A Day In The Life Of An SEO Copywriter

30 June 2025

Being an SEO copywriter is a job where no two days are the same. One minute you’re writing about artisan coffee, the next, it’s pressure washers. It’s just how things work in this often misunderstood role within digital marketing.

It’s probably why I always get asked what my average day looks like. So, let’s break it down to give you a better idea of what SEO copywriting really is and the reality behind the pages you read online.

The Start of My Day as An SEO Copywriter

I start by checking my to-do list to understand what needs doing and when. After replying to some emails and feeling pretty darn productive, I move on to one of the most important tasks of my working day, making a coffee.

White cup of black coffee being brewed from an espresso machine.

Task One: Keyword Research

Keyword research is the backbone of search engine optimisation, so, coffee in hand, I start researching keywords for a batch of new blogs and service pages. I pray that I find terms with high volume and low difficulty that match the hilarious blog ideas I’ve come up with.

No luck, and I settle for a different angle on practically every piece. I’ll make them work.

Task Two: Actual SEO Copywriting

I add placeholders to the pages and blogs before I start, writing things like “CTA here, obviously” and “secondary keyword here, dur”. I make sure the H1 and first paragraph have that hallowed primary keyword included, and that my other headings are in place and ready to rock.

Then, I get to writing.

An SEO copywriter's arm with a watch and gold ring on the finger typing on a silver laptop. There's a tablet next to it on the desk.

Obviously, I get carried away because I’m now suddenly very invested in what I’m writing, which is the different kinds of pressure washing services available in the UK.

I switch my focus to a milk frother blog, and find myself adding one to my cart. I don’t need a milk frother, but I suppose that’s the strength of compelling SEO copywriting, and the reason an SEO copywriter is a job in the first place?

I get another coffee.

Task Three: SEO Copywriter-Themed Existential Dread

Next, I start to disengage from reality because the best products might not be the best products, but simply have the best SEO. Are we all being fooled? Am I part of the problem?

This puts me into a bit of a spin, so I go out for lunch.

Lunch as An SEO Copywriter

I get into conversation with the waiter about what I do for a living. After failing to explain what an SEO copywriter is, I go with something along the lines of “I write websites so people can see them on Google” to a blank look.

Foolishly, I ask what he does for work, and he looks around, says “this”, and walks away. He doesn’t make small talk when he returns with my food.

Afternoon Task One: Competitor Research

I think about the lunch encounter a thousand times. Then, I start some competitor research for one of the blog articles I’m writing.

I find a ranking article and immediately judge their H1 tags, feeling smug. I then realise that I’ve written a similar article, which theirs is ranking higher for.

Audit time, but first, another coffee.

A floating white cup of black coffee on a peach/pink background.

Afternoon Task Two: Write an SEO Optimised Service Page

Audit complete, I go back to my trusty to-do list and tackle a service page. I get into the groove with a clean structure, on-point metadata, and well-distributed keywords, and it even sounds like a person wrote it.

Because a person did write it. It was me.

I get way too into the writing and abandon my structure. I remember that people want a step-by-step guide built around search intent, not for me to run off on a tangent about the etymology of a verb I find interesting.

I re-focus and get a 90% ready draft completed. Job’s a good ‘en.

Afternoon Task Three: Optimise an Old Blog Post

Using the data from the audit, I refresh the old blog post so it can rank well with the Google overlords. This means doing all that good stuff: strategic edits using new terms, metadata rewrites, and deleting that one sentence that made me die inside on re-reading.

I then add internal links and polish off the blog with some good, royalty-free imagery and fantastic alt text. I’m as specific as possible, rather than writing something like “man smiling”.

Afternoon Task Four: Polish Off the Projects and Get Ready to Send

Time to get everything ready to send, which means loads of unnecessary final touches.

These include:

Rewriting a headline 12 times and realising SEO copywriting is mostly arguing with yourself.
Making another coffee, and noticing I didn’t drink my last one. Accidental cold brew, anyone?
Spending 20 minutes coming up with a fun CTA for a blog, just to remember the client wanted me to write “the usual contact details” instead.
Writing an email “briefly” explaining what I did for each page, which takes an hour.

Afternoon Task Five: Procrastinate

I need a fresh headspace before I click send, so I scroll through Google SERPs as if it’s Instagram. Nice featured snippet! I think to myself. I cringe.

The Final Task of The Day: Fire Off The Docs

Save the document. Attach to an email. Re-read and find two spelling errors. Edit and re-attach. Go back and remove the daft CTA I thought was cool at the time. Send to the client.

Rinse and repeat for every project I’ve done today.