Many of my B2B clients hand me a keyword and tell me that I am supposed to use it in the title, in the SEO description, in the first 100 words, and twice in the rest of the text. Yes, really. While some of those things are good practice, the problem is that the keyword is the one that someone told them they needed to target. Sometimes it is in the wrong tense for the article I’m writing. Or it often just doesn’t really fit what the reader needs to know. As a result, I find that keywords are responsible for much of the boring and stiffness of B2B content.

Why a Keyword-centric Strategy is the Culprit of Boring Content

I can’t count the number of times companies have contacted me to create content specifically to increase search engine ranking on something already identified in a spreadsheet. I’ve found that these companies approach their content marketing with a ‘keyword first’ mentality, which means that every decision about the content – topic, structure, language – are made with keywords as the top priority. The result: dry, boring content that may rank high but doesn’t make the reader feel something. And if that doesn’t happen, then it’s almost impossible for your content to open the door to a relationship with the reader.

How I Got The #1 Search Ranking for the Keyword ‘Content Marketing Writer’

Back in 2013, I started my Content Marketing Writer blog to help journalists transition to content marketing writing. I didn’t really know much about SEO or keywords at that time and never really thought about them. I just wrote about topics that I heard other writers talking about in person, at conferences and online. I started posting on social media. I got some backlinks. I kept posting regularly, year after year.

Then one day I happened to Google my site from another computer and I almost fell over. I had the #1 Google ranking for the search term ‘Content Marketing Writer’ – beating out big names like Content Marketing Institute and even content marketing job listings. While there is a bit of a cool factor in being #1 (OK, I’ll admit – I am still happy two years later), I have seen huge business benefits because I get a high number of clients who find me through an online search and approach me for work – instead of me constantly looking for my next project. (I’m putting a screenshot of the search results below so you can see what I mean. There I am, right below the paid search results, in the #1 and #2 spots!)

Write What People Want to Read

Yes, Google rankings are important. If no one finds your content, then no one reads your content, which is a very bad thing. And you will likely not have a job for very long. You do need to keep an eye on keywords, mainly because the people who sign your paycheck care about these things. It’s almost impossible to create really great content if you are writing for the keyword.

But this is the thing: you can rank high on Google without keywords being the driving force behind every content decision that you make. Google is smart enough these days that when you write for your audience on subjects that they want to read about and use the same language (especially in the title) then ranking issue will take care of itself. It really is that simple.

How did you cure yourself from obsessive compulsive keyword syndrome? Have you seen results from focusing on the audience instead of on the keyword?