Do you focus on SEO? Have you heard that it’s the be all and end all? Stop what you’re doing and read this because you’ve been given some dodgy advice. That might have been true as recently as five years ago but so much has changed.
Don’t get me wrong – it is important, it’s just not the most important thing. Since the pandemic began two years ago, we’ve all sought something a little more human. It doesn’t matter if you hit position one in the Google ranks if your blog post reads like a robot churned it out to an algorithm.
Let Me Repeat SEO is Important
Of course it is. Going by Upwork job listings, some businesses still place too much weight on it. That race for the number one spot in the search rankings is seen as a golden chalice – a magic bullet if you like. Certainly, you want to rank highly to beat your competitors, and SEO can help you do this.
But it is not enough.
Search Engines Change Algorithms Regularly
Search Engines such as Google and Bing change their algorithms regularly. What works today may not work in six months.
A focus on SEO strategy above everything else could be for nothing in a year’s time. Some things are universal and unlikely to change – the need for keywords, density and placement, and good meta descriptions. It’s easy to get carried away with these things though and ignore what is really important – stuff that people want to read.
Quality Content is King, Queen, and all the Little Princes
Whether your business sells goods, or services, B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to customer), content matters. Customers want to engage with you on a human level.
They want to to be informed and educated but they also want to see your human side. Give them humour! Give them human stories about the people who work for you. Why do we buy from small traders? Because that’s their USP. Big(ger) businesses can do this too – engage with your customers, especially through social media like Twitter which can make this process far easier. Robotic form responses are seen as negative.
Essentially, you need to put yourself in the mind of your customer. What would they like to know about your goods and services, what will they find useful, what sort of advice will they be looking for when visiting your website?
Digital Storytelling in the 21st Century
The two worlds of creative writing and business writing are not mutually exclusive. As content writers, we understand the importance of conveying your message in a both memorable and on brand.
- We write your biography, telling your story in a way that speaks to your core audience
- We put the customer first using methods like benefit selling or problem vs solution
- We inform and engage so they will see your information and services as valuable
You want your customers to keep coming back. They will only do that if you make them want to come back. All the SEO in the world is no substitute.
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MG Mason Creative 
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