If you've ever felt a little lost when it comes to SEO, copywriter Camilla Hill can help! She's not only an expert when it comes to crafting compelling copy that inspires, engages and converts, she helps customers find it through the power of SEO. So listen small and savvy business owner, you're about to learn how to conduct SEO keyword research to get your business found. Over to Camilla...

As soon as I was old enough to declare my desire for frills and denim cut-offs, my father prophesised the next 20-odd years of my future: “That girl was born to shop!”

And from 2-hour long sprees around the local Westfield, to my love of online shopping in 2017, I still adore fashion and personal style. But not just from a pragmatic point-of-view – I love writing about it too, particularly online.

Today, I’ve turned my passion for fashion into a career. I’m a copywriter for retail brands like Politix, Sportsgirl, Seed Heritage and Ralph Lauren, I understand the nuance behind the language needed to get traffic and persuade clicks. The secret? It’s a fine line between crafting prose that creates emotional resonance and drives action, and using keywords that Google loves. But how do you create copy that’s enjoyable to read, without sounding like an SEO spam robot?

Let's start at the beginning...

What is a keyword?

A keyword or a key phrase is what a person would type into Google to search for something. For example, if someone wants to find a copywriter in Melbourne, they’ll type ‘melbourne copywriter’ into Google’s search bar. Google then displays 10 results on the first page, based on what their algorithm thinks is most relevant to the user. There are a lot of complex factors Google considers to determine which website is best, and these are called Ranking Signals.

Keywords are just one of over 200 Ranking Signals, and keywords are usually the best place to begin your SEO learning journey.

How do you find relevant keywords?

Have you ever used Google’s Keyword Planner? If you haven’t before, it’s where many begin their keyword research. It’s free to use – you just need to create a Google Adwords account.

Using Google Keyword Planner is a matter of entering in terms that relate to your business, and then selecting the best keywords based on search volume (how many people are searching for that term per month). For example, if you were a wedding planner in Brisbane, you would enter ‘wedding planner brisbane’ or ‘wedding planning Brisbane’, and perhaps many more phrases.

Because you’re not placing an ad, you can leave the fields ‘Your landing page’ and ‘Your product category’ blank. After you’ve selected a geo-location to target, you can then click ‘Get Ideas’.

Google then takes you to another dashboard, where it displays information to help you make your decision. It’s ideal to go for keywords with a decent amount of search volume. This will depend on your industry, business, location, and a few other factors.

How do you use keywords in your website copy?

Once you’ve made a list of the keywords you want to use for your business, you can begin crafting elegant prose for your website. Say hello to editorial style, SEO product descriptions, and more sustainable sales.

But not so fast!

The art of using keywords to romance your customers and Google.

Once upon a time, it was common practice to use keywords ad verbatim. But scattering keywords throughout your website isn’t enticing, nor is it best SEO practice in 2017.

The reason is simple: when you write content that isn’t a pleasure to read, people won’t hang around for long on your website. When they spend very little time exploring your online headquarters, this signals to Google that your website experience is less than stellar. And using this data, they’re then able to make assumptions about the quality of your content, and rank your website accordingly.

So what’s a small business with modest marketing funds to do? My advice is to perform your own keyword research, educate yourself on SEO, and use keywords and related industry terms in your content so that Google knows what your website is about. The key is to write for both Google and your ideal audience, so that both can hear what you’re saying.

Do you want your brand to be heard?

Camilla is holding an SEO Copywriting Workshop on May 27 in Melbourne to help you turn tedious copy moments into brand-building interactions. She’ll show you how to perform keyword research and then write your own SEO copy. It’s an intimate, in-person workshop, and a great opportunity to extend your marketing budget by talking to an actual SEO expert.

Tickets are on sale now. And as a legendary offer to Cool Wow Collective, you can save through the link here.