Writing Content That Supports User Goals

Most SEO content reads like a high school research paper - people just regurgitate what is already said in the Google search results. Let's look at how to create content that actually helps readers while still ranking well. (full video sharing examples in the comments) I'm going to share the contrast between "basic SEO content" and high-quality writing by contrasting two SEO articles we found in the SERP focused on targeting the keyword "omnichannel reporting." Basic SEO content: "Omnichannel reporting is essential in today's digital landscape where businesses need a 360-degree view of customer interactions across multiple touchpoints" Just empty words that say nothing specific. Better version: "To do omnichannel reporting right, you need to standardize data across channels. Example: Amazon shows pageviews while GA tracks users - you need to align these metrics to compare performance" Basic SEO content fills space with jargon: "Prevent data silos by implementing a holistic approach to reveal customer behavior and interactions across channels" What does this actually mean? 🤔 Better version: "Most companies store Shopify data separately from Amazon sales. This makes it impossible to see total product performance across all sales channels without manual spreadsheet work" Basic content relies on generic stats: "87% of businesses say omnichannel is important" Better content explains specific problems: "If you have multiple Shopify stores, you can't aggregate their data in one dashboard" Basic content tells readers obvious things: "First, identify the metrics relevant to your business" Better content assumes readers know basics and dives into unique insights from real experts. Basic content avoids mentioning products. Better content shows specifically how your product solves problems: "Our tool automatically standardizes views vs. pageviews across channels so you can compare performance" Key takeaways for how to produce better content: -Without subject matter input, writers default to basic "Google research paper" content. Use interviews to inform your writing if you're not the expert. -Use specific examples and real scenarios. -Don't be afraid to show how your product helps solve the problem.

“How do you balance SEO with user experience in your blog posts?” A thoughtful LinkedIn follower/business owner asked me this... ...and it got me thinking. When blogging, there's a constant push and pull between writing for search engines… and writing for humans. But here's the thing: Your readers should *always* come first. When someone lands on your blog post, they're not there to admire your keyword density or marvel at your meta descriptions. They're there because they have a question. A problem. A curiosity that needs satisfying. Your job? → Answer their question → Solve their problem → Satisfy their curiosity Put yourself in your reader's shoes: → What would you want to know if you were searching this topic? → What insights would you find valuable? → What questions would you have? Approach your blog posts with empathy and a genuine desire to help. When you do that, something magical happens: Most of the SEO takes care of itself. Think about it — When you write in a clear, concise, and human-friendly way, you're more likely to use the words and phrases people are actually searching for. When you cover a topic in detail and answer related questions, you're more likely to rank for long-tail keywords and satisfy search intent. It's a beautiful harmony. Here's an example of this in action — Recently, I wrote an article for ConsumerAffairs about whether warranties cover oil changes (https://lnkd.in/gBEf-T7m). The short answer? No, they don't. But rather than leaving it at that (and trying to fluff it up), I dug deeper: I asked myself, “What else would someone looking this up want to know?” → How to save money on oil changes if warranty won't cover it That's when I remembered FCP Euro's Lifetime Replacement Guarantee, a game-changing hack I discovered as a BMW owner. It's a way to virtually get free DIY oil changes after the first one — something many people wouldn't know about. By including that personal experience and valuable tip, I… → Made the blog post more interesting, helpful, and valuable → Differentiated it from the sea of other articles on the same topic …and because I found opportunities to expand on the topic, the relevant keywords and phrases naturally fell into place. TL;DR: Want to create content that resonates? Always write for humans first. Focus on being as helpful as possible — and trust that the SEO will follow. Your readers will thank you… and the search engines will reward you. — Like what you see? - Follow me on LinkedIn: Sharon Wu 💜 - Hit the 🔔 and be the first to see future posts

𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹.  Content designers beware. In work, and in life, this is maybe the most unactionable and counterproductive advice you’ll ever get.  Regardless of how analytical, practical or data-driven we think we are, emotions drive our decisions. The same is true for everyone. As content designers, it’s easy to focus on *what* users need to do. But *why* do they want to do it? What emotions are driving their actions? The task is important to define, but consider a deeper look at why: ➡️ Understand the ‘Why’: Spend time understanding the underlying motivations and emotions behind user actions. ➡️ Empathy Mapping: Create empathy maps to visualize what users feel, think, and need. ➡️ Emotion-Focused Content: Craft content that resonates emotionally, not just logically. ➡️ Test and Learn: Gather feedback on how your content makes users feel and iterate based on those insights. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗩𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 User needs to provide their information to complete the form. Resulting content: Provide your financial information - Complete all required fields 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆 User is worried about their financial outlook and needs help with planning. Resulting content Get credit for your hard work - the more information you provide, the better your outlook  By focusing on understanding and empathy, we can create content that our users will feel, not just comprehend.

For a long time, I resisted boiling my guidance on interface writing down to a set of “principles”, because context matters so much, and design principles are often misunderstood and misapplied. But then I started teaching a UX writing course, and, well, I needed a set of principles. I found that many lists of UX writing principles focus on qualities of the writing itself, such as concision, friendliness, or formality. Those types of things tend to exist on a spectrum, and are informed by context, so I don’t find it valuable to provide overarching guidance about them. Instead, I've tried to create a list that's more about how to approach your work as an interface writer. As I'm fond of saying, best practices are a last resort. The meta principle not articulated in this list is that you should always apply your best judgment as a professional craftsperson. But anyway, here’s what I’ll be sharing in class later today: I. Prioritize Usability Your words should help users accomplish what they are there to accomplish. II. Work, and Write, Incrementally Follow the ‘Rule of One’. One task per screen. One idea per headline or paragraph. One action that a button performs. One setting that a checkbox controls. III. Prefer Consistent Terminology When you choose words for buttons, menus, and controls, you are, in a way, naming them. Names should stay the same throughout the experience. For instance, ‘Settings’ should always be ‘Settings’, and not also ‘Preferences’. (This is a good rule to break, however, if using the exact same term would be confusing in a specific instance.) IV. Be Specific Using specific words for paths and actions builds trust with your users. For instance: Clone, Copy, Duplicate, and Make a Copy are related, but not perfect synonyms. Using the most specific word possible for an action helps you avoid conflicts with other terms. V. Rely on Patterns Unlike most writing, it’s okay to repeat yourself in interface copy.  In the same way that a design system has visual and layout patterns for common components, your writing can and should use similar patterns for similar actions and activities. -- There’s more to it than that, of course, but those will get you pretty far.