THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL WRITING AND SEO WRITING
Many people who consider themselves good writers are a bit intimidated by the idea of writing content for the Internet. English majors or Creative Writing majors who graduate with honors may feel as if they could write in any style, for any type of publication, with any target audience; only to discover that they get turned down for website copywriter positions time after time. So what is this secret to SEO writing, and what makes Internet writing so different from traditional writing styles?
TRADITIONAL WRITING METHODS
In traditional writing, the emphasis is on expressing ideas and relaying information, usually with a unique flair that is enjoyable for the reader. This desire for a rich style runs throughout many different traditional writing mediums—from daily newspapers to literary novels. Writers search for just the right word that will get their point across, paying close attention to varying their word choices and sentence structures. Long, complex sentences and obscure vocabulary become a measure of the writer’s knowledge and proficiency, perhaps as a result of years of academic training.
While there is definitely a place for traditional writing styles, it is tough to make an argument that they belong in website content. Instead, a skilled content writer will turn to the proven method of SEO writing.
SEO WRITING METHODS
In a nutshell, SEO writing is a condensed, targeted offshoot of traditional writing forms. There are several characteristics of SEO writing that are notable:
- Keywords: Keywords are the words or phrases that Internet users search for as they cruise around the web. Good SEO writing incorporates these keywords, using a moderate percentage of between 2% and 7%. Too much keyword usage results in a lower ranking for search engines, which is exactly the opposite of what is desired. The skill comes with being able to smoothly incorporate these keywords into SEO writing without the reader even noticing them.
- Condensed: Internet readers what to get to the point—and quickly! Long, drawn out sentences and paragraphs that cause the reader to scroll repeatedly will turn most of your website visitors off. SEO writing is usually much more concise and crisp than other forms of traditional writing, and often uses more bullets and numbered lists. Basically, you want the reader to be able to find the information they want quickly and easily.
- Link Building: When you are writing you have to learn how to leave links to other writings on your website. These links are internal page links and help google understand what key phrases you are trying to show up for on Google. You should also get other websites to link to your content using the same keyword phrases if possible. There are text links and graphic links and in seo writing you should understand the two.
DIRECTORY ONE AND SEO WRITING
Directory One has experienced copywriters on staff who understand the difference between quality traditional writing and effective SEO writing in Houston. Let us help you learn how to create excellent website copy, press releases and newsletters; or simply tell us what your company offers and let us write the copy for you! Contact us today at 713.465.0051.
If you are interested in practicing your seo writing skills with Directory One we are interested in talking to you. Please call us at 713-269-3094 and talk to us.