SEO copywriting that works for search engines…but still sounds like you
Do you even need SEO?
The short answer is yes…even if you’ve been told that you ‘need to work on your SEO’ and the mere mention of it made your eyes glaze over.
SEO doesn’t have to mean robotic, keyword-stuffed pages that sound nothing like you. I mostly work with small businesses who know their fields inside out but don’t see themselves as marketers. So, they feel SEO is either ‘marketing spin’…or a bit of black magic.
If you’re a technical specialist, a professional services business or are an industry expert and you aren’t sure how to make the Google machine sit up and take notice, this page is for you.
You know your business.
I know words.
Let’s make beautiful copy together.
Need some great copy?
How SEO copywriting works
Hint: it’s copy that sounds like you…not a keyword list
SEO copywriting starts before a single word of copy is written. Firstly, we do keyword research, which is trying to figure out which terms your potential customers are typing into search engines when they’re looking for businesses like yours…and considering which of those terms gives you a realistic chance of ranking well.
Once we know what we’re working with, those keywords are integrated naturally into your copy: in your headings, your body text, your meta tags and your image descriptions. They’re not forced in, not repeated to the point of absurdity…just present in the right places, in the right context and included often enough to tell search engines your page is relevant to the people searching online.
A good SEO copywriter weaves these terms into your copy so that it reads naturally, builds trust and makes it easy for the right person to choose you.
This is the balance I aim for every time: copy that search engines can find and humans actually want to read.
Typical SEO projects
SEO copywriting isn’t just for Home pages. Some of the most valuable SEO work happens on the pages people visit after they’ve already found you.
The pages I most often focus on are:
Service pages: the workhorses of your website that drive conversions.
Blog posts: updated consistently, they can drive traffic long-term.
Knowledge base / resource pages: important as credibility indicators.
How SEO supports your marketing strategy
SEO isn’t a ‘build it and they will come’ thing.
It’s a part of your broader marketing picture. At its best, a well-executed SEO strategy puts your name in front of the right people in their search results. But once they arrive, it’s your website copy that keeps them there…and persuades them you’re exactly what they’ve been looking for.
Getting traffic without conversion is just numbers…and aiming for conversion without worrying about website traffic is just hoping someone mentions you to the right person at the right yoga class.
When I work with clients on their SEO, the first thing we do is work out what their target audience is actually searching for. Most clients already know this instinctively; they just haven’t thought of it in keyword terms.
You probably already know what your clients are worried about, what they’re hoping for and how they describe their own problems. So, we use your knowledge to decide which search terms you want to optimise for. That insight feeds back into your broader messaging and makes everything else you write more targeted.
This is why I think about SEO as part of your marketing strategy rather than a technical afterthought. When the two work together, the right people find you…and when they do, your copy is ready to do the rest.
Good SEO copy in action
This is a real example, with identifying details changed to protect the client’s privacy. The brief was simple: a law firm’s Home page wasn’t generating enquiries. When I looked at the copy, the reason was immediately clear. Here’s what I found, what I changed and why.
The same page with my notes
The services, business name and location are all the same, but now the reader is the centre of attention. The copy leads with what the client needs to feel (‘we see you, no judgement’), makes the phone number impossible to miss and gives the reader a clear path forward. The suburb list is gone, but their location is clear. The keyword stuffing is also gone but the issues readers might be searching for are front and centre. The result is a page that works for humans and search engines.
FAQs
What is SEO anyway?
SEO stands for ‘Search Engine Optimisation’, which sounds more complicated than it is. It simply means writing your content in a way that helps search engines find it, make sense of it and put it in front of the people who are actually looking for what you do. And the words that make the biggest difference are the ones your ideal clients are typing into that search bar.
These are called keywords, and they tell us not just what someone is searching for, but why. This is called search intent which is one of the most important things a good SEO copywriter works with.
For example, if someone types ‘NATA audit failed’, they’re probably ready to hire someone. If they type ‘how to prepare for NATA accreditation’, that’s a completely different story: they’re much earlier in the process, still researching and not yet ready to make a call. While it’s the same general topic, the searcher is at a completely different stage of the decision-making process.
But if they typed ‘quality manual not meeting requirements’, this is an example of an ambiguous search. The person could be looking for a technical consultant to review their processes, an auditor to assess compliance gaps, or, if the real problem is that the manual exists but nobody actually uses it, a specialist who understands that a quality manual only works if the people it’s written for can understand it.
This is why keyword research isn’t just about finding popular search terms and forcing them into your copy. It’s about understanding the intent behind the search and making sure your page is genuinely the right answer to the question being asked. When your copy relates to what your ideal customer is actually looking for, that’s when SEO starts to show its value.
Put simply, SEO gets you ranking in search results but great copywriting keeps your reader on the page…so that they can buy from you. One without the other is bound to fail.
What is the difference between SEO copywriting and normal copywriting?
All good copywriting is persuasive and focused on what the reader needs or wants. SEO copywriting does that and then adds a layer of strategy over the top. By integrating the right keywords in your copy, you are ensuring that search engines understand what your page is about and include it in the search results of people looking for exactly what you offer.
The key is to write for the your ideal client. And to do that, you have to know what they want, what they fear and what they believe…which is what any good copywriter does even if they don’t say the magic words ‘Search Engine Optimisation’.
The distinction matters less than people think, though. A skilled SEO content writer doesn’t write differently for search engines and humans — they write copy that works for both at once. If you’re ever reading a page and it feels clunky or repetitive, that’s a sign the SEO and the copywriting weren’t working together. That’s the problem I’m here to solve.
Do copywriters do keyword research?
Generally speaking, copywriters don’t do keyword research. They work with the keywords they’re given. But I know that’s not enough for some of my clients (and I like being thought of as a bit of a radical) so I do it anyway. You’re welcome.
I start with what you already know: the words and phrases you think your customers use when they’re looking for someone like you. You deal with your customers every day so you’re closer to the words they use and the way they think than any algorithm is. So, your knowledge is worth more than what you may think it is.
From there, I use a range of tools to test and refine those ideas. I check search volume, competition levels and cost-per-click data to get a clearer picture of which terms are worth targeting.
My approach to keyword research is what I’d describe as ‘keyword-informed’ rather than ‘keyword-obsessed’. So, for businesses that need deeper keyword analysis, I’ll refer you to a specialist, which is something I do often.
Once we know which terms we’re working with, I weave them into your headings, integrate them naturally into the body copy and make sure every meta description and image tag is doing its job. Nothing is bolted on as an afterthought.
Good keyword research points you in the right direction. Good SEO copy is what gets you there…and that’s where I come in.
Not sure? I can help!
If you’re still not sure or there’s something you’re looking for that’s not listed on these pages, drop me a line contact@mariealafaci.com.
Better still, let’s talk like real humans in an obligation-free 15-minute call. I’m always happy to help. And if I can’t help you, I probably know someone who can.
