SEO Copywriting Best Practices

I've been writing copy for 11 years and studying the best performers for even longer. Here’s 18 copywriting principles that actually move the needle: 1) Your headline has one job Get people to read the next line. That's it. Bad: "Revolutionary AI-powered email platform" Good: "Your emails are probably going to spam" 2) Sell the outcome, not the process People don't want a gym membership. They want to look good naked. "Advanced fitness tracking technology" => "See your abs in 90 days" 3) Make it scannable Most people don't read. They scan. So write for scanners. Use short sentences. Like this. And this. Break up long paragraphs. 4) Address the elephant in the room If people are thinking it, say it first. "Yes, another project management tool" beats pretending you're the first one ever made. 5) Use the word "you" more than "we" Count them in your copy. You should win by a landslide. "We help companies scale" => "You can scale without losing your mind" 6) Write like you're texting a friend Forget "professional" copy. Real language wins. "Leverage our solutions to optimize" => "Here's how to fix this mess" 7) Lead with the problem, not the solution People need to feel the pain before they want the cure. "Advanced CRM features" => "Your deals are falling through the cracks" 8) One idea per sentence If you can add "and" to your sentence, it's probably too long. Split it up. 9) Use numbers (but make them believable) "Thousands of customers" sounds made up. "2,847 customers" sounds real. 10) Test your copy on your mom If she doesn't understand what you do, rewrite it. 11) Delete every "very," "really," and "quite" They weaken everything. Your product is either good or it isn't. 12) Start with the biggest benefit Bury the lead in journalism. Lead with it in copywriting. "Save time, reduce costs, improve efficiency" => "Cut your workload in half" 13) Use power words (sparingly) Free, new, proven, guaranteed, instant. But don't sound like a used car salesman. 14) Write buttons that continue the conversation "Submit" tells people to stop talking. "Show me how" keeps them engaged. 15) Create urgency without lying "Limited time offer" is played out. "Price increases next month" is honest urgency. 16) Show, don't tell "User-friendly interface" => Screenshot of the actual interface "Fast results" => "Results in 24 hours" 17) Use "because" to justify anything Harvard study: People will do almost anything if you give them a reason. "Buy now because..." always works better than "Buy now." 18) End with one clear next step Don't give people 5 options. Give them one obvious choice. Multiple CTAs = confused customers = no sales. TAKEAWAY: Good copy isn't about being clever. It's about being clear. Clear wins every time.

How to write good copy for the internet (a guide). Bad copy kills businesses, good copy makes them. I think we’re entering an era where the best products don’t necessarily win, the best copy does. Most people write copy like they are writing instruction manuals. They got lost in explaining how the sausage is made and no one cares. And even worse they use that same robotic copy in the content they create. 1. Paint a picture Make your reader see, feel, and believe in the world you're describing as if they're living it. It's like telling a story that they become a part of. 2. Conversational tone Write like you're chatting with a friend. It should feel easy and friendly, making your reader feel right at home. 3. Use line breaks generously Space out your sentences like breathing spaces in a conversation. People don't have time to read dense paragraphs when you are competing with TikTok. 4. Hone in on a single focal point Keep your message tight around one big idea. It's like using a spotlight in a dark room to show off the most important thing. 5. Shows credibility with examples Use real stories or examples to prove your point. It's like showing a picture to prove you've been somewhere cool. 6. Anticipates concerns and works through objections Think ahead about what might bother your reader and talk it out. It's like answering their questions before they've even asked them. 7. Entertaining Keep things fun or interesting so your reader enjoys reading. It’s like adding a dash of spice to make a meal tastier. 8. Know who you’re trying to reach Write for someone specific, like you know exactly who they are, what they like, and what they need. It’s like picking out a gift for a friend. 9. Show how the product works Explain how things work in simple terms. It’s like explaining a game so everyone can play. 10. Has clear calls-to-action Be clear about what you want your reader to do next. It’s like giving clear directions so someone doesn’t get lost. 11. Don’t be a robot Put some personality in your writing. It’s like wearing your favorite outfit instead of a uniform. 12. Be different than your competition Stand out by being yourself. It’s like choosing to dance to your own music when everyone else is dancing the same. 13. Use positive words Use words that make people feel good and hopeful. It’s like smiling through your words. 14. Avoid exclamation points Use them sparingly. It’s like not shouting in a conversation. 15. Clear and concise Keep it short and sweet. It’s like telling a story without adding unnecessary details. 16. Safe copy is risky copy Dare to be different. It’s like taking a new path through the woods instead of the worn trail. 17. Be interesting, be brave Write something that grabs attention. It’s like telling a story that no one wants to end. 18. Every word matters Choose your words carefully. It’s like picking out just the right ingredients for a recipe. I hope this guide has been helpful.

Blogs are not dead. But they continue to evolve. In a study conducted by Hubspot, 35% of those surveyed said they skim blogs. So why is this important? If your formatting doesn’t make this skimming behavior easy, guess what? Your audience is closing the tab and going to the next article in SERPs. And that’s not good if you want them to stick around and engage. Here are 7 SEO formatting mistakes I see with blogs (with ways to fix them!) 🥱 #1. Lackluster blog titles Your H1 is what grabs your reader's attention to get that click! Don’t make it an afterthought. Include a keyword for optimization stirring some kind of emotion. 📌 #2. Using the bold feature instead of a proper H2 or H3 By bolding a subheading where it should be a proper H2, H3 (or H4), you're missing out on valuable SEO credit. Designate text as headlines in your CMS vs. bolding the copy. 🥴 #3. Not sticking to 55-60 character limits for title tags You don’t want the title of your blog post cut off in a Google search, do you? Then it’s best to focus on keeping it between 55-60 characters. (Wordcounter is a free tool that can help.) 🫣 #4. Ignoring the length of your meta descriptions Like title tags, you should also stick to a character limit with meta descriptions. (155-160) Yes, Google rewrites the majority of meta descriptions, but write them anyway to demonstrate that you understand SEO best practices. 🫢 #5. Forgetting internal links Don’t write a blog post without including links to other great pieces you’ve written or related pages. Your topics should fit within a content pillar with several related articles. So, link to those relevant topics. 🤷 #6. Having unrelated anchor text to internal links When the text is unrelated to your link, it’s completely confusing to the reader (and not helpful for Google) when they click to get more information. Make sure your anchor text reflects keywords that are being used in a related article or page. 🎯 #7. Foregoing a FAQ section The FAQ section at the end of your blog is a great way to amp up your SEO juice. Include relevant questions you couldn’t easily integrate into the main body of your blog post. Do all this, and you’re on your way to making blogs work harder for your website:) 👉 Have you seen other mistakes with blogs? What are they? ________ Hi, if you're new here, it's nice to meet you. I'm Allison 😊 I’m using my 15+ years working for a CPG nutrition company to help other nutrition and wellness businesses increase their leads and revenue through strategic SEO website content and blogs. Thinking of a website launch, refresh, redesign, or wanting to build trust through content? I’m your person:) 👉 Book a 30 minute consult in my featured section, and let's chat.

You can have the best blog posts, landing pages, and resources out there, but if your on-page SEO is weak, your rankings (and traffic) will suffer. The good news? Fixing it isn’t rocket science. Here's how to do it: 👉 Title Tags: Keep them under 60 characters, clear, and compelling. Example: “Best CRM Software for Small SaaS Businesses | [Your Brand]” 👉 Meta Descriptions: Write for humans, not just algorithms. No need to stuff keywords—make it actionable and enticing to boost CTR. 👉 Headings (H1, H2, H3): Structure matters. A well-organized page keeps readers engaged and signals relevance to search engines. 👉 Image Optimization: Use descriptive file names & alt text. “screenshot-crm-dashboard.png” > “image123.png” 👉 Internal Linking: Connect related content to strengthen topic clusters and improve discoverability. Your “Customer Support Software” page should link to “How to Improve Customer Satisfaction” or “Best Practices for Support Automation.” 👉 URL Structure: Keep it short, clean, and keyword-rich. Example: /customer-support-software/best-practices 👉 Featured Snippets: Format content for quick answers—bullet points, tables, lists—to increase your chances of landing at the top. Great SEO isn’t just about rankings—it’s about visibility, engagement, and conversions. Nail these fundamentals, and your organic traffic will follow. 

SEO isn’t stuffing. It’s strategy. If your copy sounds like it was written by a bot desperate for clicks, chances are people won’t read it and Google won’t rank it. Here’s how to actually make SEO work for your B2B website: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿. Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Search Console to find real keywords and the intent behind them. 𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲. Weave keywords into your copy naturally. Avoid jargon. Avoid robotic phrasing. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. Your H1s and H2s. Your meta title and description. Your alt image text. These are the signals search engines and users rely on to decide if you're worth their click. SEO is not about chasing algorithms. It’s about aligning what you want to say with what your audience is already looking for. Search intent is real intent. Meet it, and your site becomes a magnet, not just a placeholder. --- Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this. ♻️ Share this with someone still keyword stuffing.