Sometimes small business marketers publish content with the sole intention of ranking on search engines like Google and Bing. After reading a couple of articles about search engine optimization (SEO), they try their hand at keyword-optimized content hoping to outrank their competitors.
If you write content just for bots, it is time to evolve. After all, the year 2000 called, and they want their SEO strategy back!
Instead, publish content that helps your future customers in some way or makes their lives a little easier. Such content is more likely to convert your visitors into customers.
Also, creating content that humans enjoy happens to be the best SEO strategy. Google’s goal is to answer its users’ searches with links to resources that meet their needs. This is also why we always advise our valued clients to avoid spammy tricks and “black hat” SEO strategies.
“From the beginning, our mission has been to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Today, people around the world turn to Search to find information, learn about topics of interest, and make important decisions.” – Source Google’s mission statement.
Three More Reasons To Write Content For Humans, Not Bots
1. Bots Are Not Your Customers
If you are a small business marketer, we are willing to bet your goal is to sell your products or services. Effective SEO may help your future customers find you. However, if the content they see doesn’t interest them or seem helpful, they bounce.
The solution is simple, publish original content that speaks directly to your ideal customer. Answer their questions, offer solutions to their problems, entertain them. Doing this establishes your reputation as a friendly and helpful expert who can make your customer’s lives better.
2. Bots Are Getting Smarter Every Day
As artificial intelligence and machine learning evolve, search bots grow smarter. Google continues to experiment with improving their bot’s understanding of natural language.
In fact, Google released a couple of fun AI Semantic Experience demonstrations. “Talk to Books” lets users ask Google a question and in response, the app shares a quote from a book in response to the question. This is done without the use of keywords, instead “Talk to Books” uses artificial intelligence to process natural language.
The use of voice assistant and mobile phones drive this change since people search differently than they did when using a desktop computer in the past. According to Google, 43% of people who use voice assistant like Alexa describe the experience as similar to having a conversation with a friend.
The key takeaway is even if you insist on publishing content to attract bot traffic, the bots are moving on from old school keyword-based content.
3. Use Your Content To Build Relationships With Humans
If you are successful in small business, chances are you excel at building relationships. The best content marketing applies that skillset to your online content. Whether a consumer scrolls your Instagram feed or reads your latest blog post, they are looking to connect with you and your brand.
Most likely, your customers ask different questions at different phases in their “buyer’s journey.” For example, someone unfamiliar with your product may ask different questions than a long-time loyal customer. Often these questions provide inspiration for content that helps convert your website visitors into customers or clients. Publish content that is helpful during all stages of the buyer’s journey.
Creating content requires skills, expertise, and time. Contact Writer Access to learn how a content strategist makes it easier than ever to produce quality content that attracts new customers to your brand.
Sam S is an active blogger who manages two publications. Her flagship site covers fitness, food, and lifestyle. She also maintains a book and entertainment blog. In addition to her blogs, Sam is an active guest contributor. She contributes on-going columns for a few publications. These on-going gigs include a weekly consumer tech column, a comparison shopping guide series, and a bylined series on social media marketing and personal branding.
