While Google once provided resources to optimise content for SERPs, an overemphasis on these tactics led to a proliferation of repetitive, low-quality content.
Keyword stuffing, AI-generated text lacking depth, and one-size-fits-all approaches flooded the internet with uninspired content that prioritised search engines over users.
In response, Google’s Helpful Content System emerged, prioritising a new philosophy: people-first content. This user-centric approach emphasises creating valuable, informative, and engaging content that resonates with your target audience.
The March 2024 core update solidified this shift by integrating the Helpful Content System directly into Google’s core algorithm. This underscores the critical importance of people-first content in achieving high search engine rankings.
This blog post delves into the concept of people-first content and its significance. It will equip you with strategies to establish writing processes that prioritise user value. Through this approach, you can achieve higher rankings in SERPs, attract higher-quality leads, and cultivate a strong connection with your audience.
What Is People-First Content?
Prioritising User Needs: The Rise of People-First Content
People-first content centers on the target audience’s needs and interests. It prioritises creating informative, engaging content that resonates with them, rather than solely focusing on SEO tactics. This shift aligns with Google’s Helpful Content System, which emphasises the importance of firsthand insights and in-depth resources in addressing user problems. As Google states, its system rewards “original, helpful content created for people.”
The Helpful Content Update aims to promote content that:
- Clearly addresses audience wants and needs.
- Demonstrates a focus on providing value and guidance.
- Offers a satisfying and engaging reading experience.
This update reflects a crucial shift in SEO best practices. By prioritising audience needs, marketers can develop a well-designed strategy that resonates with their target demographic. While optimisation remains important for content discoverability, it should complement the core value proposition for readers.
People-First vs. Search-Engine-First Content
People-first content prioritises providing practical, in-depth information grounded in real-world experience. It aims to empower users by offering valuable solutions to their problems. On the other hand, search engine-first content focuses on manipulating algorithms to achieve high search engine rankings. This approach often results in content that lacks originality or depth.
The Pitfalls of Search Engine-First Content
- Superficiality: This type of content prioritises ranking above user needs. It frequently summarises existing information without offering fresh insights or additional value.
- Lack of Expertise: Search engine-first content doesn’t necessarily require subject matter expertise. This can lead to shallow content that fails to address the complexities of real user problems.
- Repetitive Landscape: When SERPs are dominated by rehashed content, users are left frustrated, unable to find the specific answers they seek.
Prioritising Users with Google’s Helpful Content Update
Google’s Helpful Content Update provides a set of questions to help creators determine if their content prioritises human needs. Here are some key questions to consider:
- User Value: Would your target audience find your content genuinely helpful?
- Expertise: Does your team possess the necessary experience and knowledge to offer in-depth insights on the topic?
- Alignment: Does the content align with your core brand message and target audience?
- Depth: Does your content go deep enough to help users achieve their goals?
- Reader Experience: Will the content provide a satisfying and engaging experience for readers?
- Unique Insights: Can you offer fresh perspectives or valuable knowledge not readily available elsewhere?
Content that isn’t tailored to your audience’s needs, such as chasing trending topics irrelevant to their interests, is unlikely to achieve high rankings. Plus, excessive automation for mass-producing content across various topics can hinder content quality.
In the end, content that offers new, first-hand insights and prioritises user value will continue to prevail in the evolving search landscape.
Why Writing People-First Content Is Critical
People-first content isn’t just beneficial for readers, it delivers a strategic advantage for businesses. Here’s how expertly crafted, human-centric content builds a strong foundation for your company:
- Establish Credibility and Authority: Consistent delivery of insightful and informative content positions you as a trusted resource in your industry. This fosters trust and solidifies relationships with your target audience.
- Enhance Value Proposition: Content that directly addresses audience pain points, interests, and needs inherently provides greater value. This fosters loyalty and encourages readers to engage further with your brand.
- Cultivate Stronger Customer Relationships: When you establish yourself as a reliable source of high-quality information, readers are more likely to return for future content and share it with their networks. This strengthens customer relationships and nurtures brand loyalty.
- Improve Customer Experience: Offering comprehensive content that addresses all user questions in a single location significantly improves the customer experience which demonstrates your commitment to user satisfaction.
- Attract High-Quality Leads: Content that resonates with real audience needs acts as a magnet for qualified leads. The first rule for a successful business is: Identity a need and fill it. That’s your highway ticket to some serious conversions.
- Boost Sales Conversions: High-quality content nourishes a deep faith in your brand’s ability to deliver on its promises.In other words, you become a reliable solution provider.
- Gain a Competitive Edge: Investing in people-first content differentiates your brand from competitors who rely on superficial or AI-generated content.
Having explored the compelling reasons to prioritise people-first content, let’s delve into practical strategies for crafting such content in the next section.
How To Write People-First Content
Keyword stuffing and chasing fleeting trends is out of the windows, folks. It has been for a while now. In 2024, the key to SERP domination lies in prioritising your readers. Yep, you heard that right. By addressing their needs and solving their problems with expert insights, you’ll climb the ranking ladder like never before.
Here’s a battle plan:
Focus on E-E-A-T
Google craves content from the best in the business – the ultimate knowledge warriors. That’s where E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) comes in. It’s Google’s secret weapon for evaluating content quality, and understanding it is key to crafting content that resonates with search engines. Let’s break it down:
- Experience: Google prioritises first-hand accounts. Think “been there, done that” expertise.
- Expertise: Content should be crafted by a subject matter expert (SME) with a deeper understanding than what’s already out there.
- Authoritativeness: Become a go-to source in your industry. Build a reputation for reliable information.
- Trustworthiness: Be transparent, accurate, and legitimate. Secure your website and cite high-authority sources.
Pro Tip: To truly master E-E-A-T, aim for content backed by an SME’s experience and insights. Showcase your author’s authority within your niche.
Solidify your expertise by diving deep into topics. Imagine your content as a self-contained answer machine, providing everything your reader needs to achieve their goal. To amplify your authority, back up your statements with statistics, quantifiable data, and industry benchmarks. Don’t forget to link to credible, high-authority sources. Remember, the authority of the sites you cite also impacts Google’s perception of your E-E-A-T.
Know Your Audience Like the Back of Your Hand
Understanding your audience and their pain points is the cornerstone of killer content. Ask yourself these questions to guide your content strategy:
- Who are you writing for?
- Why would they care about this topic?
- How can your content help them learn, solve problems, or reach goals?
By understanding your audience, you can craft content packed with deeper insights and relatable examples that truly resonate.
Become Your Readers’ Problem-Solver
Readers flock to content that solves their problems. To become a hero in their eyes, you need to understand their struggles. Here’s how to unlock those pain points:
- Talk to Your Customers: Conduct surveys or consult with sales and support teams who interact with customers directly.
- Dive into Online Communities: Forums like Quora and Reddit can offer valuable insights into user challenges.
Once you understand their problems, craft people-first content that addresses them head-on. Focus on processes relevant to your product or service, drawing from your own first-hand experience. Offer actionable steps to solve problems or showcase other successful strategies.
Craft a User Experience They’ll Love
A stellar user experience keeps readers glued to your page and wanting more. Here’s how to create content that fosters engagement:
- Lead with Value Upfront: Readers shouldn’t have to hunt for the benefits of your content. Structure it so the most important information hits them first, followed by supporting details.
- Make it Relatable: Use relevant examples and actionable insights that resonate with your audience.
- Accessibility is Key: Use simple language, high-contrast fonts, and clear formatting so that everyone can access and understand your content.
- Let Your Personality Shine: Don’t be afraid to show your brand’s personality. It fosters a connection with readers and makes your content more memorable.
- Speed is Everything: Your website must load fast and be responsive across all devices. A slow page is a guaranteed reader exodus.
Remember: Content that’s easy to access and understand will encourage repeat visits.
How To Balance People-First Content With SEO
Let’s face it, the core of SEO has always been about serving up the most relevant answers to searcher queries. And guess what? Many of those core principles still hold true today. The good news? You can create content that excels for both readers and search engines – it’s all about striking the perfect balance.
Follow these tips to provide the best reader experience you possibly can while also optimising for SEO:
- Embrace Keyword Themes, Not Just Keywords: Keyword themes are content roadmaps that guide you you towards naturally integrating synonyms and semantically related terms. This way, you content is going to be comprehensive and cater to a wider range of user search queries. Unsure where to begin? Numerous SEO content tools can help you unearth valuable keyword themes to inform your people-first content strategy.
- Embed Keyword Naturally Across Your Headings: Headings are like neon signs for your content, guiding both readers and search engines to understand your message. Strategic keyword integration within headings acts as a clear indicator of the value your content offers. It’s a win-win – users get a sneak peek into what awaits them, and search engines gain valuable context for indexing purposes.
- Write Clearly and Efficiently: Just because you’re an industry expert doesn’t mean you have to resort to jargon-filled prose. Remember, your audience is intelligent, but their time is precious. Embrace clear and concise language – it allows readers to grasp your message quickly, eliminating the need for further research. Simple, straightforward writing not only demonstrates respect for your reader’s time but also enhances search engine comprehension, ultimately boosting your content’s visibility.
Pro Tip: Want to delve deeper into crafting human-first SEO blogs? Check out our content brief and blog post template library – a treasure trove of resources to guide you on your content creation journey!
Get Help Writing Powerful, People-First Content
At Hawk SEO, we’ve always believed that SEO thrives on a foundation of people-first content.
Stop chasing trends, start prioritising people. Our SEO content writing services create powerful, human-centric content that ranks and converts. Our content:
- Educates & Engages Readers (It’s not just for search engines!)
- Drives High-Quality Traffic (The right people find your solutions)
- Provides Answers & Solutions (Turn visitors into loyal customers)
Ready to unlock SEO’s true potential? Schedule a free consultation and let’s build a peopl-first content strategy that thrives.
