The last blog I posted on this website was a deeply personal one. In it, I wore my heart on my sleeve and talked about the eulogy I wrote for my mum’s funeral, about a gratitude letter I had read to her 10 years ago.
My ‘call to action’ at the end was to urge everyone reading the blog to do the same and write a gratitude letter to their parents or other loved ones before it’s too late.
I said that sharing my experience would be worthwhile if just one person followed my advice. And that’s exactly what happened. An old school friend emailed me to say she was going to write a letter to her 96-year-old dad, telling him how much he meant to her.
I also received more written comments on the blog than anything I’ve posted in the past year – or maybe longer. So, in terms of response and getting people to visit my website, it was a job well done.
But the SEO plugin on my website disagreed. ‘Needs improvement’. It said. ‘Add a focus keyword’. ‘Add related keyphrase’. ‘Add outbound links’. The list went on…
It gave me a headache.
Now, I’m not saying keywords are a waste of time. If you want people to find you on Google searches, it’s worth doing some research and putting together a keyword strategy.
But if, like me, you are a one-person band/solo entrepreneur/small biz owner, worrying about keywords and SEO is not a good use of your time.
I don’t think I’ve been searched for on Google by any of my clients. They’ve all come through personal connection/recommendation or as a result of a blog or post on social media. (NB: I’m aware that this is not true for all of my peers – some operate within a niche that is searched for, e.g. ‘coach for creatives’ or ‘public speaking coach’.)
So, if you’re hot on SEO – good for you, carry on regardless. But if you’re not, and you’re concerned about optimisation, please don’t let it squeeze the life out of your online communications.
I often see the effects of this mindset – websites full of key phrases but devoid of personality; pages full of bullet points about what people do, but rarely why they do it; lists of solutions to problems, but no stories or heart.
It doesn’t matter what product or service you’re offering – if you don’t speak human, you won’t connect with other humans.
Machines are getting cleverer. We’ll never be able to keep up with the changes in Google’s algorithms or how it calculates its page rankings. So my advice is to keep it simple. If there is a clear keyword or phrase that you can use in a headline or subhead, go for it. But don’t tie yourself in knots.
You don’t have to take my word for it. I asked an expert: my brother, Bryan, who is editor-in-chief of Computer Weekly.
“Try a Google search for the keywords or phrase that you think defines your website,” he says. “See how many other sites you’re up against in those results, and how much content exists on those sites. Can you compete with that? Unless your search is very niche, my bet is that you can’t.
“SEO is important, sure. But keywords are not everything – for a start, it’s more important for SEO how many other websites contain links back to yours, and you have little control over that.
“If you have the time and resources to write enough quality content to propel your website on to the first page of Google search results, then go for it. But if not, don’t get hung up about it.
“It’s far more important to write in a way that engages the audience that does visit your website. If you build your authority with that audience, and your business grows, Google will find you.”
If Google finds me, that’s obviously a good thing. But my primary motivation is to write blog posts that create connection and demonstrate my skill as a wordsmith. If I’ve inspired people, or changed their minds or behaviour, great. If they like what they read and feel I might be a coach they’d like to work with to help them communicate more authentically and powerfully, even better.
I write for humans, not machines. If you want to write more fluently in human, maybe I’m the human for you. If not, I wish you and your keywords well!
If you want to spruce up your website or online presence, I have a few special autumn offers. Click here for more details.
This is so inspiring and as I read it I could feel my shoulders start to relax. I have been doing a WordPress course for the past three Friday evenings. I had to get some new skills because WordPress changed its formats and I was at a loss. I have learnt how to use blocks now and I am grateful for it but I have been worrying all week as Search Engine Optimisation, is regularly referred to. I realise that I have not paid any attention to it in the formulation of my site. I had contemplated doing advanced courses on this subject but it would take me away from what I really want to learn which is how to write the stories I want to tell. Thank you for helping me refocus.
Hi Rita – I’m so glad I’ve helped you relax! SEO can be a worry if you’re not familiar with it – so I was relieved when my brother told me not to worry about it. You’re a brilliant writer, so I hope you do now focus on the stories you want to tell rather than page rankings.