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Date:
March 4, 2021

Author:
Ashlyn Carter

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Hey! Ashlyn here, OG copywriter for creatives—reporting for duty. 

Let's get you a message so tight you can bounce a quarter off of it. Around here, we serve up science-based storytelling strategies the creative set.  Even while raking in more than 1.26M in agency work since I've been at it, I firmly believe working from a place of rest (not hustle) IS possible—and I want the same for you. Words matter. Best be sure they work (and oui, with math) ... and know how to party while they're at it. 

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Reading time: 9 min.

Do the 3 little letters SEO give you stress? You understand quality conversion copywriting for your website but how does that come together with SEO copywriting? Good quality SEO content writing is KEY to get ready for the Google algorithm 2021 update.

Google has a massive Q2 2021 algorithm update rolling out that will begin to measure your website—yes, small business JUST like yours—against on-page experience factors, and they’ll affect how you’re trying to rank. You gotta deal with it, and make sure your website is ready with these SEO copywriting tips.

The good news? None of these updates trump the fact quality SEO copywriting is still king … aka win with better content, domain authority, social shares, and more. If you’ve worked at writing great content on your website for years or months, congrats: your hard work isn’t null and void!

I’ll share some of the recommendations at the end of this post, but what I want to talk to you about today is how to start writing for SEO by covering my SEO copywriting strategy for 2021.

How to Write Content & Optimize for Google | Ashlyn Writes

Raise your hand if these 3 little letters, SEO,  have ever been a source of stress in your creative business! 🙋

I’ve had so many students say ok, I get that communicating my message with powerful, compelling copy is important. I also know I need to be working on the SEO of my website, and including certain keywords. Those words we all type into Google. But, what’s the overlap? How do I tie them together specifically on non-blog pages of my website?

If that’s you, I’m glad you’re here because this is the first of a 3 part series where I’m going to do a bit of a deep dive into SEO copywriting and content writing.

So let’s get into my 2021 SEO strategy.

⬇️ Don’t forget to click here or down below for a link to my get my checklist of 44 Questions Your Website Must Answer. ⬇️


How to Write Content & Optimize for Google | Ashlyn Writes



SEO Strategy No. 1| Double down on what we’re already ranking for

The first thing I’m going to do is double down on the things that I am already ranking for. The first thing I want to do is go back and look at 2020 ( and beyond ) to see where I’ve already been ranking or doing well.

My best tip for this to dive into some Google analytics—but here is specifically my *BEST* Ninja tip.⬇️⬇️

It is great to be in one of those top 3 slots that Google will report after you search for whatever query you’re looking for. BUT what about slots numbers 4-30?? Google already likes me or you when you’re in those slots—likes you for that keyword. They’re flagging you as relevant, you just haven’t broken one of those top spots.

Well, this is the first thing that I want to know—where do I stand for spots 4-30? 

Okay, if you want to play along with me here there’s two things that we can do. >>

The first is go ahead and open up Google’s search console. They already aggregate this data and you can see where you’re ranking. The easiest way to do this I think is through a free tool from the Hoff called their Google rankings checker. I’m not affiliated with them in any way, I’ve just found this tool and I think it’s helpful.

So if you find these keywords that your site is ranking for and boost them up, you could see a massive jump in traffic!

How to Write Content & Optimize for Google | Ashlyn Writes

What’s so interesting for me as I look at this data, as I see where we rank, it’s truly a mix of website landing pages ( we’re going to talk about that coming up here) but it’s also a mix of regular content that I’m spitting out on my blog.

  • Website copy template
  • Launch copywriter
  • About page copywriting
  • Product launch copy
  • My name …

So, the other interesting there here is to note what I didn’t see coming … what are you ranking for that you weren’t even going after?

  • How to read effectively
  • Artifact Uprising baby book
  • Emily Ley planner
  • How to Create Your Wedding Planner Spreadsheet (the blog post that will never die, it brings in so. Much. traffic.)

<< Related: 6 Ways to Instantly NAIL Your Keyword Research >>

These are short and long tail keywords that I’m already ranking for. By the way, ranking in general comes from writing good juicy blog content. And if you want the behind the scenes on exactly how I craft a blog–make sure you check out this video right here. Also, next week I’m going to dive into specifically how I do keyword research for blogs—so look out for that one as well.

All right, if you’re playing along then you’ve started to pull this list together of spots you may not have even known you were already ranking for.

That’s one part of my SEO copywriting strategy for 2021—seeing how I can go back and double down and make sure that these pages are continuing to rank or push the ones that are in that 4-30 spots. See how I can push those into page 1.


SEO Strategy No. 2| Google Algorithm Change

The next way I’m going to keep up a solid SEO copywriting strategy in 2021 is i’m going to be aware that these Google algorithm changes are coming. I’m just going to adjust appropriately.

I always feel like having an SEO strategy feels a little bit like what investing in the stock market is like. If you do it right, if you set it up well, theoretically you should be able to let it just sustain for a long time. You implement once or check on it occasionally. Maybe once a year to see those consistent results over time.

But I won’t lie: I am an online marketer and I STILL feel like I need a master’s degree in Google to understand the analytics platform, terms, and even just the weekly update emails they send out. Just me?!

Here’s what it boils down to—Forbes said it very clearly: “Content may still be king, but if your user experience is no good, it doesn’t matter how good your content is — no one will see it. With that in mind, Google is initially going to be looking at three specific experience areas (or signals) in this update that is slated to influence search rankings by early 2021.”

All online searchers and all online search engines really want one thing—we want to get the info we were looking for with a great website experience along the way.

Starting in May, Google is going to hawkeye this a little bit more than they have in the past from a user experience standpoint. Two weeks from now, I’m going to give you 8 ways that you can update your website to make sure that it’s ready for all this— don’t miss that. But what can you do before then??

core web vitals

If you want to play along at home what I want you to do now is go back to your Google search engine and mosey along to a new tab that they added in fairly recently, called Core Web Vitals. Apparently, they’re going to give us some time to get this stuff updated, but it’s just really good to know for now.

In the image below you can see that most of my issues are that pages take a little over that golden spot. 2.5 seconds to load. This can be a real challenge for those of us that have large websites or have a lot of big images. Seems to affect a lot of creative entrepreneurs. Even if you just have lots of features, this can affect it.

core web vitals

Now, as I’m doing my own website update for 2021, I have jotted down a list of some of the things that I’m gonna work on to fix this.

  • Remove old/unused 3rd party scripts
  • Upgrade web host so images load as fast as possible
  • Maybe use “lazy” loading?
  • Remove or shrink large page images

Those are some things that I am going to do as I refresh and get ready to relaunch my website. You can do the same thing.

I love how this Impact article put it,  “Now is the time to take action against any page experience metrics in Core Web Vitals where you’re falling short. Do not wait”.

<< Related: How to Write Copy with SEO in Mind >>


SEO Strategy No. 3| Long Form Copy

The final thing that I’m going to do to focus on a solid SEO copywriting strategy in 2021 is to keep up that long form copy. A lot of students or clients will ask me “do I really need a blog?”. YES! I always say yes. 😉

I talk a lot about creating those hero pieces of content every single week—this is why I love that system because this enables you to do that. You don’t have to worry about publishing massive big content all the time. Again, back to the word picture—I want you to think about overtime, how this can build.

If you can go for a year creating those 52 pieces of hero content, then really work to make sure that they’re ranking over time. It’s like you’re planting all these little evergreen trees and no. matter. what. you’re creating video or audio content to help enhance these. They will live somewhere.

Again, if I go back to the data and look at what was working in 2020, those other little evergreen trees I planted, what I’m seeing is I’m already ranking for things like weekly routine, theme days for work, how to write a pitch email, how to launch my website.

Then blogs that bring people in have been things like how to name your business, how to create a welcome packet, how to write your website copying Google docs, and how to write your about page. These are past hero pieces of content that are still working in bringing in people.

How to Write Content & Optimize for Google | Ashlyn Writes

So it’s going to take a little bit of calendar creativity but here’s one thing I’m doing  in 2021— I’m going to try so very hard to update or at least optimize one of these every single week moving forward. How can I double down, how can I flesh this out with more information or newer information that I’ve learned or add in little demos and video tutorials or add in some more pinnable images? Are there more keywords that I can tie into this?

BONUS TIP: Refresh your overall keywords list

This is a little bonus tip I’m going to give here that goes along with this third piece of the strategy. Update the list or refresh the list of keywords that I am trying to rank for. If you’ve never done this before, or you just want to try it for the first time. Here are the four steps. It’s pretty easy. I just want you to pull out a piece of paper.

I’m also going to refresh my list of keywords (or phrases) are the words you want your website to rank for.

  • First up, brain dump all the different services and offers your business has.
  • Now, I want you to put on your business owner hat AND your customer hat when you do this—what are all the different ways you’d say that?
  • What’s important to the business—this is EXACTLY what you do. Products, services, things you affiliate for or promote
  • What’s important to your customers/clients—this is valuable content. If your client or customer needs you, what are they going to search on Google? If they need more help, how will they adjust their terms to keep finding? When do they need you? Don’t forget to try things as questions—how to create a wedding guest spreadsheet

Do that before you watch the next video in this series, coming out next week. 🙂

>> Related: The Top 8 SEO Copywriting Tips You Need to Apply in Your Business <<


So that’s my priority list of 3 SEO copywriting focuses I’m going to keep in mind—if I can keep those up this year, I’ll feel pretty dang good.

If you’re tracking with me so far, you’re working so hard on making sure you’re building a website that works when you can’t with compelling copy that actually converts. Then I have something for you that may make life a little bit easier.

Meet my 44 questions your website must answer before you launch it checklist. It is a done for you list of pulled together checkpoints that I want you to not pass go or collect 200 before you can check off at least most of these. I have done all the brainstorming for you after working with so many clients on the agency side of my business and their website copy. This is a solid checklist if you are ready to master your message write your site and launch it to sell.

So voila, there you have it. I sure hope that free checklist helps. You can click here or down below to download it.

Okay, now you know how to get your SEO copy to a good place before you launch it out there. But what about figuring out your pre-launch strategy on a tool like Instagram? Be sure to watch this video next I’ve where I’m going to talk you through a pre-launch strategy that you could execute on Instagram.


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How to Write Content & Optimize for Google | Ashlyn Writes

Reading Time: 9 Minutes Reading time: 9 min. Do the 3 little letters SEO give you stress? You understand quality conversion copywriting for your website but how does that come together with SEO copywriting? Good quality SEO content writing is KEY to get ready for the Google algorithm 2021 update. Google has a massive Q2 2021 algorithm update rolling […]

3/04/21

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