“Search engines don’t buy your product or service, people do.”

Never has a quote summed up the changes Google has gone through recently than the one stated above. So many companies focus much of their marketing efforts around search engines and squeezing keywords into every square inch of their content that they forget exactly who their customer is.

Google has taken notice.

This past Spring, Google changed its algorithm to effectively value fresh, remarkable content rather than over-optimized web pages. So what does this mean? Well, as stated above, if you’re focusing much of your time stuffing keywords all over your website instead of creating fresh, relevant content like blogs and Ebook offers, then you can expect your Google ranking to drop significantly.

However, by simply changing the way you create content on your website, you can quickly get in line with Google’s new guidelines and, more importantly, satisfy your real customers with real solutions to their problems and keep readers coming back to your blog.

Focus on the Visitor

Readers have come to your blog for one reason; they’re looking for answers or a solution to a problem. Instead of putting all of your focus into the search engines, focus instead on understanding the questions the prospects in your industry have, and work hard at providing answers for them. By doing this, you’ll effectively generate more qualified blog traffic rather than simply over-optimizing your content for whoever finds it.

Google has also grown smart enough to detect the difference between fresh content and content that seems recycled and over-optimized for keywords. They’ve worked harder than ever to ensure that Google users receive more quality search results and that they aren’t annoyed with the ones they’re receiving.

So what’s fresh content?

You’ll want to make sure that the content your blog is producing is:

  • Original to your website only (no duplicate content!)
  • Frequent (Try to blog a few times a week)
  • High quality (is it effectively answering/solving a problem?)

Whether you’re writing the content yourself or having it outsourced, it’s important to make sure that you’re blogging frequently enough to portray yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Answer your customers problems, they’ll thank you by subscribing, or better yet, by buying a product/service from you.

Keep it Conversational

Did I mention that Google has gotten smarter?

See, the problem with over-optimizing and keyword stuffing blog articles in the past was it interrupted the flow of the article and sounded awkward.

Once again, Google took notice.

You want your blog titles and articles to sound conversational, coming across in a manner that would be natural in everyday conversation.

For example, this would be a bad blog title for a car repair shop trying to rank for the keywords, “oil change.”

  • Ex: “Oil Change: When is the Last Time Your Card Had an Oil Change? It may be time for an Oil Change.”

Instead, come across as helpful, engaging, and most importantly, conversational.

  • Ex: “3 Months or 3,000 Miles: Is it Time for Your Oil Change?”

See the difference? Much more conversational and less annoying than the first blog title. While the first blog title certainly contains more keywords, the lesson Google is trying to portray is that it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s about the quality of the article and also how naturally your blog is addressing the reader. Keyword stuffing will quickly interrupt the flow of your blog article, and as a result, kick you further down the search engine results.

Don’t Neglect Search Engines

This may sound contradictory, but it’s also important not to completely neglect search engines altogether. After all, its how many people will find your blog in the first place. However, the difference is how you use keywords.

We’ve gone over the negatives of keyword stuffing and over-optimization, but what about the right ways to use them?

The bottom line is every article should have one keyword that you’re trying to get the particular article ranked for. This simply gives both you and the article direction, where you can then sprinkle the keyword throughout the article as they apply. This is extremely important in staying in line with keeping it conversational. When it’s both necessary and natural to address the keyword, do it. Simply put, don’t over-do it.

So while it’s true that search engines aren’t buying your product or service, it is supplying the path for your customers to find you. There’s a delicate balance between pandering to the search engines and simply using them to your advantage.

You should always be practicing the latter.

Key Takeaways:

  • Search engines aren’t buying your product/service, people do
  • Google now values fresh, relevant content instead of over-optimized content
  • Focus your blog articles on solving the problems your prospects are having
  • Keep your blog titles/articles conversational
  • Use keywords in a manner that’s natural in everyday conversation

Need Help?

If you’re interested in generating fresh, relevant content to effectively generate more website visitors, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.