Many think that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is marketing, and some believe it's technical, still others will argue that it's writing. It certainly aids in the promotion of sites if the writer has the requisite technical knowledge and a bit of marketing knowledge--and it doesn't hurt to understand hypertext markup language. So is search engine optimization a method better accomplished by a marketing strategist, a technical person, or a copywriter?
Some would define this "technical marketing copy" as the method of optimizing web pages to enable a higher search-engine ranking when specific words used to search (keywords) are strategically placed within a page. Since a writer can easily acquire the skills necessary (keyword understanding, soft selling, and basic HTML-know-how) much easier and more efficiently than a technical person can learn to write, I’d say that this method is better accomplished by a copywriter. I don't even need to mention that a marketing guru's time is much better served analyzing demographics and market niches for her clients...but I did. The industry would probably agree since writers and copywriters conduct the majority of this type of work, although they may not always be the best writers for the subjects chosen.
Unfortunately for the website owners, even if a good writer is well versed in keyword placement and HTML, that doesn’t mean the site will rank high; it doesn't even mean that the page(s) will find its place in the top 50. At the same time, if one doesn’t follow SEO rules, high rankings will definitely not be achieved. Ultimately, SEO is not advertising, although it may help push page ranking, amplify exposure, and increase traffic.
Advertising to increase a web page’s ranking can be guaranteed with techniques such as Google AdWords or paid placement, those ads you see on the side panels. Of course, everyone’s dream is to get top placement on search engine result pages without paying for that type of advertising, and of course to have some relevancy to the consumers’ search.
Some of the easiest SEO copywriting can be simple strategic placement of the keywords, according to SEO rules; some of the most difficult can be making the copy appeal to human readers after doing so. The time necessary for such endeavors depends on the subject, the writer, and the keywords. SEO may be a one-time endeavor for a site, or it may be a continuing work-in-progress, as popular search terms change.
If you’re just starting to write for SEO, pay special attention to the site owner’s keywords and the specific rules she’s given, and of course, when you research, make sure you do not use someone else’s work as your own…paraphrase, cite, or rewrite.
Now, can you tell what the keywords are in this article?
