Writing is undoubtedly easy when you have the creative freedom to write whatever you want and what topic you have knowledge about. But, nowadays, writers are encountering what seems to be the biggest problem with writing online: keywords.
Since keywords are an important part of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and are the foundation of any SEO strategy, writers are shackled into meeting the demands of the keywords to increase their rank in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).
You might be thinking right now “is that a bad thing? You just need to write and fill in the keywords, anyway”.
The answer is yes, it is a bad thing if the writers are chained by the demands of the keywords. When a writer’s creativity is restricted, the output (may it be an article, blog, or PR) will have obvious lapses, won’t sound authentic, and will be spammed to the brim with keywords (which, by the way, is a no-no for Google’s WebCrawler).
And who will want to read a content like that? No one; no one organic, at least.
Content Is King
When it comes to the online world, the statement “content is king” is a regular mantra. Content is the first to hook potential customers into your website. It serves as your poster, your billboard, your TV Show in the online world.
That is why content, brazen as it is viewed in the online community, must always have utmost quality and standard – whether the keywords demand it or not. It’s not only for the search engine results but for the brand as well.
When drafting content, you should have your audiences in mind and not the search engines. Search engines are not your paying customers; it is a tool to get to your paying customers. So, start crafting contents that your viewers will love to read because they will keep coming back for more.
Content as a brand material
For brands, online content serves as a mouthpiece in the online marketplace. It speaks the cause and purpose of the brand, introducing the brand’s services to potential customers and what it can offer them.
With this in mind, can you imagine what your content will say about your brand if it’s spammed by keywords? If it doesn’t even sound appealing enough, would they share it on social media or to their friends? It portrays your brand as uncaring, inexperienced, and inauthentic – which is an image that does not fit well in the online space.
If your brand’s image is important to you and your business, always make sure your content is accurate to your brand’s principles and vision. By doing this, you can ensure that your brand’s purpose is well-communicated to viewers and will shield your brand from any negative backlash.
Focus on topics, not keywords
Now that you are aware of the importance of content for your brand’s image and traffic, how do you make it work with your keywords to maximise your SEO strategy? The quick answer is to focus your content on topics that cover your keywords.
By focusing on writing topics related to your chosen keywords, you don’t block the flow of creativity and restrict your content to the keywords. Without the keywords looming over you, you can find topics that could actually help viewers, giving your brand credibility and forging trust with viewers – who could later become potential customers of your products or services.
And since your topic covers something related to your keywords, you can easily insert your keywords without sounding like it’s spamming the article – you’re hitting two birds with one stone without boring your viewers with unappealing content.
Whether you’re starting out your business’ online presence or already have a good presence online, having the right content is important. And the way to have good, quality content is by keeping fresh ideas flowing without the worry of whether it will fit the keywords requirement. As long as you’re finding topics related to them, you’re on the right track.
If you find writing hard or getting ideas to use for your content, it would be a good idea to tap into your local SEO specialists to help you find, research, and write your content. It would be better than publishing content that could damage your brand’s reputation.
