In today’s digital world, the battle for online visibility is fiercer than ever. With millions of pieces of content already contending for the top spot, it’s getting more challenging for writers and brands to stand out.
Even as Google keeps rolling out updates, writers are faced with the dilemma of optimizing content for SEO or creating content for people. But should you please the algorithm and ignore the people that matter or focus on the people that made SEO necessary in the first place?
If that question hits home, you are not alone. In this post, we’ll dive into what matters and how you can strike a balance by writing for people and remaining visible in the online space.
Understanding SEO vs. People Dilemma
The enemy of good writing is not SEO; rather, the concept of SEO has been misunderstood. SEO indeed helps your content get discovered, but people are often the ones who engage with your content, subscribe, and eventually buy.
Writing for the algorithm can make your content feel robotic, but does writing for people alone make your content invisible? If that is the case, how can we draw the line?
Why Writing for People is Non-Negotiable
Solving Real Problems
Behind every search query is a pain point that needs to be addressed. People search the internet for solutions to the problems they face.
If the result they get is one article or post stuffed with keywords that address little of the problem, they’ll bounce, and go somewhere else where the problem can be solved with real human concern, not some robotic content rolling out keywords.
Speaking in a Human Tone
If your writing sounds like a robot, you will lose your audience, and that is if you have one. It will even be more difficult to build an audience if your content keeps feeding the algorithm with keywords.
On the other hand, writing in a human tone means being conversational, relatable, and real. You have to understand that it is about writing the way you would speak to a friend or a colleague so that they can grasp what you are saying.
It is not enough to structure content with relevant tags or keywords. Establish a connection with real people because If your content does not have that human touch that connects with your audience, they may find it difficult to resonate with it or trust your judgment.
Encourage Trust and Connection
The digital world is filled with noise, but one thing that remains constant is the fact that people will engage with content that they trust. When your content is transparent and filled with empathy, honesty, and clarity, you will build a bridge between you and your audience.
If you are telling a story, answering a question or even offering advice, you should aim towards making your readers feel seen, heard, and understood.
SEO might get them through the door, but trust and connection will make them stay and even take action.
Practical Tips to Combine SEO with People-First Writing
Research Keyword with Empathy
Writing content that captures the reader’s attention and addresses their needs starts with comprehensive research aimed at addressing their needs. Of course, creating valuable content comes with a lot of research.
So you would have to make sure that the information you are putting out is accurate and helpful. Prioritize the needs of your audience before anything else.
For SEO, tools like Ubersuggest and Google’s “People Also Ask” will help you understand what your audience is searching for. Since that is the first step to creating content, you may even dive deeper by looking at other related search queries by your audience.
Structure Content Appropriately
If you are writing on a specific topic, structure it in a way that your readers can easily grasp the points you are making. Keep it clean and concise by using H1, H2, and H3 tags. Use bullet points too, as it will help your readers to scan since people are becoming impatient.
Doing this helps the algorithm to scan your content and serve it to the people who need it the most.
Another benefit of structuring content is that it helps readers to spend time on your page. For example, users can click on what is most important to them while they filter what they do not need.
But that cannot happen if they see a clumsy write-up that is challenging to navigate without a structured table of contents where they have the choice of clicking through the information that is useful to them.
Focus on Value, not Just Volume.
A short article that is relevant and helpful will outperform a long blog post that is decorated with keywords.
Hit the nail on the spot when you are writing. If possible, the second or third paragraphs of your post should provide answers to your readers.
Churning out more content or posts with shallow depth may help fill a content calendar, but it will be harder to earn trust, build authority, or drive sales.
Readers are naturally drawn to posts that have depth, provide insight, and solve real problems.
Here are some key areas to focus on when creating content:
- Solve a real problem: Before you write, be sincere and ask yourself the problem that your reader is trying to solve. Try to figure out the issue that led to their search queries because that will help you diagnose the problem and tailor your post to address the specific problem.
- Back it up: Provide data if you can, and use real examples and personal insight in your posts. It will help you to build credibility.
- Be specific, not generic: Instead of giving general advice, provide clear steps and answers to the user’s question. Show what you know and lead your readers to take the right step. They will reward your effort with their loyalty.
Write Naturally
Never force keywords in your writing; rather, you should use them where they feel natural. The idea is to let them flow only when they are needed. The algorithm understands the tone and emotion behind a piece of content.
Search engine algorithms are also designed to interpret user intent based on the search query, so they can streamline or provide suitable content that can help the reader.
If your content does not flow naturally with what the user seeks, there is a high chance that it will not be served to them by search engines because the algorithm will always match the content that aligns with user intent.
Use Meta Description in your posts
A meta descrption is a brief summary of the content of a webpage. it helps readers to click on a post and sends a message to search engine that a specific content is relevant.This tag usually appears below the main heading of a post.
When you write a post, make sure that you include a meta description because it does increase CTR (click-through rate) and supports keyword visibility in the sense that a user’s search query might match your meta description, and when that happens, Google might show those words in the search snippets, which could have a positive effect on your content.