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Stop the Slaughter of Innocent Copy!
By Karon Thackston (c) 2007

It's one of the worst things to ever happen in the search
engine copywriting field: the discovery of keyword density.
I won't venture off into a discussion about whether keyword
density is still a valid measure of search engine optimized
(SEO) copywriting success. I will say, however, that the
mere introduction of this concept led to the mutilation and
destruction of innocent copy all across the globe. Without
any regard to flow or customer experience, website owners around
the world began shoving keyphrases into their copy like wild men.
The results have been disastrous! Otherwise wonderful content
has been utterly destroyed. This slaughter of innocent copy
must stop!

All joking aside, the realization several years ago that
keyword density was a factor in search engine rankings instantly
transformed the landscape of copywriting for the engines. That
lone concept lit a fire under people who absolutely butchered
their copy for the sake of the engines. A pity really because
it doesn't have to be that way.

Keep It Sounding Natural

One primary goal is to write copy so that the keyphrases are
virtually undetectable when read by someone with no knowledge
of SEO. One vital step in making this happen is to carefully
research and select your keyphrases.

If you're writing a page about wedding gowns, it would be
complicated to include keyphrases such as "wedding reception
music" or "wedding caterers."  The amount of traffic these terms
might bring would be offset by the awkward fit with the focus of
your page. Instead, opt for phrases that lend themselves directly
to the topic of wedding gowns.

One common mistake many site owners and newbie copywriters make
is to replace every single instance of a generic key term with
one of their chosen keyphrases. Doing this in moderation is
certainly acceptable, but frequently copywriters get carried
away with tragic results.

For example, you would not want to have the following copy on
your site:

Spanish Villas For Rent

If you are looking for Spanish villas vacations, search our site
for the best deals in Spanish villas. No other Spanish villas
site has the selection of premium Spanish villas with the most
sought after locations that we have. View some of our Spanish
villas pictures or take virtual tours of our Spanish villas
today.

Whew! I get tired just reading that! Not only is it extremely
annoying to read, but also many of the phrases are used
incorrectly, making it look as though there are typos on the
page. Not a pretty sight!

To keep your copy sounding as natural as possible, you need to
think outside the keyword box. Most often, people believe that
writing in a similar manner as the example above is the only way
to use keywords in copy. Not true! In fact, far from it.

Let me share three of my favorite tips with you for creative
writing with keyphrases.

Don't Use Keyphrases To Describe Your Products/Services

That's right, I said DON'T use keyphrases to describe your own
products or services. Instead, use them to describe what your
product or service is not, or what it is similar to or what it
is better than.

An example of this is any keyphrase that begins with the word
"cheap."  "Cheap insurance," "cheap sunglasses," "cheap
software" - the list is endless. It's simply not a good idea to
call your own product cheap. Yes, I understand that people are
looking for cheap things, but that is because they don't want to
pay a lot. When THEY call your product cheap, it is in relation
to price. When YOU call your own product or service cheap, it
degrades the product or service's perceived value.

Instead, let others know that your product is NOT cheap. For
example:

Unlike cheap travel insurance offered by other underwriters, our
policies have provided long-standing, publicly held companies
with a history of exceptional customer service. You get
affordable coverage and peace of mind.

The phrase is highly relevant to the page, you get to attract
lots of visitors, and the copy is set to convince them that
"cheap insurance" isn't what they really wanted after all.

How about this one? I got an email from a student asking me how
to use the phrase "doggie litter box" in his copy even though
that was not what he was selling. His product was a replacement
for the doggie litter box, so I suggested he use the phrase in
exactly that way. Here's what I would have done:

Here's a great solution for that messy doggie litter box.
Attractive, compact and easy to use even in the smallest
apartments, [Name of Product] is destined to replace the doggie
litter box forever!

See? You aren't calling your product a litter box; rather you
are positioning yourself against it to show how you are better.

Add A Word

Another frequent stumbling block for SEO copywriters is the use
of phrases that seem to end abruptly. In these cases, simply
add a word to the end. Here are two examples.

The phrase "web design for small business" seems out of place
because, most often, we would use the plural term (small
businesses) when we were writing. To correct the problem, just
add a plural word to the end of the phrase. Perhaps you might
talk about web design for small business startups or web design
for small business owners. You get the idea.

Break It Up

When the phrases get too long, it is often best to break them
up. Search engines don't pay attention to standard punctuation
marks or line breaks. They read right through periods, commas,
semi-colons and the like without hesitation. That means you
have a lot more flexibility than you might think.

One keyphrase I had to work with was "Texas Hill Country real
estate."  That would get pretty cumbersome if it were left as it
is seen there. But by breaking it up with some punctuation, it
sounds perfectly natural. Here's how it can be done.

There is no more beautiful place than the Texas Hill Country.
Real estate listings in this area are filled with stunning homes
that.

Do you see what happened? I broke the phrase up using a period.
In the eyes of the search engines the phrase is still intact.
They don't even notice the period. That period, however, causes
the reader to take a mental pause and helps alleviate any
repetitive feel to the copy.

If you take the time to look at SEO copywriting as an art
rather than an assembly line task, your content will sound more
natural, will convert better and will help prevent further
additions to the already overcrowded collection of tortured
copy everywhere!
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Having trouble with natural keyword use in your copy?  Karon's
guide "How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying
the Flow of Your Copy" can help with 11 easy ways to incorporate
keywords. Find it at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
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