Adding content to your website is a huge part of the process of building it. And of course, everyone wants a functional website that is sophisticated and on brand. Unfortunately, website copy often gets overlooked in this process. Many times, people take a DIY approach with website copy. It’s almost an afterthought. But crafted website copy is essential to your SEO strategy because it is created with SEO in mind.
So let’s talk about why crafted website copy matters so you can understand why treating it as an afterthought can be a mistake, especially since SEO is evolving beyond just a focus on keywords.
Crafted Website Copy is Essential Because it Has a Purpose
Believe it or not, having website pages filled with lovely and interesting words is not enough. Crafted website copy is essential if you want to make your website more discoverable with on-page SEO. This requires everything from using the right keywords to keeping search intent in mind. Content structure plays a role too.
Why does all of this matter? Because it requires planning your keywords and content length, as well as your headlines and subheadings so that your pages can be optimized with those keywords on the back end. Doing this helps search engines understand the purpose of your website and each of its pages. All of your pages should fit together to make the whole too, because that cements your authority. And authority increases visibility. Basically, search engines need to make sense of your website to deem it important or relevant, and they do this by the content found there on your optimized pages.
Okay, So What About These Keywords?
Keywords are foundational to your SEO strategy, despite changes in how search engines operate. They are no longer the be-all and end-all of SEO, but they still matter. These keywords are the words and phrases relevant to your industry, your products, and even specific web pages, that people use to search online.
You probably already know that people use specific search phrases to get information or buy products. The search engine then tries to produce the most relevant results based on these words and phrases in combination. Using good keywords matters because the whole point of having a website is to make yourself, or your business, discoverable. You can read more about that here. But the point is, crafted website copy is essential to using these keywords in meaningful and intentional ways to support your SEO strategy.
Yes, SEO is evolving beyond a focus on keywords. Now, AI-driven search engines and LLMs (Large Language Models) are the norm. And these new ways of recognizing relevance that come with these changes mean your website’s authority and discoverability will be determined by parameters beyond the right keywords, or how many you use.
For example, LLMs are often employed when a direct question is asked in the search bar. The content that answers that question is featured in those knowledge panels you see on the right side of the page on Google, for instance. So, if you want a particular piece of content to appear there, it will need to answer questions people are asking and be recognized as that by the LLM.
Why Well-Crafted Website Copy is More Than Using Keywords Now
Although it’s still necessary to use keywords effectively, the copy also has to be compelling and relevant, and the topics and themes must be clear. Keywords also have to be used appropriately and in the right places. Context matters too, for these new AI-driven search engines. This is where search intent comes in.
What is search intent? Well, it’s simply the intent the user has when searching for something online. Are they looking for information? Do they want to make a purchase now? This matters because people want to be directed to the most relevant page and in the fastest way.
Search Engines Focus on the Most Relevant Results
Because it’s the job of these search engines to offer the most relevant results, search intent is factored in now more than before. For example, if someone is trying to find information about you or your business they don’t necessarily want to be directed to your products page. Or your Book page. Or your Services page. They want to be directed to your About page.
These search engines try to interpret the intent of different keywords and phrases to give the best results. This is why it’s so important that the right keywords are used on the right pages of your website! This can be also achieved by having the most relevant content for that page on that page. They now also analyze the words related to the keywords, the topics, and the themes of the content to make sure it all fits in a way that makes sense.
This is why, now more than ever, crafted website copy is essential to good SEO. Ironically, AI search engines tend to avoid revealing results created by AI. At least that’s how it works now, and what is claimed. But if the internet is flooded with AI content and that content is somehow better than human-crafted content, that may change.
But Wait, There’s More!
Along with all of the above, good website copy needs to be used not only on the page, but the keywords also need to be linked to the metadata on the backend of that page. So crafting your content with this in mind is also important! This means the focus keyword/s on the backend of any given page match the keywords on the website page that visitors see. This is the stuff SEO copywriters do! It all works together to create strong SEO. In turn, this makes your website more discoverable to the right people, for the right reasons. You can read more about metadata and on-page SEO here.
Crafted Website Copy Will Always Be Essential
Crafted website copy is essential to making your website discoverable now more than ever. Especially because of these shifts in how search engines index and find content.
Despite these changes, having a well-functioning, secure website filled with slick and professional content, including SEO-focused copy will always be important. Creating fresh content and adding it to your website regularly will also always matter. And the more competitive visibility becomes, the more it will continue to matter, no matter what happens with search engine algorithms or how sophisticated AI becomes, or doesn’t become.
Good News! Monkey C Media offers packages for SEO copywriting. This means you, too, can get a leg up in the SEO game and increase your visibility online! Reach out and see how we can help.
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