If you’ve invested in a decent website that never seems to show up on the first page of Google, I know it’s SO frustrating. You’re probably wondering how the hell people manage to appear at the top of Google search results in the first place? What wizardry is occurring?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a complex topic, so I’m not going to give you a complete A-Z.
But, what I am going to do is tell you what role good copywriting plays in getting your website on Google page one, so you can learn some useful tips to apply to your business right away.
Let’s get into it.
Why do some websites appear at the top of Google search results and not others?
Search engines want to serve users the best, most relevant search results. And while Google has a complex (and ever-changing) algorithm to decide on what constitutes the best and most relevant results, there are some key factors, like:
- Quality: does the website give value and answer the user’s question?
- Keywords: does the web page feature relevant terms people are searching for?
- User experience: is the website easy to navigate, fast, and mobile-friendly?
- Authority: Do reputable websites link back to the site?
Google weighs up these factors and decides if your website is worth showing to users when they search for certain words and phrases (keywords).
Some of these factors – like your site speed and backlinks – are technical, but the foundation of good SEO lies in high-quality, optimised content. And that’s where copywriting and blog writing come into play.
What role does copywriting play in getting on the first page of Google?
1. Targeting appropriate keywords
Great copy begins before you write a single word, because it’s all about how well you know your audience. If you understand where they’re at in life, how they feel, and what problems they need to solve, you understand what kind of things they’re probably typing into Google.
Using these keywords in your content helps Google see you’re the right person to solve your target customer’s problems.
However, it’s not about stuffing keywords into every sentence of a blog or website, because Google also recognises this and will penalise you for it.
Once you’ve identified a suitable keyword for a web page or blog post (one main one per page/article), use it naturally in your page title and headings, meta description, and the main content of your web page or blog.
2. Adding value to your audience
Google loves content that helps people, so make sure your content (especially blogs) adds value and educates them to make better decisions. You can do this by:
- Answering common questions you get asked about your products or services (e.g. how long do soy candles burn?)
- Providing tips and inspiration (e.g. how to style your home office on a budget)
- Solving problems for your audience (e.g. choosing pet-friendly essential oils for your home)
The more value your content provides, the longer people will stay on your website – this is a signal to Google that your site deserves to rank higher.
3. Optimising website pages
With each web page comes a fresh opportunity to show up on Google for different search queries.
By working with a copywriter, you can ensure each page has:
- A clear purpose and focus keyword
- Compelling headlines and subheadings
- Engaging and persuasive content
- Call-to-actions (CTAs) that guide visitors to take the next step in the buyer journey.
4. Building high-performing blog content
Like your web pages, blog posts give you an extra chance to keep showing up for new search terms when your target audience crawls the web for answers to their problems.
Blogging also helps you to:
- Show off your expertise and be seen as a leader in your industry
- Build internal links to help users stay on your site for longer and discover other pages to continue on their buyer journey (another SEO win)
- Attract backlinks from other sites
- Create a bank of content you can recycle for your social media posts, emails, videos, pitches, awards submissions, and much more!
For example, if you’re an interior designer, a blog on “Top 2025 Trends for Maximalist Home Style” could bring in readers searching for that topic, showing you’re the expert in this area of design and potentially attracting new clients directly from Google.
Other ways to get up the Google rankings
Here are some other things you can do to show up prominently on Google.
1. Google Business Profile
Set up a Google Business Profile – it’s essential for local SEO, as you’ll appear in both Google Search and Maps when customers search for your services.
2. Reviews
Once your business listing is set up, request plenty of Google reviews from happy customers – these help with your search rankings as Google picks up on keywords used in reviews.
Reviews also contain valuable information about your customers’ feelings, challenges, and reasons they used you, which you can utilise to create new pieces of content.
3. Google Search Console
Along with Google Analytics, Google Search Console is a crucial tool to monitor and improve your website’s performance.
Here, you can see which pages are ranking best, and which keywords people use to find them.
It’s also crucial to use GSC to index new pages, or updated pages, to let Google know to crawl it again.
4. Location pages
Setting up location-specific pages helps you rank for local search terms, for example, “interior designer Manchester”.
These pages can be hidden from your website page menus if you prefer, to keep your site looking clean, but will be found on Google when people search for these terms.
Why invest in professional copywriting?
SEO success doesn’t happen overnight, but you might be surprised how quickly you can start to see some wins if you do things properly.
Investing in professional copywriting can give you a big head start by making sure your website wording combines your unique brand voice with the SEO essentials needed to appear on Google (and potentially show up on the top spot on Google at that).
Here’s what I can do for you:
- Refresh your website’s existing content to make it SEO-friendly
- Write new, search engine-optimised website pages from scratch
- Create regular, engaging blog posts that target specific keywords.
When you invest in professional copywriting, it’s not just about words – you’re investing in a strategy to get your website seen in search engine results, clicked on, and loved by your ideal customers.
Ready to get your website to the top of Google?
If you’ve ever thought ranking on Google wasn’t possible for your small business, think again.
I’m Ali, a freelance SEO copywriter here to help you get found, see top rankings for your products or services, and drive more traffic to your website.
Making your business be more visible on Google means you can attract enquiries and sales without hustling at networking events and on social media, freeing up more of your time for what you love.
Ready to explore this together?