SEO copywriting: a practical three-stage workflow

Executive overview

Writing for search engines and human readers is not a trade-off. Google has evolved far beyond exact-match keywords, so natural, well-structured content satisfies both.

The process has three stages: research, drafting, and editing. Research sets you up to rank. Drafting delivers value. Editing makes the content consumable.

Rank by understanding what searchers actually want, not by copying what ranks.

Stage 1: Research

• Search intent is the first and most important check. Search the target query and read the SERP: shopping results signal a transactional page; listicles signal an informational post.
• Match the dominant content format and angle — not the topic alone.
• Build your outline from top-ranking pages. Look for topics that appear across multiple results; these are foundational and expected.
• Use the People Also Ask box to surface adjacent questions worth addressing.
• Run a content gap analysis (e.g. Ahrefs Content Gap) across top-ranking URLs to find shared keyword rankings — reveals searcher language, subtopics, and what Google considers relevant.
• This is not plagiarism. You are extracting subtopics and industry terms needed to cover a topic fully, not copying content.

Stage 2: Drafting

• The intro must confirm the reader is in the right place. Use the PASS formula: Problem → Agitate → Solution.
• The body delivers on the headline. Use the outline from stage 1 to structure it. For landing pages, showcase features and use cases. For blog posts, resolve the reason for the visit.
• Do not optimise while drafting — save that for the editing stage.
• The conclusion should direct readers to a next step. Never leave them at a dead end.
• For a blog post, route readers to related content that naturally leads toward product pages rather than a hard sell.

Stage 3: Editing

Use the ASMR method:

• A — Annotations: add side notes or callouts to flag important points without interrupting flow.
• S — Short sentences and paragraphs: break up sentences joined by "and", "because", or "that".
• M — Multimedia: add images, video, or GIFs to illustrate points without adding word count.
• R — Read aloud: read the copy out loud to catch flow problems.

Additional editing checks:

• Simplify language; remove jargon unless essential.
• Aim for a 6th–8th grade reading level (tools like the Hemingway app can score this).
• Apply on-page SEO best practices after the draft is solid.