What should be your focus while writing content for your online business? Answering this question will solve a lot of puzzles and help you streamline your writing to not only suit your target audience but also be ranked favourably on several search engines such as Google. There are several opinions on whether content writing should be focused on readers or adapted to suit search engines. I have always pushed for it to be user focused. No one likes spam.
While your writing might turn out to be a wasted effort if no one gets to see it in a search query, it is also futile when your writing lacks worthy content to interest your desired audience. Great content writing is a culmination of excellent writing skills, broad knowledge of your target readers, and compliance with SEO guidance for search engines. At the end of the day, it is humans who get to read this web content, not machines. It is therefore important to tailor written digital content to suit their needs and expectations while still maintaining SEO standards.
Your brand will deliver intrinsic benefits from content writing; whether you are a small startup or a large corporation. Are you interested in producing audience-centric digital content for your readers? Do you wish to improve your content writing game? Are you looking for the best alternative to AI digital copies? Keep reading to figure out why content writing is for the readers and not search engines.
Google’s best practice for content writing: Helpful update
Google rewards great content and using their ever-involving search algorithms they present written content to the right readers. Using Google search and pay-per-click, organizations can advertise their content to different audience. As the most visited search engine in the world with millions of search queries daily, Google is committed to positioning content that matches readers’ needs over AI-polished content designed for search engine optimization.
If you are concerned about getting the right content on Google and ensuring you get ranked favourably, you should consider reviewing Google’s Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines. Some of these guidelines include the purpose of the page, authenticity, and trustworthiness of the content, website information and reputation, and main content quality.
One of the ways Google ranks its content is using relevancy; this is the match between content writing and the specific search query a reader inputs. This is why you should focus on creating awesome content with real value to readers and not obsess over search engine optimization. Good content with valuable information will ultimately be shown during search queries and over time it will be ranked higher than the others.
How to write content that works: Tips to improve your content writing game.
If you are desirous of creating content that resonates with your readers and gets the job done, here are some great tips you can implement:
- Ensure you carry out research: Research is an integral part of content writing that should not be dismissed. One of the key benefits you will enjoy when you research is discovering potential problems faced by your readers and offering digital content that solves such concerns. If you are a B2B company, you might want to understudy different organizations and ensure that you are offering a difference to the market. In the case of B2C, studying current trends among your target audience can help you generate the best-written content that they will find stimulating and engaging. Research doesn’t stop at the first phase; you should also apply research principles after you are done with content writing to gauge the reader’s reception and figure out better ways to address recurring problems.
- Have an objective in mind: If you do not have a goal in your content writing; then it’s permissible to admit you are geared up for failure. Before you start publishing those content ask some pertinent questions such as: who is my target audience? Where do they live? What are their major problems? What social media platforms do they use? What language do they readily accept and understand? Answering these questions will help you formulate your key objectives for content writing. Your digital content can either educate, inform, or influence the decision of a reader. If you are interested in educating your audience, your writing must contain tips that teach them about a specific topic.
- Edit your best copy: After you have finished with your content writing, do not be in a hurry to publish it immediately. Read your copy, and try to scan it through as the eyes of your targeted readers. Answer all the questions that might arise, simplify every complex angle, define unclear terms, and break down bogus words to their simplest meaning. Also, try to be aware of keywords that will be used for queries on search engines but do not purposely write them in. If your content is for a particular group or location, ensure your writing is sprinkled with their language or social jargon; this will make it easy to comprehend by your readers. Ensure your writing is error-free, concise, and direct to the point.
- Create clear bylines: A byline is a short tag that bears the name of the individual or group who had written a digital piece. Bylines lend credibility to your content writing. Always ensure your digital content has a byline that identifies the brand behind the content. You should maximize this opportunity if you are a giant corporation as it will establish you as an authority in the field. However, if you are a new brand starting up, it is beneficial to attach a byline to your content writing to make it easy for readers to figure out who is responsible for such content. This is another reason why you should avoid AI writing at all costs as it will affect your ranking in the future.
- Make it valuable to readers: The content is for the readers; not the search engine. Google is not reading tons of content on its site. they are interested in presenting it to specific readers who need the information presented within that content. No matter how elegant, error-free, and SEO compliant your writing is, it is useless if readers do not gain anything from its consumption.
- Cite your sources: While writing your digital content, ensure you cite your sources. This will not only aid readers to understand your points, but it will also authenticate your claims. You should consider citing your sources especially if your writing contains figures or facts that are easily debatable. Plagiarism is a serious misdemeanor that shouldn’t be contained in your work. If the facts are not yours, identify the owner.
Content is for the user.
Your primary goal of writing is to educate, inform or offer tangible solutions to readers, not the search engine. If you use artificial intelligence for your online content, you will only harm your business in the long run. While AI has been used often for content and SEO writing, it doesn’t replace skilled writers who bring a human touch to your webpage content.
Are you starting on content writing for your business? Not sure how to write the articles yourself? Do you find the art of content writing confusing and require professional assistance? Monster Rose Digital Agency can help you get original, engaging content with a human touch and assist you in navigating the murky waters of content writing for your online needs. We are an experienced team of digital experts committed to providing excellent digital and marketing solutions for your business.
Whether you are a new small-scale business starting with content marketing or an established business struggling to find the right written content, we are here to help with content marketing or an established business struggling to find the right written content, we are here to help you discover why you should write for your readers without neglecting the SEO standards. We can also work with your in-house digital marketing team and steer them on an accurate digital path. Utilize our free consultancy offer, speak to us today at 0420 232 154 to get started.