Here’s the rub. Remember when you were told that all you needed to win at the SEO game was to rank #1 in a Google search? Perhaps you were told this by some reputable marketing firm that promised you the moon and stars worthy of your dreamiest wishes. You were hooked. You hired freelance writers to concoct content complete with a sprinkle of SEO and a dash of high quality information, and you felt like Top Dog. Hate to dash your dreams but times, they are a changing.
My #1 is Not Your #1
These days it is impossible to rank #1 on Google every single time someone searches for your most prized key terms or phrases. Google analytics have created the ideal search for individual online users. Just like every person is made up of quirks, traits and interests, so are their Google searches.
While one person may search enthusiastically for kitty videos, hip hop dance moves and upcoming episodes of “Downton Abbey,” the person living next door might be more interested in ninja fighting swords, “Pulp Fiction” and murder scene images. It’s all a melting pot here, people!
Search Behaviors Rank Supreme with SEO
There is no possible way you can create SEO that will be the crème de la crème for every single person searching the Internet. According to Rand Fishkin, “The results you see when you search a particular keyword are very likely to be different than those John and Jane Doe see in a different location, on a different day, in a different browser, with a different search history, on a different computer. It would be an easy but fatal mistake for SMB marketers to assume otherwise, especially when they obsess over for particular keywords.”
The Solution: Stouter SEO
Stop holding out for #1 when you search for your business on Google. Move beyond this rigid thinking by generating keywords that will bring in viewers who will find value in your content. That means your content has to be over the top in terms of value.
We’ve known for a while now that Content is King. This goes even further by pushing you to create content that does more than sparkles. You want to avoid the gobbledygook that simply advertises your wares. Give readers emotion grabbing, chills-worthy stuff to read that benefits them in more ways than just through product placement.
The new #1 will go to websites that are universally helpful, providing readers of all backgrounds and interests with trustworthy, sharable knowledge to improve their lives in some way. Your new focus must be to earn the respect of your globalized audience. Your reward? Your web content will become more than top ranking. It will be bookmarked, passed around, printed off, memorized, posted on bulletin boards and held in the hearts of millions. That is your new #1 goal.
Miranda B spends her days getting under the skin of online readers to find out what makes their blood boil and their hearts tick. Then she puts this information in share worthy content, as you’ve just read, and will now pass around like dishes at a potluck.
