1) Grammatical Errors & Spelling Mistakes
Maybe this is just an SEO Copywriter’s perspective, but nothing turns readers off like blatant typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. How can a reader take your content seriously if you do not take the simple time to spell-check your work? Grammatical errors such as not knowing the difference between then and than, or they’re, their, and there are also pretty unimpressive. The common internet user or aspiring copywriter knows the differences between these word uses, so errors such as these will quickly turn them off to your page. They will likely leave the page upon finding too many instances of careless typos or general grammatical stupidity (I usually give web content the 2 strike rule, if I notice more than 2 errors within a small amount of copy, I immediately leave the page in search of better information).

The common web surfer however, may not catch more nit-picky errors such as effect/affect misuses, or missing hyphenations of words, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the time to learn their proper uses. If you don’t recall all of the rules from your college AP Stylebook, I suggest you take a little time to read up on situations in which you feel uncertain. No SEO Copywriter needs to have 100% perfect college level diction at all times (this will actually turn off most web users), but copywriters do need to make sure they don’t publish material with common and blatant mistakes. I find it pretty amazing to see the amount of mistakes on many pages where content is devoted exclusively to copywriting tips.

2) Enough is Enough
This is one of the most difficult things to realize for many copywriters, know when to stop! We have all heard that web users hardly ever read through content, they scan it. Because of this, copywriters should use only the most useful information when writing. I have the hardest time with this topic, as (like many copywriters) I feel like everything I include is necessary to reach the maximum audience, while properly explaining my ideas and thoughts. The logic behind this is to only include the pertinent details of your topic. Remove the fluff, try not to repeat yourself too often, and if available, have an unbiased individual read your content and give you feedback. Enough is Enough also goes for keywords, don’t cram keywords into your copy just to make it more “relevant” to search engines. Instead, include keywords 3-5 times per page, Google crawlers will get the point of what you’re saying after that.

3) Not Enough is Not Enough
This is the polar opposite of tip 2. Don’t write too vague, forgetting to include your important details. Depending on your article or press release, your readers may need more background information that an industry professional may not need. Keep in mind who your audience is, and write to meet their informational needs. A few key ideas to remember when writing SEO content are:
• Always answer Who, What, When, Where, Why. Provide additional details for each only when necessary.
• Include relevant statistics and numbers when applicable. Don’t give useless statistics, and always reference where they came from.
• Explain technical jargon that the “average” reader may not understand.

4) Not Reading Copy Aloud
This is a very useful technique that goes along with the first tip, Grammatical Errors & Spelling Mistakes. Reading copy aloud will help you prevent run-on sentences and grammatical problems within your copy. Writing copy in software like Microsoft Word or OpenOffice will alert you of most grammatical and spelling issues before you post your content online. If possible, read copy aloud to another person, because they can tell you when sentences become convoluted and hard to understand. If a person listening to a sentence doesn’t understand it, then a reader probably won’t either. Use this advice to shorten and simplify content, making it easier to scan through.

5) Not Keeping Readers Intrigued
Care to guess quickest way to lose a reader? Boring Content. Simply said, if your content contains nothing new, innovative, or interesting, a reader will begin to read your article, see that it’s exactly like 5 other articles he or she has just read, and move on to another site. There are many methods of keeping readers actively engaged in your writing:
• Tell a Story – Keep them reading because they want to find out what’s next.
• Ask Questions – Direct questions at the reader, ask questions relevant to them.
• Use Humor – People LOVE to read articles that make them laugh, and inform them at the same time.
• Use Synonyms – Reading the same few words repeatedly is boring. Vary your words, even if they have the same meaning, it will enrich the reader’s experience.

6) Forgetting Your Keyword Rules
What is the difference between traditional copywriting and SEO copywriting? The proper use of relevant keywords. My advice is to first write your content as you usually would, in an active and informative manner, and include keywords where they naturally fit. Then, go back and reread your work. If it seems to be lacking in your key terms, add a few examples. DO NOT OVERDO IT. This will turn off readers, and will not help you in Google search ranks. Also be sure to add variations of your keywords. Not every Googler searches for the same keywords, people type in “Luxury vehicles” when your copy may only feature “Luxury cars”. You want your article to show up for any related query that a user may search for, so using synonyms and word variation is essential.

I do my best to follow each of these rules whenever creating TriMark client content. Please comment and tell me what other SEO Copywriting techniques you feel are important to avoid.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 8:58 am and is filed under SEO - Tip of The Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.