10 Hottest SEO Copywriting Posts of 2011

Wow, it’s the end of 2011 already…

…And that means that it’s time for the “Most popular posts of the year” roundup (cue applause!) :)

2011 was a big year for Google updates – and a big year for SEO copywriting. Most of the top-10 post topics aren’t overly surprising (Panda, anyone?) Other top ten posts surprised me – and showed that many folks are still mastering the “writing for search engines and social” balance.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 hottest SEO copywriting posts of this year. Enjoy!

#10: Did Panda kill SEO copywriting?  Did Google’s Panda update mean the death of SEO copywriting? Not just “no” but “hell no!” Quality SEO copywriting is here to stay – and always has been. If you’ve thought “Why bother with a SEO content campaign,” read this before you give up.

#9: 3 skills every SEO copywriter should have.   2011 was the year of the freelance SEO copywriter. I received more questions than ever about how to launch an SEO copywriting career, how to get an in-house job and how to build a writing brand. Whew!  It’s nice to know that more folks are entering the wild and wooly world of SEO copywriting. Welcome!

#8: The trouble with SEO copywriting. The Panda update taught some folks a lesson: What they thought was “SEO copywriting” was nothing but keyword-stuffed crap. This great guest post by Eric Enge shows how to mix keywords with your value proposition to create tasty, high-converting copy.

#7: “How to write for Google’s Panda update. In the Brady Bunch, the keyword is “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.” In the SEO industry, it’s “Panda, Panda, Panda.” “Panda” was certainly the SEO buzzword of 2011.  It’s no surprise that this two Panda-themed posts made it into this year’s top ten.

#6: Keyword density: Lose this relic and adopt best practices  Confused about keyphrase density? Apparently, you’re not alone. I’m a little surprised that this post made it into the top 10. My thought: Folks are scrambling post-Panda to figure out what quality copy means. And that’s a wonderful thing. (Side note: I can’t help but notice that Matt uses my “read the copy out loud” tip in his most recent video.)

#5: 5 sure-fire ways to create a killer home page  Yet another “back to basics” post (and the third video post) makes it into the top 10!  If you’re wondering what information is great to have on your home page – and what’s not so hot (hint: don’t shove every keyword you have into the footer) – this one is a must-read.

#4:  How to be an SEO copywriter: The ultimate guide for beginners  I wrote this post a few weeks ago, but it’s already zoomed to the top 10 list.  If you know someone who is feeling “stuck” in their in-house writing job – or someone who is thinking about being an SEO copywriter – send them this post.

#3: How many words should be on your home page? Is your boss (or client) insisting that your home page have a certain word count “for SEO reasons.” Or worse – no words at all?  In this post, I build upon a video post by Google’s Matt Cutts and add my own SEO copywriting spin.

#2: Why social media is good for SEO.  Yes, SEO and social DO play nicely together. In fact, they can definitely help you build exposure, brand – and yes, search positions, too. In the second guest post to break the top-10 list, PRWeb’s Stacey Acevero explains why social media is yummy for SEO. If you’re wondering how the two dovetail, check out this post. It’s a good one!

And the #1 most popular post of 2011 is…..(drumroll please)

Wow. This one was a surprise. I expected a “sexier” topic to be the #1 most popular post. Instead, the post answered an age-old question: How to turn a boring FAQ page into a sales star!

Looks like basic SEO copywriting information is always in style.

Happy holidays to you and yours! We’ll be taking next week off for the holidays – and we’re back in the blogging world on January 3rd. Thank you for reading the posts and sharing them with your friends and colleagues.  I smile every time I see a retweet. Really.

Here’s hoping that 2012 is your best year ever! Happy New Year!