Copywriting vs. Content Writing – What Are the Differences

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Your marketing campaign is important, but if you’re searching for someone to help you write content, you need to understand the difference between copywriting and content writing, or it could negatively affect your success.

Your website is now ready to go to the next level, so you want to hire a freelance writer to boost your content and rank higher on the search engines. Should you hire a content writer or copywriter? Is there a difference?

They’re both used for SEO purposes, so does it matter for your brand? Yes!

While they are part of the same coin, SEO content writing and copywriting focus on the words on the page but have different purposes. This distinction can help you decide which method is necessary to give you the desired results.

Ultimately, copywriting focuses on the customers to sell them something. Copywriters usually use engaging content and wording that drives people to do something, while the SEO content is there to help you rank higher on Google so that people can find you.

Let’s learn more about them!

What’s SEO Content?

What is SEO? It’s the practice of enhancing your website to improve visibility when people are searching for services, topics, and products on Google. Ultimately, your primary goal isn’t on selling. You’re improving the user’s experience.

SEO content is crucial for this. Google wants to provide useful information that entertains, informs, educates, or solves a problem that the users have.

Such content writing is there for creating content that’s keyword-focused and high-quality so that it ranks well in Google and generates organic traffic to your site.

SEO content writers aren’t focused as much on marketing your products with their writing. However, they can craft content in such a way that it sells for you.

What’s Copywriting?

On the other hand, SEO experts use copywriting to convert the traffic you get into leads or sales. Typically, it’s focused on driving traffic to the site and does that through various means, such as magazine advertisements, ad copy, and all the rest.

Can content writing and copywriting do both things? Yes. However, the difference here is based on what you’re trying to do and what method works best.

In a sense, SEO copywriting is a misnomer. The term was created by SEO experts who confused both types of writing.

Many SEO content professionals said that both writing options were the same, while others claimed they were different. Most copywriters create SEO content that overlaps them both, and an excellent content writer knows how to do this.

For most people, the confusion stems from the search intent of the user being muddled. Most people who search for copywriting want website content, ad copy, blog posts, and a sales copywriter to generate sales more efficiently.

If you’re searching for SEO content, it’s hard to tell what you might get, especially if you’re unsure of how copywriting differs.

For instance, we are proficient in content writing and copywriting. That means we offer SEO features and can also handle Facebook copy, sales copy, and social media copy. Most people want to boost sales, and copywriting is the way to go. However, they also need their web pages to show up in the search results to let them sell more easily, and that’s SEO.

However, copywriting projects involve content but don’t always focus on search engine optimization. It’s crucial to make a distinction between the two. Ultimately, the method we choose to write the content is different, and we want to get the best fit for what your goals are with the content. Once we know that, we can get to work!

Choosing a Content Writer for SEO

Understanding the key differences between the two options ensures that you can attract organic traffic with SEO content writers and produce great content that your potential customers read on your blogs.

Ultimately, you want a content writer if your goal is driving traffic to your business website because this focuses on keywords and quality. With that, the content writer understands the basics of search engine optimization and can write content that’s compelling, relevant, and informative.

However, an SEO content writer isn’t always the best if your goal is to drive conversions. This, therein, is the difference between copywriting and content writing.

SEO-based content serves many purposes, such as:

  • Increasing your keyword rankings
  • Driving more traffic to your site from the SERPs
  • Attracting backlinks of a high quality
  • Directing users to your internal web pages
  • Converting visitors into subscribers, leads, and buyers

Therefore, you require a content writer to write the content (blog posts and web pages) to boost traffic.

Writing great content can also be important for driving social shares, improving conversions, and keeping users on the website longer. With that, it establishes you as an authority in your industry and drives awareness for your brand.

Therefore, SEO writers often produce:

  • Blog posts
  • Service pages
  • Local SEO content
  • PPC landing pages
  • Guest posts
  • eBooks
  • Link-building content

If the main goal here isn’t to attract organic traffic to your site, you require a copywriter who can handle sales, emails, and more.

When You Need a Copywriter

There’s a difference in the copywriters out there, and there are various topics within the copywriting niche.

Consider the different platforms out there that need copy. This includes social media posts, Google ads, brochures, website landing pages, print ads, Facebook ads, product descriptions, sales pages, billboard ads, product collection pages, and so much more.

If your goal is to convert your traffic into leads or sales, you need a good copywriter.

A great example here is that the copywriter might be great at getting that Facebook share or Twitter share, but they’re not proficient in writing marketing copy for print. The targeting, market research, formatting, and execution process could be completely different for each project.

Here are the project options that copywriters can do:

  • Ads for Instagram and Facebook
  • Email campaigns
  • Social media posts
  • Writing copy for print
  • Sales letters and pages
  • Video scripts
  • Product descriptions
  • Newspaper ads
  • Non-SEO-based landing pages
  • On-site navigation copy
  • Call to action buttons
  • White papers and product demos
  • Taglines
  • Web copy (brand messages)
  • Business names

Ultimately, the copywriter produces sales copy for the business that focuses on selling and getting the person to take immediate action. To write like this, the copywriter needs to understand the audience thoroughly.

It’s sometimes hard to find the right copywriter. Luckily, we are here to help and understand a lot of different industries and fields. Just tell us what you need, and we can make sure it happens.

The Skills to Consider for Content Writers

Now that you realize the difference between the two options and know what your needs are, you can choose between a copywriter and content writers. They need the right skills!

Both copywriting and content writing require similar skills, but they can be a bit different. Now is the time to learn how to pick a writer who fits the brand image.

Updated SEO Writing Practices

You know the key differences between SEO content writing and great copywriters. If your goal is SEO, then the person you choose must understand the best practices. These change all the time because of Google’s algorithms. Therefore, you must invest in someone who writes SEO-friendly content and stays updated about the algorithms.

Understanding of Conversion Copywriting

If your goal is to improve conversion rates, copywriters are often the best choice. They must be able to write copy that achieves your goals. Don’t be afraid to ask them what their averages are when it comes to conversions. Content writing isn’t the only thing these professionals must understand. It’s best to choose someone with a great track record like us!

Understanding of Search Intent

Search intent is required for content writing, but copywriters have to think about that, too. Ultimately, this focuses on the objective of the user searching for valuable content on the search engine. What are they trying to accomplish?

What if the keyword was birthday cakes. They may want recipes on how to make one or may require a local bakery to bake a cake for them. Others may wish to learn the history of the birthday cake.

There’s only one instance where selling is the main goal, so you want to position your business in the right light. Readers who only want recipes or histories may not be the targeted audience here. Writing for them makes no sense because they don’t want your services.

Thoroughly Research

Content writing is there to help your audience understand what you do and increase brand awareness. Therefore, you must focus on your marketing goals and ensure that the writing makes sense for you.

Since there are major differences between copywriters and content writers, it’s your job to tell the professional what you want. That way, they can determine if they’re the right person for the task.

Understand the Target Audience and Demographics

Copywriting and content writing both focus on the customers. Your business should understand what the audience wants to know and provide valuable content to answer those questions.

Content writing usually focuses more on the keywords, while copywriters make sure that the readers are satisfied. Both writing styles are necessary for the audience to get the most from your articles. Luckily, we can do both and are here to help with your marketing endeavors.

Measuring Performance through Social Media Posts and All the Rest

The success of the content marketing and copywriting campaigns depends on your goals and KPIs. It’s important to inform the content writing pros of what you need. The most common KPIs to measure brand success include:

  • Brand awareness
  • Web traffic through organic search
  • Click-through rates
  • On-site conversions
  • Ranking keywords
  • Email subscribers
  • Lead generation
  • Social media comments, shares, likes

Good content writers must understand your performance goals and how people consume the information. One brand could execute a similar campaign as another with different outcomes.

Copywriting and content writing are both crucial, but the way you measure success for your brand can be different. Therefore, content writers must write in such a way that focuses on your needs.

Copywriting vs. Content Writing – Conclusion

Understanding the difference between copywriting and content writing is crucial for your brand. Ultimately, copywriters focus more on selling and are persuading others all the time. They usually write content in short form and are heavy on the marketing aspect.

Alternatively, content writing is more about informing others. Content writers can do copywriting, and most of them are effective.

If you want the best content writers, now is the time to choose us. We pair you with the right content writer to handle any needs you might have. Plus, our content writing options include eBooks, reports, newsletters, and all the rest.

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