SEO Copywriting vs SEO Content Writing: What’s the difference?

In the world of digital marketing, there is a question that has popped up time and time again, especially within SEO communities, and that is, “What is the difference between SEO copywriting and SEO content writing?”

Let us tell you that the difference between these two terms matters, as both types of writing can bring completely different results for your business. With this in mind, we’ve put together this article to help you first understand what is the difference between SEO content writing and SEO copywriting and when to turn to content writing vs copywriting in your digital marketing strategy.

What’s the difference between SEO content writing and SEO copywriting?

To get it straight from the very beginning, both SEO content writing and SEO copywriting are forms of writing words on a web page, but they each serve a distinct goal, therefore achieving different results. Combining content writing and copywriting can be relatively ineffective as it can ultimately lead to lesser results, the reason why a business must consider what are the differences so that they can select the right writers for their digital marketing projects.

What is SEO content writing?

SEO content writing is a type of online writing that helps websites increase their visibility on major search engines like Google. A highly visible web page with high-quality content appears on the first few pages of Google results when someone searches for that specific topic.

The central purpose of SEO content writing is to increase organic traffic through search engines. The higher your website ranks in Google, the more people will visit your website, which means more sales or more readers for your business. There are many tricks on how to write great SEO content, but the most important ones are:

To use good keyword phrases
To write engaging content that is grammatically correct, well-organised, and very easy to understand
To use headings to make the text more scannable
To make sure that keywords sound as natural as possible within the context
To always proofread multiple times
… and much more

We have some awesome blogs that you might find useful to read, such as a beginner’s guide to content marketing and how to write a blog post that converts.

Accelerator

Writing blog content for SEO is one of the most effective ways to increase your website’s organic traffic and ranking on search engines. According to HubSpot, businesses that consistently write high-quality blogs as part of their content marketing strategy receive up to 67% more leads per month than those that don’t. Ultimately, receiving more leads comes mainly from having a strong SEO strategy, which is very important and highly valued by search engines.

So what are you waiting for? The better you optimise your blog posts for SEO, the higher your web pages will be listed on Google search, so more people will find your website and get to know your business. Make sure to update your blog regularly with relevant topics to your audience, and keep going. You will be amazed by the results!

In case things get trickier in terms of SEO, we have a great blog on 68 SEO terms you need to know and a FREE SEO Keywords Research Manual that you can download.

What is SEO copywriting?

SEO copywriting is the process of producing keyword-optimised content that is designed to appeal to both users and search engines. In simpler terms, SEO copywriting is writing content that Google can clearly understand.

The primary goal of SEO copywriting is to convert your website traffic into leads and sales. It is a specialised form of online writing which contains key phrases that help your website rank higher in Google, driving qualified traffic to your website. In short, key phrases are words your target audience types in a search box to find the information they want or need. Head over to our blog on how to do SEO keyword research to find out how you can start levelling up your keyword research.

Most digital marketing experts thought that the term “SEO copywriting” is a result of many SEO specialists confusing the two types of online writing, some saying that they are the same, some saying that they’re different, or that there is even overlap between SEO content writing and SEO copywriting. To put your mind at ease, we firmly believe that “SEO copywriting” is a term that many users actively search for online every day, making it a highly searchable keyword. SEMrush shows “SEO copywriting” as getting 720 searches per month, which is slightly ahead of “SEO content writing” at 590 searches per month.

Which one should you choose?

Nowadays, people are using the term “SEO copywriting” more and more to find content services online for their business. With this being said, any smart SEO content writer or SEO content agency would be savvy to target “SEO copywriting” if they aim to attract more organic traffic to their website.

However, many things must be considered when thinking about how to learn SEO copywriting, starting from the search intent behind this keyword. Start thinking about things like:

Are people looking for website content services?
Shall we start writing blog posts?
Shall we look for a sales page copywriter?
What about ad copy (for Facebook, sales pages, etc.)?

While “SEO copywriting” is a popular term in the SEO industry and digital marketing world, it is essential to distinguish between SEO content writing and SEO copywriting. The method you will choose for your business should be the best fit for what you are trying to accomplish with your content. Is it to drive organic traffic to your website or to attract more leads and sales? In other words, ar you going to choose SEO content writing or SEO copywriting? Once you know the answer to this question, you will know where to start from and how to write effective SEO content to achieve your digital marketing objectives. If you are not confident enough in your SEO writing skills, you can even go a step further and seek experienced SEO writers to get the job done for you.

SEO content project types

When a business starts to plan its SEO content strategy, they usually begin with SEO content projects which have the end goal of increasing organic traffic. These projects can range from:

SEO-friendly blog posts
Guest posts for SEO (anchor text)
SEO-friendly website pages
Local SEO content
Conversion pages
PPC landing pages
Link building content
Contextual links
… and much more

Here, the essential detail to remember is that if your immediate goal is to generate more organic traffic towards your website, you should aim to hire an SEO content writer specialist.

Suppose your primary goal is not organic traffic but converting that traffic into leads and sales. In that case, you should look for an SEO copywriter specialist who is an expert in conversion copywriting. SEO copywriting is ideal for platforms such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Sales Pages, Product Pages, and more. These projects can range from:

Facebook Ads
Instagram Ads
Social Media Posts
Sales Pages
Newspaper Ads
Product Descriptions
Non-SEO landing pages
Brand messaging
CTAs Buttons
On-Site Navigation Copy
… and more

Accelerator

The success in any digital marketing campaign depends on the copywriter’s skill to write conversion sales copy. The whole process should cover:

Market Research
Writing copy that resonates with your targeted audience(s)
Creating CTAs that will invite your users to make a purchase

You need to make sure that if you are not experienced enough in terms of SEO content for your website, you will find someone that:

Knows SEO inside-out
Knows conversion copywriting so they can do their best to convert your organic traffic better than 90% of the keyword-stuffed SEO content that is present everywhere in the digital landscape
Can provide real-life examples and proven cases of previous successful clients
Can reach out to your network and ask for referrals

In conclusion, choose the best content writer by firstly knowing the difference between SEO content writing and SEO copywriting to achieve your digital marketing goals. Consider your marketing projects’ immediate and end objectives, which will guide you towards the most suitable writers available on the market.

At Lnet Digital, we have an in-house team of experienced SEO professionals who know everything about SEO and content marketing. They can help you achieve your digital marketing goals. Just book your FREE SEO consultation with us, and find out how you could start creating high-ranking content that will answer your customer’s questions in no time! Take a look at our PASH Case Study to see how we’ve helped our client rank its website on the first Google page for over 260 keywords, and imagine that you could be the next success story on our website, so what are you waiting for?