Also, search engines are becoming so sophisticated that they’ll eventually be like human readers. So they’ll appreciate good clear pieces over key-word stuffed articles anyway!

And once the flow and the words are optimal, I then go back and look at where the keywords and keyphrases can be inserted into body copy, headlines and subheadlines – without losing major punch.

That said … a 5% keyword density on web copy is just pie in the sky dreaming in terms of compelling copywriting. At times 3% is possible with the right content and the right keywords.

The bottom line is there is no point attracting customers to your client’s site through great search engine rankings if once they get there they have no idea what is being sold, or you lose the sale through clunky language.

After all – if it doesn’t make the cash register ring for the client – you have failed.

As Kevin said above, they are the ones who experience your writing, feel your words and then put their hand in their pocket and pull out their money.

SEO is an optimisation technique, it is meant to increase your ranking based on exisitng content, not force the creation of new or alternative content just to please the search engines.

There are other ways to get visitors to your page without a high search engine ranking.

First, because it makes sense. Search engines won’t buy your products or become your customers. You’re not writing to help search engines have a better job or business or life. So, we must write for people.

Second, as search engines get smarter, they’ll respond more and more like people. At some point writing for people will be the same as writing for search engines.