What is an SEO text?
SEO texts are textual content optimized for search engines. It is specifically content optimized to improve your website’s visibility in search engines.
Defining exactly what SEO copy is can be a bit of a challenge. Essentially, the term covers everything from blog posts to sales copy that is optimized for specific keywords. The purpose is to attract traffic that can be converted into leads/sales.
Historically, many have perceived SEO texts as something you do to get traffic. For example, keyword stuffed text at the bottom of your product category page or blog. But things have changed a lot since then.
Today, SEO texts are about much more than just getting traffic. On the contrary, it is about creating valuable content that provides a good user experience. At the same time, it meets the quality requirements of search engines.
Why are SEO texts still important?
SEO texts are still important as they help improve a website’s ranking in search results. Quality content optimized according to Google’s guidelines improves the user experience, builds credibility and increases conversions.
While there will always be people out there who write SEO content for the sake of “stuffing”, it’s worth considering an alternative approach. The explosion in the use of generative AI solutions (e.g. ChatGPT, etc.) has put the focus on the quality of online content and raised an important debate.
This has given “SEO texts” a new negative reputation, as many new texts generated by AI build on already existing content. Therefore, it can quickly come to sound like “old wine in new bottles”. This development led to Google launching a new algorithm update called “Unhelpful Content” in March 2024.
This specifically aims to deprioritize or penalize content that is created solely to rank in search engines, rather than benefiting users. This means lower rankings, missing and removed indexing.
SEO texts are therefore still important if you want to remain visible and relevant.
What is good SEO text?
Good SEO text is characterized by the fact that it manages to balance being relevant and valuable to the reader, but also meets the quality requirements of search engines.
Specifically, this means that good SEO text:
- Is relevant to the target audience: It answers the questions the target audience is looking for answers to. Where it provides them with valuable information or entertainment.
- Is well-written and engaging: It is easy to read, understand, and captures the reader’s interest.
- Is optimized for search engines: It contains relevant keywords and is structured in a way that makes it easy for search engines to understand and crawl the content.
- Is unique and original: It does not copy existing content from other websites, but offers a unique angle or perspective.
Writing good SEO texts is therefore about much more than selecting primary keywords and associated LSI keywords.
How to write good SEO texts
Most texts have a specific purpose, whether it’s to guide the reader through a funnel or directly generate sales. Writing content for the sake of content is rarely a “good” business. That said, how do you write good SEO texts?
There are 2 components to writing good SEO texts (1) satisfying your target audience (2) meeting the requirements of search engines. To get the most out of your text, you should think strategically and work purposefully with copywriting.
It’s not just about getting the reader’s attention, but also about creating value and achieving concrete results.
Phase 1- Strategic considerations before writing
- Who is your target audience? Define their interests, needs, and search habits.
- What is the purpose of the text? Do you want to inform, convince or entertain?
- Where should the text be published? Adapt the text to the format (blog, website, social media, etc.).
- What keywords do you want to target? Select your primary search engine that your target audience uses. Also use related keywords within the topic.
- How long is the text length? Your topic will determine whether your text should be short or long. Write enough to answer the search intent behind the query.
- How will you measure success? Define clear ‘non-SEO’ goals for your text (e.g. conversions, sales, or moving people through a funnel).
We have intentionally omitted specific SEO KPIs, as they are a natural consequence of successful copy. Higher rankings in search results, more organic traffic, and the like are results.
It is important to remember that a text without a clear purpose in the top 3 in SEPRS is less valuable than a text with a defined purpose that may rank a little lower on the first page.
Phase 2 – The actual writing work
- Write a catchy H-1 headline: Capture the reader’s attention with a relevant and interesting headline that includes your primary keyword.
- Structure your content: Use clear heading structure (H1, H2, H3). Create readable paragraphs and bullet points to make the text easy to read and skim.
- Incorporate keywords naturally: Use your primary keyword and related keywords in a way that sounds natural and not forced.
- Write engaging content: Use active and vivid language that suits your target audience and brand. Vary sentence structures and provide relevant examples to keep the reader engaged.
- Optimize page title and meta description: Write a catchy page title and meta description that includes your primary keyword and summarizes the content of the text. Google doesn’t always rewrite your meta data.
- Use internal and external links: Link to other relevant pages on your website and to credible external sources to strengthen the authority of your text.
- Optimize for mobile: Make sure your text is easy to read and navigate on mobile devices.
- Add visual elements: Use images, videos, and infographics to make your text more visually appealing and break up long sections of text.
Phase 3 – Editing
- Speed optimization: Make sure images and videos are optimized according to Core Web Vitals for fast loading.
- Proofreading and editing: Review the text thoroughly to ensure it is grammatically correct, well-written, and free of errors. Remove unnecessary words and phrases that do not contribute to the message.
- Optimize readability: Use tools to assess and improve the readability of your text (e.g. LIX numbers). Write in short sentences and avoid unnecessarily complex words.
- Add external and internal links: Add relevant internal and external links to strengthen the credibility and SEO value of the text.
Phase 4 – Monitoring and adjustment
- External link building: Acquire external links from relevant authoritative sites to your content in order to support
- Content Update: Keep your text relevant and up-to-date by adding new information and removing outdated content.
- Monitor results: Keep a close eye on how your text performs in search engines and make adjustments based on data and insights.
- Track performance: Use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to track KPIs like rankings, clicks, traffic, and conversions.
Also consider how your SEO text can play into your overall content marketing strategy. Can you reuse the content and topics in your email marketing? Create posts on relevant social media? Or in other ways that can leverage the text’s potential.
Don’t forget E-E-A-T
Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) has become a central concept in SEO. Google has long emphasized the importance of quality content, with E-E-A-T being a way to assess whether content meets these standards.
How do you achieve E-E-A-T in your SEO texts?
- Expertise: Show that you have an in-depth understanding of the topic by using correct terminology, presenting accurate facts, and avoiding superficial explanations.
- Experience: Share concrete examples, case studies, or personal experiences that show you have practical experience with the topic.
- Authority: Cite credible sources, such as research articles, industry experts, or recognized organizations.
- Credibility: Make sure your content is up-to-date, factually accurate, and free of errors. Use professional language and avoid clickbait headlines.
By focusing on E-E-A-T in your SEO texts, you can increase your website’s credibility and authority in the eyes of Google and users. This can lead to higher rankings in search results, more organic traffic, and ultimately greater success for your business.
Get professional help writing SEO-friendly texts
For many business owners, it can be a challenge to manage the operations of their business while also managing SEO on their website. This can lead to delays or low-quality content that doesn’t deliver the desired results.
SEO is an ongoing process, and results don’t come overnight. How long SEO takes depends on several factors. It can take several months to see noticeable improvements in your website’s search engine rankings.
Good SEO copy not only helps you rank higher in search results. It can also boost sales and drive more conversions. That’s why it makes sense to get professional SEO help from an SEO company so you can get more out of your organic efforts.
Let us help you create good SEO texts
At Click in you can get professional assistance for SEO without obligation. Whether you want optimization of your own SEO texts from a professional copywriter, SEO consulting, SEO analysis or something completely different is entirely up to you. Contact us if you are interested in knowing more.
Martin Sølberg
Frequently asked questions about SEO texts
How long should an SEO text be?
There is no magic formula for how long SEO text should be to rank high in search engines. It’s more about creating relevant, high-quality content that answers users’ search queries in the best possible way.
When writing SEO copy, our primary focus should always be on delivering value to the reader. This means that the length of the text should be dictated by the complexity of the topic and the amount of information needed to cover the topic thoroughly. It is important to get all the essential points across without filling the text with unnecessary filler.
Long texts can have their advantages. They provide an opportunity to delve into a topic and demonstrate your knowledge. But length alone is no guarantee of success. If the text is filled with repetition, unreadable walls of text, fluff, or irrelevant information, it is unlikely to perform well, no matter how long it is.
It’s about finding the right balance. Some topics can be covered adequately in 500 words, while others require several thousand words. The most important thing is that the text is well-written, engaging (using short paragraphs) and provides value to the reader.
What is the difference between SEO texts and regular texts?
The difference between SEO texts and regular texts lies in the purpose. When we write texts for SEO, we optimize for search engines to attract many visitors and potential customers.
Google looks here to see if your text contains:
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Strategically selected keywords
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Relevant related words
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Clear and logical structure
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Relevant outbound links to relevant sources
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Most important points regarding the topic
Regular texts focus primarily on the message, while SEO texts also need to rank high. Good texts for SEO balance between being informative and search engine friendly, so that it makes sense to the reader. Both types require correct grammar, but SEO optimization of your text involves many things.
How do I find the right keywords for my SEO texts?
Finding the right keywords for your SEO copy requires research and understanding your primary target audience. Start by considering what words and phrases they are likely to use when searching for information related to your content.
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Semrush to analyze search volume and competition for a given term. Also, look at “People are also searching for” and related searches at the bottom of Google’s search results page to find inspiration and long-tail keywords.
Analyze your competitors’ and related content and see how many words they use. Once you have a list, choose the most relevant ones and integrate them naturally into your texts.
Remember that the keyword must make sense in context and that the purpose of writing texts is to provide value to the reader, not just to satisfy the search engines.
Is it enough to just write SEO texts to rank high on Google?
Unfortunately, just writing SEO copy is not enough to rank high on Google. While writing better SEO copy that includes your keyword strategically is an important part of the process, it is only one piece of a larger puzzle.
Google also loves technical optimization of your website, high-quality link building, good user experience and fast loading times. In addition, content that activates psychological triggers, such as curiosity and calls to action, can not only improve your CTR, but also business.
To achieve better rankings, you need to have a holistic approach to SEO. Only by combining good texts with the other SEO elements can you achieve good rankings and attract relevant traffic.
How do I measure the effect of my SEO texts?
Use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics. In Search Console, you can see how Google rates your pages, which keywords drive traffic to your texts, and how high your search result appears in a Google search.
In Google Analytics you can see how users interact with the SEO text, for example how long they spend on the page and whether they click through to other pages via internal links.
You can also ask your users questions directly, for example through questionnaires, to get feedback on the quality and relevance of your texts. By combining this data, you can get a solid picture of your SEO texts’ performance and identify areas for improvement.
