My Approach
SEO content writing is on the whole pretty straighforward. You need readable, informative text that's optimized for the search engines with the inclusion of keywords. Much of the following discussion doesn't even apply to SEO content, because we're following a set pattern. However, here are my thoughts on my approach to copywriting in general.
If you’re like most people, the controversy surrounding what makes good website copy, direct mail, or any other form of business-to-customer or business-to-business communication is just too confusing for words. Who should you believe? While I don’t think we’ll ever all agree totally on how best to make our point to a given target audience, I do think we can follow some basic rules that will go a long way towards having the effect we want anyway.
Rule #1 Make it Easy On the Eye!
To begin with, your content should be the easiest thing in the world to read, no exceptions and no excuses. If you lose your reader in a maze of complicated sentences, they’ll never stick with you long enough to even know what you’re trying to sell! This means that you should check out the web content services you hire very carefully. Look at some of the content they have already produced. Does it meet the requirements outlined here? Are those websites successful? What portion of their success was directly due to the effect of SEO content?
Rule #2 Make the Right Impression
All website content should be absolutely error-free. If it is not those two things, it will never have the effect you hope for.
Rule #3 Make Contact
I believe that the best web content should read as if someone is sitting down and chatting with a person they like and feel comfortable with. This puts the reader at ease immediately, and sets the stage for the opening of a business relationship.
I’ve found this approach to be successful in all my writing. Whether it's copy for a web portal, pitching a publisher with my latest idea, or writing a book, I always try to make my words as readable as possible, without being patronizing.