Last week, we covered the importance of “triggers and tickles” and promised further search enlightenment through “cat-lady” insights. Before I fulfill that promise, here’s a brief recap of the fundamentals of “UnOptimization,” a way to more and “more better” traffic.
Four tenets of UnOptimization:
- Goal is quality over traffic metrics
- Focus is on users, not search engines
- Scale is part of a long term strategy, not a short term goal
- Content is a foundational element of UnOptimization
With a focus on users… how can we apply this to our search marketing efforts?
Content That Connects
The ultimate goal as a marketer is to create content that either connects with a trigger event need or tickles a consumer into a need-based frame of mind, and the better the content is in doing this, the higher quality a target user tends to be. As with search traffic, more content isn’t always better. Better content—content that effectively connects with a trigger event or efficiently tickles a consumer—isn’t about quantity as much as quality.
The biggest question I get asked is: “Great, I understand that quality content is my goal…but how do I scale content production so I can have content for my whole site?”
Scaling content can be likened to the addition of more cats to a cat lady. More cats may be great for her, but for those around her, it generally creates a noisy, smelly, unwelcome environment. And a pile of cat poop. Which do you think your users would prefer?
Scaling content should be a long term goal—one quality article at a time, rather than a rush to get as many cats articles out the door and saturate the market.
To create quality content—which could be in the form of copy, video, interactive elements or any relevant medium—focus on one niche at a time where you can establish yourself as an expert one topic at a time. Leverage other experts: customers, employees, partners, expert-writers-for-hire, to help create the high quality content you need that aims to satisfy your user’s implied or stated questions.
Ultimately, try to create content that connects with user needs, addresses those needs and gives true value to your users. Quality over quantity.
Google and Quality
We reference quality quite a bit in an UnOptimization strategy. It’s something I truly believe is great for users and, underscored by Google’s recent “Quality Update,” something search engines are aiming for too. Google’s quality ranking guidelines are rich in advice and do’s and don’ts, but ultimately their message is, “if it’s good for users, it’ll be great for us!”
As a business, Google wants users to return again and again to their search engine, because the results provide value. This means that brands, trusted sources and known entities tend to show up frequently in search results, as these reinforce the quality quotient of those results. Showing up in search results doesn’t depend on you being the next Wikipedia, but focusing on a niche you can dominate, creating content that will educate, enlighten or inspire and creating a strong expertise recognized through link earning and relevant social signals *will* force Google to algorithmically take a second look at your site, and potentially move you up in the rankings because of the expertise and authority you bring to specific topics.
Following an UnOptimization Strategy
If you need a last bit of sage advice on an UnOptimization strategy, remember that it’s all about the user: their needs, wants, desires, and the ability to satisfy those needs through effective and targeted content that considers both the intent and context of the query they type in a search box. Do you really need more and more content to do that?
Nope…just quality content and a “more better” UnOptimization strategy.
Connecting with consumers through social media is a great way to establish yourself online, and pushing out quality content is a big part of this. If you don’t have the time or aren’t sure how to start, Homes.com Social is there to help. Homes.com Social allows you to interact with active homebuyers and sellers by posting engaging, relevant, quality content to your social channels.
