How to make your docs discoverable with SEO

“Google’s not killing SEO writers—boring writing is.” Every few months, the internet declares SEO is dead. But what’s really dying is lazy, recycled writing. Google’s AI updates actually reward human flow, simple words, real tone, and natural storytelling. If you can explain a complex topic like you’re talking to your cousin, you’re already winning the next algorithm. SEO writing is shifting from keyword to clarity. What’s the biggest SEO myth you still see people repeating?

Before I Delete This Rule No. 2: Critical thinking is more important than checklists. You can follow a brief to the letter — cram in 15 H2s, 20 H3s, every long-tail keyword under the sun — and still end up with something that misses the mark and doesn't perform. Whether you're writing or editing, critical thinking is knowing when to question the brief. It’s looking at repetitive subheads and asking, "Does the reader actually need this, or are we just pushing a wordcount?" It’s looking at key phrases and finding ways to flip the words so they sound human and not like robotic keywords pulled from an SEO's automated SEMrush report. It's looking at 20 H2s and realizing that's 10 too many. Writers: Be confident in what you don’t write. Editors: Be confident in what you cut. Sometimes the best content comes from what you refuse to include.

📌 Before I start writing, I try to understand why someone would search for that query in the first place. It’s a behind-the-screen process that helps me align what I write with what the user truly wants to find, not just what they type. So, here it is and how it shapes my thought process, and final result: 1. Start by reading and letting the query sink in my head for a few minutes I ask myself: why did this person even type this? That question opens up everything else. 2. Look for hidden meanings Sometimes, intent isn’t always obvious, it’s buried in how people phrase their queries: short, detailed, or question-style. I pay attention to tone, structure and read between the lines to sense whether they’re asking to learn, buy, compare, or fix something fast? 3. Classify the query type I ask myself, is this informational, transactional, navigational, or commercial investigation? That helps me know what kind of journey the user is on. 4. Imagine the person behind the search I try to feel what they might be going through that made them search for this. What problem, frustration, or curiosity pushed them here? 5. Step into their shoes for solution preference I ask, if I were this person, what kind of solution would I want to see? Would I prefer a quick summary or an in-depth guide? A how-to blog with pictures or step-by-step explanations, or even a short explainer video. 6. Analyze what Google and LLMs already show I check the current results. Is Google showing summaries, videos, or forum answers? Then I ask myself, am I satisfied with these answers as a user? 7. Understand search engines result I understand what search engines already think is the “best” answer, but I don’t stop there. My focus is to write something better for people; something that helps, not just ranks. 8. Identify content gaps If the existing answers feel incomplete or too generic, I note what’s missing; maybe empathy, clarity, visuals, or updated info. That gap becomes my writing opportunity. 9. Write to close that gap When I finally start writing, my goal is to fill those gaps and build a better solution than what’s already online. I combine what search engines understand with what humans actually need. 10. Deliver balance 🤌 Every line I write aims to satisfy both sides; the algorithm and the audience, because that’s where good SEO works. 11. Close the loop Before publishing, I reread the content and ask, does this solve the problem that made the user search in the first place? If yes, I know I’ve met both intent and impact. 🤗 Every query tells a different story & reflects behavioural changes and search updates, so I’m always learning and refining how I interpret, and respond through content. 📌 If you’re looking for an SEO writer who enjoys the process, pays attention to intent, and creates content that satisfies both humans and search engines; you should reach out.

Most writers think SEO is for tech people. That’s why 90% of their personal websites never show up on Google — even when their writing is amazing. I’ve been doing quick SEO Tune-Ups for writers lately — fixing small things like title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text that help Google actually find your work. Here’s the fix most people miss 👇 Write your page title like a headline, not a label. Use your niche keyword in your meta description. Rename your image files with real words (“writer-portfolio.jpg,” not “IMG_3456”). Small changes, huge impact. 💬 If you’d like me to personally check your site and show you what’s missing, comment “check” and I’ll DM you a free mini audit.

Do you still write blog articles by hand ✍️ or do you exclusively use artificial intelligence 🤖? Hi :) I’m starting to wonder if manual writing is becoming a dinosaur. I’ve been writing posts myself or outsourcing to freelancers, but I’m seeing more AI-generated articles and I’m considering switching — mainly for time and cost reasons. How do you handle it in practice? Do you still write by hand, use a hybrid setup, or go 100% AI? I tested a few WordPress plugins that “write” articles on their own, but the results were mediocre. Looking further, I found some all-in-one solutions (writing, images, tags, auto-publishing), e.g., seorise.ai. Has anyone used it? What are the real-world pros/cons, what should I watch out for, and how’s the content quality if AI writes everything by itself? #ContentMarketing #AIContent #Blogging #DigitalMarketing #SEO #LinkedInLearning

The reasons I don't charge £80 for a blog post: 1. I study the brief (if there is one, if not, I create one myself through conversations and goal digging). 2. I know when to interpret and when to ask questions for further clarification - (that's more than 10 years of experience at work). 3. I create a strong outline before I write a single word of the blog post. 4. I research. Not just to find info but to understand it myself. 5. Crucially - and this has truly only developed more rapidly in the last 2.5 years working as a freelancer - I know when to STOP researching. I'm not trying to become the world's most knowledgeable person on every topic I write about. Research can be a bottomless pit if you let it. 6. I pad out my outline and dump notes, research snippets, and questions into it. This is my TERRIBLE FIRST DRAFT. (The terrible bit is essential.) 7. I start making it all make sense. Shaping, crafting, editing - stage 1. 8. I optimize. Keywords all in there? Internal links? SEO friendly headers? Is it scannable? Do we need more images/graphics? Have I fulfilled the requirements of the brief? 9. Proof. I'm looking for typos and grammar errors. 10. Edit stage 2. Polishing. This is very different to edit stage 1, optimising and proofing. I never mix them all up. I keep them separate as they use different parts of the brain. 11. LEAVE IT ALONE FOR A BIT. (Ideally, at least 24hrs, but that's not always possible. But I make sure I step away for a while, and crucially, don't think about it at all. 12. Last read-through. Aloud. Make any final adjustments. All this is assuming that I already understand the client and their audience, AS WELL as the topic. And I take regular breaks throughout, so that at each stage, my brain is fresh! I feel like I've got this process down pretty good now, but it can still take me anywhere from 4 hours to 2 or 3 days to write a several thousand word piece. No two are the same. And as good as this process is, it's not a template that every blog post fits neatly into. So yeah, that's why I don't charge £80 for a blog post. 🤓

Two truths: (1) Writing good content that people care about is more important than writing for SEO. (2) People aren’t reading online content all the way through anymore, but they’re skimming for one piece of information. True truths from two different industry experts who know what they’re talking about. What does this mean for the modern marketer? Here’s my take: 1. Be brief, lead with the most important information first, and use bulleted lists 2. Write pieces and web pages centered around one idea, especially when your writing will be found on search engines by AI overviews 3. Be strategic about what you spend your time creating, quality > quantity What did I miss? Drop your content writing hot takes in the comments!

Here are some SEO tools every writer should know. 1. Grammarly 2. Semrush 3. Yoast SEO 4. WordPress 5. Google Docs 6. Quillbot 7. Plagiarism checker 8. Surfer SEO 9. Hemingway App 10. Chat GPT Add yours below. #SEO #PreshiEl

I took a break from writing for a while to explore something new but recently, I found myself drawn back to it. What pushed me away in the first place was something I noticed far too often in the industry. Writers being treated as “supporting roles” while the spotlight always went to others. From my experience, around 90% of what makes a page rank or connect with readers comes down to the content itself. Yet the appreciation often goes to traditional SEO roles and when it doesn’t, it’s at best shared. Take this for example: you’re working on a website with a solid DR, say, 60+. On such a site, if your content is genuinely good, it’s bound to rank sooner or later, even without a heavily detailed SEO brief. So it makes me wonder, why do so many companies still rely more on SEOs than on the very writers who are actually responsible for organic growth? And honestly, with GEO, AEO or whatever you want to call it on the horizon, I’m really curious to see what SEOs will actually bring to the table. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about optimization. It’s about connection and that always begins with the writer.