Ocean Copy

I did some work for a client recently which was then reviewed by a third party. I was shocked to discover that one of their comments on my work was that it lacked “keyword stuffing”.

Now I don’t know about you but I have never “stuffed” any of my work with keywords or phrases in a bid to get higher search engine rankings. Why not? because it makes your site come across as being written by idiots for idiots.

Of course I use keywords and phrases in particular places in my work such as meta titles, h1 tags etc but am always careful not to stuff.

Consider the following paragraphs on the same subject, one “stuffed” and one written naturally.

“If you’re looking for a dentist in Edinburgh then choose Jamie Graham & Associates – the cheapest dentist in Edinburgh.

If you can’t afford a private dentist in Edinburgh then choose us, a reliable and established NHS dentist in Edinburgh.”

Our modern approach to being a dentist in Edinburgh means we send you text message appointment confirmations so you never miss another appointment at your dentist in Edinburgh.

In case you couldn’t tell, that was the “stuffed” article!

“When you’re looking for a dentist in Edinburgh that’s cheap and professional, choose Jamie Graham & Associates. Our NHS dentists will put you at your ease and we’ll even send you appointment reminders by text so you don’t forget to visit us.”

I have still used the key phrase “dentist in Edinburgh” early in the first line of text but have made the paragraph much more concise by not “stuffing” it with the same phrase over and over again.

I hadn’t heard keyword stuffing mentioned for quite a few years, and wrongly assumed it had died out.

Even if keyword stuffing was the only way to get to no.1 in Google, would it really matter? Surely copywriting should be all about converting readers into customers (or patients in the example above).

Imagine for a minute you met an Edinburgh dentist at a social function or business networking meeting. Would you be more or less likely to go to them as a patient if they said “I’m a dentist in Edinburgh” every 30 seconds?