Swallowing the SEO Pill: Becoming a More Effective Writer and Content Strategist
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a bitter pill for a creative writer passionate about user-friendly web experiences. But the strategist in me finds harmony between SEO, UX, and brand identity.
Do you search for recipes online like I do? Here’s the scenario: I’m looking for a simple recipe with the ingredients and instructions formatted in bullets, but recipe sites dish out endless tales before revealing the coveted content. They start with the origins of the entrée, cooking tips, alternative ingredients, health benefits, the author’s love for garlic, and more, all before they finally share the recipe. Just check out #2 on my Google search for Filipino Adobo!
It's pure SEO strategy, prioritizing search engine optimization at the cost of user experience, which is a significant turnoff for me, both as a user and as a writer.
While the rich and famous avoid repeating outfits, writers tend to steer clear of reusing words.
Before I continue my SEO rant, allow me to provide context for those who aren’t familiar with the concept.
SEO: Quick Definition and History
I like how MailChimp defines it: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process used to optimize a website's technical configuration, content relevance and link popularity | so its pages can become easily findable, more relevant and popular towards user search queries, | and as a consequence, search engines rank them better.
Oversimplified Definition: SEO is building your website so that you appear first when someone searches for you or for something similar.
The roots of SEO can be traced back to the early days of the internet. However, it gained prominence as the digital world evolved and as Google amassed global market share. It’s important to note, thought, that SEO also encompasses optimization of your page/content/product for other search engines such as YouTube, Amazon, or China’s Baidu. Then again, with over 80% of the world searching the web via Google, it’s simply smarter for most businesses to focus resources to appear on top of keyword searches in Google… at least for now.
I enrolled in a free course provided by a local formation center to learn SEO in Spanish.
Why I Would Cringe upon Seeing ‘SEO Writer’
In 2008, I ventured into my career as a copywriter, specializing in traditional media such as TV commercials, print ads, and advertorials, with the occasional foray into digital banner ads. (Oh how the media landscape has evolved!) Subsequently, I found myself crafting country reports and advertorials for Foreign Affairs magazine and the Japan Times. This journey eventually led me to a fulfilling role as former Senator Bam Aquino’s speechwriter and head of communications.
Throughout my diverse roles and myriad marketing and writing jobs in between, my primary focus always revolved around delivering clarity to the audience, offering them relevant information quickly, simply, and compellingly.
So when I decided to explore the realm of SEO, I was taken aback by some of its fundamental principles. While the rich and famous avoid repeating outfits, writers tend to steer clear of reusing words—a practice in stark contrast to SEO's rule of thumb of ‘the more the merrier’. Cringe! The term ‘SEO Writer’ seemed like an oxymoron; a great writer wouldn’t allow their work to be dictated by an algorithm.
Here comes the but… My strategic self demanded I play the SEO game, even though it seemed to make content less efficient with repetitive keywords. What value is there in your content if no one sees it? When building a brand or trying to sell a product or service, all the effort and resources invested in a website needs to show ROI in traffic and in sales.
You have to learn the rules of the game if you’re playing to win, or if you’re looking to break them!
What I Hate About SEO Recipe Pages
So what are the SEO rules, followed to a T by recipe webpages, that make my stomach growl and face scowl? These are the top three that annoy me almost as much as being hangry.
Keyword Optimization vs. Time and Brain-space Optimization
Balancing keyword optimization often means repeatedly using a specific phrase like ‘easy chicken curry recipe with coconut milk’ throughout the article, with zero motivation to be concise.
Rich Content vs. Simple Instructions
Recipe sites flood their pages with multimedia (photos and videos) for higher rankings. But honestly, how many pictures do you need? I’ll admit that videos may help and I wouldn’t mind all that media mumbo jumbo if not for…
User Engagement vs. User-friendliness
They tuck the actual recipe—what we're there for!—at the very bottom, forcing us to scroll through endless content. Why? Because scrolling past the entire page gives them points to boost search rankings.
It's pure SEO strategy, prioritizing search engine optimization at the cost of user experience, which is a significant turnoff for me, both as a user and as a writer.
Playing the SEO Game
After a five-month job search and my marketing career hanging in the balance due to my move to a quaint Basque city, two job offers fell into my plate. Who would have guessed that one of them would be ‘SEO Writer’ for an established educational game company?
I remember the CEO making their priorities clear: though they knew I had no SEO background, they chose me for my ability to write compelling, informative articles. They were confident that SEO rules and techniques could be taught quicker and much easier than the art of writing.
My primary focus always revolved around delivering clarity to the audience, offering them relevant information quickly, simply, and compellingly.
‘Janine of All Trades’ chose to be the Content Strategist for Erudit AI, which also had me juggle SEO writing alongside other responsibilities. I had the privilege of working with seasoned SEO consultants and, to be honest, the strategy behind SEO intrigued me in a way I hadn't anticipated.
Fast forward to the present, amidst my current chapter of unemployment, I've decided to rekindle my relationship with SEO, albeit with a more challenging twist. I enrolled in a free course provided by a local formation center to learn SEO in Spanish. It's yet another chapter in my quest to balance the realms of SEO, user experience, and brand identity, while leveling up mi español. I can't wait to see where this new knowledge will take me, I’m already thinking of so many tweaks I need to make everywhere.😆
At the very least, I’m working to improve the website of my suegra for her laser hair removal clinic! Oh, and making new friends and connections, claro.😉
Do you know a small business owner in need of strategic and compelling content? Are you an entrepreneur struggling to turn your thoughts and ideas into a clear content strategy? Connect with me on LinkedIn and let’s untangle those ideas together!