Does SEO Copywriting Limit Creativity?

SEO copywriting might seem boring and uncreative at first, and it can at times be very repetitive. But balancing search engine optimization with content marketing does not limit creativity. In fact, this unique combination often requires and strengthens the writer’s creativity.

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Writing content that satisfies both human readers and search engines is not an easy feat because the writer must deliver content that both of them want. This means understanding as much as possible about the human audience, such as:

• what their problems are
• what types of content they prefer
• what keywords they use to find information
• what emotions and other factors contribute to a purchase
• what trigger words and calls to action they respond to

At the same time, the writer has to keep up with search engines and their constant algorithm updates. Google makes 500 updates a year, and does not disclose what all those updates do or what all the factors are in their algorithm. It’s up to the SEO copywriter to follow thought leaders and keep up with best practices and trends.

Keeping all of that in mind while writing a blog post, optimized press release, article, or other online content can be tough. To balance all of that information, keep human readers coming back for more, and maintain or improve search engine rankings, SEO content creators have to be creative.

Without creativity, content marketers constantly play catch-up because they fall into a rut, lose their audience, fall behind trends, and lose thought leadership and authority.

So what do you do when you lack creativity and find your business falling behind? Use these suggestions to boost your creativity and get your SEO copywriting back on track.

Follow SEO Experts And Thought Leaders.

You can’t be an SEO copywriter if you don’t keep up with what’s new in search engine optimization, and one of the best ways to keep up is to follow the experts on their blogs and social accounts. Here are some of the biggest names to follow:

• Moz Blog
• Neil Patel
• Brian Dean
• Search Engine Journal
• Brodie Clark
• Search Engine Land
• Yoast SEO Blog
• Semrush
• Search Engine Watch
• Ahrefs
• AIOSEO Blog
• Luciano Viterale
• Hubspot
• Bruce Clay Blog

Research Your Audience.

In addition to SEO best practices, keep up to date with what your audience wants so you can deliver more of it. Creating powerful content that people love and actually use keeps them coming back for more. And it has long-term value as well, by allowing you to align keywords with user intent, so you can deliver exactly what your prospects and customers are looking for.

Look At Your Competitors’ Content.

When you’re stuck for ideas, nothing beats browsing the competition. Take advantage of their creativity and good ideas by checking out popular blog posts, social media content and conversations, their newsletter articles, and other content.

Checking out your competitors’ content helps you spot trends, gives you ideas, and gets your creative juices flowing.

Take Breaks.

Moving straight from one task to the next without resting drains your creativity. Don’t be afraid to spend time between tasks doing “non-productive” things, like taking a walk, browsing competitors’ content, or chatting with customer service reps. Breaks not only recharge your creative batteries, they also make you more productive and help you generate new ideas.

How do you maintain creativity for your SEO and content marketing? Please share your tips and ideas in the comments below!