As solopreneurs we sometimes get frustrated with content because we hear so much about SEO, how competitive it is, and how often it changes. It's true. SEO can and does get overwhelming. The good news is that when you're starting out with creating content for your website, you don't need write for the search engines. Instead, write for the people you want to serve.

Why? There are three things to remember here:
1. When you're starting out, you don't know exactly how you'll use content on your website. Not every successful online business relies on SEO.
2. You can optimize your website for SEO later. In fact, if SEO is part of your online marketing plan, you kinda have to (because it changes all the time...).
3. Search engines are trying to serve people, including your audience. They want to provide the best answers to what people are typing into their search boxes. They do it because they, the search engines, want people to come back to them, often. So, if you write content that people want and enjoy, the search engines are trying to find you.

Can You Trick the System? Can You Beat the Algorithm?

You may think: if I provide what the search engines want, I can be that page that the search engines choose to show.

It may work for a while.

But in the long run, if you're not ready to constantly follow trends in Search Algorithms Land...

...then that's going to be quite a difficult task.

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Why?

Because you are not going to be the only one writing for the search engine.

Plenty of people are writing for the algorithm, and worse yet, plenty of bots and spammers are writing for the algorithm. Search engines are always trying to see through this kind of content.

Remember, search engines are searching for what the PEOPLE want.

Once they decide that the spammers are on to the algorithm, they change the algorithm, sometimes penalizing the sites that tried to trick the algorithm in the first place.

So, how do you get around it?

You Write for People; Specifically, You Write for Your Ideal Audience.

When you write for people, then your goals and the search engines' goals are aligned. The search engines will be trying to find your content. Whether it finds it or not depends on a lot of things, but over time, your content is more useful for your brand when you write for people.

The most important thing to do when you sit down to write is research your audience and ideal client/reader to know what they want to know about the topic you're writing about. When you answer the questions they're asking and being very clear about it, you're more likely to be found. Plus, when you're found, your audience will benefit from your content. A win-win.

Also, make sure to make it clear what your content is about, and get to it right away. That's what people want and that's what the search engines want. Another win-win.

Use clear headings and highlights. Many people skim through content, and headings make it easier. The search engines like headings and highlights too, because it tells them what the main points are. Again, win-win.

Making content more accessible--for example, by adding alt-text to pictures so that screen readers can tell people who can't see well what's in the picture--is obviously helpful for people, but as a side effect, search engines, if they want to, can use it to learn more about your content.

Making your site run faster is another way to get a win-win with people as well as with search engines.

And there's more.

Keyword stuffing on the other hand doesn't help people and is something the search engines try to detect so they don't produce crappy results for people. So while it may work (or may have worked) fora bit, in the long run, it doesn't help your content or your brand.

The only things you should do that are for search engines but not helpful for people are things you do "behind the scenes" like improving the meta description of your content. If you use SEO publishing tools like Yoast SEO then updating these fields will be easy. It will help the search engines but won't bother the humans reading your content (unlike keyword stuffing which is so so annoying to read through).

There Are More Ways To Get Your Content In Front Of Your Audience Beyond SEO

SEO is not the only way to help people find your content. Here are some other ways to share:

• Repurpose your content by creating video and audio pieces based on your written text. Or vice-versa, if your favorite medium is video (whether it's YouTube or going live on social), create text and audio content based on it; if it's audio, then create a video and text out of it. Once ready, publish the new content too.
• Share snippets of your content on social media. You can post on your social pages, use it in answers to people's questions in groups, and so on.
• Share your content with your email list. You can share some and send them to read more on your site. You can break it to parts and share some at a time as a series of emails.

Some of these will work well with a link to your original content, and other won't. Whether you link to your content or not, you are building a coherent brand and serving your audience where they are and in the way they like to consume content, and that's what it's all about.

Conclusion

If you don't have the time and resources to constantly work on your content's SEO, then simply by writing for your target audience you can produce content that search engines and people want. Plus, since this content is useful, you can use it in other parts of your online presence, like your YouTube channel, your podcast, your email list, and your social media presence.

So, don't let SEO hold you back. Create content that your target audience wants, make it better for them, and the rest will follow.