Have you wondered why you spend so much money creating SEO-optimized content for your company’s online presence, and yet when you look at search engine results, the content that does amazingly well is not optimized at all? Are you being scammed into spending resources you don’t have available to create content that no one wants to consume? Yes, probably.
What happened, though? You followed the rules, listened to the consultants and “experts”, and drained your budget just as you were supposed to.
There is a war raging in the digital marketing world today. It is a conflict between middle-man corporations and the end customer’s preferred behaviors, with companies’ Internet presences caught smack in the middle.
Middle-man companies that make their bread and butter telling us how to game the digital arena by using SEO magic to rank #1 on search engines are on one side of the field. Leading the charge across the field is the most popular SEO solution, rhyming with toast, who purports to allow everyone, regardless of age or ability, to all rank at the top of the search results just by adjusting their content until all the dashboard bullets turn green. No need to know your customer or understand the psychology of sales and marketing. Just turn the bullets green and you are good! SEO consultants are the foot soldiers in this war, each bearing the standard of an SEO solution company, all likely paid in affiliate dollars.
The problem is that the end customer does not agree. They do not want to read the amazing SEO-optimized articles on your site any more. SEO-length articles are just too long. So much of the content sounds identical to something ChatGPT would spit out. People want to be engaged and shown how their biggest needs can easily be met. People don’t only shell out money in response to pain, as many young marketing consultants would have you think. People spend most of their money on enhancements and delighters, as evidenced by the insane amount spent every year on dog-sized bridal party clothing and accessories, and ice cream. Since the beginning of time, the end consumer has wanted only to find happiness that will eclipse and mask the pain points that are so often erroneously targeted in modern marketing departments. People want to be distracted and entertained. They do not want to dig in and work for it. People don’t have the time anymore to read when there are perfectly good videos to watch. This is not a new trend by any means, but if you have been listening to SEO companies, not surprisingly, you have been steered down a blind alley.
The emergence of short-form content over the past few years has taken hold in nearly every market sector. The trend in 2023 continues. Committing resources and staff towards the creation of content over 1,000 words has become a waste of money. In fact, publishing said content online, by email, and on social media is now an active inhibitor if you are attempting to sell a product or a service, or increase brand awareness.
The war will obviously be won by your end customers. They always are the victors. They are the side you need to always listen to, not middle-men. Companies live and die by understanding their end customers.
If your end customer does not want to read long articles or posts, or watch long videos and read dissertation-style social media posts, then you will ONLY survive if you adapt. Stop listening to the middle-men and listen to your end customer.