SEO vs Conversion Copywriting: Which Do You Need?
You’re launching a business or revamping your website and want to ensure your copy gets in front of the right people.
So, who do you hire? An SEO copywriter or a conversion copywriter?
Let’s first explore the difference between the two. I’ll offer a few questions to determine which one you might need to hire right now.
What does a conversion copywriter do?
A conversion copywriter will use some of the following techniques to create emotionally engaging and compelling copy for your readers:
Refine your unique selling proposition. Clarify what sets you apart and why clients should choose you.
Create cohesive messaging and a strong brand voice. Ensure your copy is consistent, authentic, and resonates across platforms.
Utilize storytelling and narrative-rich content. Craft compelling stories to emotionally engage and inspire action.
Craft powerful calls-to-action (CTAs). Write CTAs that guide your audience toward specific goals, like booking or purchasing.
Cultivate social proof and case studies. Use testimonials and success stories to build trust and credibility.
Address and ease buyer objections. Tackle concerns directly to help your audience feel confident choosing you.
What does an SEO copywriter do?
An SEO copywriter will use some of the following techniques to create more traffic coming to your website:
Conduct keyword research to align your content with what your audience is searching for.
Optimize meta titles, descriptions, and headers to improve visibility and clicks.
Create engaging, shareable content that attracts organic traffic.
Use internal links to guide visitors and boost SEO for key pages.
Format content for SEO optimization with strategic headlines and subheaders.
When do I need to hire a conversion copywriter?
A conversion copywriter can help you:
🖌️ Strengthen your brand voice. If your copy has a generic or inconsistent tone and doesn’t sound like you, this might make it hard for your readers to feel an emotional connection to you. A conversion copywriter can help you refine and develop messaging that sounds authentically like you.
🖌️ Highlight how you stand out from competitors. If you don’t know how to explain what makes you different and why folks should work with you over someone else, then you might lose ideal clients who could be a great fit. A conversion copywriter can help you uncover your unique positioning in the market so it’s clear why you’re the go-to choice.
🖌️ Increase conversions on an existing page. Perhaps you notice that you have lots of organic traffic coming to your site, but you aren’t getting the conversion you want. A conversion copywriter can suss out what might be causing this issue and make recommendations to ease the customer inquiry process.
🖌️ Write copy for a new product, service, or program. When you are writing copy for a new product or offering, a conversion copywriter can help you focus on the elements needed to help it connect with your ideal clients.
🖌️ Connect with your audience via a newsletter and eventually sell them something. Email marketing does not rely on SEO, so you’ll need a copywriter who can help you relate to your audience authentically, nurture them via email content, and eventually sell an offer.
When do I need to hire an SEO copywriter?
An SEO copywriter can help you:
🌐 Write long-form content to drive traffic to your website. If you want to create blogs, guides, or resource pages that attract potential clients searching for answers or solutions, an SEO copywriter can craft high-quality content optimized to rank well on search engines.
🌐 Drive website traffic to grow your business. Whether you’re running a large group practice, an evergreen program, or a digital product store, an SEO copywriter can help you create a stream of visitors through well-targeted content.
🌐 Boost the visibility of high-performing content. If you already have copy or pages that convert well, an SEO copywriter can amplify their reach by optimizing them for search engines so they get in front of more people.
🌐 Identify keywords and phrases your ideal clients are searching for. An SEO copywriter can research and strategically incorporate the terms your potential clients are using, making it easier for them to find you online.
🌐 Improve your website’s overall ranking on search engines. If your website isn’t showing up when clients search for services you offer, an SEO copywriter can audit your site, adjust your content, and help improve your visibility on search engines like Google.
🌐 Create evergreen content that consistently brings traffic over time. While social media posts have a short lifespan, well-written, SEO-optimized content can continue to bring traffic and inquiries for months—or even years.
SEO vs Conversion Copywriting: 3 Questions To Decide Your Next Step
1) What is the most important objective of your copy right now?”
“I need to drive traffic to my website.” ➡️ Hire an awesome SEO Copywriter
”I need to convert browsers into buyers.” ➡️ Call up a conversion copywriter.
“I’m not sure.” ➡️ Either an SEO or conversion copywriter can ask questions to suss out what you need. I recommend speaking to both.
2) How well is your copy currently performing?
“I’m getting plenty of website traffic but they aren’t booking.” ➡️ This might be a conversion issue. Call a conversion copywriter.
“I feel great about my copy, but I’m not getting the traffic I need.” ➡️ Dial up an SEO copywriter.
“I’m not sure if it’s performing well or not.” ➡️ An SEO or a conversion copywriter can help you assess its performance from different angles. Hit up both!
3) Will search engine optimization (SEO) be your only visibility strategy?
“Yes, SEO is going to be my primary visibility strategy” ➡️ Hit up an experienced SEO specialist.
“Maybe, I’d like to have a mix of marketing strategies” ➡️ Talk to a few SEO and conversion copywriters to see which you’d like to start with first.
“No, I’m going to lean into other marketing strategies besides SEO.” ➡️ Your copy game will be essential. Reach out to a conversion copywriter if you aren’t sure about your copy.
How SEO and Conversion Copywriting Can Support The Health of Your Business
SEO and conversion copywriting are often seen as either/or — you must choose one or the other. Depending on your time, energy, and budget, this may be true to an extend.
However, in the grand scheme of things, SEO and conversion copywriting are actually complementary strategies for growing and scaling a business.
Is SEO the only way to bring traffic to my website?
Not at all. SEO is one way to bring traffic to your website. But there are many other ways you can increase your eyes on your work.
You can market your business in other ways instead of SEO or while your SEO grows. Focus on having a solid website or directory profile, networking and building a strong referral network, creating a Google My Business profile (highly recommend! ), guest speaking on podcasts or communities, and even having a social media presence.
If you have a social media presence, you can focus on powerful CTAs that invite followers to review blogs on your website, check out your services, and more.
None of these strategies require targeted SEO but focus more on being established as an authority, speaking on other people’s platforms, and having a strong referral network.
Even if you do move forward with SEO, it is a long game that builds over time. Unless you can wait months to get a new client, you’ll want to also focus on other visibility/marketing strategies to get in front of their ideal clients.
If your head is still spinning, here are a few ways to rule it out which type of copywriter you don’t need right now:
You don’t need an SEO copywriter if…
You’re already getting plenty of organic traffic and you don’t need it to increase
You have a non-SEO visibility strategy that is working well – referrals, networking, social media, podcasts, word of mouth, and directories. You know that natural ebbs and flows in business are normal, not an immediate sign of trouble.
You are a techie at heart, love data/analytics, and are happy to learn how to do your SEO.
You don’t need a conversion copywriter if…
Your copy sounds authentically like you and draws in awesome clients. Your writing voice is solid.
Your website or sales copy is already performing well. You’re consistently getting new leads from your words.
You love copywriting and the psychology of words! You like staying up on the latest copywriting trends.
Final Thoughts: What To Do Next?
Ultimately, choosing an SEO or a conversion copywriter is up to you and your unique business path. Start with first assessing how your business is performing. If you notice any deficiencies or gaps, assess what steps you’d like to take to address those issues. Make sure you look ahead to your goals for the upcoming year to see what can be a priority and what can wait.
Talk it through with trusted business confidants. Interview a few different copywriters to hear their take. Most importantly, take your time to decide what feels right for you.
If you’d like to explore conversion copywriting for your business
I’m Arianna Smith, a conversion copywriter and email marketing strategist for therapists and wellness professionals. If you feel overwhelmed by options, I’ll let you know how authentic messaging and copywriting can help your business stand out. Let’s start with a call and see what heart-centered copy can do for your business.