By Eric Brantner
During my career as a copywriter, I’ve spent hours upon hours reading about the art of SEO copywriting. I’ve read blog posts, books, magazine articles…you name it. And while I’ve learned a lot from all this reading, I’ve also realized there’s a lot of BS floating around out there.
Today, I want to talk about the most common SEO copywriting myths that get spread about. I want to show you why these are myths and dispel them so that you never buy into them again.
Your copy needs to be at least 400 words long—I still get clients who insist that I need to write at least 400 words of copy for each page of their website or else it won’t get indexed and rank properly in Google. I’ve heard other people say 250 words is the magic threshold. Both are myths. There is no word count you need to hit. Don’t believe me? Just search for a few different terms in Google, and look at the pages that come up. More than likely, you’ll see pages ranging from as little as 30-50 words to pages with thousands of words. Instead of focusing on word count, focus on delivering your message as clearly and concisely as possible.
There is a certain keyword density you must hit—I don’t get this request as often anymore, but there are still times when a client will want me to write their copy with a specific keyword density (e.g. use the keyword 2.5% of the time). Keyword density has long been written off as a myth, but there are some who still cling to it for dear life. The only value I see in measuring keyword density is it can help you get a better understanding of the readability of your content, but you can also accomplish that just by reading your copy aloud to make sure the keyword isn’t being used too often.
You must use the exact keyword every time—Obviously, you need to include the main keyword you’re targeting throughout your website copy, but I like to mix things up. In other words, if my main keyword is “Houston bicycle repair shop”, I would also mix in terms like “bike repair in Houston”, “Houston bike repair”, and “bicycle repair shop in Houston.” This lets you target more keyword variations, and it keeps your copy from becoming repetitive and robotic.
What are some other SEO copywriting myths you’d add to this list? Share your favorites by leaving a comment!
Eric Brantner is a website copywriter who has helped hundreds of clients achieve online success. Beyond writing for the web, he also handles brochure copywriting and other print copywriting services.
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