SEO copywriting and SEO translation at a glance
22.03.2023
SEO is on everyone’s lips these days. No wonder, after all, the internet has become an indispensable part of today’s world and anyone who wants to be found in the great sea of providers needs a high ranking. But what is SEO – or search engine optimisation – anyway and what does it have to do with translations and copywriting? That’s exactly what we’ll take a closer look at in this article.
What is SEO?
In search engine optimisation, a text is optimised so that the website on which this text appears lands at the top of search engines – a guarantee for a high click rate. Considering how many companies with a long-standing legacy now share the marketplace with ambitious and often very successful start-ups, a good ranking is high on the list of priorities for many. However, for this to succeed, you need know-how, creativity and flair … or in short: experienced SEO copywriters.
Let’s say you want to travel to Tanzania and go on a safari there. What would you search for in a search engine? Probably “Tanzania” and “safari”, right?
The same approach is taken with so-called keyword research. With special tools you find out what the readers are mainly looking for and then you get a list with different keywords and their search volume.
SEO-optimised content, be it a landing page about safaris in Tanzania or a corresponding blog article, is peppered with these precise keywords. The more these keywords appear in a text, the higher the probability of being at the top of the search engine. However, this is easier than it sounds. But more about that later.
Let’s jump to the next point first: What is actually behind the term “SEO copywriting“?
What is SEO copywriting?
In copywriting, texts are created according to the client’s input and in such a way that they trigger exactly what the client wants in the reader. Should the text inform or entertain? Should the text educate or sell? Or should it fulfil all four components?
With a great deal of linguistic flair and creativity, copywriters set to work writing texts of all kinds, which in one way or another are always intended to win customers or fans for the brand.
For example:
- Blogs
- Social media posts
- Brochures
- Advertisements
- Website texts
- Texts in videos and subtitles
- Press releases and newsletter
In SEO copywriting, all these texts are created in such a way that they are easily found by search engines and thus appear at the top of the results list – that is, with the corresponding keywords found in the keyword research. But this brings us to the crux that we have already addressed before.
Search engines are pretty smart these days and immediately detect when keywords have simply been incorporated into texts for a better ranking. So, of course, they have to flow into the text, and in order to succeed in this balancing act, SEO copywriters reach deep into the word box and give free rein to their creativity. But that is exactly what makes a professional copywriter.
However, a text does not always have to be completely rewritten.
What is SEO translation?
Simply put, an SEO translation is a translation plus search engine optimisation.
The problem here is that the keywords of the source language cannot simply be translated and incorporated into the target text. Why? Because the search volumes of the keywords in the different languages most likely differ.
A keyword that is frequently searched for in German, for example, could be irrelevant in English. Furthermore, it depends on the country for which the English text is to be translated, as there can also be country-specific differences in search volumes despite the same language.
This means that a separate keyword research must be carried out for the target text. Only then can the text be translated and SEO-optimised with the corresponding keywords.
The creative touch
If there is already a text in a language and it needs to be translated creatively, we no longer speak of copywriting or translation, but of transcreation:
Translation + Creation = Transcreation
Professional linguists take care that the text evokes the same emotions in the target language as in the source language and is perfectly tailored to the target audience. This is often the case with the types of text we have already listed for you under “copywriting” above. Of course, with the help of separate keyword research and SEO copywriters, search engine optimisation is also possible in these cases – just like with SEO translation.
Editing plus SEO
Have yYou already preconceived SEO-optimised texts, but are not quite satisfied yet? Or do they still need to be optimised for search engines?
While editors take care of the fine-tuning of texts with their linguistic flair and a lot of professional know-how, SEO copywriters take care of the search engine optimisation of your content.
Whether you need completely new search engine optimised texts, want to have your foreign language texts translated with SEO or just need an SEO touch for your content – as a renowned Swiss copywriting agency, we know exactly how you will soon be leading all search engines with your website. Simply get in touch with us.