Stop The Slaughter Of Innocent Copy! by Karon Thackston, 7 February 2007
It's one of the worst things to ever happen in the search engine copywriting field: the discovery of keyword density. Without any regard to flow or customer experience, website owners around the world began shoving keyphrases into their copy like wild men.
Key points
- 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.
- Use keyphrases to describe what your product or service is not, or what it is similar to or what it is better than.
- 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.
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!
About Karon Thackston
Copy not getting results? Learn to write natural-sounding SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors with Karon’s guide “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
63 comments
Great article, something that's needed to be said for a long time. Oh, and I Dugg it, too, hope you don't mind the traffic.
Appreciate what your saying but I'm only human so seeing it was more that 50 words, scanned through!
Would love to lift this and post it our site. We had 70,000 humans and computers visit our site last month, 13,000 via key word searches.
We have a daily newsletter and our readers would enjoy this... and more of the same... check us out and connect, let's help each other along the global highway!
Thanks for your great SEO copywriting tips. You give useful information to research, select and use good keyphrases to get better ranking in search engine results pages, and moreover attract good qualified prospects. Now, we understand better the amazing work that our - not very cheap, but cost-effective - french search engine optimization consultant did and how he optimized our web pages to attract so many small business owners, CEO & professionnals looking for top executive coaching services & leadership training. SEO copywriting is an art just as business coaching is a science! Martine Chanier, Agora's senior corporate coach.
Thanks for this article! It was fun to read, and the three example tips were insightful. I completely agree, this has been needed to be said for a while! Good job.
Excellent advice, as usual, Karen.
Excellent article with a great title. We see this all the time. I have a client who is being brainwashed by a so-called SEO expert to butcher the copy on their site for the sake of keyword density. This timely article may help me stand up for good copy!
Breaking the sentence is eye opener! Never paid attention to this simple yet powerful technique. However, I get a feeling that situation might change in the future and search engines will start paying attention to punctuation.
I bought the book within 5 minutes of reading the article! My only question is how do I have Karon look at my website! We used an (expensive) SEO company for several years and every time they sent me 'optimized' copy I had to re-write it so that it made sense - and I still got all the keywords in. Our pages still need work and we have just started with another SEO company, but we can use all the help we can get.
A really useful article - and with plenty of original information. Thanks!
I think that this is a great concept when you only have to write a page or so...what about when you are writing pages and pages and there is just nothing else write about other then keywords..
Couldn't agree more with you Karen! Keep it up.
Great suggestions! Thank you, now I have to dig into my copy and implement them as creatively as you have done.
I write my own copy for my website and the text do need some polishing. I really appreciate your free articles on how to optimize my site for my chosen keywords.
Great article - some of the tips I have been using already but there are other ideas that you mentioned that I am already thinking about using on some of our site. Thanks for sharing.
Interesting article. Thanks for pointing this out. We all go into overdrive when optimizing the article for a keyword. :P
This was a good pointer.
I totally agree that SEO copywriting, as Ms. Thackston so artfully demonstrates, and like advertising copywriting generally, requires the skillful combination of art and science (if anything about copywriting can be called a science).
I haven't read her SEO guide yet, but no doubt it would be very helpful if you're not used to this and plan on doing it yourself.
To her points here, a suggestion I would add from my own experience -- forget about SEO until you've made the copy as good as it can be for your target audience.
Yes, do your keyword research and have a sense of what you'll need to accomplish. Having a road map is important to all aspects of the site planning and content development process. But set keyphrase implementation as a separate, later stage. If you write reasonably well, if your site is truly valuable to your market, and if it's robust yet to the point, you'll probably find that much of the SEO has already been done by the time you reach that stage.
Also remember that search engines evaluate the site overall. Focused internal pages carry much of the weight, and are where many users will arrive. So if, even after using Ms. Thackston's tips and your own inventiveness, you just can't make an important phrase work, consider creating another focused page or sidebar where it logically will.
Excellent article. I've never gotten to the point of murduring my copy for SEO purposes. And I'm sure t'was because I agreed with you.
I write what I want to say to my audience, and know it could be stickier. I believe those who need my services will find and appreciate what I have written for them.
I especially like your example using "cheap", as I awoke with a need to make that distinction for the ever-present "I can't afford your fees" seeker!! I'm always working to make the point that my visitors really are looking for results - which is what I give them.
Good work, Karon!
Jannette www.inspiredcounseling.com
As a nascent copywriter in the SEM arena, I found your article inciteful and very helpful. In an effort ot boost my clients' ratings, I might have been guilty of butchering my fair share of copy. I'm going to revist their websites and try to clean them up a bit based on your suggestions. You've proven that effective SEO and copywriting can co-exist, even happily.
I'm glad you were kidding. Keyword density mutilation will begin to disappear when it is no longer a ranking factor on Google. Even then it may take years to stop.
Great and I believe it already - but try telling a client that has "read" a SEO book - I am finding that hard just now - they want the same key words everywhere - hard work.
Darren, I couldn't resist this one ... in order for you to transcend your nascent copywriter status, you really need to learn the difference between "inciteful" and "insightful" :-(
Great post. I hear so much about keyword density and in the health and fitness business am up against a lot of copy that reads for computers, not humans.
I'm definitely going to use these tips to increase readability of my articles :-)
Thanks!
Bravo! I too agree that this is a topic that has certainly needed to be addressed. Thanks for the great tips with the very real situations. I remember when I started my first couple of keyword filled webpages. Till I was done, it looked like a child had written it ... not to mention I'm not sure it really made whole lot of sense! So, I re-wrote the pages making them more "human-friendly" rather than just "search-engine" friendly ... and guess what? I still ranked in the top five for those keywords ;-)
The punctuation tip was my favorite! And I knew it! Well, I wasn't utilizing it but, I've seen while conducting searches - just never clicked. Thanks for making it click! I can't wait to share this with some of my readers!
This issue is very disturbing. a lot of site i visit seem to have most text optimized for spider instead of humans.
the funny thing is, even though i did find these sites, none of them ranked well for the stuff they were aiming for. i guess too much density of keywords is also bad.
I think the best rule for optimizing sites for engines in general is "think about the user", which kinda covers everything else - the copy writing, navigation and usability, and code design. and it works for me - all the sites i have worked on were naturally designed and written, and they all rank 1-10 on google for the terms i was going after.
This is a wonderful article for SEO communuity out there on the Internet. Thanks a lot Karon Thackston and the Wordtracker to make this article available online.
This is a guide in other terms, that will be more helpful to website owners around the world to tweak their keyphrases into their copy and better user experience in the online future.
Finally, a word here is that it also made me to modify the phrase in the description of the site that I am handling which must be annoying the users.
FANTASTIC - I loved the real examples. The hint about SE's ignoring punctuation was a great help - thanks very much.
Good copy is good copy. If you write for your audience and don't even think about keyphrases, SEO, search engines, whatever, pretend they don't even exist.
Don't let anyone called an 'SEO Copywriter' near your words. If you have a good copywriter your content should be looking good AND attracting real people through searches without any 'inside knowledge' about keywords or SEO.
If only the whole of the web development community thought as we do. A great article, keep up the good work! One of the things that aggravates me the most about our industry is the complete disregard some developers have for usability and the quality of the end product. A high ranking is nothing without conversion and conversions can only be achieved with good relevant copy and design.
Thanks Karon
http://www.rckt.co.uk
Some good points, but you could have taken it a step further. The entire internet is being butchered by frivolous, empty content. Typical searches bring up page after page of meaningless, empty 500 word "articles" of almost no actual value to a reader. They are often all just clones of each other in their ridiculous attempt to use the same keywords over and over. The result will certainly be the recognition by search engine programmers that the concept of using keyword density to establish relevancy is clawed, and already compromised by article "spam" - and is doomed to be relegated to the list of fortotten SEM techniques like link farms and metatags that have been so abused that you can actually lose position for misusing them.
As long as a profit cam be made from a search engine rankings, this will continue to happen unfortunately. It is probably just part of the net's growing pains. Eventually, frustration by users with search results that provide no useful information will force search engines to find ways to eliminate obviously commercial listings, especially affiliate sites, that clog the net's arteries...or we will kill the golden goose. Look at some of hte freelancer websites where thousands of article projects are listed every day requesting 500 word articles with keywords written by "offshore" writers often for pennies an article. Its virtually an "article farm." Every time the search engines come up with something, the spammers invent a "farm" to exploit it.
The answer for me, as just one other person posted, is to write good content first - smoething with actual value to your customer or reader. I have a top-ranked website within the top 5 listings on the first page of Google, and it got there with real content designed to serve the customer, over time (real SEO requires patience). Write a real article, and if you are a good writer it will naturally have plenty of keywords -- that is why the search engines discovered the idea in the first place. Stop the abuse - recommend real content to your clients!
Bravo! Excellent article!
You are so right, Karon! Much of the SEO copy sounds totally unnatural and utterly boring due to keyword overstuffing. I'm so glad finally somebody's saying it out loud!
I was introducing a marketing colleague yesterday to keywords, and how to place them within copy. Karron's advice is excellent for beginners and those of us with some experience.
As always though, to optimise is one thing but to optimise for what people are actually searching for is another. I have been at #1 on Google for months, without the expected resulting visits & sales. You guessed it: my keywords, although inserted artfully and scientifically within poetic copy, were of no interest to the searching public.
Back to the drawing board...
A great no nonsense article expaining what makes logical sense if you carefully think WHO you are writing for before you start typing your copy.
I try to place myself in the customers shoes first and ask "how will this content benefit or draw customers to my web page"?
I'll then run it by my wife, kids and a few other friends for feedback. I then often have to edit what I have written because I was too far "inside my box".
I agree with you whole-heartedly, Karon.
I see so many sites with nothing but repetitive copy. It's extremely annoying and really makes me question the writers' intelligence.
Many webmasters, have fallen victim to the practice, simply because of the higher traffic pay-off. However, quality is more important than quantity. One web site, filled with quality content is worth much more, than a thousand web pages stuffed with nonsense.
It doesn't matter how many people land on your web page, if they simply turn and leave. It can be compared to having a store in a great location, with thousands of items, but the items are all exactly the same. Customers may walk in the door, but they won't stick around to browse.
If you can't think of anything interesting to write about, the answer is easy - don't write.
Keywords can definitely be written into copy effectively without spoiling the flow. It just takes a little thought, creativity and imagination. I have been using the sentence break technique for some time and can agree that it works well.
Key words are my connection with the reader. They are the words that are in my reader's head.
The point about positioning yourself against the competition is also well made. However everyone wants cheap insurance! It is OK to offer cheap deals. If that's what people are looking for, sell them cheap! Researching your key phrases becomes absolutely vital when you have to establish if cheap insurance is what people are searching for.
hi wordtracker
I am interested in yearly subscription but was wondering if you can pay it monthly?
alot of start up costs and this would be helpful
Thank you for your consideration
Thank YOU! I agree! As a copywriter, I have witnessed first hand the effectiveness (in terms of rankings and conversion rates) of fantastically written content versus poorly optimized content. Terri-Lynn Gifford http://www.pkgcommunications.com
Anyone interested in a Cheap Spanish Villa?
Yes I agree, good heartfelt copy with keywords adding value rather than monetized distraction. Thankyou for the artical. Daniel http://www.roccosworld.net
Good common sense advice on keyword use. I would also like to add that provided the keyword phrase appear within the headings and first 100 words, it does not need to be exessively repetitive.
This the second article that I have read and once again you have provided great information. Can’t wait to get my first newsletter.
This is a very helpful article. I think keyword density is one of many factors that google needs to put less weight on. Hopefully personalized search and social bookmarking will will bring about this change. Thank you.
I think you have grasped the issue of density vs. relevance and that benifits the customer.
Currently it seems, anything from information vendors to “big box” appliances over use keywords. Your writing is elegant and meant to serve the reader. You will ultimately benifit by attracting more readers and readers benifit by finding the information they want and need. “Win-Win” senerios is something we all need to help become more pervasive in copy writing for SEO.
One suggestion, how about making the ebook text smaller and charging $29.95 instead of $39.95 for those of us who need the extra $10 a day to eat right now?
After two weeks of increased sales from using your excellent methods, I will double right back to you the $10 break you gave me. The deal will then become a “Win-win and win for you, the customer and me! Three wins are better than two right?
Well…it is thinking outside the box?
Packing a website with keywords, even if they are relevant, will annoy your customers, who generally want information quickly and accurately. That is why honest content is important. For that reason too, it is a mistake to contrive keyword phrases by using punctuation. I cannot understand why the SEs ignore the punctuation. If the group King Crimson were having a resurgence, and I was looking for King Crimson LPs but get a lot of hits because opportunist SE optimizers have written copy like “Jesus is King. Crimson is the color of sin”, even though I get a list linked to their page, I will not be going there. It is annoying that the SEs are listing something they know I do not want. On the other hand, if I wanted an article that I knew had a phrase with ” King. Crimson ” in it and I searched for this phrase thus punctuated, I would get a load of irrelevant hits though my search is specific.
The "Texas Hill Country real estate." was news to me. I did not realise about the punctuation and Google.
Great article. Am wondering whether keyword density is still an influence on SEO for google.
I don't think it's the authors' fault. I think it's the big G word that destroyed internet marketing, and created shady practices like that. You try to create something too scientific into something organic, like say... people, and this is what you get.
WELL DONE KARON- AFTER READING YOU COLUMN--I IMMEDIATELY WROTE THE COPY FOR MY WEB SITE. I'VE ONLY BEEN A MEMBER FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND WAS OVERWHELMED WITH ALL OF THE INFO UNTIL I READ YOUR ARTICLE. GOD BLESS KEEP UP THE KNOLEDGEABLE TIPS RALPH MARKARIAN USER HAGOP PSW 19340213 NOW I'VE GOT TO FIND OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT. I AM WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION OF MY ORDER.
is true, but those technics are still working though :( or :)
Great article.
I've never thought much about search engines reading through punctuation, but I doubt that this practice can continue for long. As others mentioned above, it can only yield unsatisfactory search results. The semantic difference between a word space (" ") and a period and word space (". ") is very distinct to human readers.
Nevertheless, like it or not, this SEO tactic is real and valuable for today. Your article inspires my latent need to write more natural search optimized copy. Thank you.
I enjoyed the article, and I'm sure there are those who will immediately begin trying to "optimise" their copy. I won't be one of them.
I try to be as relevant, clear, and insightful as I can be when I write for my blog. I know the content is good, as are the topics. While I may miss out on the oddball websearcher or two, I think it's more important to write the way I write. If I find an audience, then yay for me. If I don't, well, there's the price of a free (or virtually free) press.
But when I balance my need to give factual relevant information to an audience to my need to be "optimised," I'll go for informing and being relevant every time and twice on Sunday.
Warm Regards,
James E. Mason Managing Partner Mason|McRight Legal Recruiting mmlr@cox.net
Karon, Mike Marn doesn't praise just anything, so when Mike Marn praises an article, that means it's among the very best that Mike Marn has read. If anyone asks you what Mike Marn thinks of it, feel free to mention that Mike Marn thought it was excellent!
Seriously, nice work. I've fought the same battles. If someone gets to your site and sees that kind of copy, he or she will spend time thinking about how forced it is, or how they were tricked, instead of about what it is you are selling. The result -- fewer conversations from your "increased" traffic.
As search engines grow more sophisticated in their "secret formulas" they will increasingly factor out this sort of gimmickry. Then we copywriters can once again use our talents persuading prospects, rather than kidnapping them.
Many webmasters, have fallen victim to the practice, simply because of the higher traffic pay-off. However, quality is more important than quantity. One web site, filled with quality content is worth much more, than a thousand web pages stuffed with nonsense.
Thank you for your consideration
I've read this article as half dozen times, whenever I'm finding I'm losing my way with a copywriting project. I just recently thought of it again, when a prospect contacted to work on their site. They seemd to use three keyword phrases in a single sentence. They had great rankings, but the site failed to connect with its readers.
realy great. Now I learn something from your article. Thank you very much
Thanks. I is a really useful article. Your article inspires me.
Thanks Karon - as the author of 4 books and numerous websites, I really appreciate the tips on how to create good content while still being search-engine-friendly!
David Portney President, American Seminar Academy www.SeminarAcademy.com
I was introducing a marketing colleague yesterday to keywords, and how to place them within copy.
Thank you
Good article, reading these always give me more ideas!
Good info everyone should read!
Very inspiring. Thank you so much for this great article.
Keep It Sounding Natural,nice
Publicly saying what I'd thought for a while - good piece.
Thank you. I've got a lot to learn about keeping the copy clean.