Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a guessing game, shrouded in mystery and hearsay. What little there is known for absolute certain is made up for by years of dedication to trial and error testing, carried out by thousands of experts and enthusiasts the world over. From their input, and writings on the subject, it is possible to find certain areas of consensus; there is at least some common ground upon which it is possible to build search engine rankings. Of course, the problem with SEO is that the search engines are always several steps ahead of the experts, and light-years ahead of laymen or 'Saturday marketers'. There will forever be a substantial element of second-guessing involved, of strategy, of tactics, of anticipating the opponent's next move.

Effective copywriting for SEO purposes firstly demands an intimate knowledge of the necessary 'tools of the trade'. Anchor text, keyword syndication, LSI - it's all important, and if you're not a semi-expert, you need to have at least some idea of what you're talking about to achieve any success. But more importantly than all these factors is that content reads well, and sounds professional. There is nothing worse than visiting a site with a wealth of content when it's substantively terrible, and technically below par. Furthermore, if you read through the text and you can spot the keyword a mile off, there's something far wrong. You can learn the technicalities on the SEO side in a book, and they are certainly useful, but there's no substitute for quality content, targeted to your market segment to really convert those sales. And there's no doubt that's something you can't learn in any textbook.

Writing effectively for search engines is obviously a different practice from effective copywriting for other media, but it is important not to treat the search engine as your target audience. You should always make sure your website copywriting for people first, and treat the search engines as a secondary reader. Having said that, the specific search engine requirements are obviously vital to improving ranking and ultimately driving traffic, but the text still has to equate quality-wise to the desired perception of your brand, and your business.

A good starting point is to try to offer informative content, for example your own interpretation of certain aspects of your market, or insider trade secrets that are actually of use. At the same time, a good thing to avoid is choosing ill-fitting keywords. Never use your keyword phrase in a sentence where it would not otherwise appear. The sentence should read fluently and effectively disguise the keywords within. Improper pluralisation and misused inflectional endings make articles sound awful, and detract from the overall look of the web page on which they are displayed. It would arguably be more useful to have a blank page of 'correct' text than to waste time on graphic design for a page of useless, keyword-centric drivel.

Whatever the subject matter of your writing for SEO purposes, make it flow. Consider the tone of your article, and the requirements as far as your readership are concerned, and use that as the basis for your writing. Of course, take the time to add in your various SEO elements, to make your article more amenable to the search engines, but make sure that as your first and main priority, your article passes as both technically sound and professionally structured to the human reader.