Your website needs two key things to succeed: visibility and persuasive content. Without search rankings, potential customers won’t find you. Without compelling copy, visitors won’t take action.
We’ll explore the critical distinctions between SEO copywriting and conversion copywriting, offering practical strategies to create content that both ranks well in search results and drives meaningful customer action.
At Sagapixel, we’ve helped businesses bridge this gap for several years at this point, saving them from wasting time and money. So out of all of these tips, we’re sure there are going to be at least a few that are going to make sure that you don’t have an invisible website or unprofitable traffic.
So let’s get into it. If you’d like to learn more about how to rank and sell with SEO copywriting and conversion copywriting, schedule a call with Sagapixel today.
What Is the Difference Between SEO Copywriting and Conversion Copywriting?
SEO copywriting aims to maximize the relevance of the content on the website to the searches of your target customers. Conversion copywriting, on the other hand, is more concerned with taking the traffic that’s made its way to your website and getting them to take action—call, fill out a form, purchase something, become a social media follower, or join an email list. The thing is, though, that the skill sets to be an SEO copywriter and a conversion copywriter are very different.
Let’s break down the top 12 tips to improve your SEO copywriting without sacrificing the human quality that will convince users to convert.
12 Tips to Improve SEO and Conversion Copywriting
1. If You’re Doing Blog Content, Make Sure That It Follows the BARS Framework
We have a video that gets into the BARS framework that you can check out. But basically, this means that:
- B: You’re planning content that’s on your buyer’s journey.
- A: People are not going to be satisfied by an AI answer.
- R: You’ll be able to rank for the topic based on the competitiveness of the SERP.
- S: There’s enough search volume to justify the time you’re spending creating the page.
The most common SEO copywriting mistake that I find—by far the most common—is writing about topics that don’t meet one of those four criteria.
A topic that is not on your buyers journey may drive traffic, but those users are more than likely not going to convert. A query that can be easily answered by an AI overview won’t gain any clicks in the SERPs. High levels of competition for a keyword mean that you likely won’t be able to rank on page 1 – hampering your visibility significantly. Lastly, a query that doesn’t drive a significant amount of traffic will be less likely to be found on Google.
2. Make Sure You Match Your Content Intent With What You’re Seeing in the Search Results
Here’s an example. These are the search results for the search “commercial real estate investing.”
- Here we have a beginner’s guide.
- Another beginner’s guide.
- Some Reddit results.
- A beginner’s guide.
- At position five, we have a platform where you can actually do it.
- At six, a book.
- At seven, a listicle about things you need to know about investing in commercial real estate.
- “How to Find Commercial Real Estate Investors.”
And you have to go to page two to find things like the pros and cons of investing in commercial real estate.
The results for this search have a very fragmented search intent. Lots of people are interested in how to get started, and it seems like all the other reasons why you may look into commercial real estate investing are kind of an afterthought.
If you wrote an article on why commercial real estate investing is the best asset class for you to invest in, you’re probably not going to have a good shot at ranking on page one. You need to align the angle of your content with what’s ranking and what people are interested in clicking on.
3. Ensure the Comprehensiveness of That Content
So you’ve picked your angle. You’re about to write your article. You want to ensure that no of the existing stuff that Google has in the index will do a better job than what you are about to write.
Look at the subtopics they cover, come up with something unique that you can add on top of all of it, and make sure you’re more comprehensive and information-dense than anyone else.
This does not necessarily mean that your article needs to be longer. As a matter of fact, the compression ratio in SEO means that if Google finds a lot of fluff in your content, you will get a lower quality score.
4. Spend Time on Your Intro
The first few sentences of your article will decide whether people read your content or not. In order to ensure users don’t immediately leave your blog post or service page, you need to write an engaging hook that captures user attention right off the bat.
This is one of those cases where you have both conversion copywriting and SEO copywriting converging. And if your introduction falls short, the search engine very well may take notice that people are not spending very much time on your article and decrease your rankings because of it.
5. Create Engaging Headlines
Most readers skim content quickly. Your headings are your first and most critical opportunity to grab attention and compel readers to dive deeper into your text.
The primary goal of a compelling heading is to interrupt the scrolling mindset. You want to create headlines that:
- Spark curiosity
- Address a specific pain point
- Promise clear value
- Stand out visually and intellectually
Effective headings don’t just label content—they sell the reader on why they should invest their time in reading what follows.
6. Use Target Keywords in All of Your Headings and in Your Content
Try to use target keywords and semantically related keywords whenever you possibly can.
Even though Google doesn’t exactly use keyword density scores when ranking the search results, I have seen movement when we went in and edited articles and landing pages to add the keyword and topically related keywords to a piece of existing content.
A lot of the time, you can do this by looking at your pronouns. Instead of saying, “We are great at whatever we do,” try: “Our team of interior designers” would be a better way to put that if you’re trying to rank for a keyword like “interior designer.“
7. Leverage Bucket Brigades to Maintain Retention on the Page
Phrases like:
- “But here’s the deal…”
- “But that’s not all…”
These keep people on the page. Learn how to use them.
8. If You Can Show Images—Especially Screenshots—Do It
At Sagapixel, we’ve seen a bunch of cases where articles rank better after we added more screenshots that were related to the topic that we were writing about.
We think Google’s systems have learned that people like pictures. Our SEO team has seen the positive user signals that visually engaging content creates help improve metrics like time on page, bounce rate, and more.
The multimedia experience will likely increase your engagement and probably help with your conversions.
9. Include Your Target Keyword in Your Title Tag
Your title tag has some of the largest impact on your content’s relevance. Including the target query in the title tag is one of the most basic steps of SEO, and one of the easiest ways to tell Google what your page is about. In addition to the title tag, include the target keyword in the first couple of sentences of your content whenever you can without sounding artificial or unnatural.
Additionally, when you’re writing your headlines, try to formulate them as questions, as it will increase the likelihood of you grabbing a featured snippet at the top of the search results. Using tools like Google’s People Also Ask section can help you increase topical depth as well.
10. Have Clear and Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs) Throughout Your Content
Your website should never just be using the CTA “Book Now.” It lacks specificity, urgency, and emotional resonance. Instead choose something that creates a sense of urgency, addresses a specific benefit, and/or speaks directly to the user’s desired outcome.
Alternative CTAs are important as well—downloadable assets that you’re offering, webinars that you’re doing, social media accounts that you have. This will help drive traffic to places where you can further nurture users in your sales funnel.
11. Build Credibility Through Authority and Trust Signals
You’re a Wall Street Journal best-selling author, have worked with a household name in your industry, or have built relationships with trusted brands? Your audience should know that when they first take a look at your website.
If you’re making strong claims, back it up with data.
Basically, do everything you can to maximize the trustworthiness and authoritativeness of your personal brand, your persona, and just build trust in the stuff that you’re writing.
12. Monitor, Test, and Refine Your Copywriting
Your job is not done when you hit publish.
After you’ve published a new article, you should have a time where you are going into Google Search Console, taking a look at the secondary keywords that you’re getting impressions for, and seeing what keywords are within striking distance of doubling or tripling your traffic—meaning you’re in position six, and if you can get it up to position two, you probably will double your traffic.
Go into Google Analytics and see how people are engaging with your content. How is the time on page of this article compared to the rest of your website?
Edit your content. See how different headlines will affect your time on page and changes in your rankings. Test and learn.
Take Your SEO and Conversion Copywriting to the Next Level
Creating content that ranks and converts requires a strategic approach that blends SEO copywriting with conversion copywriting. By following the 12 tips outlined in this guide, you can ensure that your website not only attracts visitors but also turns them into customers.
Remember, SEO and conversion optimization are ongoing processes. The best results come from consistent testing, refining, and improving your content over time.If you’re ready to take your website to the next level, Sagapixel can help. Our team specializes in SEO-driven content strategies that drive real business growth. Schedule a call today, and let’s build a website that not only ranks—but sells.
