Keywords are extremely important in web copy, often making the difference between poor and effective on-page SEO. In terms of reader experience, the decision to pepper your writing with relevant keywords can work both ways, either proving an effective technique to help detail the concept into your reader’s mind or a painful eyesore that makes the whole material a difficult read.
Web writing already gets rid of much of the subtlety of the craft, choosing instead to present ideas in as straightforward a manner as possible. The use of keywords, especially when geared towards SEO use, tends to leave it even more blatant.
Artful SEO
It’s not impossible to produce keyword-rich copy that honors the writing arts. Truth is, it just takes a little more time and a little more skill than your usual work process. In fact, well-done keyword-filled copy can read just as smoothly as regular pieces of writing, if you avoid a few common pitfalls.
- Using the same keyword in every paragraph. While it may pay off for your SEO to use the same keyword after every three sentences, it begins getting tiresome as soon as the reader jumps into the fourth paragraph. Try using synonyms and pronouns on occasion (use your writing software to find suggestions), instead of being shamelessly blatant. Your writing will look more natural without compromising your keyword density.
- Don’t use keywords that don’t make sense. Some people will forcibly use whatever key phrase they can grab from Wordtracker, often to dismal results. How many times have you read web copy that uses a term like “cell phone review smartphone” in the paragraphs over and over? It’s not only poor grammar, it’s damned terrible writing. Please avoid it. Alternatively, you can just jumble the words to make better sense, like “smartphone cell phone review”. It’s not going to win you writing accolades, but it at least makes sense to humans.
- Most SEO writers recommend using the keyword in both your first and last sentence, then at least once in the body of the copy. That allows you to make on-page SEO a priority without leaving your writing a terrible mess.
