Search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO, is daunting. Totally. I get it.

But one of the things you need to think about when launching a new web site are the words you write, AKA the “copy.” Here are some things you can do to write copy that is SEO-friendly while keeping you naturally on-brand.

First, you should starting thinking about key words and phrases that you think people would search for to find your content. If you have gone through a branding exercise, you’ll have a good idea of the words and phrases to use. You should come up with a few (no more than half a dozen or so) for each page, because the key words for one page may not be the same ones you would use on another.

Once you have your list of key words and phrases, you’ll want to make sure you keep them in mind as you write the copy for each page. Do the best that you can to use those key words/phrases in the page copy. Don’t force them. If they work naturally into the copy flow, that’s great. If you can massage what you’ve written to use a key word or phrase instead of something else you’ve written, it’s going to give you a natural SEO boost. However, the most important part is making the copy readable and making sense to human readers. The search engine “bots” come second.

One other place you can add to your natural SEO is in page headings. If you have headings on the page that break up sections, see if it might make sense to use your key words or phrases in those headings.

The final place for you to look is for opportunities to add hyperlinks to the pages. Of course you’ll be linking from one page to another in your site. When you do, use the text that makes the hyperlink as an opportunity to use a key word or two from the page you’re linking to. The last part is important, because links to a page give you the chance to reinforce the key words/phrases for that page. You may also find that it’s helpful to your readers to link to another site(s). If so, that has the potential to increase your rankings, as long as the site you’re linking to has content that’s relevant to your site. Again, don’t force external links where they don’t feel right.

You may have noticed a recurring theme here. The most important thing when doing natural (white hat) SEO is to keep it natural. It should never be obvious to your reader that you’ve employed key words/phrases on your page. Work them in where you can, and leave them out when it doesn’t sound right.

Need suggestions for easy gains on the SEO front? Let us know as we’re happy to help you out.

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called “101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile,” which can be downloaded immediately at www.RisingStarPublicity.com.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.