Do keywords really make a difference to your web copy?

TL;DR: Yes! Keywords can make all the difference to your business’s web copy. But there’s more to it than scattering a few search terms…

No matter what industry you work in, chances are you have a business website. And if you do, you need people to visit it. Search engine optimisation (SEO) can feel like a tricky beast to tame, but it’s one of the best ways to drive organic traffic to your website. More traffic = more potential sales. 

Keywords might seem like a minor part of increasing website visitors — after all, how much difference can a few small phrases make? Well, a lot, it turns out. 

The thing is, it’s not as straightforward as throwing a few search terms into the mix and watching your website traffic climb. You want that traffic to be the right traffic: footfall that will lead to conversions. 

But don’t worry, whether you’re creating your own content or looking to hire a copywriter and outsource your content, I’ve got a few tips to help you incorporate keywords into your web copy in an effective way that brings value to your reader and your business. 

Recap: What are keywords?

When we talk about “keywords” in relation to digital marketing and copywriting, we’re simply talking about the words and phrases people type into search engines when they’re looking for information, services, or products. 

The links that show up on the search engine results pages (SERPs) reflect those words and phrases. Search engines like Google place the websites that are most relevant to the search query at the top — and these top SERP results get the lion’s share of the clicks. In fact, over two-thirds (68.7%) of all clicks go to the first three organic listings on the SERPs.

By including relevant keywords in your web copy, you can help search engines like Google understand what your content is about and what services you’re offering. This, in turn, can help improve your rankings and make it easier for potential customers to find you.

It’s all about search intent

However, it’s important to recognise that keywords on their own have limited effect. It’s essential to think about the intent behind the search.

Are they looking to buy something? Are they seeking information? Understanding the intent behind the keywords helps you create content that meets the needs of your audience — and that’s the golden rule. Search engines want to put web users in touch with sites that provide them with real value.

So when you’re creating web content, offering value to your visitors is more important than adding in some keywords that don’t match up. 

As a basic example, if you offer local catering services in Cardiff, why would you use keywords like ‘catering in Glasgow’? Anyone looking for caterers in Glasgow will just be disappointed when they realise they can’t hire you, and you won’t benefit from their custom!

Know your keyword goals

As well as ensuring your web copy meets your reader’s needs, your keywords need to meet yours, too. Think about what you want to get from your search terms and your content. 

Are you building brand awareness? Do you want to convert readers who are already a fair way down the sales funnel? Or do you want to create content that will drive backlinks to boost your website’s authority? 

These goals all require a different approach — and different keywords. 

Do your keyword research

This leads us to keyword research — how do you find the keywords that will help you meet your business goals?

There are some handy tools available to help you find the search terms that your customers are using. It’s helpful to use tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush, which show you details about those keywords, including:

• Search volume: How many people are using that keyword each month.
  

• Keyword difficulty: How hard is it to rank for that term?
  

• Traffic potential: What level of traffic can the term potentially bring to your site?
  

• Cost per click: What’s the average amount other businesses are bidding for this keyword in their paid ads? This can indicate how competitive a search term is and the value it’s bringing other businesses. 

• Related search terms: Many tools offer similar keywords that web users are also searching for.

All of these elements can help you choose keywords that have a good balance of search volume and competition. 

Top tip: Long-tail keywords — longer, more specific phrases — can be especially valuable as they often have less competition and attract more targeted traffic.

Don’t be tempted to keyword stuff

With keywords, think quality over quantity. Keyword stuffing involves overloading your content with keywords in an attempt to manipulate search rankings. 

What’s the issue with keyword stuffing? Well, firstly, it leads to a poor user experience. While some repetition is both necessary and natural in copywriting, too many mentions of the same phrases can become boring to read and distract the reader. 

Keyword stuffing can also lead to penalisation from search engines. Google is continually undergoing algorithm updates to help deliver the most valuable content to searchers. Google algorithms are a huge topic of discussion and we hope to go into more depth another time. 

However, here’s a brief overview of Google algorithm updates in relation to keywords:

Google algorithms and keyword stuffing

In 2011, the Google Panda update highlighted that thin, low-quality, or spammy content with over-optimisation (keyword stuffing) would receive ranking penalties. Over the years since, further updates have tweaked and refined these penalties, always with the aim of leading to better-quality content. 

The June 2024 Spam Update (no fun animal name this time, boo), for instance, particularly focused on AI-generated content specifically designed to boost rankings, and thin, duplicate or poor-quality content — so keyword stuffing is still a definite no-no if you want to avoid penalties. 

Looking to hire a copywriter to help with keywords and web copy?

As you can see, there’s a lot of value in using keywords — but they need to be relevant, genuine, and woven naturally into your content. The bottom line? Write for a human audience, not the search engines. 

Having worked as a freelancer and at a full-service digital marketing agency, we recognise that finding time to craft optimised copy that brings value to both you and your reader can be challenging, especially for small businesses. 

So if you’re looking to outsource your content, I’m here to help create engaging web copy that integrates the right keywords in a natural manner.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to have a chat and see our SEO content and copywriting services and packages for more details on our pricing.