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How does SEO work: the two audiences of your Search Engine Optimmization

The term "SEO" has become so widely used lately, and yet many people seem to have misconceptions about what Search Engine Optimization actually does and what it entails. Companies spend increasingly generous budgets on SEO, keywords are researched, rankings are tracked, ads are tested and launched, black hat methods are employed - and a lot of confusion remains.

How does SEO work?

The way that SEO works is two-fold, because your audience is two-fold: you are trying to market your website or blog or electronic newsletter simultaneously to robots and humans. How can these two things reconcile? I've worked with clients before that were wondering why their website with, say, the very best smartphones in Edmonton as the keyword worked so well for the robotic audience but wasn't so well received by the living and breathing readership. Search Engine Optimization cannot be a means to itself - when the eventual goal is to simply rank higher in Google results, disaster would inevitably follow when your potential readers and thus customers would click on that fortunate first page link and find content that is beyond comprehension and common sense - simply put, cruel.

Why quality content is important for your SEO

If someone tells you they can improve your Search Engine Optimization in a minute, they are not talking about your human readership, they are focusing exclusively on the crawl bots visiting your website in search for new information. Quality original human-oriented and interesting content, in the meantime, takes time to write, time to edit and time to implement throughout your online presence. This type of content is not the type stuffed with SEO keywords - but it has a much greater potential of leaving a positive mark in both your Search Engine Optimization and your relationship with potential customers in the long run. So which would you choose - the shortcut or the lasting solution?

Artem Medvedev, PhD, is a content writer and social media marketing consultant in Edmonton, Alberta. Visit him at www.bestcontentforyou.com

Also follow my day to day blog here

Edmonton content writer's rants and ramblings

Do micro-job sites and offers kill quality content marketing?

It's hard to research anything content-related nowadays without being bombarded with hundreds of poorly worded ads, blog posts and websites offering top-notch copywriting services for $5 or $2 or $1. The world, it seems, is going mad with these offers and the confusion they create. Can you really get quality content for $1? Yes, about 10 words, at most. Content marketing is not a rubber-stamp process (at least, it shouldn't be). It takes creative thinking, it takes research and it takes dedication. In the end, the investment you should make today is to make sure that your website, blog, social media and other copy are not only stuffed with keywords "for the sake of SEO" but actually readable, attractive, original and inspiring. Do all of these things come for free? No. Are they worth it? Beyond expression.

To find out more about my quality content marketing services, please visit www.bestcontentforyou.com

Customer feedback is always helpful. It can also make you smile like a baby.

Content writing as usual?

As you may know up close, the life of a content writer or online marketing professional is not always glamorous and there is always at least one (permanently) unhappy or marginally happy customer somewhere on the radar. Content writing means sometimes writing about things you've never experienced personally or even hope you would never need to experience. 

Content marketing as an education

At the same time, online marketing is also a great school. Over the past few years, I've written about, among others, health care, national defense, UFOs, ahem, online marketing strategies, teaching methods, grocery sales, bison meat (yes, my favorite example), ways to stop smoking, life insurance and taxes. I don't know another job that gives you this kind of exposure to the everyday worlds of hundreds of other professions: I truly find this a great experience!

Back to that word I just mentioned: taxes

Now here comes the main reason for writing this whole post, which is to share some feedback I just received from a customer (used with permission):

This is one of the best pieces of writing I've ever seen in my life and I want to marry him except I am already married. Bravo and I'm not changing a thing..........................run it!!!!!

Dexter Brown, owner, Premier Tax Resolutions

What do YOU do when you get feedback like this? Please share. I want to double-check if my reaction was adequate.

For more information about my content copywriting and online marketing services, please visit www.bestcontentforyou.com