We’re told that keywords are technical little things that need to be included in web copy because they help to attract traffic and ascertain a webpage’s relevance to certain searches, which is fair enough.

But then we’re also told that the writing itself needs to be high quality enough to keep readers on the website, and to create a reputable and knowledgeable company image through our choice of language. After all, just because you appear on a high search results page for a key term and a potential client is on your webpage, it doesn’t mean they won’t click over to one of your competitors just as easily if they spy keyword-stuffed content.

But just how relevant is the quality over quality battle to SEO copywriting? Is the ‘less is more’ mantra of SEO copywriters – which dictates that a 250-word piece of high-quality content with a few keywords is more useful than a 500-word piece with a 20% keyword density – still applicable?

The Evolution of Google and SEO

We all know that SEO is a constantly-changing discipline, and the methods used to obtain desirable rankings that stick can change on anything from a monthly to an annual basis. It is therefore inevitable that the many methods used to gain these rankings will change, and copywriting is no different.

The frequent changes to Google’s algorithms throughout the year have a profound effect on the ‘less is more’ and ‘quality over quantity’ mantras. Google seems to be becoming ever-more savvy to keyword-heavy content; able to differentiate it from keyword-rich content much easier than in previous years.

Over time, Google’s realisation that too many SEO copywriters produce spammy content to rank higher in the SERPs has meant that quality has become more important than quantity. Google appreciates smaller volumes of intricately-written, purposeful content over reams of repetitive content written solely to shoe-in some keywords.

In this respect, Google is aiming to progressively become more human than machine. Google wants to evaluate the user experience of your website as authentically as possible, and is adapting to the point where it can now distinguish good copy from bad copy more subjectively.

So…?

In light of Google’s continued evolution in this area, it’s simply not worth risking your reputation by sacrificing the savvy investment that thoughtfully-constructed content sprinkled with a couple of keywords can bring you.

In answer to the initial question ‘is less really more with SEO copywriting?’ – of course it is. This is unlikely to change, and Google is only more likely to introduce harsher penalties for poorly-written, keyword-stuffed content in the future.

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This could lead to serious trouble for the business. If you think logically about this; during any recession people are going to think twice before spending money. This means that if you cut down on your search engine optimisation, your ranking results will drop down.

Think smart

Dropping down means that your business is no longer highly visible to potential customers. Once you have dropped off that crucial first page in the SERPs, your website will have less visitors. Fewer visitors mean that the chance of converting visitors into paying customers becomes far more difficult.  Then search engine optimisation efforts have to be redoubled to be able to start the laborious climb back up the rankings.

It is usually far quicker to drop down in the ranking than it is to climb back up.  It also takes much more of your resources to fight your way up the ranking than it took to stay static and highly visible. Using resources that could be utilised for other aspects of the business can have long-term repercussions.

Therefore, in reality you should not be cutting your SEO and marketing efforts during a recession. You should be redoubling your efforts to stay competitive for fewer available customers.

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