Authenticity Is the Currency of the Digital Era

Much of this post has been sitting in my draft folder for a couple of months now. It was originally going to be called “Making Your Website Visible on the Web”, but rereading the headline feels like using a terrible clickbait title. I wanted to talk about good SEO. However, now I realize that not only have my interests changed (online marketing and SEO are no longer topics that I have a strong interest in), but also what I want to write about on this blog. Not SEO. So I have little desire to write a long, detailed article about SEO again.

Before I close this chapter, I’d like to share with you what I consider to be the most important Basics for SEO apart from the technical details – not the tricks and tools, but the philosophy behind it. I’ve broken it down to the core.

That pretty much concludes the SEO chapter for this blog. So here comes my summary experience report, so to speak. The essence of effective SEO 😉.

Useful Tips for Improving the Content of Your Website

Do you want to improve your content or your SEO game, but are overwhelmed by the amount of features that SEO tools offer? Or are you just looking for some new, straightforward input for 2019? The following tips can be used to improve your website at any time.

But here’s the thing: None of these technical tips matter if you’re missing the bigger picture. So let’s take a step back and talk about the philosophy behind sustainable SEO.

• Get the basics right – optimize your page titles and descriptions properly.
• Optimize your site for your users, make them happy and offer relevant content.
• Continue to check that the content of your pages is still relevant.
• Find as many broken links as possible and redirect them properly.

Breathe Outside Your (Online Marketing) Bubble

I urge you to get out of the online marketing bubble from time to time. Maybe even get out of your own business bubble. It’s like going for a walk: You’re more focused when you’re back home. And your brain is still solving problems, even if you haven’t set any on purpose.

Now, you may complain that I dare to distract you from checking your KPIs. Well, because it is easy to get carried away. After all, it’s fancy to visualize data and drop words that sound even fancier than the graph we’re talking about.

It may sound simple, and I know it’s not. For sustainable creativity and therefore sustainable content production, I recommend that you find your (SEO) voice. Start by asking yourself these fundamental questions:

Think About Your Content

• What is the core impulse to buy your product or consume your content?
• What is your (true) USP?
• What can you do that others cannot?
• Are you being honest with your customers?
• Why you? Why your product/content?

Answer these questions for yourself, or even write them down. This will give you a starting point for improving your website.

Answering some of the more trivial questions will open up new ones for you, which in turn will strengthen the feeling for your product and yourself. The more you get behind the product and yourself, the larger the pool of resources from which you can derive new marketing ideas, brand management models, content ideas, and so on.

Be Yourself

The essence of good SEO is reflected in the title of this article. Authenticity is the currency of the digital age.

People value authenticity. I value authenticity. Even if you can build up a flock of followers who are passionate about an artificially promoted product, there will come a time when their loyalty will be questioned. Whereas, people who sense your authenticity – no matter how many of them there are – will feel a real loyalty that is worth more than any artificially built one. They are not just buyers, readers or connoisseurs, but people who remain steadfast over time.

The same applies to interest. People who feel comfortable on your site and who perceive your authenticity enjoy looking around and will come back.

Being authentic also has benefits, such as more freedom. You don’t have to think in terms of fixed strategies, you can act on your feelings. This in turn will be noticed by interested parties and your followers and will make you more attractive to them.

And this is where it all comes full circle with SEO: The best SEO strategy isn’t a technical trick – it’s about building something people genuinely want to engage with. Authenticity drives engagement, engagement drives metrics, and metrics drive rankings. That’s the essence of sustainable SEO.

Be yourself!

Closing Remarks

Some say better done than perfect, but I encourage you to go the extra mile on whatever you are trying to optimize.

I’ve had graphics, copy and UI elements perfected to the point where they stood out from the competition. It was that extra something that made customers choose the specific product or service that I wanted to give an SEO boost. In the end, people could feel the thought and love that went into creating the site. And I can’t tell you how nice it was to have that confirmed in a few emails and chats.

Put the icing on the cake 🍰 and suddenly your website can work much better. It’s well worth the effort.

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That concludes the article. If you spot any typo or would like to share your thoughts on this article, please feel free to get in touch. 🙆‍♂️