{"id":530530864,"date":"2024-04-01T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/contently.com\/?p=530530864"},"modified":"2024-08-19T11:54:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T15:54:58","slug":"seo-driven-content-your-customers-will-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/contently.com\/2024\/04\/01\/seo-driven-content-your-customers-will-love\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Write SEO-Driven Content That Customers (and Search Engines) Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

If your SEO-driven content feels as memorable as yesterday\u2019s weather forecast, it\u2019s missing the mark. Search engines \u2014 as well as your target customers \u2014 breeze past generic SEO content like a billboard on a highway, leaving your traffic in the dust. So much for climbing to the top of high-volume search engine results pages (SERPs).<\/p>\n

But the problem (probably) isn\u2019t the writing. It\u2019s that the old-school strategies you\u2019re using for SEO quick wins just don\u2019t work anymore. Search engines now focus their attention on what your target customer has craved all along: deep expertise, genuine value, relevant answers, and a meaningful connection.<\/p>\n

Brands that deliver this type of SEO-driven content unlock demand for their business and<\/em> coveted high ranking on SERPs. It\u2019s a win-win scenario, where both your brand and your audience get what they\u2019re searching for in the digital landscape.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to bid farewell to the dark ages of keyword stuffing and create a content marketing strategy that feels like a digital treasure chest for your target customer. Here\u2019s how to create SEO-driven content that stands out from the competition.<\/p>\n

Creating SEO-Driven Content Customers Care About<\/h2>\n

As a content professional, I realize you may not have all the resources you would need for great SEO content creation in an ideal world.<\/p>\n

If your organization is young with immature marketing processes (or not-so-young with immature marketing \u2014 we don\u2019t judge)\u2026<\/p>\n

If it doesn\u2019t have a robust voice of the customer or customer advocacy practice\u2026<\/p>\n

If you have siloed customer-facing operations\u2026<\/p>\n

If you operate in a regulated industry far from your end user\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026then it may be hard for you to get clear about who you are writing for and what they care about. (There are dozens of other reasons why that clarity could be elusive\u2014these are just a few.)<\/p>\n

But even in that black hole of\u00a0customer insights<\/a>, consider these four pieces of SEO advice to build a stronger foundation for your content.<\/p>\n

Get Specific About Your Audience<\/h3>\n

Who do you think reads your SEO-driven content? And is that person your buyer?<\/p>\n

Too often, SEO content creation is part of an elaborate fishing expedition for brands. We write this content to cast a broad net over hundreds or even thousands of people, knowing that only a small fraction of those we lure in are even in the market to buy what we sell.<\/p>\n

For enterprise B2B companies, the math gets even worse. The people doing an organic search on the topics we write about are probably not our target buyers but rather someone far down the organizational hierarchy. In other words, we are writing content to capture attention from the wrong eyeballs.<\/p>\n

Yes, we may get lucky. And yes, we have different audiences<\/a> \u2014 prospective customers as well as members of the media, influencers, investors, partners, and so on. But the odds of reaching relevant eyeballs are definitely not in our favor when we\u2019re using an SEO content marketing strategy that\u2019s for the masses instead of your target customer.<\/p>\n

So, go back to basics. First, define your ideal audience \u2014 you should be able to imagine a specific customer, including their lifestyle, values, problems, and passions. Then, base the goals and KPIs for your content and SEO strategy on reaching those unique individuals. Doing so in an honest way will very likely result in your putting much less emphasis on volume (i.e., how many website visitors, for example) and more on quality (i.e., are they the\u00a0right<\/em>\u00a0visitors?). It\u2019ll also make your SEO-driven content more relevant to readers.<\/p>\n

Solve Customers\u2019 Problems With Your Content<\/h3>\n

If you want readers to engage with your content, you\u2019ll need to write about things they actually care about \u2014 not about keywords. Knowing the problems your customers need to solve can help you confidently create SEO-driven content that:<\/p>\n