine the appropriate style of writing for certain elements.
- Consumption
There is a major distinction between copywriting and SEO writing because of the way the writing is digested.
It’s fair to say that SEO writing and copywriting both aim to reach the reader or customer where they are: on the internet, in a TV commercial, in a printed ad, or on the product labelling, for example.
SEO writing, on the other hand, is more extensive and can be found in longer words contents like articles and it aims to address a query your potential clients may be experiencing.
Copywriting, on the other hand, is done in a distinct brand voice that you employ while discussing your product and its advantages.
- A certain group of audience
SEO writing is aimed at a far wider audience than copywriting, and this is another key distinction. SEO writing is geared for people at the beginning of the funnel, who are still looking into a certain issue.
To imply it is solely used in this context would be incorrect. At every other stage of the funnel, it’s utilised to entice them to buy your goods and services.
Contrary to this, copywriting primarily targets warm and ready-to-buy prospects. It does not attempt to generate cold leads. Marketing assets such as landing pages and sales pages/letters are good examples.
- Writing Principles
Some marketers wonder which of these two writing styles they should utilise. The answer is “yes” to both questions. In other words, employ both as necessary.
In order for a marketing effort to be successful, it needs both copywriting and SEO writing. You won’t get very far on a bicycle if one of the wheels is missing.
Conclusion
It’s important for any organisation to have both good copywriting and good SEO writing on their staff. As a marketer, you’ll be more equipped to design and execute a successful strategy if you have a firm grasp of these two concepts.
Check out MediaOne Agency’s articles on SEO techniques and services if you’ve gained some useful knowledge from this post and are looking for more.
