Is SEO Writing a Dying Art?
I thought about making this the shortest blog post ever by answering the subject line question with a single sentence.
“No, SEO writing is NOT dead — despite what you may have read.”
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But instead, let’s break down how this zombie myth happened.
At least once a year, somebody comes out with an article proclaiming the “death of SEO.”
Their reason? Google is changing. The way people search is changing. The search results page is changing.
So. Much. Change.
That change means SEO (and, by extension, SEO writing) is a dying art.
I get the fear. I do. Google’s search results page is different than it was a few years ago. More ads, featured snippets, and “people also ask” results change our familiar “ten blue links” Google layout.
You can’t throw a keyphrase on a page anymore and automatically see a top position (oh, how I loved those days.)
But…
Just because it’s changing doesn’t mean it’s dying.
Google is just growing up.
In fact, here’s a great post by Kristine Schachinger in Search Engine Journal that outlines ALL the cool opportunities.
But, something is dying…and it’s not SEO.
It’s the SEO practitioners (and, sadly, SEO writers) who aren’t keeping up with the times.
In today’s brave new Google world, we have more opportunities than ever before.
We can strategically write our content to try to land a “people also ask” slot.
We can learn how voice assistants “think” and can write content that provides the best answers.
We can create “micro-moment” content, giving readers the exact answer they need, when they need it.
In short, we need to evolve as SEO writers and to learn how to work with Google TODAY — not Google as it was in 2010 (or even 2015.) That means keeping up with what works and not falling prey to common, outdated zombie myths that WILL NOT DIE.
Sure, this may sound scary if you’re used to doing things a certain way. You may have only ever relied on a so-so SEO writing formula to do what you do.
Just know that embracing Google’s new way of doing things is actually fun. It takes more strategy and think time — but the end result is better, more visible content.
So, no, SEO writing isn’t dying — in fact, we have more opportunities than ever before.
SEO is alive and well.
What do you think?
Are you afraid that SEO will go away tomorrow? Do you also enjoy a silent chuckle every time you read an “SEO is dead” post? Leave a comment and let me know.
Great read Heather – I love your writing style! I literally laugh out loud every time someone asks me if blogging is still necessary for their website’s ranking. Uh, yeah it is! But you’re totally right, we need to move with Google, not just do the same old, same old, to make our SEO copy work :)
Hello!
Thank you! And yeah, I laugh too — although I try not to laugh out loud. I mostly succeed. :)
Exactly! I’ve been telling my clients this for a long time. I believe content will always be one of the most important parts of SEO. It’s just about keep up-to-date on what the search engines are doing and how to accommodate the new features.
Yup, Google does keep us on our toes. Even in the content world. SO much has changed over the years… :)
I really appreciate your hard work, KEEP IT UP.
Great Blog. Yes, I agree with you SEO will never die. Your tone of writing is really good and interesting. Keep sharing.
SEO as a whole hasn’t died, but a lot of tactics have. Stick with outdated strategies and the only thing you’ll be seeing are low rankings and potential penalties in your future.