Copywriting vs. SEO Writing: 5 Essential Differences To Know

Whether you're a content marketer, freelance writer, or blogger, you need to understand the distinction between copywriting and SEO writing.

Both are important to digital marketing, but they serve different purposes. If you're here, you're likely trying to determine which writing style will drive the best results for your business or career.

Copywriting is all about content that's designed to sell or inspire action. On the other hand, SEO writing is crafted to rank higher in search engines and pull in organic traffic.

But how do you distinguish between these two types? More importantly, how do you decide when to use each?

In this guide, we'll break down 5 essential differences between copywriting and SEO writing. These differences will help you decide which is right for your next project.

What Is Copywriting?

In Copywriting, the goal is to convert readers into customers, subscribers, or action-takers. This type of writing is usually used in advertising, sales pages, email marketing, and landing pages.

• Purpose: Encourage readers to take a specific action.

• Typical content: Ads, sales pages, product descriptions.

• Tone: Persuasive, emotional, and conversational.

The key is that copywriting drives immediate actions. It creates a sense of urgency and moves people to make decisions. Emotions are often used to inspire people to act now, whether it’s buying a product, signing up for a newsletter, or booking a service.

What Is SEO Writing?

SEO writing, on the other hand, is focused on optimizing content for search engines. The aim is to rank higher on Google and other search engines for relevant keywords. It’s about driving traffic, not necessarily immediate conversions.

• Purpose: Rank content on search engines.

• Typical content: Blog posts, articles, website content.

• Tone: Informative, educational, and keyword-focused.

SEO writing balances two things: providing valuable information to readers and using the right keywords to attract search engines. While it’s important to engage readers, SEO writing must also follow certain technical guidelines to rank.

What’s The Difference Between SEO Copywriting and SEO Writing?

Once you combine SEO Writing and Copywriting, you get SEO Copywriting.

SEO Copywriting is one of the subsets of Copywriting where SEO skills are used along with your copywriting skills. The main difference between an “SEO Written Content” and an “SEO Copy Written” content is “Conversions”. 

Here’s an example of an “SEO Written Content”. The main goal of the blog post is to educate and inform the reader about all the concepts related to the topic ‘what is seo’.

And that’s why, the blog content from Search Engine Land is also written in a informative and educational way:

Now here’s an example of a “SEO Copy Written Content”.

The keyword “best social media management tools” itself highlights that it’s more of a buyer intent keyword rather than just an informational keyword.

As a result, brands like Buffer (a social media management tool) have targeted the search query so that they can reach their ideal customers.

Here’s an example blog post from Buffer on the “best social media management tools”.

As you can see in the above example, unlike the previous information SEO Writing example, Buffer’s blog post is more conversational, speaking directly to their ideal customers, focusing on their problems, and gradually moving them towards the solution. That’s what copywriting is all about.

So here’s the thing:

• SEO Writing - The main Goal is to rank on the search results page and that’s it.

• SEO Copywriting - The goal is to rank on the search results page as well as get conversions (crafting content in a way that gets leads and customers for the brand)

Now, let’s take a closer look at the difference between Copywriting and SEO Writing.

5 Essential Differences Between Copywriting and SEO Writing

1. Goal And Purpose

The main difference between copywriting and SEO writing lies in their goals. Copywriting's goal is conversion. You’re writing to persuade people to take action immediately—buying, subscribing, or signing up. It often focuses on emotional factors and urgency to push readers toward action.

SEO writing’s primary goal is visibility. It's about ranking higher on search engines to attract organic traffic. While there is a conversion goal eventually, SEO writing works more like a long-term strategy to drive traffic consistently.

2. Audience Focus

Copywriting speaks directly to a target audience that is ready to make a decision. Above is an example of a landing page copy from GetResponse. You can see how the content speaks directly to the needs and interests of their target audience.

In Copywriting, you know who your readers are, and your writing aims to connect with their pain points, emotions, and needs. Your writing speaks their language, making it highly personalized and targeted.

SEO writing, on the other hand, is often written for a broader audience. You are crafting content for searchers who might not even know about your product yet. The writing should be informative and educational, appealing to anyone who might come across it while searching for information.

3. Writing Style And Tone

Copywriting uses a persuasive tone. Here’s an example from the Apple Watch Landing page. You can notice how for every feature, the benefit has been clearly explained so that the reader is excited to check out the product.

It’s often conversational, short, and effective. Your job is to hook readers quickly and compel them to act. Copywriting often incorporates emotional triggers, storytelling, and bold CTAs.

In contrast, SEO writing is informative and often longer. The tone is more educational and structured to provide value. While it still needs to engage the reader, the style leans towards answering questions or providing solutions to problems.

4. Content Structure

Copywriting tends to be more flexible in structure. It may include bullet points, short paragraphs, or even a one-line sentence to drive home a point. The content is designed to hold the reader’s attention and push them toward a decision quickly.

In contrast, SEO writing follows a more structured format with clear headings, subheadings, and optimized keywords. It’s important for SEO content to be scannable and well-organized to not only satisfy human readers but also search engine algorithms.

5. Success Metrics

The final major difference is how success is measured. In copywriting, success is usually measured by conversion rates: Did the reader make a purchase? Did they sign up for your newsletter? Metrics include click-through rates (CTR), sales, and lead generation.

For SEO writing, success is measured by rankings and traffic. How well does the content rank for its targeted keywords? How much organic traffic is it pulling in? Metrics include search engine ranking positions (SERPs), organic traffic, and time spent on the page.

When To Choose Copywriting?

You should choose copywriting when your primary goal is to convert visitors into customers. If you’re running a campaign, launching a product, or creating a sales page, copywriting is the better option. It excels in short-term gains and direct action.

Use copywriting when:

• You’re writing sales pages, ads, or landing pages.

• Your goal is immediate conversion.

• You need emotional engagement to drive action.

When To Choose SEO Content Writing?

SEO writing is best for building long-term organic traffic. If your goal is to increase your website’s visibility, SEO writing will help attract readers over time. It's perfect for blog posts, website content, and other long-form content where keywords are essential.

Use SEO writing when:

• You want to improve your site’s search engine ranking.

• You’re focusing on educational content.

• Your goal is long-term traffic growth.

Skills Required For Copywriting vs. SEO Content Writing

Both forms of writing require specific skills to succeed.

For copywriting, the most important skills are:

• Persuasion: You need to be able to convince readers to act.

• Storytelling: Crafting a compelling narrative can engage emotions.

• CTA Mastery: Knowing how to create an irresistible call to action.

For SEO writing, you’ll need:

• Keyword research: Knowing how to find and integrate relevant keywords.

• Technical SEO knowledge: Understanding meta tags, headers, and optimization techniques.

• Content optimization: Writing content that appeals to both search engines and readers.

Which Is Better: Copywriting or SEO Content Writing?

It mainly depends on your goals. But overall, if you need immediate conversions, then copywriting is better. However, if you’re trying to build long-term traffic, then SEO writing is the way to go.

For the best results, consider combining both strategies. Use copywriting on your landing pages and sales emails while using SEO writing to bring in traffic through blog posts and website content. Together, they can provide a more comprehensive digital strategy.

Final Thoughts

Both copywriting and SEO writing play critical roles in content marketing. While they serve different purposes, understanding the essential differences can help you make better decisions for your content strategy. Copywriting is about conversion, whereas SEO writing is all about getting website traffic. Both are necessary depending on the stage of your marketing funnel.

The best thing? Master both skills and you’ll have the flexibility to get great results, whether it’s through high-ranking content or persuasive copy that converts.

Whether you choose copywriting or SEO Writing, if you want to create high-quality SEO-optimized content fast, then SEOWriting is there for your help. Try SEOWriting for FREE now!

Prit Centrago Prit is an SEO Content Specialist and Copywriter. His work has helped SaaS brands across multiple industries reach more customers worldwide. When not involved in writing or planning content strategies, you'll find him reading books with a cup of coffee.