SEO Content Creation: What It Is and Why You Need It

November 20, 2008

SEO content creation is the house specialty here at Blue Duck Copy. It’s no secret that I write for other companies, many of them strictly dealing with SEO. Content creation and SEO marketing has changed over the years. I’ve seen the industry go from 1200 word, high keyword density articles, to 400-500 word, topic-specific siloed posts, as SEO companies adapt to search engine algorithms.

SEO Content Creation: What it Is

So, what exactly is SEO content creation?
It is content with a dual purpose. The goal of SEO content creation is not purely to entertain, persuade, or inform the reader, it is to help the client’s website rank higher for a given set of planned out keywords.

This is not merely slapping up a bunch of loosely related words, bridged by boring or rambling sentences and concepts, with a dash of sales copy thrown in for good measure. It is a lot like composing a song, solving a puzzle, or constructing a model.

I Love Legos

Many times, SEO content creation is not straight-forward writing. In order to meet special requests of clients, work in awkward keyword phrases, or construct a silo of related search terms, the SEO writer must look at the whole picture, as well as the individual parts, and find a way to make them interesting with a nice flow throughout.

Once the key pieces are in place, I can work on the whole, paragraph by paragraph, and work in captivating sales copy, benefits to the reader, bullet points, subheadings, and other important aspects that give SEO content creation its MoJo. Not everyone is cut out for SEO writing, even if they excel in other areas of writing because of this complexity.

Why You Need SEO Content Creation

If you make money from a form of online advertising, or offer online goods or services, you need SEO content creation to succeed. Search engine traffic directly affects your conversion rates. If consumers can’t find your website, you aren’t going to sell anything, even if you offer the best product or service in your niche.

Search engine algorithms change constantly. Search engines like Google are getting better and better at determining the purpose of website content, and having a high keyword density is no longer enough to rank well for a given keyword.

Learning the Dance

SEO for a website can be extremely complicated. Content with a too-high keyword density is penalized. You may also be docked for broken links, irrelevant content, linking to a BlackHat website, or any number of other Google No-No’s. Too many penalties, and your website could be lost in cyberspace for eternity.

Search engines provide the roadsigns and billboards for online consumers to find your website and SEO determines where your website is on the World Wide Map. If you are serious about making money from your website, you need to understand SEO.

*If you think you might be a crafty SEO content creation writer, send me an email. We’re hiring talented, reliable, and honest freelance SEO writers.* (And you don’t have to be a Christian to work for Blue Duck Copy, in case you’re wondering.)

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Posted by Jamie | Filed Under Blogging

Comments

Pain Relief Treatment

I think SEO is very important for all sites, especially business sites, it takes a lot of time and affords, but it worth it and can give great results in the future.
Writer Dad

It's really sweet that at least you try. I want to know how to write everything. Two years back I never wrote anything beyond the RARE email and occasional love letter. Now, geez, it's like blood from a cut.

<abbr>Writer Dad´s last spectacular blog post..Redbook… An Excerpt</abbr>
Jamie Simmerman

Hi Sean, I've actually had good writers reduced to tears because they find they can't write SEO. Stretching you mind and your skills enough to adapt to different styles is good for growth.

I suck at poetry. But once a week I sit down and give it another run. These pathetic rhymes will never leave my journal, but it helps me find a balance in my writing. :)
Writer Dad

This was well articulated Jamie. I agree, sometimes writing for SEO can be more difficult than pulling something entirely from the brain, but I love how you described it as writing a song, or putting a puzzle together. It is a necessary skill if you want to make money online, and it's never to late to learn.

<abbr>Writer Dad´s last spectacular blog post..Redbook… An Excerpt</abbr>