SEO content writing and SEO copywriting – Are they the one and the same?
Definitely not. There’s a marked difference between both of these and each has its purpose it’s serving.
However, in the business world, and sometimes in the SEO world, there’s huge confusion with these terms.
At YellowFin Digital, we offer Houston SEO services and we often have clients asking for SEO content writing when they actually mean copywriting. It’s a common misconception that needs to be put to rest once and for all.
Our experts from our digital marketing agency will address this big question and shed some light on the difference.
What Is SEO Content Writing?
Before we look at the differences, let’s first get clarity on what each of these actually is.
You need content on your website to get leads and customers. But not just any content is going to make the cut. You need high-quality, conversion-driven content that attracts your target customers.
This is where SEO content writing comes in.
The main goal of SEO content writing – increase the organic traffic to your website.
To do that, you will require content written to appeal to the various ranking factors of search engines.
At our SEO company, we use SEO content writing for various purposes like:
- SEO blogs
- SEO web pages
- Local SEO conversion pages
- Guest posts for SEO
- Link building pages
Typically, anything that’s aimed to bring more leads to your website comes under SEO content writing. These different sources can be from search engines, paid ads, users from other websites, etc.
One more area where SEO content writing is very important is localized audience targeting strategies. For example, if your business is in a few locations in Houston, then your SEO content writing should be completely focussed on Digital Marketing Houston to bring in the right crowd.
What Is SEO Copywriting?
You have a good search engine ranking and have so many leads coming to your website, thanks to some great SEO content writing.
So, what’s next?
Converting those leads to customers.
And this where SEO copywriting comes in.
The main goal of SEO copywriting – convert the leads to sales.
So then, why is it called ‘SEO copywriting’ and not ‘copywriting’?
Well, while ‘SEO copywriting’ has become the industry term, there may not be any need for SEO getting involved in the copywriting process. Of course, you can choose to decide how you want to approach the writing and make distinctions for SEO.
A SEO copywriter’s work include:
- Social media ads
- Landing pages without SEO
- Product pages
- Newsletters
- Whitepapers
- Print materials
- Business names and taglines
Typically, anything that could help with branding and lead conversion will come under copywriting. If you’re looking for someone to help you with copywriting, you can reach out to the writers in our digital marketing agency in Houston.
What’s the Difference Between SEO Content Writing and SEO Copywriting?
Well, from the previous explanations, you can understand that, SEO content writing is for bringing leads to the website and SEO copywriting is for converting those leads to customers.
There are many who combine both SEO content writing and copywriting to the same piece of content to help in reaching the goals quicker. If that’s what you want to do, you need to make sure that the SEO techniques aren’t coming in the way of conversion copy that convinces the leads to make sales.
In both of these types of writing, you need to make sure that the content is clear, crisp and attention-grabbing.
In a research by HubSpot, it’s clear that people consume content like podcasts, long-form content, blogs and articles more than videos and social media posts (which they skim).
So, it’s important to be meticulous when creating the content not just based on the purpose but also on the target audience.
How Can You Know the Best Person for the Job?
It can sometimes be confusing to choose the right person. But the best way is to look at your main goal and the current metrics.
How are your inbound lead conversions?
How is your cost-per-click?
How is your ranking?
Analyze such metrics and look at where you lag. This will help you to choose between a SEO content writer and a copywriter.
When Should You Hire an SEO Content Writer?
You may have a great product, a great website and great customer service. But what use is it of when you don’t have leads coming to you?
If this is your current situation, then you need a good SEO content writer to bring in the traffic to your website.
With a SEO content writer you can:
- Improve the website’s ranking on search engines
- Make the website more discoverable by the target audience
- Build your domain authority with backlinks
- Become an authoritative brand in your industry through informative blogs
- Help with targeted audience marketing campaigns
When Should You Hire an SEO Copywriter?
When you have good traffic coming to your website but don’t see any increase in conversion, this is when you know that you need a professional copywriter.
A copywriter will identify and work on retaining the interest of the leads and push them towards becoming a customer.
A SEO copywriter can help to:
- Capture the attention through social media ads
- Convince customers about your product/service with focused landing pages
- Create email marketing campaigns that completes with a sale in the landing page
- Make it simpler and clearer for the leads to navigate in the website
- Explain with clarity about the services you provide
- Answer the questions your leads may have about your business
Key Takeaway
Choosing the right person for your purpose is crucial. A SEO content writer can bring people to your business and a copywriter is needed to make a sale to those people.
To make the distinction and have a clear understanding of your needs, it’s best to look at the main purpose, current conditions and make a call.
