How to write people-first, optimised content

August 4, 2022

Great content is an essential business asset. Done right, excellent content engages audiences, explains complex ideas, sells your products/services, establishes you as a thought-leader and forms part of your intellectual property.

First and foremost, your content should appeal to your readers. People-first content is always the way forward. If your content is written purely to pique the interests of the search engines then it’ll bore the socks off your readers.

But that’s not to say that you can’t subtly optimise your content for search engines.

The fundamental principle of SEO content is that it should be written to appeal to both readers (human beings!) and search engines (machines!). That means some fancy footwork, testing and measuring all the way, to ensure your content is working hard for you. A great SEO content strategy will drive traffic and inspire human connection simultaneously, and it should be regularly reviewed to learn more about what’s working and what’s not.

So how can you develop and maintain a great SEO content strategy that delivers a return on investment and more bang for your buck?

1. Collaboration is key

Your content creators should be working in close partnership with your SEO team. That way, all content that is devised for your editorial calendar has been informed by the data. This means far more targeted content with keywords and topics that align with what people are searching for. 

It’s important to carry out keyword research regularly to always know which search query terms are performing the best and what people are finding you for.

2. Titles, meta titles and meta descriptions

When coming up with a title for a blog or news article, there are some tips and tricks that might help the piece perform better online. For example, titles such as ‘8 top tips for…’ or ‘5 ways you could improve your…’ always tend to perform well online. Your titles should be short and snappy, ideally including your primary keyword.

Articles on your website should always include at least a couple of internal links, and there should always be a call to action towards the end of the piece which tells readers what you want them to do next (visit our store, browse our range, call our office, etc).

Finally, test out your titles and meta descriptions in a simulator such as this one. It will confirm that your entries meet the required specifications for best practice.

3. Depth and breadth

The topics you cover in your content strategy should have a breadth of relevance across your sector, which means having a clear knowledge of what your readers are interested in. 

And the depth of content is a really important factor, too. Deep dives into topics covered will add value to your site, so always make sure your content is infused with quotes, statistics, interviews, expert opinions and details. Tell compelling stories and always focus on the human element. Work with people who know the subject to develop content that is authoritative and informative. People love that, and so do search engines.

4. Keyword research

When devising content ideas, keep firmly in mind what you might search for to find this information online. While keyword stuffing (packing in keywords where they don’t naturally fit, just to appeal to search engines) is a strict no-no and content must always be easy to read with the audience front of mind, it doesn’t do any harm at all to insert keywords where they sit naturally. What else might people search for to arrive at the same destination? Most SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) feature a ‘People Also Ask’ (PAA) box and related search links. And Google Trends is a mine of information, too.

5. Content isn’t just words

While written content will form a large part of your content strategy, don’t forget that content is multimedia. Animations and videos can be effective as part of your SEO content strategy – especially if you’re dealing with a dry topic. A video with a voiceover could be a far better way of explaining something complex and legal in nature, for example. 

And don’t forget embedded images, either – these can be stock photos (with the related permissions), charts and graphs, headshots of your staff… never miss an opportunity to colour your content with great imagery. And your content on social media can be a poll, a chatroom or a survey.

6. Take a different approach

Are all your competitors writing the same articles around the same topics? If so, consider a subversive approach where you take the same topic from a completely new angle. Not only will you be showing your creativity and flair, but you’ll also be offering a new perspective to your readers. 

For example, if everyone else is writing an article on, ‘Great job interview tips’, perhaps one of your pieces could be a light-hearted one along the lines of, ‘How to fail every interview you go for’, which includes loads of great tips for not failing a job interview (as long as this fits with your overall tone of voice and house style).

7. Get everything proofread

When you spend time and money making sure that the content you are producing is SEO-friendly, compelling and informative, make sure you don’t fall at the last hurdle by letting typos and grammatical errors slip through. Search engines reward well-written, typo-free copy that is well-presented and structured and easy to read.

There’s no doubt that it’s hard to stay creative when you’re devising a content strategy, and sometimes the topics can leave you feeling a little uninspired. When this happens, take a step back and consider handling it from a different angle. Talk to experts, get some essential insight, and better understand the topic in question.

If there is one thing that you take away from this, it’s to remember to get your creativity working alongside your analytics. When it comes to SEO-driven content, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are loads of ways to let your creativity thrive while boosting traffic and climbing the search engine rankings, too.

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