SEO or Storytelling?
The Clique Collective is a digital marketing agency in Jacksonville, FL. We specialize in writing/editing services, SEO, social media management, and website design. This is our blog (aka, a space where we ramble on about our strong marketing opinions and hope that someone will read it). Enjoy!
We’ve all heard it a thousand times — optimize for search.
SEO, or search engine optimization, has become even more of a hot topic in recent months. Between Google’s shift in policy and algorithm changes on various platforms, finding the balance between using SEO best practices and still maintaining an authentic online presence is becoming trickier by the day.
Small businesses, especially, are trying not to drown among the sea of corporations and highly-funded startups with designated SEO strategy teams and killer marketing departments. If you’re a freelance graphic designer or you own a local pie shop down the road, how are you supposed to compete?
How to use SEO, the right way
The answer may sound a bit cliche, but it’s actually the most powerful tool in your branding toolbox:
you need to tell your story.
If you’re writing your “about me” blurb on your website to set up online ordering or you’re posting a caption on a fun TikTok you filmed about your logo-making process, it’s critical to make your words mean something. Rather than stuffing keywords in to sweet talk Google into bumping your URL up on the first search page for “pie shop near me”, find a way to incorporate relevant words and phrases in a more organic and fluid way — without sacrificing your authentic voice.
This is more easy said than done, sure, but putting in the time to really hone your landing page copy or coming up with good social media marketing captions will prove worth it in the end when you start getting inbound leads hungry (literally!) for your goods or services.
Building a brand story
Keywords, H2s, and slugs are all important elements to consider when you’re optimizing your website design or working on your blog copy, but there’s nothing more impactful — and noticeable — than offering your potential customers or clients a chance to get to know you and your brand better. Writing in only the way you can, with your signature dry humor or your heartfelt optimism, can draw people in and convince them to engage with your content, if not hand over their credit card!
If you’re a freelance social media manager writing an intro on your website, throw in some facts about your hobbies or dreams as a kid. If you run a business with a growing team, you can give each of them a personal shoutout post on your business Instagram account. If you’re running a startup, film a few clips throughout your work day for a “day in the life of a startup founder” video.
Keywords and SEO tips may help in some ways, but there’s nothing that can truly compete with genuine passion and community-building. Letting your target audience see some of the behind-the-scenes and real, raw moments involved in building your business is an incredible way to form an engaged, loyal community that turn into customers.
Don’t just write what Google wants to hear — write what your dream customer wants to hear.
