Writing people-first content: A process and template

According to Google, 'helpful, reliable, people-first content' refers to material that prioritizes the needs and satisfaction of users over SEO tactics. This type of content should be genuinely useful, trustworthy, and designed with the intent to provide value to the people reading it, rather than just aiming to rank well in search results.

To create people-first content that ranks well on Google, you should:

1. Set clear goals for your content and align them with your overall SEO strategy using 'The Five Whys' technique.
2. Reframe your goals from the audience's perspective, ensuring they provide value to the reader.
3. Demonstrate experience and expertise in your content, making sure to include verifiable information and link to credible sources or author pages.
4. Aim for unique and high-quality content that stands out by adding new insights, data, and examples.
5. Write your content with a clear plan and structure, revising it through multiple drafts.
6. Review your content against Google's guidelines and ensure it provides a good page experience.

The 'Five Whys' technique is a process used to refine and articulate the goals for your content. You start with an initial goal and ask 'why' up to five times to dig deeper into the underlying reasons and benefits of achieving that goal. This helps to clarify and strengthen the purpose of your content, ensuring it aligns with broader business objectives and user needs.

It's important to align content goals with user satisfaction because Google prioritizes content that meets the needs of its users. By focusing on providing value and utility to your audience, you not only fulfill Google's requirements for high-quality content but also build trust and credibility with your prospects, which can lead to increased engagement, brand recognition, and ultimately, higher sales and customer loyalty.

To measure the success of SEO-friendly, people-first content, you should determine simple SEO KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that reflect your content's performance. These could include organic traffic, engagement metrics, conversion rates, and rankings for targeted keywords. By tracking these KPIs, you can assess whether your content is effectively helping your audience and contributing to your SEO goals.