Ever thought of SEO as a mystery corner of the internet that only a select few can understand?
You’re not alone.
But I’m here to tell you that SEO doesn’t have to be so cryptic – courtesy of Tim Soulo, Chief Marketing Officer at Ahrefs.
Tim was a recent guest on The Marketing Meetup and shared his refreshing attitude towards SEO.
According to Tim, SEO is actually quite easy – just make sure your content is the best it can be and stop looking for a magic bullet.
Sounds simple enough, but let’s dive a little deeper.
SEO is not dark magic
If you search the internet for SEO tips you will come across a never-ending stream of websites and articles by people claiming they are SEO gurus.
This is part of the confusion when it comes to SEO and why so many people are intimidated by it – something that Tim sought to debunk in The Marketing Meetup.
“Stop making it look like dark magic and an exclusive skill,” he said.
You see, there is no exclusivity with SEO.
To start playing the game you simply need to know a few fundamentals, like keyword research, to give you some direction.
“At Ahrefs, ninety percent of what we write about is focused on search traffic,” said Tim.
“You need a keyword search tool. This will help to figure out the keyword and the competition – how hard it will be to penetrate the rankings.”
However, there can be a learning curve with keyword research and it can take time for content to start ranking well in search engines. This is where patience is needed.
Joe Glover, founder of The Marketing Meetup, put it perfectly: “We spend too long looking for shortcuts and hacks. Sometimes we just need to put in the hard work, and that takes time.”
Think like a journalist
After keyword research to identify relevant topics, the next SEO step is content creation.
As we all know, the internet is packed full with articles and blogs so you need to have something special to stand out.
To do this, Tim suggests writers should adopt a different perspective.
“People need to think of themselves as a journalist, not a copywriter,” he said.
This means do the research, explain an experience and be original. Don’t just write for the Google algorithm.
In fact, Ahrefs’ marketing ideology is to do stuff that makes sense, not just to reach a certain number for a KPI. And it seems to be working for them.
Basically, it’s a no-nonsense approach to SEO and an honest reflection on a topic that has long been shrouded in mystery.
As a journalist, I completely agree with copywriters pursuing a more journalistic-style of writing. It really does add an extra edge to content. Get in touch to find out more at hello@hayleymaguire.com.
Hayley Maguire 