Rank up by thinking like Google! Use these tips to write content that’s good for your brand's SEO.

Tuesday: Return Driven Strategy FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: SEO (search engine optimization) is important in today’s digital landscape. This pertains to the process of improving the quality and quantity of your brand’s website traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, etc. If you’re an independent professional who’s looking to develop and boost your branding and online presence, then SEO should be a part of your marketing strategy list. Why? Because SEO really has great benefits once you’ve come to master it! Read on to know why SEO is important and how you can rank higher on search engine results by “thinking like Google.” CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Rank up by thinking like Google! Use these tips to write content that’s good for your brand's SEO. Let’s talk about how to excel at SEO (Search Engine Optimization). According to a study conducted by marketing site Chitika.com, if your content or website is the top result in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) of Google, you get 33% of all the online traffic. As a copywriter or a website manager, how can you do that? You have to make sure that your content or website ranks HIGH on Google’s search results. Not only that. It HAS to be on page 1 of the web search engine. However, being on page 1 is still not enough. Your content or website has to rank AT THE TOP of page 1. Quite challenging, isn’t it? According to Tom Gerencer, a top SEO writer and the CEO of Gerencer Creative, Inc., if you’re one of the “little guys” in the business (a startup or not yet prominent in the field), it’ll be hard for you to rank on the first page of Google. Giants like the Business Insider, WebMD, CNN, Forbes, and Huffington Post take a huge share of the online traffic. If your website shares similar topics or content with these giants, you’ll probably have a hard time squirming in, especially in the early stages of your business. This is where your knowledge about SEO and Google (as the dominant search engine) comes in. One tip to write successful, high-ranking, and high-converting copies is this: Know what Google wants. What does it want? It wants you to “think like it does,” which means instead of struggling to stay on top of Google’s updates, you set aside those updates and work on achieving the same goal Google has been aiming for―to serve the readers. Here are some ways you can serve your readers through the content you write and publish on your website: Establish a connection with your readers through your words. As a writer, you have to know the kinds of information your audience is looking for as these will enable you to write content that appeals and relates to them. One of the keys to succeed in this area is to identify your target readers. Once you’ve identified your target audience, it will be easier for you to know the struggles and challenges they face and help them solve those challenges through your brand. Whatever your business offers, you should be able to write VALUABLE information and solutions that fit into your reader’s lifestyles or address their needs.   Be informative. This means being able to provide beneficial FACTS and not just opinions. By doing so, your copies will stick to your readers’ minds and play a large part in their decisions. Instead of just focusing on convincing your readers to click your call-to-action (CTA) button, you should keep your readers in mind by writing your content to provide the answers they’re looking for.   Keep your readers engaged. Aside from providing useful information, you have to keep your readers engaged. While your first sentence should be catchy enough to successfully get their attention, the rest of your content should be written seamlessly and captivatingly to sustain their interest. Make sure the language you use as you write your content is easily understandable and will resonate with your target readers. You may also use different literary devices to make your words more vivid.   Know your “stuff.” This is one of the most important factors in writing content. If you’re writing for a specific group of people who “knows their stuff,” it will be obvious if you don’t know or haven’t mastered the topic you’re writing about. Make sure your readers feel that they are getting information from a credible and reliable source every time they read your content. If part of the topic you’re writing about isn’t your own, always remember to cite your source/s. Another tip to excel in SEO (as stated by Gerencer) is to write “10x content.” This means content that is 10 times better than anything else you can find on Google. By doing so, you and your brand will be able to stand out from the rest of the competition and you’ll have the “staying power,” or the capacity to continue in existence, influence, or popularity without signs of weakening anytime soon. Writing useful and captivating content for your readers and excelling in SEO both require patience and effort. Through constant practice, you’ll eventually achieve your goals and reap the benefits of your hard work. Just remember: Always write 10x content and… think like Google! Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s Return Driven Strategy! The Return Driven Strategy is a business framework that helps leaders better understand, analyze, and employ activities and decisions that produce superior returns and wealth creation. Learn more about the importance of communicating holistically on next week’s Return Driven Strategy!