Web Site Copy is about More Than Keywords
But for writers who focus too intently on keywords and phrases, there is a danger.
A danger in optimizing your pages for good keywords? Yes, I think so.
There is a significant difference between the keywords that pop into visitors’ minds, and the hopes and ambitions they carry in their hearts.
Let’s look at the real estate example again.
As a potential buyer I might type the phrase ‘Vancouver Island waterfront property’ into the Google search box, because that’s what I’m looking for. But that term doesn’t reflect what I’m feeling.
Having a home on the coast may have been a lifelong dream. It may be something I feel very strongly about. So when I come to your site, I am looking for two things.
- First, the rational part of my mind is looking for confirmation that your site can help me find what I want. And this is where the use of keywords and phrases makes perfect sense.
- Second, there is a strong, emotional element at play. As a potential buyer, I am looking for someone who can help me fulfill my dream. And this is where a writer who focuses too intently on keywords and phrases can end up with poorly performing copy.
By all means, optimize your pages for Google and for the rational part of a searcher’s mind. But be sure to understand and address the emotional needs of the visitor as well.
That means using keywords as the starting point. Beyond the keywords, you need to use language that addresses the deeper needs of the reader.
Yes, understand what Google wants. And understand what your visitor is looking for. But if you want results, you also need to understand and address what the visitor is feeling and hoping for.
Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocate of good writing.
AllenB said,
January 29, 2008 @ 6:12 pm
SEO-Joe,
How about this idea?
User searches Google for “Waterfront Property Miami”, sees your link to FindProperty.com, and clicks. That takes the user to one of about 20 landing pages, each of which may have a different layout/presentation/focus (obviously within the realm of your business) that focuses on what the user is looking for; in this case, a Waterfront Property landing page. It is setup to LOOK like your site’s MAIN page. A cookie is written to user’s machine with this landing page, so when this user returns to www.FindProperty.com, they are taken to the Waterfront specialty page. The point here is that the user thinks this is THE main page of your website. The user then gets the “feeling” that FindProperty.com specializes on “waterfront listings in Miami”, even though they actually sell waterfront property along a much larger swath of land. This allows the business to obtain “top-of-mind” space in that potential customer.
This strategy may only work if your business has the breadth of service to allow for different landing-page specialization.