You want your content to rank, but you also want it to sound like you and not like a monotonous search-engine-appeasing robot. Don’t worry, your needs are valid, but unfortunately, it’s a thin line to tread.
This is where the battle of branding and SEO come in, and it’s been a balancing act for copywriters ever since websites became a thing.
Today, we’re going to let you in on all the nitty-gritty of brand tone of voice vs SEO, why these two essential concepts have been in a fight for the content spotlight since day one, and if you can actually have the best of both worlds.
What is SEO? And how can it damage brand TOV?
In simple terms, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the act of priming your content so it’s ready to be noticed, found, and favoured in the top pages of search engines.
After all, Google’s second results page doesn’t exist. No one dares venture there, so you can see why it’s so essential for website content to bag those top spots and fast.
In fact, a recent Google update means that now only the top 10 sites will appear on page one of the search engine results pages (SERPs), instead of the previous 100.
But what has this got to do with brand tone of voice? Well, SEO involves a lot of cue the corporate speak moving parts that can, by their nature, diminish the personality behind what you’re trying to say:
Keyword research: With keyword research, you can find the exact search terms that your audience uses in their searches and pepper them strategically into your content for a better chance of ranking highly.
Learn more: Do keywords really make a difference to your web copy?
On-page optimisation: On-page optimisation involves using a range of these highly used search terms in the structure of your page, including titles, headings, and in the main body copy.
Technical SEO: The inner workings of your website, including site speed, and each page’s metadata, alt text, and internal linking structure.
Content depth and usefulness: Making sure you answer a query or satisfy a customer's need fully and in sufficient detail.
Read more: How long should a blog post be?
When used correctly and strategically, search engine optimisation is an excellent skill that can help your content appear in the top spots of any SERP, attract genuine organic traffic, and offer your website tons of visibility.
However, focusing solely on SEO can mean subsequently abandoning your brand tone of voice. The result? Ranking content that sounds nothing like you or your brand’s personality.
What is brand TOV? And how can it damage SEO?
Brand tone of voice (TOV) is essentially how you portray your brand’s personality on a page. It comes through in the words you use, the phrases you return to, and the overall tone of your sentences and how you choose to set them out on your website.
TOV guidelines can be used as rules that dictate exactly how you want your brand to sound in any piece of copy, whether that’s a paid ad, social media caption, or blog.
For example:
Sophisticated and authoritative, but never arrogant.
Fun and approachable, but not inexpert.
Professional and expert, but not aloof.
Find out more: 5 Tips for finding your brand’s tone of voice
Think about some of the top brands out there, such as Innocent Drinks, Old Spice, and M&S. They all have water-tight brand tone of voice guidelines, which makes their content instantly recognisable across platforms.
This is a huge bonus for brand visibility and recognition, but the issue rears its head when these top-brand copywriters have to somehow shoehorn niche or bland SEO terms into their polished copy like “nutritious vitamin C orange smoothies for kids”, “best men’s aftershave”, or “protein meat packs”.
The complex relationship between SEO and brand tone of voice
Without the right skills in your toolkit, SEO and brand tone of voice can feel like two annoying, arguing children running around your feet all day.
SEO craves structure. It wants the best keywords boldly set out in titles, headings, and paragraphs, and in-depth content that answers a website user’s query and more — all packaged up in scannable, easy-to-skim sentences.
Brand voice, on the other hand, needs personality to thrive. It wants non-conventional sentence structures, niche human phrases, evocative metaphors, and rhythm and flow dancing through every word.
Basically, what the other wants, the other detests. Lean too far into SEO, and your content will sound robotic and generic. Lean too far into brand voice, and you might sound great but not show up in the top spots of the SERP at all.
So, how do you strike a balance when you feel like you’re being pulled in two different directions at once?
Finding the overlap in SEO and brand voice
In all conflicts, there has to be a compromise. And this is where you’ll find your SEO vs brand voice sweet spot. Despite their clear differences, SEO and brand voice can work together rather than against one another.
It all starts with identifying the similarities and overlaps:
Both care about the reader: Google’s Helpful Content updates prioritise people-first writing, and brand voice naturally aims to connect with your target audience.
Both reward clarity: Good SEO creates structured, easy-to-read content. Good brand voice cuts the jargon and builds trust.
Both build authority: Ranking highly positions you as an industry expert. A consistent, strong tone of voice can also reinforce your industry expertise.
When you can attract people through search and then keep them engaged with your brand personality through TOV, you’ll be laughing.
Tips for balancing SEO and brand voice
As you can see, it’s not SEO or brand voice. It’s SEO and brand voice. (Did anyone just get Harry Potter Wingardium Leviosa / Levio-sar flashbacks? No? Just us…) They should always work together, and here’s how to make it happen:
Always start writing a piece with your brand voice in mind
Nail down your tone before all else — SEO can wait. Think about your core values and what feelings you want to evoke in your particular piece of content. Write your first draft using these concepts as a guideline, and you’ll have a very strong base to work from.
Be smart with your keyword research
Keyword research can be overwhelming, especially if you’re planning on writing about a general topic with tons of high-volume keywords you could use. If you find yourself in this situation, you’re allowed to be a bit selective. Choose the high-volume search terms that naturally fit your brand’s personality, and you can make your life much easier.
Use your selected keywords strategically — not excessively
Unfortunately, including your primary keyword in every sentence isn’t going to get you in the top SERP spots. Instead, just use your primary keyword in key places like your title, meta-description, headings, and a little bit in your first paragraph.
After you’ve done that, use secondary keyword variations and synonyms. This will give your content less of a robotic, monotonous tone and make it more enjoyable to read.
Do an SEO check
Once you’ve drafted your content in full brand voice and you’re happy with it, it’s time to get your SEO wizard hat on. Go back through and ask yourself:
Have you included all of the keywords you wanted to?
Do your headings reflect the search queries identified in your keyword research?
Have you added your keywords where they make sense?
Have you given the content an easy-to-skim, user-friendly structure?
Don’t leave your old content to gather dust
Those blogs you wrote a year ago that got zero traction? It’s time to do something with them.
With your newfound SEO and brand tone of voice balancing skills, you can confidently go back and update your older blogs with new keywords and a stronger brand voice. It’s a quick win when done right since you’ve already got the base content to work from.
Get the best of both with The Content Coven
At The Content Coven, it’s our job and passion to strike the balance between impactful SEO and a unique tone of voice. We know that ranking on Google is important, but so is building a genuine connection with your audience.
If you want help with blending branding and SEO into website copy that ranks, resonates, and converts, summon The Content Coven for affordable copywriting services.
You can also check out our transparent pricing structure and informative FAQs before you get in touch!
