SEO Content Writing vs. SEO Copywriting: 21 Points of Difference

Table Of Contents

• Introduction
• What Is SEO Content Writing?
• What Is SEO Copywriting?
• When Do You Need A SEO Content Writer?
• When Do You Need A SEO Copywriter?
• Difference Between Content Writing and Copywriting
• Key Takeaways
• Conclusion: Two Sides of The Same Coin
• FAQs

SEO content writing and copywriting may sound the same but have a huge difference. They are part of two different worlds but serve a unified purpose. However, there’s one similarity – Both help your business touch the sky!

However, you must also understand the difference. It’s true that both play around words, but one mistake and wrong choice of application can deliver poor results.

This article will help you untangle any knots of confusion regarding the difference between content writing and copywriting so, read up!

What is SEO Content Writing?

Before we begin to get into the details of things, let’s first get the idea of SEO clear. What is SEO? Search engine optimization refers to the process of enhancing a website’s visibility when people search for products or content related to that website on search engines like Google.

Now that we have established that the purpose of SEO is to improve the user experience while they search for a product on a search engine, this is where SEO content comes into play. Search engines rank those pages on top whose content educates them and is similar to what the user searched for.

This is exactly what SEO content writing does. SEO content writers create top-notch quality, keyword-driven content so that it ranks higher on the search engine and generates the organic flow of traffic to a website. We now know, SEO content writing works towards bringing in more organic traffic.

SEO content writing is inclined more towards the technical site. The goal is to write SEO-related blogs, articles and create contextual links. The following are the major goals of an SEO content writer:

• To increase the keyword ranking of a website
• To repurpose content that already exists
• To optimize internal and external linking
• To direct users to other pages within the website

There is one thing that SEO content writers must not forget – What is it that the audiences want?

As an SEO content writer, it is important to remember the needs and demands of customers. One must keep in mind that ‘Keywords are the key’. The writers should be aware of the most used keywords for the website. Customer is the king; therefore, the writers should create engaging content that resonates with them. After all, the customers decide whether they want to continue scrolling through the website or not.

What is SEO Copywriting?

There has been a controversy on how SEO copywriting came into existence. Many people believe that SEO copywriting and content writing are the same while others are against this idea. Many even think that their functions almost overlap. 

Whatever it is, there’s no disregarding the fact that SEO copywriting has taken over the digital world. It has not only proven to be a boon for businessmen but also clients. Since SEO copywriting plays a key role in the writing industry, the reputation it holds makes it one of the most popular career choices. An SEO copywriter is chosen to generate a huge amount of traffic for the website. What is the reason? There are many including churning great and high-ranking website content, blogs, and ad copies.

SEO copywriting caters to sales conversion and lead generation. Although both SEO copywriting and content writing are equally important in their own ways, it’s crucial to understand the difference between content writing and copywriting because you won’t get the same results using both.

When do you Need an SEO Content Writer?

Source

SEO content writing focuses more on building a target audience that likes to read your content. It is important that the content writer keeps customer satisfaction in mind while drafting innovative content. The content should be such that keeps the reader hooked onto the article. Content writing requires a ton of research because the more research, the better it is for keywords. However, the writer should be mindful about using keywords as it should be incorporated in the article naturally and shouldn’t look force-fed. Stuffing keywords can lead to an unwanted outcome.

The ultimate purpose of a content writer is to increase the organic flow of traffic to the website. Here are a few subtopics of the projects that SEO content writers are usually assigned:

• Service pages
• SEO-friendly service pages
• Link building content
• Web content
• PPC landing pages
• Local SEO for businesses
• News reports

Not all SEO content writers are restricted to the above projects. Some might work on social media posts or videos as their preferred genre. For a website, you will need someone who not just writes well but is also prepared to do keyword research. 

When is the right time to hire an SEO content writer? You will know this when you need the following services:

• High-authority backlinks
• Bumping website’s keyword ranking
• Engaging posts
• Driving clicks from the SERPs
• Direct readers to a different site

Therefore, hiring a SEO content writer requires effort because only a skilled writer will perform the services with utmost honesty!

When do you Need an SEO Copywriter?

Source

Once you have arranged for solid content using the help of an SEO content writer, it is time to boost sales! This time you will need the expertise of a skilled SEO copywriter in your niche. 

These copywriters use certain SEO tools to highlight the title of the page on search engines. SEO copywriters work according to their niche and skills, but they can work on any and everything that can be optimized. There are two primary categories of work that SEO copywriters perform:

• Writing new web pages 
• Updating these pages from time to time 

Other than this, there are various other things that an SEO copywriter works on including:

• Sale Pages
• Non-SEO landing pages
• Instagram and Facebook ads
• Email copy and taglines

An SEO copywriter’s task is far from easy. First, they need to thoroughly research the market and audience preferences to create creative content, write stellar copies and compelling CTAs as the cherry on top.

SEO Content Writing Vs SEO Copywriting

1. SEO content writing is a link bait; SEO copywriting adds value to the user experience.

SEO content writing serves as backlink bait. It is essentially a marketing tactic used to entice users to click on your site, inject it with the keywords you use in your content, and then go and buy something or sign up for an email newsletter. You might attempt to bring your customers back to your website by including links in the content, but ultimately it doesn’t add value. It’s just a link bait article that brings people in but doesn’t create any ‘stickiness’ on its own.

SEO copywriting is more than just content. It is engaging. It creates a community. It is designed to draw people in and keep them hooked, thereby adding value. For example, if you are writing about an event that gets your target audience excited, they want to come back again and again to read more about it. When you write about something that adds value, they will be more likely to share your content on social media and link back to your site, bringing new traffic with them.

2. SEO content writing uses keyword stuffing or keyword density; SEO copywriting uses keywords naturally.

The average content writer adds keywords throughout the text to increase their search engine rankings. This means that the article may contain all or most of the exact keywords repeatedly throughout or use a keyword here and there. The result is the same – a high search engine ranking for your targeted keywords.

A great SEO copywriter doesn’t need to create content using these techniques. They know how to put their target audience into words so that readers can understand them, connect with them, and see themselves in their experiences. They will realize just how much they are helping each other by making things easier for both. 

3. SEO content writing pages are there to be ranked; SEO copywriting pages are read

Think of it like this: is your website a destination or a doorway? A doorway leads somewhere else; a goal is where you want people to end up at. An SEO content writer intends to use their article as ‘clickbait’ to divert users away from the original landing page, while an SEO copywriter does not. The only real content writing and copywriting difference is this: if they use clickbait, an SEO copywriter uses it sparingly and with subtlety, so readers don’t feel tricked into clicking on it.

4. SEO content writing may include links that aren’t relevant, or they may even be used to lure interested users in; SEO copywriting will make sure that the link is relevant

When it comes to your website content, the top indicator of whether someone will use it is relevance. It makes no sense to create content for search engine rankings without making sure the content answers the questions their target audience has at that moment. An SEO copywriter never uses irrelevant links to increase search engine ranking, and if the writer must use a link, they vet it thoroughly at least once or twice before publishing it. 

5. SEO content writing may include generic or outdated keywords; SEO copywriting includes only the keywords your audience is searching for

An SEO content writer might use keyword research to come up with a list of keywords for a piece of content, but a good copywriter will know which words to think about instead so they can deliver their message to the exact people they want to reach. The better the copywriter is at targeting their audience, the better their content will perform, so being effective with search engine optimization doesn’t just mean writing amazing content – it means creating it from a specific point of view.

6. SEO content writing may include keyword stuffing or subtle use of keywords; SEO copywriting never does any of this

An SEO content writer might weave the keywords throughout the content to get their blog ranked, which means that it might end up spamming Gogle’s index with the same words over and over again. 

Conversely, an SEO copywriter does not try to get their article into search engine results pages by using spammy keyword stuffing techniques. The writer knows how to write for the target audience, so the writer will speak to them using the words they are searching for. 

7. SEO content writing will be littered with links that you know are not relevant or are redirects; SEO copywriting only links relevant pages

An SEO content writer will link out to as many different places as possible because that’s how you get your article ranked. You want as many backlinks as possible to divert traffic away from your site and direct it elsewhere. 

An SEO copywriter will link out only to relevant and useful websites and resources because the better her content is, the more it will be shared and voted on.

8. SEO content writing creates duplicate content; SEO copywriting creates unique content with original content

Most SEO content writers create duplicate content, which means that they are writing their content for the same page many times over. This is because Google prefers to see the same content on multiple pages on your website over time, so if your site contains duplicate content, you will rank for it even though there is no value or context to provide. 

A good SEO copywriter does not create the same content on her website. Instead, the writer picks one idea and delivers it in a new way so people can understand it more clearly.

9. SEO content writing includes many social media links; SEO copywriting links out only to relevant pages that will attract readers back to the original article

Unless it’s an infographic, video, or linkable web resource, there is no reason to include social media links in your content. If you are linking out to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages that are not relevant to your website content, you create duplicate content. 

A good SEO copywriter doesn’t include any social media links in her articles that aren’t relevant or designed to attract readers back to the original article. 

10. SEO content writing creates the illusion of a landing page; SEO copywriting delivers on-site traffic for your business

An SEO content writer wants you to click away from her landing page. A good SEO copywriter wants you to stay on the page and convert into an email subscriber, visitor, or customer. A landing page is where you lure people in, but not necessarily where they end up. When an SEO copywriter is done writing her article, the writer does not expect people to land on the same page again when they search for it; the writer wants them to land on another page that will act as a doorway for them to continue reading your content.

11. SEO content writing uses keywords in titles and subtitles, SEO copywriting uses keywords in titles and subtitles only when relevan

An SEO content writer might use the keywords in her article’s title and subtitle because those will be searchable. 

An SEO copywriter only uses keywords in the title and subtitle if they are relevant for their article and will deliver traffic. The better the writer writes for her target audience, the more relevant and helpful her content will be, so the writer should use keywords sparingly.

12. SEO content writing links out only to another website; SEO copywriting links out to any other websites that people might find useful

The idea behind linking out is that you want as many backlinks as possible for your website, but it can become a distraction from your message if too many irrelevant sites are linking out. If an SEO Copywriter is going to link out to a site, the writer will carefully consider who may find it useful and whether or not it will be a good fit for her article.

13. SEO content writing includes links to other high-ranking websites; SEO copywriting links out to lower ranked websites that people might want to visit

An SEO content writer knows that the best sites are the ones that Google has popularized, so linking out to Wikipedia or other high-ranking websites is a good idea because they’ve already been voted on and accepted by Google. 

An SEO copywriter will link out to other websites, but the writer will make sure they are relevant and easy for readers to find and navigate without overwhelming them. 

14. SEO content writing uses the same buzzwords repeatedly; SEO copywriting uses keywords only if they are relevant

An SEO content writer will use current and trending words at the moment, but the writer will only use them if they bring traffic to her site. 

An SEO copywriter will research keywords that people are searching for. Still, the writer won’t be influenced by the latest thing on social media or something that everyone else is trying to use just because it’s trendy at the moment. The writer knows what the writer is talking about, so the writer will choose her keywords based on what the writer knows will bring relevance to her work.

15. SEO content writing uses advertising words in titles and subtitles; SEO copywriting uses them when they work for the article

Most SEO content writers will use important keywords in their titles and subtitles, such as popular or popular keywords, which will help boost up their search ranking. 

An SEO copywriter will use these words only if they are relevant to the content the writer is writing, so the writer won’t feel obligated to include them. If the writer doesn’t know a word or a phrase, the writer will leave it out of her content to not distract from her message.

16. SEO content writing fails to use punctuation properly; SEO copywriting always uses bolded capitalized sentences

An SEO content writer may use punctuation and proper sentence structure to make it easier for people to read, but the writer will also use these tools to create catchy headlines. 

An SEO copywriter will only use bolded capitalized sentences if necessary for clarity. Otherwise, the writer will write her conclusions and leave her readers with a final thought rather than an empty statement.

17. SEO content writing fails to deliver the promised conversion; SEO copywriting delivers on-site traffic that converts into email subscribers and visitors who buy your product or service

An SEO content writer will write her article and put it on the highest possible quality website for people to read and learn from it. Still, the writer won’t track or measure how many people were attracted to her site and converted because of her article. 

An SEO copywriter will not only write articles that attract readers, but the writer will also write articles that transform them into customers.

18. SEO content writing fails to provide enough content in a single article; SEO copywriting writes five times the amount of content a person typically requires in a normal article

An SEO content writer may believe the writer will be able to write so many words in an article that her readers will become confused. Still, the writer may be shortening a reader’s attention span with a lot of extra information. 

An SEO copywriter will only write the amount of information the writer needs to deliver a message, whether it is five or fifty words because if the writer writes for too long, people will lose interest and go away.

19. SEO content writing fails to deliver quality content; SEO copywriting delivers quality content that gets your website ranked on the top pages in Google and is sure to outperform the rest of your competitors’ websites

An SEO content writer will not only deliver high-quality, well-crafted articles that people will enjoy reading but also one that will produce high-quality backlinks. 

An SEO copywriter knows that these are the things Google looks at to determine which websites are ranking well in search rankings to write both quality content and quality content with awesome keywords. The more awesome it is, the more awesome it will be for her website.

20. SEO content writing fails to produce quality content; SEO copywriting delivers quality content that has been built by you or a team of professionals just for you

An SEO content writer will want to produce high-quality articles for her readers, but the writer won’t guarantee this. An SEO copywriter will know that it is up to her to deliver quality content because the writer can’t always rely on outsourcing the content creation process.

21. SEO content writing fails to rank well in Google; SEO copywriting has your website listed on pages 1, 2, and 3 in Google with an average page rank of 4 or 5.

An SEO Content Writer will understand that backlinks are important to your search ranking because Google looks at them as a sign of a well-trafficked website. Still, the writer will not be able to monitor the quality of the backlinks the writer is receiving. 

An SEO Copywriter will know that the writer needs to build up her website by herself to write high-quality content and attract readers from high-ranking websites who link out to her article. This way, the writer can build up an organic website with lots of backlinks pointing at it, which will help boost up her search ranking in Google.

Key Takeaways

• Keywords are they key
• Do not force feed keywords into the article
• Content writers help build a target audience
• SEO copywriters provide sales conversions

Conclusion: Two Sides of The Same Coin

SEO copywriting and SEO content writing are two disciplines that are important for the success of any business. If you have proper understanding of the two concepts, then as a marketer you will know how to seamlessly plan and execute strategies. In conclusion, it’s increasingly important now to evaluate the needs of your website. Whether it is copywriting or content writing, as a business you will need the services of both at some point. The competition is ever changing and the cost to acquire a buyer from a reader is high. SEO is required at every step in today’s ever changing algorithm. Now that we know content writing and copywriting differences, set your website apart from the others and make them feel confident in choosing you today!

FAQs