Have you ever been to one of those sites that has obviously been written to get high search engine rankings? You know ones… they have copy that sounds like this:

“When you buy quality silver jewelry from us, you know your quality silver jewelry is of highest quality because we only sell quality silver jewelry that is top-notch. No other quality silver jewelry site on Web offers selection of quality silver jewelry that we do!”

Want to take a wild guess at what keyphrase they’re targeting?

Copy like this simply doesn’t sound “real.” It’s very forced. Yes, it may very well get ranked high in search engines, but what then? When visitors click to your site they’ll be faced with stiff copy that sounds like a robot. It doesn’t flow… and it doesn’t sell, either! With a little nip and tuck, you can create copy that appeals to your target audience AND ranks high with engines.

So just how do you get your keywords and phrases into your copy and still have a nice, flowing sales message? It’s really easier than you might think.

Here are a couple of strategies I use when writing SEO copy.

Headlines and Subheadlines

These make ideal place for keywords. Why? Because keywords are normally descriptive by nature. Since headlines describe what site visitor is about to read, it makes perfect sense to include keywords within them.

Titles

Create a chart, or a list, and give it a keyword-rich title. Just as with headlines, titles should be descriptive… another perfect keyword/copy match.

Lists

In your chart or list, include keywords in headers and within list descriptions. For example, if your keywords include softball trading pins, employee recognition awards, lapel pins, and lapel pin you could create a list that reads like this:

As a professional copywriter, I’ve seen my share of copywriting mistakes. One that seems to be particularly common is writing copy that’s “upside down.” When you do this – when you don’t relay your message in correct order – you lose your audience’s attention, and sale!

You’ve probably seen copy that reads something like:

Professional Virtual Assistant Services For over seven years, we have been providing virtual assistant services to global community. With a proven history of excellence, you are guaranteed quality when you select ABC Company for your virtual assistant needs. You’ll find your load lightened, your schedule freed, and your business day more organized so you can spend your time making money instead of chasing your tail. Virtual assistants allow you to do more of what you love to do!

What’s important in this paragraph? Yes, experience (“…over seven years…”) is necessary. And quality (“…you are guaranteed quality…”) is vital. But what is it that will catch attention and deliver true message about virtual assistants?

It’s this section: “You’ll find your load lightened, your schedule freed, and your business day more organized so you can spend your time making money instead of chasing your tail. Virtual assistants allow you to do more of what you love to do!” So – if this is most important part – why is it at end? Because copy is upside down, that’s why!