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Simon Sinek wrote a complete book exhorting businesses to find the “why” of their existence. The same holds true for individuals. Why do you do what you do? Why do you work as an engineer? Why do you work as a graphic designer? Why are you in politics?
And the same holds true when you are writing. Know the why of your writing. I’m not talking about the larger picture, I’m talking about a particular blog post or a particular article or even a particular social media update that you’re going to write: why are you writing it?
We all have a general answer. You want to improve your search engine rankings. You want to “engage” your customers or clients. You want to publish fresh content on your website. You want to maintain visibility on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. You want to regularly reach the inbox of your email subscribers.
These are larger whys. Important, but vague, and cannot be achieved unless you know why you are writing this particular blog post or social media update.
So, the next time you sit down to write something or you take out your mobile phone to write a quick update, think of the why.
What impact do you want to make? What is new you’re going to add? How is it going to help your readers or your followers? How do you want to portray yourself through this piece of writing or this update?
Write as many whys as possible. The more whys you can figure out, the more impactful will be your writing.
Main copywriting mistakes covered in this blog post:
Writing without having a central vision.
Ignoring search intent or buyer intent.
Not doing methodical keyword research.
Using too many complex and compound sentences and big paragraphs.
Not using the main keyword synonyms and LSI alternatives.
Not writing the copy from the user’s perspective.
Using main keywords when linking to internal links (something new that I have learnt).
SEO copywriting is intended to improve your search engine rankings.
Want to know which SEO copywriting mistakes to avoid so that you don’t harm your SEO?
There is a complete branch dedicated to such writing.
There are numerous blogs that teach you how to improve your search engine rankings through targeted web copywriting.
The problem with pursuing web page writing mainly with the objective of improving your search engine rankings can be a double-edged sword.
Standard SEO copywriting process.
Normally, people who want to improve their SEO do the following
Create a list of keywords and search terms they think people should be using to find their websites.
Create titles and topics around those keywords and search terms.
Write and publish content based on those titles and topics.
In theory there is nothing wrong in this approach but then there may be something completely wrong in it.
Remember that the purpose of optimization is not to get traffic for your keywords.
The purpose of optimization is to help people find your useful content so that they can find the information they are looking for.
Hence, if you’re using copywriting just to improve your SEO, you may be harming your search engine rankings instead of improving them.
Fortunately, most of the copywriting mistakes are easily avoidable and you just need to make some tweaks and keep in mind certain aspects when preparing the copy of your web page.
I’m listing below some copywriting mistakes that are bad for your SEO.
1. Not having a vision for your
In my profession, content writing and copywriting are often interchanged so for the purpose of this blog post, you can assume that whatever I’m writing about SEO copywriting, I’m also writing about content writing.
Although, in terms of advertising and sales copy writing, copywriting is different from content writing, but when it comes to writing for the web, many people use this term interchangeably.
With this minor detail out of the way, whenever you’re writing the copy of a web page or blog post, it is very important to have a vision.
What does “vision” mean here?
What is the purpose of writing that web page?
What do you want to achieve with this blog post?
What am I trying to achieve with this blog post?
The simplest answer would be, I’m trying to improve my search engine rankings for the phrase “SEO copywriting” and even “copywriting mistakes” and I won’t deny that.
But, better search engine rankings for these phrases will be a byproduct.
In the video below, I have explained this concept by comparing your higher search engine rankings with the money that you earn by providing a product or a service.
My primary aim is to provide you the best possible content on this subject.
After reading this blog post, you should have a list of copywriting mistakes that you can avoid to improve your search engine rankings.
Instead of just talking about this copywriting mistakes and listing them, I’m also suggesting improvements.
Similarly, for every web page and for every blog post, you must have a clear vision, a clear purpose, of what you’re trying to achieve, not just in terms of improving your SEO, but also in terms of providing the best possible value to your readers.
2. Ignoring search intent when copywriting
This is one of the most important SEO copywriting mistakes to avoid.
Search intent is gaining importance with every passing day.
What intention do people have when they search for your content?
Here is a small video I created to explain what is search intent.
For example, what intent would there be, when people are looking for this blog post?
They want to improve their search engine rankings.
They want to avoid content writing and copywriting mistakes so that they don’t inadvertently harm their search engine rankings instead of improving them.
They want to learn from the mistakes of the others.
Knowing the search intent helps you take the right direction.
Your copywriting must always be focused on a particular search intent.
Do you simply want to educate and inform (like this blog post)?
Do you want people to buy from you after reading your web page or blog post?
Do you want them to download your e-book or white paper or case study?
Do you want them to subscribe to your newsletter?
Search intent is also known as “buyer intent”.
3. Not doing proper keyword research
All said and done, keywords are still matter.
Google, when analyzing your text, looks for patterns to make sense of what you’re trying to say or convey to the reader.
It analyzes every possible combination.
For example, for me, what matters is the keyword “copywriting mistakes”, but to Google, in the above paragraph, even “when analyzing your text” is as important as “copywriting mistakes”.
The Google algorithm is least bothered with what you think is your important keyword.
It goes through every single word and every single phrase and does its computations.
Hence, the words that you use when you are writing your copy are very important.
It is an age-old advice: choose your words carefully.
The same applies to selecting your keywords when copywriting.
Not making a list of the right keywords may send you on a tangent and you may end up optimizing your copy for all the wrong keywords.
Wondering why your traffic is increasing but your business is not?
It is because you are attracting traffic for all the wrong reasons.
You may be optimizing your content for the wrong keywords.
4. Not using simple sentences when preparing your copy
A few years ago, I read that the processing power of a supercomputer is less than the processing power of the brain of an earthworm.
No matter how smart machine learning becomes, it gets confused when you use compound sentences.
I often come across webpages and blog posts containing complex sentences.
People use lots of ands, alsos and buts.
Compound and complex sentences may make you sound smarter and intelligent, to the search engine algorithm, they are confounding.
For better SEO, it is always advisable to use simple sentences.
Don’t use multiple sentences in a paragraph.
Try to limit your sentences to 5-10 words and not more.
Of course, it is not possible all the time, but whenever you are talking about the central theme, for example, the biggest benefit of doing business with you, use single, simple sentences in every paragraph.
5. Ignoring to use synonyms and LSI keywords
Instead of saying “I want to improve my SEO” every time you need to use this expression, sometimes you can also use “I want to improve my search engine rankings”, or even, “I want to improve my Google rankings”, or even, “I want higher rankings for my web pages”.
You need to dominate your copy with the central theme, and this may require you to use your keywords repeatedly.
Hence, instead of “harm your SEO”, I can also use “hurt your SEO” or “adversely affect your rankings”.
This is because if you keep on using your main keywords Google may take it as keyword stuffing, which it actually is.
If you repeatedly use your keywords without alternating between LSI keywords and actual keywords, it will harm your SEO instead of improving it.
LSI stands for “Latent Semantic Indexing”.
It is a natural language processing technology that helps Google understand the context of your content rather than merely analyzing keywords.
For example, when you search for “what are the benefits of having an apple everyday” through LSI Google knows that you’re talking about the fruit and not the company.
There is another benefit of using LSI as well as synonym keywords.
Not everyone uses the same search term when looking for information.
For example, instead of someone searching for “copywriting mistakes”, he or she can also search for “bad copywriting” or “copywriting blunders” or “what makes my copywriting harm my SEO?” or “what makes my copywriting suck?”
Hence, accommodating different keywords and search terms increases the scope of your content being rank for different keywords without diluting the central topic.
6. Not writing from user’s perspective
Again, one of the most common SEO mistakes to avoid.
This is important for your rankings as well as conversion rate.
Why does your content exist, after all?
It exists to serve your readers.
Why do search engines like Google exist?
They are there to help you find the information you’re looking for.
From every angle, it is a human angle.
If you ignore the human angle and write your copy only to cater to the algorithms, the entire purpose of SEO is defeated.
The Google search algorithm depends a lot on how people perceive the quality of your content or copywriting.
When writing copy for your web pages and blog posts, you’re often encouraged to link to other inner pages of your website and even external pages when you want to link to the source of your information.
Google sees this as an act of manipulation.
Since you cannot control how people link to your website, Google doesn’t penalize you if your main keywords are used as anchor text from other websites, but for interlinking (linking to your own web pages and blog posts within your domain), instead of using something like SEO copywriting as anchor text, use a long phrase.
Until a few years ago, I remember this was a prevalent advice that you should use your primary keywords as anchor text when linking to different parts of your website or blog, but it remains no longer kosher.
You can read in the above link, you can get penalized for this.
Concluding remarks the most common SEO copywriting mistakes to avoid
Whenever you are copywriting there is a 99% chance that you are doing it to improve your search engine rankings.
There is nothing wrong in that.
The biggest mistake I have come across is that when clients approach me for my copywriting services, they are less concerned about providing value to the readers and more concerned about “the keyword density must be around 3-5%”.
It rarely happens that a client says that I should first focus on quality and then, if possible, I should include the main keywords.
Anyway, the purpose of writing this blog post was to throw some light on the issues that can negatively impact your search engine rankings while in the sincerity of your heart, you are trying to improve it with certain copywriting practices.
Ummm… yes, I know, the above sentence is not good for SEO.
Successful email marketing with effective copywriting.
These days I’m getting lots of queries from clients who want to run successful email marketing campaigns and they need my copywriting services.
According to Statista, an estimated 306.4 billion emails travel the length and breadth of the web every day.
The graph below shows the trend over a period of 2017-2023.
As you can see, the number is projected to reach 347.3 billion emails by 2023.
Graph of number of emails being sent during 2017-2023
It is not just the number of emails being sent and received that excite digital marketers and general clients.
It is the ROI in the stats.
This is a slightly old finding, but on an average, for every $1 that you spend on email marketing, you get a return of $38. Some even claim $40.
Here is another pleasing graphic that I found on this link.
The highest ROI is in email marketing.
Of course, you may look at these numbers cynically because at personal level, you may not have experienced such a startling success with your email campaigns.
The problem is not with the numbers, the problem is with the implementation.
When people claim that you can earn $38 for every dollar you spend on email marketing, you must do whatever is required to make your email marketing effective.
What makes your email marketing successful and how does copywriting contribute?
Email marketing is not about sending emails to a group of subscribers or email ids though, it is a big part.
Successful email marketing is about active engagement.
Here are some attributes that enable you to call your email marketing successful:
A greater number of people open your email messages.
A greater number of people read your messages.
A greater number of people respond by either replying or clicking the call-to-action button or link.
All these three points are very important to make your email marketing successful.
If people are just opening your message and do nothing else, you aren’t achieving much.
Recently a client told me, with a touch of pride, that his open rate is 22%.
Marvelous, I said. Then how do you want me to contribute?
I’m not getting any business, he replied with a subdued tone.
Unless people open your messages, read them, get affected positively and then contact you to do business with you click the link to buy from you, you cannot call your email marketing successful.
Everything needs to work in tandem.
The success of your email marketing depends on the following factors:
The quality and growth of your email list.
The trust factor enjoyed by your email marketing service provider (so that your emails are not redirected to the spam folder).
Your reputation – are people familiar with you? Do they know what you represent and why you are sending them emails? Do they trust you?
Your subject line – no matter how familiar they are with your name or brand, unless the subject line compels them to open your message, they are not going to open it.
The main headline – this is going to be the biggest work. Only if the headline captivates them, they’re going to read the rest of the message.
The convincing copy that keeps them engaged, excited and leads them to a culmination.
The most appropriate call-to-action.
Effective copywriting for email marketing
My clients often hire me for my content writing services but when I’m writing marketing emails, I provide them my copywriting services.
Copywriting informs, educates, influences and sells.
Content writing informs and educates.
Marketing means selling.
When you’re sending out emails wanting people to buy from you or do business with you, you’re selling an idea.
They have a problem, you offer a solution.
For example, if I send you an email marketing campaign with the subject line “Better conversion rate for your email marketing with my copywriting services” I am assuming that you are worried about your conversion rate.
Problems may include…
Not many people are opening your messages.
Even if they open your messages, they don’t respond to them.
Even if they contact you, there is some communication gap and they don’t become your paying customers and clients.
The gist is, you’re looking for a solution that can help you improve your email marketing conversion rate and I’m offering you the solution.
Frankly, without effective copywriting, there is no email marketing.
The communication dynamics are different in email marketing.
You need to be bang on the main message of the email.
People don’t want to read long messages unless they are reading some scholarly discourse on a highly technical B2B product.
They have a problem.
You offer a solution.
You offer an irresistible proposition.
You convince them, without making them feel vulnerable or defensive, what a great loss it is going to be not doing business with you.
For such a message, you need copywriting.
You need a copywriter who can write convincingly and persuasively.
The copywriting in your email marketing campaign must be able to directly talk to the recipients with zero distraction.
Remember that most of your recipients will be reading your message on their mobile devices.
They may be in a highly distracted state.
They may be travelling.
They may be in a meeting.
They may be standing in a queue.
They may be sitting on the toilet seat struggling with constipation.
Amidst all this, your copywriting must ensure that the message gets across.
Some tips for effective copywriting for successful email marketing campaigns
Here are some tips to follow when writing copy for your email marketing campaigns.
There are no hard-and-fast rules because every audience is unique, but you can apply the general template that works pretty much for every audience.
Then you can make small tweaks here and there for better conversion rate.
Another thing you must keep in mind is that there is no magic wand.
You will have to experiment.
You will need to gather data and allow your email marketing service (MailChimp, for example) to analyze your campaigns for at least a month to give you some usable insights.
Anyway, there are some things you can do for effective copywriting for successful email marketing campaigns…
Create a killer subject line
As mentioned above, your subject line is very important.
As a copywriter, coming up with the most compelling subject line is one of your greatest challenges.
If the subject line is not great people don’t open your email message and if they don’t open your email message, no matter how great your email message is, everything will go down the drain.
Hence, spend a lot of time coming up with the most appropriate subject line.
It doesn’t have to be out of this world.
There is no need to say something earthshattering.
You don’t need to shout “Earthquake!!” just to get their attention.
Just mention something that will make them open your message in a relevant frame of mind.
Offer something they need, in a clear language.
Make better use of the preview text
These days, many email clients such as Gmail show a small preview text in the inbox even when you haven’t opened your message.
This is another opportunity for you as a copywriter to convince people into opening your message.
Write for easier reading
More than 100 characters in a sentence including spaces?
More than a sentence in a paragraph?
You have already lost most of your audience.
Write very short sentences so that they are easier to read and comprehend on a mobile device, probably while the hand is shaking.
Represent one idea through one sentence.
Use simple sentences, avoid compound sentences.
As far as possible, make sure that your message is not more than 200 words.
Lay everything down for them as clearly as possible.
Never use words and expressions that can be confused or mixed with other words and expressions.
Preferably, write in the first person
It also means that you must know the name of the person to whom you are sending your email messages, but that’s a different issue.
Email messages written in the first person elicit better response compared to email messages that read like as if they have been written to a group.
Again, this is not a hard-and-fast rule – it depends on your audience.
Your copywriting style must reek of enthusiasm
If you don’t sound enthusiastic, how can you excite your audience into taking an action that requires them to go to the trouble of entering their credit card details and buying your product or service?
But make sure that your enthusiasm is not fake.
Remember you’re offering them a solution to their problem.
You are feeling good about the fact that after buying your product or service, their lives are going to be easier or enriched.
Feel good about providing them that solution.
When you feel good while writing the copy, it will show through your writing style and then it will get conveyed to your audience.
Don’t refrain from using persuasive language or power words
Of course, don’t overdo.
Remember you are not writing a Shakespearean play.
Your protagonist is not going to be stabbed by his own supporters.
On the other hand, unless you tell them to do something, how do you expect them to do it?
Hence, tell them that it is a bargain.
Let it be known to them that it is a never seen before offer.
It may even be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Can my copywriting quadruple your email marketing conversion rate? Heck, why not?
Is it a limited offer available to just the first twenty responders?
Cater to their greed.
Invoke their insecurities.
Just make sure that you don’t trigger a “flight, freeze or fight” response with too much aggression or assumption.
Most importantly, don’t lie.
Always mean what you say.
Write email copy with a specific goal
Don’t have multiple objectives for a single email marketing campaign copy.
Focus on one thing.
Let the objective be just one.
If you have multiple objectives this will stop you from effective copywriting and you will also end up confusing your readers.
So, if you want people to download your white paper after reading your email campaign, just talk about the benefits of downloading the white paper.
If you want them to download and install your mobile app, just focus on that.
Avoid messages like “Although I’m asking you to download my e-book, now that you are reading this message, here are the services that I offer…”
They will neither download your e-book nor contact you for your services.
In conclusion, I have observed that the best copywriting for successful email marketing campaigns comes from the heart.
How to make a connection with your content writing
Why do you write and publish content?
I’m pretty sure many of you are going to say, “for better SEO”.
Although, this is not a wrong approach, if you are writing and publishing content merely to improve your search engine rankings, you’re missing a great opportunity to connect with your core audience.
Your content writing increases your conversion rate if it is able to connect with your readers.
Your content writing must be able to establish a connection with your readers/visitors, as very nicely explained in this blog post, titled “How to write magnetic content that resonates with your audience”.
The author draws a parallel between a chance encounter with a letter carrier or a mailman, and the importance of different approaches towards storytelling to establish a connection with your audience.
He begins his blog post by telling a story about a letter carrier who used to deliver mail in his office, six years ago. Then he got transferred to another city or another area.
The author observes that the letter carrier has grown heavier.
During his previous posting, the letter carrier had to visit individual offices or homes to deliver mail and letters. He would park it struck somewhere and then walk to different offices and homes.
In his new posting, he didn’t have to move much. All he had to do was open the mailbox doors, put in the letters, and close the doors, from within the truck itself. Result: he gained weight.
Such a subtle difference, such a big impact.
In my own blog post, this one, I begin with the importance of making a connection with your readers.
Why is it important to make a connection with your content writing?
Why is it important to make a connection with your content writing?
By now you must have read multiple times that every buying decision is an emotional decision.
Emotions are triggered when you make a connection, whether the connection is visible or invisible, whether it is perceptible or imperceptible.
The connection doesn’t even have to be immediate.
Maybe a connection was made a year ago or a month ago and then, even unconsciously, it comes to the fore, when you are making a purchase or making a buying decision or deciding to hire someone like a content writer.
In the above-linked blog post, the author says that you can make connections, you can write magnetic content, by opening every piece of writing with an engaging story.
Recently I have worked on a few landing pages and the clients have insisted on having a short story on the landing page.
I begin a typical story like this:
There was this guy named Peter. He was having problems with his business. These problems had spilled over his personal life. He was on the verge of getting a divorce. He was thinking of filing for bankruptcy. He had laid off most of his staff.
Then he came across this app that completely transforms the way he manages his business.
… and so on.
Yes, at this time when explaining it here, it may seem a bit artificial, but on the landing page, I create an entire narrative and you can feel a connection with the protagonist.
When you tell a story, people can immediately relate.
These days there is the Coronavirus pandemic going on.
If you go through various blog posts and articles preparing lists of books that you can read while you are confined at home, you will notice that 80% of the books have some sort of outbreak or epidemic as the main theme. This is because these days people can relate to such plots and stories.
You can interweave storytelling and content writing by creating a context.
Does the story always have to be real?
It’s great if the story is real, but even if it isn’t real, as long as it is believable and practical, use it.
Why storytelling makes your content writing unique from your competitors?
When you’re writing and publishing content on your website or blog, how unique is it?
Haven’t all the topics also been covered by your competitors?
For example, if you are a mobile app development company and you want to explain your development process, aren’t there thousands of other websites out there that are explaining their development process in the same manner?
How do you make your mobile app development process unique?
Through storytelling.
Your story is always going to be unique because, it’s your story.
So, instead of simply explaining your development process, tell about a client who had a certain problem and then how you used your development process to solve that problem.
This can be applied to any situation.
For example, instead of explaining how to do online trading using your platform, talk about how Rajesh used your platform for strategic investment and growing his money.
Voice search optimization means writing your content in a language that people use when speaking.
You write shorter sentences. You avoid using complicated words. You write in the form of questions and answers.
30% of all search is voice search these days. More than 60% of Amazon Echo and Google Home users don’t plan to go back to using keyboard for looking up for information.
2019 voice search statistics
Voice-enabled interfaces are increasingly being used, including Siri, Cortana, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.
As the number and sophistication of voice-controlled and voice-enabled devices increase, it is becoming more important to take voice search optimization seriously.
What is voice search optimization?
Optimization for search engines still includes using the right language and the right keywords. Keyword optimization isn’t going anywhere.
Voice search means writing your content the way people talk, the way people use their voice to interact with their devices.
You must know that the way we talk and the way we write are different.
Normally, the words and phrases that you use when you’re writing, are quite different from the words and phrases that you use when speaking.
Write like people converse
When you speak, you use more day-to-day words. You speak smaller sentences. You don’t use lots of conjunctions.
When you use voice search, you don’t use very stiff language. You use conversational queries. You talk as if someone is sitting in front of you.
Another very important thing is that you don’t use monosyllables or mere keywords to search. You use complete sentences or complete questions.
Remember longtail?
Suppose you have a mobile app development business and you are looking for a content writer for your website. When using voice search, you may say, “who is the best content writer for my web design business?” Or “find me the best content writing service for my web design website”.
Since it is easier and convenient to say instead of write, people tend to use very precise queries.
You optimize for longer expressions, sometimes complete sentences.
You use very simple language, and to the point, shorter sentences.
Include the most important information in the beginning itself because when people use voice search, their devices talk back to them based on the information they find on your web page or blog post.
Another big reason why the language that you use must be very simple and straightforward is because when people speak into their devices, they hear back from their devices.
So, for example, if someone uses the Google Assistant to search for information, and if Google finds your link, it is going to read the first paragraph to the searcher.
It will be easier for the searcher to understand what is being said if the sentences are shorter and straightforward and the words are easier to pronounce.
Why optimize for voice search?
People use voice search because it is faster. Of course it helps that it is also becoming easier and more accurate. Even back in 2017 the Google Assistant was almost as efficient as humans when it comes to understanding and processing language.
Sometimes you don’t even have to pick up your phone. You can just trigger the voice enabled interface (“Hey Google”, for example) and search for information. Then through the speaker you will hear the result. You can go on doing whatever you are doing without having to physically interact with your device.
Devices are becoming more efficient in listening to what is being said and then finding the information accordingly. Which means, many people use voice search and voice commands just by default, without even realizing how the technology has advanced over the years.
Why optimize for voice search?
Because optimizing for voice search helps you whether people are using voice to search for you or typing using the keyboard. Voice optimization also helps you optimize your content organically.
Search engines like Google are preferring voice-optimized content over traditional content.
How to optimize for voice search when writing content
Many people fear that if they right very simple content it doesn’t sound professional.
This is not the case. You can see it on my website or blog. I don’t use very complicated or highfalutin words.
Nonetheless, you won’t say that my writing is unprofessional.
Simple writing doesn’t mean writing unprofessionally. If you have lots of grammar and spelling mistakes, then your writing is unprofessional.
If you have a very pedantic style of writing, even then you seem unprofessional because unnecessarily complicated writing means you lack confidence.
Here are some things you can do to optimize your content for voice search:
Write in the form of question and answer
Write if you are providing an answer to a question.
For example, do I provide content writing services to help you improve your search rankings for voice?
Yes.
And then I explain how I achieve that for you.
Optimizing for search, or for that matter, even in the conventional sense, isn’t a matter of hurry.
Develop an understanding of how people talk, what words they use, when they talk about your business or the product or service you sell.
Then use that language to write your content.
Provide the answer in the beginning itself
It is understandable that you want to provide as much information as possible on your web page or blog post.
It is often advised that you should create very long blog posts – 3000+ words – for better search engine rankings. So, you must wonder, if you spill the beans in the beginning itself, what do you cover in the remaining copy?
In the beginning, provide the answer in a gist so that when the person hears it, he or she gets the needed answer for the question that has just been asked.
Then, in the remaining copy you can explain various steps.
Since longform content is better than “thin” content, I have observed that many writers needlessly inflate their writing with lots of information and stats. Especially in the beginning.
For example, if you want to learn how to optimize your content for voice search, is it really important for you to know how many people right now are using voice enabled devices?
You already know how important it is to optimize for voice search and this is why you’re looking for information.
Sure, stats are important. Graphs are important. Data analysis is important.
But you don’t have to cram everything in the beginning just to build a case for yourself.
Having said that, if you really want to pack lots of information, you can do that later, as an add-on.
Write simpler sentences
Again, simple language does not mean unprofessional writing. It simply means not beating around the bush.
When you are writing content, every sentence must solve a purpose. It must have a reason to exist. When you are writing a sentence, think whether it is adding value to your overall writing or not. If it is not adding any value and you are using it just to show off your writing skills, remove it.
The same goes for difficult words. When you’re writing professional content – content for a business website or blog – it is not an opportunity for you to showcase your writing skills.
You are writing so that more people convert. For that, without having to make lots of effort, they should be able to understand your copy and then decide whether they want to buy from the website or not.
Hence, be specific. Don’t try to capture multiple ideas in a single sentence. Use one sentence for one idea.
Make your content as relevant as possible
Remember that compared to conventional way of searching, voice search is very precise and at the same time, random.
In the conventional way of searching (using your fingers to type the query) you get to see multiple results in front of you. If you don’t find the first result satisfying, you can click the second or the third result or even the 10th result.
This is not the case with voice search. Google (or another voice assistant) simply starts reading what it thinks is the best result. There are no alternatives. There is only one top result. So, give your best.
Use conversational keywords when writing content for voice search
Spend some time observing people. Don’t depend a lot on “keyword tools” because they create noise and stop you from thinking from the perspective of your users or visitors.
Talk to people if you can. Ask them what they would search for if they need to buy your product or service.
Maybe initially you won’t get the answers you’re looking for. Keep trying.
Make a list of keywords people actually use and then weave your content around these keywords.
Know what is the intention and then write accordingly
Billions of searches are done on Google alone with different intentions.
When optimizing your content for better rankings – whether for voice or for the usual text/typing – knowing the intention of the searcher is very important. Even small things can make a big difference.
Why do people look for the information they’re looking for?
Do they want to compared two gadgets to decide which one is the better to buy?
Do they want to educate themselves to make another, related decision?
Are they simply searching for the name of the company to find the URL and then go to the website?
Broadly, there are three types of search intents:
Informational intent
Navigational intent
Transactional intent
In informational intent, you are simply seeking information, for example, “why were the pyramids of Giza built?”
or “which is the best historical tourist destination in South India?”
or “how to optimize my writing for voice search?”
These are instances of searching for information. You don’t intend to buy something, at least not right now.
Optimizing for informational intent brings you exposure even if does not bring you customers and clients with a desire to buy something immediately. It is good for branding and visibility.
In navigational intent, people simply want to go to the website but either don’t want to type the URL or don’t know what’s the URL.
You may search for “credible content” to go to credible-content.com.
You may search for “Twitter advanced search” to find the section on Twitter that allows you to do advanced search.
“Knitters club website in Wisconsin” to find a website of some knitters club.
Transactional intent is for buying. It may not be immediate buying, but the person carrying out a transactional search is about to buy. He or she is just looking for the right thing or the right information. For example “MacBook Pro rates in Washington”.
Hence, for voice search optimization, you may first decide which searcher’s intent you want to target and then write content accordingly.
You can target any intent because they all have their uses.
Conclusion
Finally, all boils down to relevance and ease of use. This is something that cannot be stressed enough.
Be highly useful so that your content comes up in search results for voice. And explain your point as clearly as possible so that people can understand it when the device is narrating your information.
