We talk a lot about gimmicks and how this harms the overall buying experience. Think about how reading content on a page that is obviously geared to search can turn you off as a buyer. It is no different for anyone who is getting to know you and learn more about you.
Not only does it harm the buyer experience, but Google penalizes keyword stuffing sites. They tell us the rules. They want us to write in natural prose and for human beings, not for machines.
This means using a natural conversational style and allowing the flow of your thoughts, ideas and strategies to connect with someone who is trying to absorb the information you provide.
There is not a secret or a back door to page ranking and search. When fewer people knew about search rankings or pay-per-click, you could spend less energy and time and get on page one.
Today, everyone knows about the importance of getting found online. Think about what that does to the entire landscape. There are only ten spots for search results on specific keywords in your industry. There are several phrases people will search. Now think how much competition exists. You cannot simply just bump someone off.
The Long Term Long Tail Strategy
With so much noise out there, we want substance. We want to be efficient with our time and attention. We want to read things that help us. Thus, think about the long term view. If you continually provided value over time with an audience you built that will either a) do business with you eventually or b) tell other people about who you are and what you do, then you have an engine. That engine produces revenue continually because you are top of mind and relevant.
We don’t buy because of some kind of automated script. This is where sellers can think one-sided too often. They lose sight of how and why people buy. Regardless of the allure and glamour of technology, we still interact on a human level. We take in information as people not processors. It’s not just data. There has to be a story and a connection that we tell ourselves.
This article here, for example, is written to speak to you personally. Google will do its job over time with it and our page rankings will continually increased based on our credibility, frequency and authority. The important thing is that it is content that people want to read. If noone wants to read this then who cares about the optimization. It will only be a click on and then off. There will not be engagement.
Many people will find content with long tail searches. This refers to the specific keywords they are looking for. So instead of searching for “Austin Coffee” they would refine it and search something like “Austin gourmet coffee shop with organic brewing” instead. When we are looking for something, we refine and get precise.
So as you are trying to figure out your marketing strategies, never forget that gimmicks will fail over the long term and it wastes time, money and attention. Think of your marketing engine as a flywheel. It takes a bit to get the momentum going but once it is going, it is easier to keep it moving.
Write for people, not machines. See if you can connect and help. Your sales tend to take care of itself when you are trying to bring real value.
