Writing good copy

Good content matters most for being found. Google rewards pages that answer a question clearly and completely.

At launch, your website’s copy was usually written by us. Use these tips when you write a new page yourself or change existing text, so your website stays just as easy to find.

One page, one topic

Give each page a clear topic. Offer three services? Then make three pages rather than one page with everything. That way each page can be found for its own topic.

Use your customers’ words

Think about how your customers search, not about what you call it internally.

A customer searches for “fix a leaking tap”, not “plumbing intervention”.
Mention your area if you work locally: “roofing in Aalst and the surrounding area”.
Use the main keyword in the title, the first paragraph and a subheading, but naturally.

Using headings

Subheadings make text easier to scan for visitors and show Google how your page is structured.

The page title is the main heading (H1). The website creates it itself, so don’t use a second H1 in your text.
Use H2 for the main sections of your text, and H3 for parts within them.
Don’t skip a level (no H3 straight after the title), and don’t use headings just to make text bigger.

Bathroom renovation             ← page title (H1)
  How your renovation works     ← H2
    Free site visit             ← H3
    Design and quote            ← H3
  Our projects                  ← H2
  Frequently asked questions    ← H2

Write for the screen

People don’t read online, they scan. Help them:

The most important part first. Start with the conclusion, not the build-up.
Short paragraphs of two to four sentences.
Short sentences, in plain language. Explain technical terms.
Bullet lists for lists, like this one.
Address the reader directly with “you”, and stay consistent.

How long should a text be?

As long as it needs to be to answer the question well, and no longer. A page with just a few sentences gives Google little to work with. For an important service page, a few hundred words is a good guideline.

Unique content

Don’t copy text from other websites, not even from a supplier or manufacturer. Google will rather show the original.
Don’t put the same text on several pages. Write each page separately.

Linking to your own pages

Links between your own pages (internal links) help visitors along, and help Google understand your website.

Refer to a related page from your text: “Also take a look at our projects”.
Write clear link text. The words of the link say where it goes.

❌ Not so good	✅ Better
Click here for more info.	Read more about how we work.
You can find our prices via this link.	See our prices.

Keep your website up to date

Update outdated information: prices, opening hours, team members, years.
Set pages that are no longer correct to draft instead of leaving them online.
Have a news section? One post a month shows that your business is active, and gives Google new content to read.

Multilingual website

Google treats each language as a separate page. A good translation is therefore found separately.

Research the keywords again for each language. A literal translation isn’t always what people type: Dutch speakers search for “dakwerken”, French speakers for “toiture” or “couvreur”.
Translate everything on the page: text, subheadings, buttons, link text, SEO fields and alt text. A half-translated page ranks badly and looks careless.
In each language, link to pages in the same language. If you choose a page on your own website for a link, the link automatically goes to the right version in each language. If you type the address yourself, check the language.
Have machine translations checked by someone who knows the language well.

More about languages: Multilingual websites.