Tag: digital-marketing

Everyone wants that top spot on Google. But, many SEO writers fall into the trap of writing for the algorithm instead of the real people reading their content.

When you focus only on ranking, you often get the opposite—low rankings, zero clicks, and no one actually reading that blog post you worked so hard on.

In this blog, I’ll break down what people-first conten is, why it’s the smartest SEO strategy, and practical tips to write content that both ranks and truly connects with your audience.

How to Write People-First Content (Quick Summary)

1. Follow E-E-A-T guidelines
2. Use topics instead of keywords
3. Make content comprehensive and digestible
4. Make your articles skimmable
5. Write in a clear and direct way
6. Make your SEO tweaks after writing your draft
7. Add unique insights from your own experience
8. Be an expert on your topic
9. Be a trustworthy source of information

What is People-First Content?

People-first content means putting your audience’s needs at the center of everything you create.

Your goal is to genuinely help people, not just satisfy search engine algorithms. SEO still matters, but it comes second to delivering value.

But wait, I want to be the first result on Google!

Of course you do—and you absolutely can be. But the way to get there is by putting people first.

When you create useful, trustworthy content that truly serves your readers, Google is much more likely to reward you with higher rankings.

What is Search-Engine-First Content?

Search-engine-first content is content written purely to rank in search results, with little thought for the actual human reading it.

It prioritizes SEO tricks above user experience, originality, or real value.

This kind of content often:

• Lacks depth or fresh insights
• Feels generic or repetitive
• Tries too hard to stuff in keywords
• Offers no unique perspective

It’s the kind of writing that might technically check SEO boxes, but leaves readers feeling like they’ve wasted their time.

Why Writing for Search Engines Backfires

Writing only for search engines might seem smart. (For content writers, it’s our entire job to rank!). But, it often does the opposite of what you want.

When you stuff content with keywords or write to appease althorithms, it ends up feeling robotic, shallow, and irrelevant. Readers leave quickly and engagements drops. Google notices that.

Google wants content that genuinely helps users instead of just checking SEO boxes.

Keyword-heavy posts may bring short-term clicks, but they rarely build trust or lasting results.

Examples of “Search-Engine-First” Content to Avoid

Here are some classic examples of search-engine-first content you’ll want to steer clear of:

• Clickbait: Sensational headlines that promise the world but deliver nothing of value. Think: “You’ll NEVER believe what happened next…” (Spoiler: readers hate this.)
• Regurgitated content: Articles that simply rehash information already found all over the internet, without adding anything new, personal, or helpful.
• Automatically generated content: AI articles with no human input, personality, or real insights are often low-quality.

People-First Content	Search Engine-First Content
Focuses on helping real people and answering their questions	Focuses purely on ranking in search engines
Prioritizes clarity, usefulness, and user experience	Prioritizes keywords, word counts, and SEO tricks
Original insights and personal experiences included	Often generic, repetitive, or copied from other sources
Naturally integrates keywords as part of broader topics	Obsesses over exact-match keywords and density
Builds trust and authority with readers and Google	Can appear spammy or manipulative to search engines
Long-term sustainable SEO results	Risk of low rankings or Google penalties
Content feels human and engaging	Content often feels robotic or shallow

What is E-E-A-T in SEO?

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s how Google decides if you and your content are worth trusting.

Honest, helpful information that serves your readers is key.

It’s especially crucial for Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics—subjects that affect someone’s health, finances, safety, or overall well-being. Google wants to ensure people don’t get hurt from bad advice on their platform.

9 Tips for Writing People-First Content

So now you know what people-first content is—and why it matters. But how do you actually do it?

Here are my nine practical tips for writing content that puts the audience first, ranks better on Google, and makes your readers genuinely glad they found your blog.

1. Follow Google’s E-E-A-T Guidelines

Google has a detailed guide about writing E-E-A-T content. But in short, it all comes down to creating helpful, reliable content that puts your readers first.

Ask yourself:

Is my content the most reliable and helpful resource it can be for the person reading it?

Knowing whether you’re truly being helpful can feel tricky and subjective. The key is having a deep understanding of your audience and what they want.

• Who is this article for?
• What do they need to know?
• Are they beginners, or already experts in this subject?

If you write content online, you should know Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines like the back of your hand—it’s basically your bible.

Once you’ve finished a draft of your blog post or web page, read through the questions in Google’s guide and see how your content stacks up. Fill in any gaps with more helpful information.

2. Think of Keywords as “Topics”

Gone are the days when you had to stuff your blog post with exact-match keywords a specific number of times just so Google knew what you were talking about.

Today, Google’s algorithm understands the relationship between related words and phrases.

For example:

“best coffee shops Edinburgh” vs. “where to get coffee in Edinburgh” — these mean the same thing to Google.

I’ve often seen blog posts rank on a search results page for a certain keyword—even though that exact phrase never appears in the article at all!

What’s more important now is that you cover your topic comprehensively, answer readers questions, and naturally sprinkle in related keywords throughout your piece.

3. Make Your Blog Comprehensive, but Digestible

Your readers should leave your blog feeling like they truly understand whatever they came to learn—without feeling overwhelmed.

A great way to check if your content is comprehensive is to take your target keywords and search them on Google (preferably in an incognito window). Look at:

• What other top-ranking blogs are covering
• The “People Also Ask” section
• Related searches at the bottom of the page

Are you answering those same questions—or doing it even better?

Remember, your post should be just long enough to fully cover the topic. Forget about trying to hit a magical word count.

A 600-word post can sometimes be more helpful than a 2,000-word one if it’s clear, focused, and genuinely useful.

4. Write “Skimmable” Articles

Most people don’t read blog posts start to finish—they skim. They want a quick answer to their question. Oonce they find it, they’re out.

To keep your content skimmable:

• Use clear header tags to break up long chunks of text. Headers help readers jump straight to the info they’re looking for.
• Headers should accurately describe the information you’re about to give. Don’t be vague or misleading—clarity is key.
• Titles should reflect the actual content rather than be flashy. Honesty and clarity will serve you (and your readers) better in the long run.

Overall, just make it ridiculously easy for someone to find what they need in your blog.

5. Write Clearly and Directly

For people-first content, clarity beats cleverness every time.

Readers want answers fast, so give it to them straight.

I often use the BLUF method, which stands for “Bottom Line Up Front.” You answer the question or make your main point first, then dive into details afterward.

This way, users get the info they need right away. If they’re curious, they can keep reading for more context.

Another tip: make your point in as few words as possible. (Thank my high school journalism teacher for that.) People don’t want to wade through a sea of fluff to get to the meat and potatoes.

Example:

Bad: “In the event that you have any further questions or concerns regarding the matter, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at your earliest possible convenience.”

Good: “Let me know if you have any questions.”

If you can cut out extra words, do it. Your readers (and Google) will thank you.

6. Make SEO “Tweaks” After Writing Your Blog

Here’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a content writer: write your blog as you would write it, then make your SEO tweaks afterward.

When I started writing professionally, I’d obsess over getting every blog post to a perfect 10 score in the Semrush Content Editor. And honestly, it worked… for a while.

But eventually, we noticed something weird at work: some of our lower-scoring posts were actually ranking better than the ones I’d meticulously optimized.

Counterintuitive, right?

The problem was, I’d become too focused on exact-match keywords, hitting specific word counts, and placing all the recommended semantic keywords. I was writing for the tool instead of the user.

Because of that, when the next algorithm update dropped, we lost a lot of traffic.

Now, I write my blog without worrying about tools or scores. Once I’m happy with the piece, then I go back and make minor SEO adjustments.

7. Add Unique Insights from Your Own Experience

Your content shouldn’t just be a copy of information people can already find on every other blog out there.

You have a unique perspective—make sure that shines through in your writing.

Share your personal experiences, mistakes you’ve learned from, strategies that have worked for you, and insights from working in your field.

That gives your audience something they can only get from you—and it signals to Google that your content contains novel, valuable information worth ranking.

If you’re writing for someone else (meaning you don’t have first-hand experience), make it your mission to deeply understand their brand voice and unique perspective. 

8. Be an Expert on the Subject

To write truly great content, you’ve got to write from a place of expertise.

That doesn’t mean you need to be a 200 year old sage who knows everything there is to know about your topic.

Depending on your niche, it might simply mean knowing more than your target audience and being able to teach them something new—or knowing how to find and cite reputable expert sources.

However, be extra cautious when writing about Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics. In those cases, you need to be absolutely certain your advice will not cause your readers harm.

9. Be Trustworthy

For your content to help people, you must be trustworthy—and display trustworthiness.

• Give accurate information. Don’t guess or make things up. Double-check your facts before you hit publish.
• Don’t promise things you can’t deliver. Avoid clickbait headlines that lure readers in but leave them disappointed. Short-term clicks are not worth sacraficing your credibility.
• Back up your claims and statistics with high-quality sources. Think peer-reviewed journals, government reports, reputable industry publications, and expert interviews.
• Always trace stats back to the original source. If you find a statistic on another blog, follow the links until you find the actual study or credible report. You’ll be surprised how many websites cite random numbers without verifying them.
• Add an author bio to your blog posts. Link it out to your LinkedIn profile, your website, or an About page.

Let people see who you are and why they should trust what you’re saying. Being trustworthy is what keeps readers coming back for more.

Tip	Quick Summary
Follow E-E-A-T Guidelines	Write helpful, reliable content focused on your audience. Know who you’re writing for and what they need. Check your work against Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.
Think of Keywords as Topics	Don’t obsess over exact keywords. Google understands related terms. Focus on covering your topic thoroughly and naturally.
Make Content Comprehensive, but Digestible	Cover your topic fully without overwhelming readers. Check Google’s top results and “People Also Ask” to ensure you’re answering all key questions.
Write Skimmable Articles	Most people skim. Use clear headings, honest titles, and break up long text to help readers find answers fast.
Write Clearly and Directly	Get to the point quickly. Use the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) method. Cut fluff and keep your writing concise.
Make SEO Tweaks After Writing	Write for people first. Once finished, go back and make SEO adjustments rather than obsessing over scores upfront.
Add Unique Insights from Experience	Share personal stories, insights, and lessons learned. Don’t just regurgitate existing content. This makes your writing original and valuable.
Be an Expert on the Subject	You don’t need to be the world’s top expert—but know more than your audience and cite reputable sources. Especially crucial for YMYL topics.
Be Trustworthy	Give accurate, honest information. Avoid clickbait, back up claims with credible sources, and add an author bio to show credibility.

Conclusion

Writing for Google is important, but writing for people is what truly sets you apart.

When you focus on helping real readers, you’ll not only rank better, but you’ll also build trust, loyalty, and authority in your niche.

If you keep these principles in mind, you’ll be well on your way to writing blog posts that both rank and resonate.

Want more tips like this? Subscribe below, and I’ll email you whenever I publish a new blog post. Let’s keep leveling up your writing together!