The word ‘search’ in this context refers to an internet search. You optimise content for search to make it visible to search engines (Google/Bing/DuckDuckGo, etc.). Search optimised content attracts organic traffic.
What is organic traffic?
Organic traffic, AKA search traffic, is when a user finds a website on a search engine after typing a search term (keyword) into it. On Google, organic search results display beneath the sponsored ads.
SIDE NOTE: LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini are not traditional search engines. They don’t crawl, index, and rank content. They scrape information from traditional search engines (so if you want to be ‘found’ on LLMs, you need to exist on search engines like Google).
Write for your audience AND crawler bots.
A lot of what your audience wants is what crawlers want. When you optimise content for search, you start by making it accessible to crawler bots.
FYI: Crawler bots are digital spiders sent out by search engines (like Google) to inspect new content.
If content can’t be crawled, it can’t be indexed (stored in a search engine’s database). Here are two reasons why website content can’t be crawled:
- The site isn’t made public
- HTML directives are blocking search engines
Unless there’s a reason to keep your website private, it should be public to search engines. However, some content doesn’t need to be crawled and indexed. Here are some examples:
- Confirmation pages (e.g., ‘Your Message Was Sent’)
- Terms of service and privacy notices
- Password-protected and secure payment pages
A website with a logical, easy-to-navigate structure helps your audience effortlessly find content. The same is true for the crawler bot. If it can whizz through your content, it can report back to search engine HQ and say it’s a go for indexing.
Here are a few things that improve website structure:
- Key content prioritised on navigation and homepage
- Correct heading hierarchy
- Relevant internal linking
Once you’ve dealt with the technical bit, it’s time for the good writing bit. Content considered poor quality won’t do well in search. If your content strategy is the AI ‘content at scale’ model, you’ll notice your search data has begun to nosedive. (If it hasn’t, it will, trust me.) Shortsighted SEO goals eventually end in tanking results.
Optimising crappy content is worthless. It has zero value. You may be able to roll a turd in glitter, but it’s still impossible to polish (and it remains a turd, albeit one coated in glitter). If you want high-quality content, understanding your audience and writing for them remains the only option. Content that fails the audience it’s trying to attract is a waste of everyone’s time.
Understand how keywords work.
Content can be crawled without keywords. However, page content lacking an assigned keyword isn’t an effective way to optimise content for search. Keywords are like neon lights, blinking furiously at search engines, highlighting what a web page is about. So if you don’t use keywords for the pages you want to optimise for organic traffic, those pages are practically invisible to search engines AND users.
But plugging any ‘ol keyword, any ‘ol way doesn’t automatically result in optimised content. Keywords should be content-appropriate. Here are a few things to consider when approaching keyword research:
- Search intent
- Competitiveness
- Search volume
Without proper keyword research, your ranking chances fall harder than a Cybertruck™ off a cliff.
Start blogging.
A blog allows you to write endless content around your broad subject via subcategories. Regular organic-tasty content for the folks you built the website for. The entire purpose of blogging is to curate useful, valuable information for your audience/ideal client.
“If you’re a disorganised, car-crash of a human, don’t start blogging. Blogging consistently, coz that’s what it takes, is for the list maker. Why are you blogging? Who is it for? What do you hope to achieve? These are all questions to ask before you go off piste and attempt several half-arsed posts.”
You can only add so much content to your homepage and service pages, but a blog presents endless search possibilities. Unfortunately, SEO opportunities gained through blogging are usually squandered. A blog is so often an afterthought, a dumping ground of utter shite. If you intend to publish dross aimlessly, without rhyme or reason, please, don’t blog.
Here’s a quick round-up of how to optimise content for search:
- Make content easy to crawl
- Make content user-friendly
- Correctly research keywords
- Start blogging
Article first published, June 2024.
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