Creative Content Writing and SEO – How to Reconcile Them

• Monday, August 14th, 2017
• Blog
• 2 responses

We already know we’re way past the keyword stuffing era. Algorithm update after algorithm update, search engines have gotten smarter and smarter. It sometimes feels as if SEO writers and Google are racing against each other: the first ones try to get in the good graces of search engines, while the latter makes it harder and hard for them.

But this is just a fallacy.

Who wins this race?

It’s neither Google, nor SEO copywriters.

It’s the readers.

The algorithm updates are all designed to make it easier for users to find relevant information. In order for that to happen, the first thing on the agenda is removing spammy, keyword-stuffed articles.

So should we just forget about SEO altogether?

Not really!

There is a place for SEO within creative content writing. It’s just not very easy to find.

Before we get there, let’s see the main differences between creative content writing and SEO. We need to know what we’re up against, right?

The Main Differences between Creative Content Writing and SEO Writing

As a kid, I won a lot of prizes for creative writing. As an adult, I got none for SEO writing.

Surprising?

Not really. Here’s why:

1. Wording Differences

The essays and short stories I wrote in my childhood and teenage years had one thing in common: fancy words. Yes, that’s adolescence pride for you.

And, even if as an adult creative writer you don’t feel the need to show off your impressive vocabulary, you’re at liberty to do it. You can write what you want, the way you want it. In fact, the more surprising the language, the better (most times).

When it comes to SEO writing, you’ve got your keywords and your LSI keywords. This is your playground. Fairly limited, right?

In fact, you’re encouraged NOT to use complicated or fancy words. Your turns of phrase don’t need to be scintillating, they need to be effective in conveying the right message. And have the right keywords in place.

You don’t want to humiliate your readers and make them feel bad because they can’t really decipher your copy. You want to relate to them and make them feel understood on your website.

Which brings us to number two on our list.

2. Purpose Differences

As a creative content writer, your goal is to entertain or stir feelings. As an SEO writer, you need to bring traffic to the website you’re working on.

Keeping them there is a whole different business. And this is where creativity comes into play: great articles aren’t just SEO-friendly, they are also user-friendly and able to keep the reader clicking on more and more titles.

3. Point of View Differences

Let’s say you hate the taste of dill. As a creative writer, you can create a very long rant describing all the reasons why dill sucks. Of course, it would be filled with tons of clever metaphors and similes.

As an SEO writer, you can’t afford to do that. What if your readers love dill with a passion. You will estrange them. You need to steer clear of controversial subjects as much as possible.

So, what’s left?

Can we really not be creative at all if we want our website to rank high in SERPs?

I say we can and here’s why:

How Creative Content Writing and SEO can Coexist

I’ve already said that content marketing versus SEO is a useless debate. And I strongly believe that, in order to succeed, content marketing has to be creative.

Let’s see how we can hit two birds with one stone.

1. Keep the Technical SEO in Place

Your page’s tags, your site speed and your mobile responsiveness are crucial for boosting your SERP rankings. And they don’t impede on your creativity, either.

They are unseen by users and still very important to them. You can’t expect to gain any traction without a mobile responsive website today.

The same goes for inbound and outbound linking. You need them both to make it clear to Google (and your readers!) that you write authority content, not shallow, 500-words pieces designed to spam search engines.

2. Do Keyword Research with Human Readers in Mind

Before you enter your query into the tool you use for keyword research, think about this: how would your potential clients search for products or services like yours.

Hint: they wouldn’t be searching for “wedding dresses”. This is not the search of someone who already knows what they want and is ready to buy. And that’s good, because you stand a very small chance of ranking your small business’ website for such a keyword.

What they would search for is something like: “handmade wedding dresses Tulsa” or “ivory princess wedding dress shop Tucson”. These are the visitors you want to attract. This is whom you should be targeting.

And the best news is that you can finally allow yourself to write freely. No more repeating the same keyword over and over again.

When you target long-tail keywords it’s not just easier to rank for them. But you also use LSI keywords to make your writing more natural. You can even dabble in creative content writing, if you will. A heartfelt description of a handmade ivory wedding dress that you sell in your Tulsa bridal shop will be worth a lot – both to your customers and to Google.

3. Avoid “Forced” Keywords

The future of SEO is context. In other words, you don’t need to use keywords like “ivory princess wedding dress shop Tucson” anymore. Yes, this is what users search for, but it doesn’t mean you have to write it “as is” in your copy.

Such forced keywords are truly the death of creative content writing. And, let’s be honest: people don’t like to see phrases like: “Come visit the best ivory princess wedding dress shop Tucson.” It’s unnatural. And it screams “scam”.

Or maybe you just hired SEO copywriters that are still stuck in 2002. Either way, such writing won’t get you any customers or better ranking.

Google has evolved past that. Instead of forced keywords, you can (and should!) use natural phrases. “Our bridal shop in Tucson is proud to present the latest collection of stunning ivory princess wedding dresses.”

Reads better, doesn’t it?

Google thinks so, too.

In fact, you don’t even need to use all those words in a single phrase. Just adding your bridal shop to Google maps is enough to signal that you own a bridal shop in Tucson. Now, all you have to do is come up with stellar creative content writing to make your ivory wedding dresses shine.

4. Write for People, not Search Engines

Finally (and most importantly!), you need to write for people. Ironically enough, when you manage to do so, you will have also “pleased” search engines.

As previously stated, today’s searching algorithms work “for the people”. They are not out to get your business or leave SEO writers without work. They are just intent on making search easier and more relevant.

Of course, search history and cookies may not be all ethical. But privacy is another discussion for another time.

Creative content writing is something that comes naturally and doesn’t have to impair your SEO efforts. Think about LSI keywords.

When you write an article about Windows 10, you will naturally use words and phrases like “Microsoft”, “operating system”, “Windows 7”, “Bill Gates”. This tells search engines that you are not speaking about choosing replacement windows for your home.

This tells search engines that your article is relevant and it’s OK to be “served” to people who search for news or updates about Windows 10.

Your tagging and meta description give it another helpful nudge. Is your article a piece of news or a review? Maybe it’s a rant from an Apple fan. Or maybe it’s just an opinion pieces.

Get your categories straight and you will be relevant to those who are, in turn, relevant to your blog or your business. The circularity isn’t ironic. It’s how it’s supposed to be.

And you can easily leverage it.

Want to work with SEO copywriters who know how to combine optimization with creative content writing? You have come to the right place.

Adriana Tica

Adriana Tica is an expert marketer and copywriter, with 10 years in the field, most of which were spent marketing tech companies. She is the Owner and Founder of Idunn. In October 2019, she also launched Copywritech, a digital marketing agency that provides copywriting, SEO content writing, and strategy services to companies in the tech industry.