SEO copywriting that still sounds human

The myth of writing for Google

Ten years ago, SEO copy often meant repeating phrases until the text barely made sense. That doesn't work now, and it puts off the people you want to persuade. Google's spam policies list keyword stuffing as a spam practice.

Google's systems are built to find content that helps people. Its guidance on creating helpful content asks, among other things, whether the content provides original information and whether someone reading it would come away feeling they'd learned enough.

So the brief is simple: write for the reader.

Use your customers' words

The biggest gap in most business copy is language. Businesses describe themselves in trade terms. Customers search in everyday ones.

• An installer writes "domestic hot water cylinder replacement". The customer searches "new hot water tank".
• A law firm writes "contentious probate". The customer searches "contesting a will".
• A clinic writes "musculoskeletal assessment". The customer searches "physio for back pain".

Use the everyday term first, then explain the technical one if it matters. You'll match more searches and be easier to understand.

Answer the question first

People scan web pages. Put the answer or the key point at the start of each section, then add detail. This helps readers who skim and makes it easier for search engines to understand what each section covers.

Weaker: "At Riverside Dental, we've been caring for smiles since 1998, and we believe every patient deserves the very best. That's why, when it comes to teeth whitening, we..."

Stronger: "Teeth whitening here takes two appointments plus a few weeks of home treatment, and our fees are listed below. By law, it must be prescribed by a registered dentist."

The second gets straight to process, cost and a legal point patients care about. In the UK, the General Dental Council is clear that tooth whitening is the practice of dentistry.

Be specific

Vague claims are easy to write and easy to ignore. Specifics persuade.

• Vague: "Fast, reliable service."
• Specific: "We answer the phone from 7am and aim to visit within the same day for leaks in Bath and Keynsham."

Only claim what's true and what you can keep to.

Short sentences, plain words

Read your copy out loud. If you run out of breath, the sentence is too long. If you'd never say a word to a customer, swap it for one you would.

Words and phrases that usually add nothing:

• "Solutions" when you mean services.
• "Bespoke" when everything you do is ordinary custom work.
• "Passionate", "dedicated", "committed". Show it instead.
• "We pride ourselves on..." Most readers skip it.

Contractions are fine. "We're" and "you'll" sound like a person talking.

Structure for scanning

• Use clear headings that say what each section covers.
• Keep paragraphs short, especially on mobile.
• Use bullet points for lists of things, not for everything.
• Bold sparingly, for the few details that matter most.

Cover what people need to decide

For a service page, that usually means:

1. What you do. 2. Who it's for. 3. Where. 4. What it costs or what affects cost. 5. How it works. 6. Why trust you. 7. How to get started.

If you skip any of these, someone has to call to ask, or more likely goes to a competitor's page that answers them.

Show your expertise

Google's guidance and its search quality rater guidelines talk about experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. In copy, that means:

• Explaining things the way someone who's done the work would.
• Mentioning mistakes you see customers make.
• Being honest about limitations, such as when your service isn't the right choice.
• Naming the person who wrote or checked the content, with relevant qualifications.

Edit hard

First drafts are always too long. Cut:

• Introductions that repeat the heading.
• Paragraphs that say the same thing twice.
• Claims you can't back up.
• Anything a customer wouldn't miss.

Then read it on your phone. Copy that looks fine on a laptop can feel endless on a small screen.

A worked example

A small accountancy practice's home page opened: "Welcome to Fenwick & Co, a forward-thinking, client-focused firm offering a comprehensive range of accountancy solutions to businesses and individuals across the region."

It was rewritten as: "We're accountants for sole traders, landlords and small limited companies in Lincoln and the surrounding villages. Fixed monthly fees, a named accountant and replies within one working day."

The new version says who it's for, where, and three concrete things clients get. It also uses words people search for: accountants, sole traders, landlords, Lincoln.

Using AI to help

AI tools can help with outlines or first drafts. Treat their output as raw material. Check every fact, add your own examples and rewrite until it sounds like you. Readers notice copy that could have come from anywhere, and so do search engines looking for original value.