My SEO copywriting template makes web writing a breeze.
It’s simple, elegant, and functional, letting you spend less time in WordPress and more time in your favorite word processor.
A template streamlines the SEO copywriting workflow and can be used for any SEO writing project.
This template isn’t the same as a content plan or editorial calendar, by the way. The editorial calendar is a separate spreadsheet used for scheduling site content.
An SEO copywriting template like this is only used for individual pages or posts.
4 Reasons to Use an SEO Copywriting Template
Though using a copywriting SEO template won’t save you thousands of dollars per year, it does offer advantages for the web copywriter:
- Your work stays in one place. I like to keep things organized. This lets me do most of my work in my word processor, rather than splitting half my time between the PC and WordPress.
- You have a backup of your content. What would you do if something happened to your CMS database? Having your data stored elsewhere is just common sense. And the more data you can store off-site, the better.
- It’s more convenient for clients. Some customers I work with have me post in WordPress, while others do it themselves. In the latter case, the template makes it easy to start up the document, then provide them with all the SEO info they need.
- Work flows faster. Templates just save time – you don’t have to type up all the SEO fields whenever you create a new document.
With those benefits out of the way, let’s take a look at…
My SEO Copywriting Template
Below are the main fields that should be included for most sites.
Naturally you can include more, if you like.
Mine is just designed as a fill-in-the-blank template for use with the Yoast WordPress plugin.
Keywords
These are your SEO keywords for the article.
Most sites focus on one key phrase or a few key phrases per article.
I choose a core term, then sometimes use a keyword group for reference. Especially if it’s a pillar post.
Title
This is the title of the article that will appear on the website.
Per SEO best practices, find ways to push the keywords to the first 3-5 words of the title.
SEO Title
The SEO title is what Googlers will see when they see your article.
Google truncates titles to 60 characters, so if your title is contains more than 60, chop it down.
Meta Description
The meta description should be under 160 characters and should include the key phrase(s).
My meta descriptions finish off with a call-to-action (CTA).
For instance:
- A direct CTA would be, “Click here for 5 ways to save on car insurance with Geico.”
- A less direct CTA would be, “Learn 5 ways to save on car insurance with Geico.”
It’s a subtle difference, but that’s how copywriters think.
Categories
These are the categories that you have assigned for your CMS.
My categories include SEO copywriting, direct response copywriting, content marketing, and so on.
Tags
These are the tags to plug in to your CMS.
Content
Finally, you write your article under the Content section.
When I write, I try to follow SEO best practices as much as possible – including keywords in H2 and H3 headings, placing keywords in the first paragraph and the meta description, etc.
If you don’t nail it the first time through, Yoast can help you get it right.
Conclusion
If you do use an SEO plugin, then you technically don’t need a template like this.
However, as mentioned, serious writers need to stay organized and save time.
Templates like this take seconds to create, and the time they save adds up.
For more tips on copywriting, SEO copywriting, content marketing, and digital marketing, be sure to subscribe to my daily marketing newsletter.
