“Can you write SEO content for us?” We get that question regularly. The honest answer: a standalone piece of copy rarely solves the problem. SEO copy only works once it is clear which keyword it should rank for, which question it answers and how it fits into the rest of your site. In this article we explain how SEO copywriting really works, so you can do it yourself or give a proper brief to whoever does it for you.
What is SEO copy, exactly?
SEO copy is text written to be found for a specific search query in Google, and which then genuinely helps the visitor. That second part is often forgotten. A text stuffed with keywords that helps nobody ranks poorly these days and converts even worse.
Google judges content on usefulness: does the page answer the searcher’s question, is the information trustworthy and does the author show experience with the subject? That means the best SEO copy is usually the text an expert would write if they were explaining to a customer on the phone how something works. Just structured, with the right words and in the right place on your site.
Step 1: keyword research, the basis of all SEO copywriting
Never start by writing. Start by finding out what people search for. For that you use tools such as Semrush, Google Keyword Planner or the suggestions Google itself gives at the bottom of the search results.
For each subject you work out three things:
- The main keyword: the term with the most volume that covers your subject exactly.
- Variants and related terms: synonyms, plurals, question forms (“how”, “what does it cost”, “best”).
- The search intent: does the searcher want information, do they want to compare or do they want to buy?
That search intent determines what kind of page you create. Someone typing “dakkoffer huren” (“roof box hire”) wants a price and an availability check, not a 1,500-word article on the history of the roof box. Someone searching “dakkoffer huren of kopen” (“roof box hire or buy”) does want to read a comparison. Always look at the top 10 that currently ranks: it shows what type of page Google expects for this keyword.
An important rule: one main keyword per page. If two pages target the same keyword, they compete with each other and often neither ranks well.
Step 2: decide the structure before you write
SEO copy has a clear hierarchy. Google and your reader both use the headings to quickly see what the text is about.
| Element | What goes in it | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Title tag | Main keyword at the front, max. around 60 characters | This is the blue link in Google, make it clickable |
| Meta description | Summary of 120 to 155 characters | Not a ranking factor, but decisive for the click |
| H1 | One per page, with the main keyword | May differ from the title tag |
| H2s | The sub-questions of your subject | Use keyword variants where it feels natural |
| First paragraph | Direct answer to the question | People and AI tools read this first |
| Internal links | To related pages on your site | Use descriptive link text |
First make a list of H2s based on the sub-questions that belong to the keyword. Look at “People also ask” in Google and at the headings of the pages that already rank. Only then start writing.
Step 3: how to write SEO content, tips that actually work
Answer the question straight away
Start with the answer, not with an introduction about how important the subject is. Searchers scan. If the answer is in the first paragraph, they keep reading for the details. This also helps with featured snippets and AI overviews, which often lift the first sentences under a heading.
Write for the reader, not for the counter
Use your main keyword in the title, the H1, the first paragraph and one or two subheadings. After that: just write. Repeating keywords unnaturally reads badly and Google has recognised synonyms for years. A text about “dakkoffer huren” can therefore also simply contain “dakbox”, “bagagebox” and “huren van een dakkoffer” (the Dutch variants for roof box and hiring one).
Show experience and add something
The pages that rank well offer something the competition does not have: your own examples, photos, a worked calculation, an honest comparison, a common mistake. That is exactly where a business owner has the advantage over an external copywriter. You know which questions customers really ask.
Keep it readable
Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Lists and tables where they help. White space. On mobile, a ten-line paragraph is a wall of text. Read your text out loud: if you stumble, so does your reader.
Link internally and show the way
Link from your text to related pages on your own site, and link back from existing pages to your new text. A page without internal links is an island to Google. Read more about the technology behind this in our technical SEO checklist.
End with a next step
Every piece of SEO copy has a goal: a quote request, a sign-up, a product page. Make that step concrete with a clear call to action. At Stijgt we see that more USPs and clearer buttons almost always deliver something, even on informational pages.
Having SEO content written: what to look for
No time or no inclination to write yourself? Then you can have SEO content written by a copywriter. That can work fine, provided you do not skip the preparation. Most disappointments arise because the brief is “write a text about X” without keyword, intent or structure.
A good brief for whoever writes your content contains at least:
- the main keyword and the variants;
- the search intent and the type of page;
- the target audience and the tone (formal or informal);
- the desired structure with H2s;
- which internal links should be included;
- which own knowledge, examples or USPs you want to get across;
- what the reader should do after reading.
Also be critical of what you get back. Texts that cover everything but go deep on nothing, texts without sources or own insight, and texts your competitors could just as well have published deliver little.
Want to know what a complete SEO programme costs, including content? Then read how much does SEO cost.
Common mistakes when writing content for SEO
- Writing without keyword research. You then write about what you find important, not about what people search for.
- Several pages on the same keyword. They cannibalise each other.
- Only optimising the homepage. Most search queries are specific and belong to a specific page.
- Publishing texts and never touching them again. Rankings shift. A text sitting at position 8 after six months is one you want to update and expand.
- Not measuring. Without Search Console and GA4 you do not know which text works and which does not. That is the mistake we come across with almost every new client: content gets made, but nobody can say what it delivered.
From our own experience: at our own company Djunes we only wrote the content after the keyword research and the technology were in place. Organic traffic then grew by 187 percent in twelve months, and online bookings by 212 percent year on year. Not because the texts were so special, but because every page had a clear keyword and a clear goal.
How quickly does SEO copy deliver results?
Count on a few weeks to months. Google has to crawl and index the page and work out how it compares to existing pages. In our experience you see the first movement with SEO after four to six weeks on average; for competitive keywords it takes longer.
Copy is also the basis for being found in ChatGPT and other AI tools, by the way. They draw their answers from pages that answer a question clearly and in a structured way. So good SEO copy works both ways.
At Stijgt we do not write standalone SEO copy. Within an SEO programme we do carry out the keyword research, decide the content strategy together with you and help with the content, always linked to tracking so you can see what every page delivers. Curious whether that fits your site? See our SEO service or get in touch.