SEO for Sales Copy: Drive Traffic to Your Sales Pages With ZERO ad spend
Guest blog: Caitlin Strempel
It’s harder and harder to get your content found on social media. The Insta and Facebook algorithms basically make you feel invisible… that is unless you pay up! That’s why we love taking advantage of SEO and getting ranked on search engines such as Google, Yahoo! And more.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the quality of content on your website to rank higher on the Search Engine Result Page (SERP), aka the search engines mentioned above.
Sales copy or copywriting, on the other hand, is written text meant to convince or sway consumers into taking specific actions. You can use sales copy to urge visitors to sign up for a newsletter or mailing list, purchase a product or service, download content, or any further action that will help a company reach its sales goals.
How does sales copywriting compare to regular content writing? Content writing focuses on informing the user to generate trust and marking themselves as experts in the industry. Content writing pieces are not necessarily formatted to sway traffic into performing certain actions. By combining the two, you can get more traffic on your sales copy without paying for ads or other costly marketing techniques. This is one of the best organic strategies for evergreen funnels.
Tips for Writing Good Sales Copy That Can Get You Ranked Online
To write engaging sales copy that search engines like to rank, you have to find the right balance between writing for humans and writing for the search engine algorithm. Here are some tips that can help you achieve maximum SEO potential for your sales copy.
Keyword Research
The first step to good sales copy is to identify the necessary keywords before you start writing. Keyword research is a critical part of your sales copy. You want to target specific keywords that are relevant to what you are offering on your website and also have lower competition. Lower competition means that you will have an easier time ranking!
You can use various keyword research tools to help you generate variations and ideas similar to your targeted keyword. Our favorite is UberSuggest. Just plug in your phrases and words and pick a keyword that UberSuggest color codes green!
SERP Intent
The search engine results page (SERP), also known as search intent, puts keywords and topics into perspective depending on why the user is searching for a specific keyword and how they intend to use the information. Understanding search intent helps you target your intended audience properly depending on their motives for using the search engine and is as important as keyword research.
For example:
A blog post keyword would look more like this: SEO Blogging Tips
A sales page keyword would look more like this: SEO Blog Writing Services
See the difference? Someone searching for a specific service is usually looking to buy! Someone looking for tips is looking for free information.
Plan and Outline Your Article or Sales Page
With keywords and SERP intent sorted out, you need to finalize your plan before starting to write the content. Google and other search engines usually reward the content's organization and readability. Invest time to plan the course of your content to ensure there is a logical flow and presentation. Remember to prioritize benefits and the problems your product or services solves, not the features.
A little trick we also like to utilize in the SEO world is called the Skyscraper Technique… you look at competitors’ landing pages and articles that rank for the same keyword that you are trying to rank for and create better content.
Prioritize Readability
When building the outline, you should pay close attention to how you structure your page. Readability is not only important to search engines, but it also gives readers the ability to skim the contents of your sales copy, even on mobile devices. Readability helps you rank and helps you convert website visitors - a win-win all around!
Here are some tips to help you create a sales page that’s easily readable and digestible:
- Utilize headings
- AND subheadings
- Include visual media (photos & video)
- Use bullet points instead of putting lists in sentences.
Content Creation
With everything planned out, you can finally start writing the sales copy. It might seem that you have to spend a lot of time on prep work, but that is what separates killer SEO sales copy from run-of-the-mill posts written with minimal effort. When writing, try to keep your audience and keywords in mind but ensure the sales copy is flowing naturally.
Avoid stuffing the keywords in every sentence since it can be flagged by the algorithm. If you are focused on a specific topic, then keywords and phrases will flow easily with your writing. Ensure you have placed the target keyword in at least the first subheading or more if possible.
End with a clear call to action which directs the user to the specific action you want them to perform. Make sure everything is concise for humans as well as the search engine algorithms to guarantee better ranking.
Edit
Before you hit the publish button, you need to edit the sales copy to remove any errors like grammar or punctuation. SEO sales copy is all about generating high-quality conversion content. Poor research, disorganization, and typos are some of the errors that could affect your credibility. The sales copy has to show your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. At the very least, go through the sales copy several times before publishing it. It is always a good idea to read it out loud to identify areas that are awkward and lose their flow.
Things to Avoid
The most important thing to avoid when writing sales copy is to write for yourself. Remember, sales copy is not similar to regular content writing. You are not sharing opinions but rather trying to convince the reader to perform a specific task. Ensure the copy is speaking directly to the consumer and to the consumer's problem so they can easily relate to it. Here are some additional pitfalls to avoid when writing your sales copy:
- Long sales copy: Ensure that the sales copy does not exceed 1,000 words. The majority of readers nowadays only skim through the content since there are tons of content to go through on a daily basis. You need to keep the sales copy crisp and short.
- Focusing on features: While writing about features of your service or product might be tempting, stick to writing about the product or service's benefits so you can connect more with the reader. Present the features in such a way that they offer value to the reader or offer to solve their main pain points and avoid using industry jargon that the average consumer is unfamiliar with.
- Including links: Sales copy does not require links to other websites because the user needs to remain focused on that page and the service/product you are trying to promote. Links in sales copy can easily distract the user from the main goal. This holds true for internal website links. Sales copy is not the time to direct them to another blog post on your site. Though that’s good for SEO, it’s not great for sales (which is the main goal of that piece of copy).
- Adding Sign-ups for Your Opt-in or Newsletter: Don't distract the user with promotions for your amazing checklist or monthly newsletter. Remove anything that might distract the user from properly interacting with the sales copy. With fewer distractions, it is more likely the reader will purchase whatever you are offering. Keep your eye on the main prize!
In a nutshell, the key to converting sales copy is sprinkling SEO elements all over the content. By following the tips detailed above, you are guaranteed to create sales copy that is of high quality and ranks in search engines.
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Guest:
Caitlin Strempel, CEO of Rising Ranks Digital, is an SEO expert & marketing success coach who helps business owners get to the top of their industry by getting to the top of Google and found online. Working with local-based businesses all the way to large-scale global brands such as Under Armour, Lexus and more, Caitlin is proud to have a 100% success rate at getting her clients to the first page of Google. She believes that everyone has a message and it's our duty to share that message with the people who need it the most! You can find Caitlin on Instagram.