Want to rank well in 2024 and beyond? Next, you need to create what Google calls “useful, trustworthy, human-first content.”
This article outlines a process that shows you exactly how to do that, and provides a simple template you can fill out to take your content to the next level.
spam busters
As of this writing, Google is conducting a major spring cleaning to address some of the spammy and low-quality content littering its search results.
Naturally, a lot of content is developed from an SEO perspective. Google's latest updates are designed to help push some of this SEO-first content down and bring user-first content to the surface.
Our goal here is to create well-optimized, human-first content. Any smart marketer knows that collaborating and sharing builds trust with prospects.
Human-first content process
Google has a help page with some questions you can use to make sure your existing content is useful, trustworthy, and human-first. Unfortunately (and ironically), this page is not useful for creating new content.
Additionally, I've created a simple process that my agency uses to plan, write, and review new content that puts people first and meets all of Google's qualitative criteria.
To help you follow the steps, here's a simple template you can fill out as you read the article. First, get a copy of this.
Human-first content: The writing process
Below is a six-step process for creating SEO-friendly content that puts people first.
As a side note, Google is at war with low-quality generic content, but don't think they can't use AI tools to help with that. Instead of writing entire articles, try using these generative AI tools as SEO assistants.
Step 1: Goal
What is the goal of this content? How does this fit into your overall SEO strategy and plan?
It's important to set well-thought-out goals. A goal is something you are aiming for. If you miss the mark here, no matter how hard you try, you will miss your goal.
To strengthen your goals, follow a simple process called the 5 Whys. She states the initial goal and asks “why” up to five times until the goal is reinforced and articulated.
example
- Initial goal: Write a blog post about our eco-friendly kitchen products.
- why? To improve the ranking of our website on Google.
- First analysis: You want to improve your website's ranking on Google.
- why? Because the higher the ranking, the more organic traffic to your site.
- Second analysis: I want more organic traffic.
- why? This is because increased traffic can lead to increased customer engagement and brand awareness.
- Third analysis: You want to increase customer engagement and brand awareness.
- why? This engagement can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.
- Fourth analysis: Want to increase sales and customer loyalty?
- why? Our increased sales and loyal customer base allow us to further our mission of promoting sustainable living and having a greater positive impact on the environment.
- Revised goal: Our aim is to create informative blog posts about eco-friendly kitchen products that educate users about sustainability in the kitchen. This will drive organic traffic to your site, increasing engagement and leads.
action item
Outline your goals and use the “5 Whys” technique to narrow them down. Incorporate SMART SEO goals to hone and clarify your goals.
Step 2: Reframe for your audience
We know what you want, but Google doesn't care about your goals, only your satisfaction. You need to align your goals of helping your users while connecting them to your business and marketing mission.
To do this, you can use “reframing”. Based on Anne Handley's book Everybody Writes, this tool helps you shift your perspective and better serve your audience in your marketing.
First, you need to be clear about who your audience is. Google explains:
“Does your business or site have an existing or intended audience that would benefit from having your content delivered directly to them?”
Let's take the first goal and look at this from the audience's perspective. Ask, “So what?” Please answer “Because…” She repeats this exercise up to five times.
example
Your goal: Our aim is to create informative blog posts about eco-friendly kitchen products and generate leads for sustainable kitchen products.
- so what? We all need to learn sustainable methods in all areas of our lives to prevent global warming and ensure the safety of our planet for future generations.
- so what? Learning about sustainability in the kitchen can help you reduce your environmental footprint, lead a healthier life, and save money. This is good for you and your child.
Final goal: This article details how choosing eco-friendly kitchen products can lead to a healthier lifestyle, cost savings, and benefits for the planet. We encourage our readers to make sustainable choices in their daily lives and show them how they can do so with our products.
action item
Define your audience, ask your goals, reframe it from your customer's perspective, and explain how it can help you. Please fill out the attached template. Please be able to give a concise answer about how this will be helpful to the reader.
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Step 3: Demonstrate your experience and expertise
The content you create should establish the author's experience and expertise in a verifiable way. Google makes this clear in his EEAT, which more specifically sets out the requirement for “useful, trustworthy, and human-first content.”
What makes something reliable? Experience, expertise, and reliability are good starting points.
Below are important points to remember based on Google's documentation.
experience
Your content should demonstrate first-hand experience and expertise. You need to demonstrate your depth of knowledge by using products and services and visiting locations. From a business perspective, you need to clearly demonstrate that you have experience.
Expertise
Content should demonstrate expertise or link to pages that demonstrate expertise. For example, if your business is certified, make sure it shows on your site. If the author has specific expertise, make sure these details are listed on the author page.
Let's get the facts right
Using data to illustrate your expertise is helpful, but make sure the facts you use are 100% accurate, referenced, and don't contain unsubstantiated claims.
“About Us” and Author Page
Your site should feature an “About Us” and author page that extend the credibility of the company and individual authors. Link to these from your content. Google specifically mentions these pages, so give it what it wants.
action item
The user-first content template fills out four expertise boxes: Experience, Expertise, Fact Checks, and About Us and Author Pages.
Step 4: Achieve high goals
You should aim to create unique content that is different or better than what you find elsewhere. His overall SEO strategy is important here. Because you need a reason to stand out from the crowd, and that needs to flow throughout your content marketing.
Google offers 12 points to rate the quality of your content. However, you can boil them down to six points and use them as a guide for your content creation.
Data and examples
Identify data and examples to support your thesis. Be sure to include these and cite them accurately. Remember, people love statistics and something makes your content linkable (which is still very important).
add something to the discussion
Look for areas where you can add something new to the discussion, such as new research, reports, or analysis. This doesn't have to be complicated. Take a short survey, but feel free to add something new to the discussion and add value to the article. In short, it means, “Don't keep saying the same things as everyone else!”
Use clear titles
Create a clear, descriptive, accurate, and non-sensational title that summarizes the content. Optimization is still possible, but do so with caution. Always put people before SEO.
Attribute sources and add comments
Add values if you want to reference other sources. Avoid simply rewriting or rephrasing. Try adding a unique twist to something you already have. Use your experience and expertise to do so. You are an expert on this topic. Your opinion and experience here matters.
Focus on quality and make it easy to share
Make sure your content is well-written. Use AI tools here if you want. Do not accept all recommendations. Put your voice into your work. Aim for the same quality you would expect from newspapers and other print media.
action item
Fill out the fourth page of the template. Don't worry about finding something in each of these, but be sure to bring something new.
Let's dig deeper: Mastering Content Quality: The Ultimate Guide
Step 5: Write
In a way, this is a no-brainer. Once you have completed the research steps above, you will know what angle you are looking at. It's a good idea to copy your overall goal to the top of your document so you can use it as your north star.
The steps you take here will vary depending on your writing style, but the takeaway is that planning leads to success.
My approach is something like this:
- Decide on the format (blog post, list, stats, etc.).
- Explain the section bullet points.
- Work on a very rough first draft (just write, don't stop to edit).
- Leave the area for at least a few hours.
- I'll write the second draft.
- Walk on it and sleep on it.
- Review using Google's list of questions.
- Write the third draft.
- Editor's review.
- Adjust and publish.
I often think that the most important thing here is to sleep on it. If possible, and like me, you're used to writing as you run your business, it makes sense to do your big steps on separate days.
- Day 1: Plan and bullet points
- Day 2: Rough first draft
- Day 3: Second draft
- Day 4: Third draft, edit, publish.
The important factor for me is sleeping on it. When you're writing like this, you're often trying to solve a problem, and your plans and first drafts get you there.
But when you sleep on it, your subconscious mind starts processing all the little parts that haven't gotten that far yet.
Then working on your second and third drafts will make your article even stronger (and it's much easier).
Let's dig deeper: 25 tips for optimizing your content for users and search engines
Step 6: Confirm
At this stage, if you want to be sure of your success, revisit Google's Helpful Content help page and self-assess your content.
This should become much easier after you go through the planning process. Starting your content creation with a plan and ending with a qualitative review will strengthen your approach and improve your results.
Page experience and SEO
One final point is important. Content should be placed on the site to provide a stable page experience.
- You need to dial in your web design and SEO.
- There should be a green light on Core Web Vitals.
- Your site must run over HTTPS.
- Don't show too many ads (if you're a business selling services, you should).
These are the basics, but if you want to learn more, check out our help page.
Creating Human-First Content: A Blueprint for SEO Success
Although there are many changes and bleak prospects at the moment, content marketing with SEO is still a viable tactic for genuine professionals who can help their target audience.
Google is clear about what it wants. By carefully reviewing EEAT's help pages and creating helpful content, you can build a process that ensures you're aiming for what Google is aiming for (i.e. a true he SEO that will stand the test of time).
This obsessive focus on the end user is the very essence of marketing, and the reason Google is such a big company. By taking this idea and putting it at the center of his SEO philosophy, your results will be even better.
Decide on some simple SEO KPIs to measure your success and stay focused on creating content that works for you while helping your audience.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily those of Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.