by Karon Thackston 2004
http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword
Keyword density. When it comes to SEO copywriting, this has to
be one of the most talked about subjects. Why? Because keywords
are the very foundation of search engine copywriting. Without
keywords we wouldn”t even have SEO copywriting. Because keywords
(or more accurately, keyphrases) play such an important role in
search engine copywriting, it might make sense that there are
certain rules and regulations – certain formulas – that should be
followed. It might make sense, but, I”m sorry to say, the
mystery. the magic. is more like a myth.
I have a guess as to where these magic formulas come from.
Someone brags to their friend that they got 1 ranking for a
particular keyphrase. The friend studiously looks over the site
and starts taking notes. “He used this phrase eight times in a
500-word piece of copy. He put the keywords in here and there
and over here, too. That means you have to put keyphrases in
these places and reach a keyword density of 1.6% in order to get
a 1 ranking.” Not so! Let me explain why keyword density
formulas don”t fly.
Copywriting Is One Piece of the Search Engine Optimization
Formula
Copywriting, in my opinion and the opinions of respected search
engine optimizers, is 1/3 of the puzzle; but there are other
pieces to the puzzle, too. What about coding and linking? Those
are two extremely important factors that also come into play.
*IF* copywriting were the sole factor, then maybe – just maybe –
keyword density formulas might be a reality instead of a fable.
But alas. it isn”t.
Keyword Density Formulas Are Unproven
Go to any search engine. Type in your primary keyphrase. Look
at the results that fall into the number one through five slots.
Do they all have the same keyword density? No. Some have higher
levels, some have lower levels.
If keyword density formulas were carved in stone, every single
site in the top 10 would have the same keyword saturation levels.
But alas. they don”t.
All Keyphrases Aren”t Created Equal
Think about the competitiveness of the various keyphrases on the
Internet. You have some like “search engine marketing” that are
exceptionally competitive. Then there are others like “sushi
restaurant in Charlotte, NC” that aren”t. You have to account
for how many other sites you”ll be battling with when you write
search engine copy.
Positioning of Keyphrases
In addition to the number of times a keyphrase is used, you need
to pay attention to *where* your keyphrases are used. While it
has not been proven to my knowledge, it is strongly suspected
that keyphrases that have special formatting carry additional
weight. By special formatting I mean bold, italics, in bulleted
lists, in H tags, etc. As I said, this has not been proven.
Again, go to your favorite search engine and type in a keyphrase.
If formatting and positioning were a carved-in-stone rule, all
the sites in the top 10 would be using these tactics. But alas.
they aren”t.
Why the Myths?
I understand why people want formulas. Having hard and fast rules
to follow means, if you apply the formula, you know you”ve done
the job right and you can”t fail. The problem is there isn”t
just one right way to create search engine copy. There are as
many ways to write SEO copy as there are sites on the Web.
Am I holding back? Am I trying to protect my highly classified
industry copywriting secrets? Not at all. In fact, go to my site
at http://www.marketingwords.com. Visit the portfolio section.
If I had a fiercely protected secret that I was holding out on,
all the sites with SEO copy in my portfolio would have the same
keyword density. But alas. they don”t.
What DOES Work?
So after I”ve dashed your dreams, the least I can do is give you
some insight into how *I* write SEO copy. I don”t do any or all
of these in any particular order. I don”t do them all every time
I write. I am NOT saying that you should do all of these things
every time you write.
1) If possible, I try to include keyphrase(s) in the headline and
sub-headlines. If it doesn”t make sense, if it sounds odd, I
don”t include them.
2) When it flows, I include keyphrases roughly once or twice per
paragraph. Do I count words? Do I run keyword density ratios?
Never! I just eyeball the page to see if it looks right.
3) This I do EVERY time I write. I focus on natural language. If
the copy sounds forced or stiff after including keyphrases, I
scrap it and start over. Read your copy out loud. If it sounds
stupid or redundant to you, it will sound stupid and redundant to
your site visitor. Don”t compromise the flow of natural language
for the sake of search engines. What good will number one
rankings do if – as soon as visitors get to your home page – they
click away because the copy is so awful? All the number one
spots in the world won”t pay your grocery bill. You ultimately
have to have sales and that means winning over your human
visitors.
4) If possible, I try to include keyphrase(s) in bold, italic,
bulleted lists, or in other text that is specially formatted. If
it doesn”t make sense, if it looks funny or sounds odd, I don”t
include them.
So that”s it. Are those feelings you had when you learned there
wasn”t a Santa Claus or Easter Bunny coming back? Sorry. I
truly am. But it”s for your own good. If you”re going to be an
effective search engine copywriter, you have to learn the truth.
Relying on myths will only hold you back. Now pick yourself up,
dust yourself off, and get moving on that next number-one-ranking
page.
Related Posts
