Bringing a Good Name Back to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Pretend You Don't Know Anything About SEO

One of the most annoying repetitions I see in the SEO industry is this phrase: "SEO requires that you create valuable content and social media interactions." Yeah, that's very true. But the companies I see proclaiming that never end up producing valuable content themselves.

So pretend you don't know anything about SEO. Pretend you're just a normal business owner who simply knows how to treat your customers right. You come into work every day with a knowledge of who you're selling to, how they think, what they look for in a product, and what actually sells in the first place. That is value. That is the essence of SEO.

"Valuable" content means that when someone reads what you wrote, they start thinking differently. Something in their head clicks, and they say, "Wow, this guy has a really good point."As a result, they begin to share what they've learned with people around them, ultimately trying to convince them that what they read is worth considering.

None of that can happen without a deep knowledge of who you're speaking to and how they might react.

First Thing's First

The point is that when establishing an SEO strategy, you must think like a business owner rather than a traditional search marketer. Forget the keyword density. Forget the links. Forget the rankings. All that stuff comes later.

First, think about what would interest you as a consumer. What would you read? What would you share? What would you mark as spam? If it's boring to you, it's boring to everyone else. Put the business owner's touch into everything you produce, and CARE about who you're writing to.

1. Learn the business model.
2. Learn the product/service.
3. Learn the target consumer's mindset.
4. Follow their interactions on social media channels.
5. Read their reviews on similar products/services.
6. If it's something cheap, buy it yourself to get a firsthand look at what's being sold.
7. Interview people who would most likely need the product/service.
8. Read what competitors are posting and how their customers are reacting.
   

 

Conclusion

As a Utah SEO company,  we've learned from the mistake of caring too much about the search engine robotics-side of SEO and less about first impressions of people with short attentions spans browsing the Web. Take our advice, and put more effort into creating "valuable" content.